Letter: Handel Puts Principle Over Profit
Former state Rep. Mitchell Kaye explains why Karen Handel is right for the 6th District.
It is no surprise that Steve Oppenheimer, a former Democratic candidate for public office, is supporting Democrat Jon Ossoff (“Why Ossoff Has Earned Our Support,” May 5). Likewise, it should be no surprise that I, a former Republican state legislator, am supporting Republican Karen Handel. Partisans have decided, but how about the rest?
Often what a candidate doesn’t say speaks volumes about his/her past. Ossoff worked for Congressman Hank Johnson for five years — the same Hank Johnson who compared Jews and Israeli citizens to “termites” based solely on the where they live. Yes, Johnson apologized, but his voting record on Israel never changed.
Ossoff’s campaign website shows the names of many people whom he associates with and displays a picture with respected Congressman John Lewis. Hank Johnson, his mentor, is nowhere to be found.
Ossoff as a journalist sold films to many media sources, including Al Jazeera, known as “a mouthpiece for terrorists” and owned by the government of Qatar. The network promotes the Muslim Brotherhood and has an anti-Western, anti-Israel agenda.
While Ossoff’s relationship was legal, he chose profits over principle. Would he also have sold to a neo-Nazi or Klan publication? With 95 percent of his campaign funds coming from out of state, will he represent the money or the people?
There are many reasons why citizens across the political spectrum could and should support Karen Handel. As the chair of the Fulton County Commission, she turned deficits into balanced budgets. As the Georgia secretary of state, she implemented and successfully defended a voter ID law to protect election integrity, increasing minority and overall voter participation. As the president and CEO of the North Fulton Chamber of Commerce, she promoted an aggressive economic development program that created thousands of jobs.
But more than a record, Karen places principle over profit. As senior vice president of policy for Susan G. Komen, a leading charity fighting breast cancer, she resigned when the organization restored funding to a group she philosophically opposed. Principle over profits!
In a normal year, the first vote a member of Congress makes is for the speaker of the House. Karen Handel proudly supports and is campaigning with Speaker Paul Ryan. John Ossoff is supporting Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi but doesn’t want that secret to get out. Any wonder why she will not come to Georgia?
With his millions, Ossoff has developed a poll-tested message that now makes it seem he is one of us, ignoring the common threads of Hank Johnson, Al Jazeera and outside money. From health care to jobs to taxes to national security, Karen Handel has what it takes to truly represent all the people of the 6th District.
— Mitchell Kaye, Marietta
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