Congressman Doug Collins Draws A Primary Challenger
Photo obtained from Wikimedia Commons
Congressman Doug Collins (R-GA-09) has drawn an opponent in the Republican primary this coming May. Former teacher and Lanier Tea Party President Roger D. Fitzpatrick will be challenging Congressman Collins again. Fitzpatrick came in last place with 17% in the 2012 contest after redistricting left the 9th district open with no sitting congressman. From WDUN:
Fitzpatrick made his announcement Monday on WDUN’s Morning Talk, saying he knows there’s a growing dissatisfaction among conservatives in north Georgia with so-called establishment Republicans.
“It has to do with what’s going on with our representative in Washington,” said Fitzpatrick. “He’s voting with establishment, he’s voting with leadership and that’s not what we sent him up there to do.”
Where is the Party compass pointing when you have conservatives lamenting that their conservative congressman isn’t conservative enough. Not everyone can be Ted Cruz (thank goodness) and have a perfect score from the Heritage Foundation’s PAC. I’ve tweeted my opinion on effectiveness and these conservative scorecards:
Just because you get a 100% @Heritage rating doesn’t make you an effective legislator. #gop #gagop #gapol
— Nathan A. Smith (@Nathan_A_Smith) December 4, 2015
Photo obtained from Tea Party Cheer
Some may consider a “do nothing” Congress and Congressmen and Senators who consistently vote “no” the best form of representative government, but I believe we can do something better and at least move the ball down the field in terms of better policy.
We aren’t going to get everything we want especially with a Democrat as President, but it seems like there are people who would rather see Republicans who don’t receive a 95%+ rating from Heritage or any other get defeated than Democrats. Of course, I believe there is a lot of overlap between that and those who believe that Donald Trump is a conservative.
Before people start commenting on how I’m in the bag for all of our Republican incumbents, I’m not. I don’t believe in an “incumbent protection program”. If someone feels led to run for office, then they should, but I wonder how many do it just to take a jab at the (seemingly nebulous) #Establishment with no real plan or expectation to lead or govern. Or, to put it succinctly, “we elected a Republican who votes with his fellow Republicans, we must defeat him.”
About Author
nsmith
Father. IT Geek. Former 14th District GOP Chairman (2015-2017). Former Walker GOP Chairman (2009-2013). Resident of Chamblee. American. Georgian. Conservative.
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The other potential candidate, Al Gainey, doesn’t have the money or the energy to run which are also Fitzpatrick’s shortcomings. Martha Zoller could make a credible run but so far, she shows no interest.
The strong dissatisfaction with Collins is real but not widespread. He will likely return to Washington with the rest of the Ga. incumbents.
I’ve heard Al’s name floated too, and I’m sure the dissatisfaction with Congressman Collins is similar to the dissatisfaction with Tom Graves here in the 14th District. Both Collins and Graves defeated their challengers in 2014 by a pretty wide margin. I’d expect the same thing this year, but with the current political climate, I don’t think I take anything as a “sure thing” any more. Heck, Donald Trump is at the top of the polls even when says ridiculous things that would knock another candidate from the top of the polls.
A Collins/Zoller rematch would be quite interesting and competitive but last I heard she was working for Senator Perdue which is a job she is unlikely to give up.
Until we get around to doing the right thing with nonpartisan primaries, and we will, the parties should realize that there are worse fates for an incumbent than being “primaried”. In 2014 with Congress maintaining an 11% approval rating 96% of incumbents were reelected. If an incumbent is defeated by a member of his own party in our highly gerrymandered districts it means they have royally screwed up. His or her party should be grateful that someone of their own party could overcome worse odds than a rigged carnival game to take them out of play.
I don’t believe banishing Parties from elections and everyone running as an Independent will solve the problems currently facing our country. Madison warned us to guard against factions, but we eventually separated into factions (the Federalists vs. Anti-Federalists, and subsequent Parties as our nation’s progressed forward in time). I think hyperpartisanism has caused us to be unwilling and unable to work across the aisle because constituents back home will shout that their congressman has done nothing more than “voted to fund Obama’s agenda”….no matter how many conservative wins we may have gotten.
I believe there are a lot of people who are upset at Congress as a whole, but they like their own Congressman. Of course, you have talk radio hosts like Mark Levin, and other Rush Limbaugh wannabes, who want to continually chide Republicans for selling out and making constituents angry. That doesn’t really help the situation a whole lot (unless you’re someone like Ted Cruz and are willing to push your Republican colleagues in front of a Metro bus to advance your own agenda). I mean, you can only say “Obama is a horrible President” so many times. You have to find different ways at keeping your audience engaged. Why not use the anger towards Republicans to line your pockets?
Congressional Republicans aren’t blameless. The Senate is still slow on the uptake of bills. I believe we could pass bills and send them to the President. Will he veto them? More than likely, but that’s on him and the Democrats.
Nonpartisan blanket primaries with the top two going to the general election does not serve to banish parties at all. We could possibly end up with some leveling of the playing field and have a few more independents, or, horror of horrors, a third-party candidate have a shot. In Georgia we would first have to tackle the rigged game for qualifying first as about the only agreement between the two parties is that they only want every contest to be between the two parties no matter how poor the end choices may be.
Our courts have consistently upheld the political party system under the 1st Amendment’s freedom of association clause and I have no problem with that, however, I do have a problem with taxpayers funding partisan primaries. If a party wishes to select their own candidate they should foot the bill for the election or their own nominating convention. If I as a taxpayer am helping to pay for the primary election then I should be able to vote for who I think the best candidate for the job should be then I should be able to do so, regardless of party.
The way the system works now in our highly gerrymandered districts is that many times the Primary is the real election as I’m sure is the case with Congressman Collins here. Even if Mr. Fitzpatrick has a very small chance why begrudge him the opportunity? It is most likely that a Democrat would have even less of a chance. Are we holding elections or just confirmations of the pre-ordained?
BTW, I am not for Mr. Fitzpatrick and do not live in this district anyway. I am simply tired of a Congress that stays at loggerheads so much that to keep a functioning government they have to do things like vote for a budget bill containing items that have nothing to do with the budget. Some of which seemingly violate the Constitution. We have to start considering the good of the district and/or country over the good of the party.