Trump's usefulness to the political Right
or how agendaless power has gripped the GOP
Why did the Georgia GOP recruit Herschel Walker to run against incumbent Senator Rafael Warnock?
Did they think, knowing virtually nothing of the African-American experience, that there was sizable number of black voters looking for alternative to Democratic Party politicians?
The thought that anyone, outside the political Right, might be fooled into voting for a political candidate aligned with a party that is anti-Civil Rights, anti-affirmative action, and anti-Black Lives Matter simply because of their race is laughable. And if the political Right thought Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) was a model for attracting African-American voters with black candidates, they would likely be disappointed.1
Herschel Walker, who has been hit with political attacks of proven acts of domestic violence, multiple affairs, and an aptitude for saying really stupid things, is now being attacked for paying for an abortion for one of his girlfriends.
The answer is a realist one and fairly obvious. Herschel Walker is there to deliver votes for tax cuts and right wing judges in the Senate. Everything else is simply fealty to Trumpism.
Unfortunately, political campaigns are outsized by time in office, and messaging for both parties in Senate races generally misses this point — it’s a six year stint. If one thinks the worst has already been revealed about Herschel Walker, it’s actually an iceberg of news stories and in office, a lot more will come out about him.
Celebrity candidacies from both parties suffer from a public life under a microscope that often brings out in political ads embarassments that would have stunted the political careers of the less famous.
Polling in Georgia shows a much tighter race than ought to exist given the baggage that has already been revealed about Walker. Same goes for Mehmet Oz in Pennsylvania and to a lesser extent J.D. Vance in Ohio.
Political extremism, ethical issues, and questions about character have been supplanted by fealty to Trumpism. With it comes GOP support and the nihilistic lust for raw political power.
And as long as big business keeps getting tax cuts, cronyistic regulatory treatment, and a legal system that is inclined to dismantle any vestiges of congressional power to stop them, candidates like Herschel Walker will poll well. Mostly because big business and their PACs are financing his political run in the Peach State.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/made-by-history/2022/09/21/black-voters-will-play-an-outsize-role-key-southern-senate-races/