It’s already national news, so I’ll keep the intro short. UGA’s Dean of Journalism had the temerity to call Secretary of State a “nice guy” on Twitter. Some found this unacceptable, and the professor has apologized for the tweet. There’s so many directions to go with a “hot take” on this. There’s so little time…
I’m going to cede my opinions on the matter and instead post the following from former State Representative Mike Dudgeon.
I so strongly feel that politics should not divide us personally that the “UGA Dean friend not allowed with Kemp” story has really stirred me up.
So I want to share some things about just a few of my Democratic former colleagues. Scott Holcomb and Stacey Godfrey Evans, and Elena Parent Brisendine were in my “freshman” class and are brilliant and just good people. I had fun working on education policy with Margaret Kaiser, Rahn Mayo, Valencia Stovall, and Alesha Morgan. With each I can remember lots times of smiles and good camaraderie. I learned how to be a good committee member by watching how Kathy Ashe examined bills. And Stacey Abrams now running for Governor did me a big favor in Rules committee (its very technical to describe), but she did it publicly and I thanked her publicly. She was always very nice to me in person.
I am not voting for any of the above, but that shouldn’t matter on a human level. Jefferson and Adams fought at times very hard in the political arena but went through life as the closest of friends. Lets passionately debate ideas and philosophy, bills and regulations. The Gospels are a good source to check if you are not sure – “Love your neighbor as yourself” and The Good Samaritan come to mind.
These words again were from Former State Representative Mike Dudgeon. Former State Rep, but always a Statesman. Thanks Mike.