This year’s Georgia Bulldogs football team is probably the best football team I've ever seen to take the field in Athens. This might include the National Championship team of 1980. However, I have had my heart ripped out so many times by my beloved Bulldogs, I'm trying to keep my wits about me. If I didn't love them, they couldn't hurt me, right?
That thought leads me to Herschel Walker. I graduated from UGA the year before Herschel came to campus. My timing has always been off that way. I could tell you a few more stories, but I would digress. So, I have been a fan of Walker from outside the hedges. I've met him a few times over the years and interviewed him a number of times last year and hope to do so soon...(hear that, Team Herschel?). But here are my thoughts up to now.
My biggest concern was that he would not be prepared for the onslaught he would be facing and like many who can self-fund or at least jumpstart their campaigns, the “hangers on” in the consultant world would think about their paycheck and not winning. I think these were fair concerns, but I have been pleasantly surprised. The videos have been great. He's taking the high road in his messaging and that is the right tact. He needs to be different from former President Trump, meaning he must be himself. If you look at the causes Walker has been involved in over the years, they have been positive. And even though he's had his ups and downs, at his core, Herschel is a guy who doesn't give up. He works hard.
The real turning point in my view of what kind of candidate he would be was at the rally in Perry a couple of weeks ago. He had the best speech of the night. It was positive, on message and unifying and for that reason it stood out. It was the flicker of positiveness and unity we need in the Republican Party in Georgia.
If he is nominated, he will be uniquely qualified to mend the rift between Governor Brian Kemp and President Donald Trump. He is close to both men and quite possibly, the biggest test of his abilities will be unifying the party coming out of the primary. But he has to win the primary first and then he may make the biggest run for the goal line in his life. Good luck, Herschel Walker. You are taking on a bold endeavor, not just for the State of Georgia but for UGA fans everywhere.
