Here are today's top three takeaways regarding the presidential election. Let's start with Georgia. We’re not done with Georgia even when we’re done with this election, especially if Biden wins. But wait there’s more, as Atlanta’s votes continued to be tabulated on Thursday, something of great significance happened which may prove to be more relevant than who wins Georgia’s Presidential race in the end. I'm talking about the 49.8%. What the heck is that percentage? The current percentage of vote Republican Senator David Perdue has in his race over Democrat Jon Ossoff. Yes, he leads Ossoff by over two percent, however, because 2.3% of voters voted for the Libertarian candidate and because Georgia has a ridiculous 50% plus one vote threshold for winning any election. Both of Georgia’s senate races, both held by Republicans are now headed towards a January runoff. That would matter anyway but then consider that if Joe Biden wins the Presidency, Republicans will need to win at least one of those two races to retain control of the Senate after all. Imagine the weight, focus and money that will plow into that state between now and then. Also, the additional stress for all of us until then. But it’s not just the absurdity of the 50% plus one vote policy that’s creating all of this undue consternation, the reason for the first runoff is also based on policy. The “jungle primary”.
On a related note, it's rare that most of electorate votes for a massive election reform fails and the majority immediately gets to see what a colossal cluster the minority protected them from. To the 57% of Floridians who were misguided enough to vote for Amendment 3. Be grateful for two things. The 43% of us who saved you from yourself and the fact that we need a minimum of 60% to pass constitutional amendments in this state. The monkey-feces fiasco getting ready to break out in Georgia with the potential fate of the Republic in the balance is literally what you voted for! Only masochists and uninformed people would do that to themselves or the country for that matter. If this is you, you're forgiven but take note, always review my Florida Amendment Series stories in the future.
#LoveFL. Long gone are the days of Florida 2000. Between the jungle primary, the 50% plus one vote policy and the thought of state income taxes, I was thinking about how little I identify with my birth state any longer. Yes, I identify with Atlanta sports teams and it’s still where I was born and raised, however all of the above and the ability to enjoy the water 12 months out of the year. Yeah, there’s no going back. Ironically, in thinking about this yesterday, I remembered the words of former GOP Congressional leader Jack Kingston on my last show before moving to South Florida in 2005. He said, we’ll miss you but I’m glad you’re going down there. We need you there more than we do here. Watching what happened in my home county of Fulton and contrasting it with the incredible progress we’ve made with election integrity and like political strides over the past fifteen years, the irony hit me. In the context with which he meant those words, now they need me more than South Florida does. But again, I’m not going back.
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