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Ossoff lost to Karen Handel back in 2017 in Georgia’s sixth congressional district, with one of the most expensive campaigns in the history for the House of Representatives. With an anti-business discourse, although more moderate than that of other Democrats such as Sanders or Ocasio-Cortez, Jon Ossoff has managed to pass a second round to define the future of the Senate on January 5th.
Democrats have had a resounding success in the past elections in which young candidates of the radical left, like Ocasio-Cortez, reached the congress. However, these enthusiastic Democrats have been promoting speeches alien to the American reality and have been resorting to fallacies like those of candidate Jon Ossoff in Georgia in order to get more voters and donors.
Ossoff Disconnected from Economic Reality
Although Ossoff points to what many Georgian voters are looking for (issues such as controlling the coronavirus, unemployment and overcoming “racism”) the candidate is far from having a suitable profile for the Senate in a state that depends on corporate economics and small businesses.
Despite selling himself as an anti-system and innovative candidate, his ideas remain those of the usual politicians and bureaucrats. Ossoff proposes that all education be taken over by teachers’ unions, a closed and nationalistic market, and an increase in tax rates for entrepreneurs who invest the most in the state. Georgia is home to media companies like CNN, beverage companies like Coca-Cola, and airlines like Delta Airlines all world leaders in their sectors.
On the other hand, the Democratic candidate is happy to get the support by Senator Sanders to his campaign, as it relates to public health. Ossoff said he would “work with Sanders on other issues, including efforts to support a minimum wage of $15 per hour, investments in clean energy, and seeking support from ordinary workers for change, rather than from the people who have bought access and power in Washington.
More Lockdown for Georgians
Ossoff has insisted on lockdowns “if recommended by experts”. However, at the same time, he says he defends small businesses despite the fact that at least 26% of them have had to close down due to COVID-19.
The Democratic candidate has been emphatic in criticising the local and federal government over the handling of the virus. However, he conveniently omits that it is Democrat-run states that have been hit hardest by extreme measures such as lockdowns.
Georgia still has an average of over 3,000 confirmed cases per day, reaching 47,000 cases with 9,500 deaths. In March, since the beginning of COVID, the Georgia Department of Labor has paid out more than $16 billion in state and federal benefits.
State officials stated in October 2020 that “some areas in Georgia are reporting rates that compare to pre-pandemic unemployment rates. Rates went down, the workforce increased, and employment numbers went up in all (regions) of the state,” once the lockouts were over.
However, Democratic candidates have pushed to continue such measures, which add to the announcements by Governor Brian Kemp, who signed an executive order extending the state of public health emergency until January 8h.
Libertarian Vote to Define the Election of Perdue and Ossoff
Ossoff launched a strong criticism of President Trump, who will visit Georgia on December 5th. The Democratic candidate said that Trump wants to visit Georgia to spread the virus because several presidential officials have tested positive and also accused him of negligence in the management of the crisis in view of the fact that the Trump administration opposed lockdowns in the U.S.
However, most of those that voted for senatorial candidates in Georgia supported candidates who do not agree with lockdowns. Republican David Perdue and Libertarian Shane Hazel have been against imposing further confinements on citizens, both together accounting for 52 percent of the votes on 3 November 3rd..
Hazel is significant in that, in the last race, he won 120,000 votes, equivalent to 2.3%, with an expenditure of less than $5,200, driven by the Internet and her podcast.
David Perdue’s Republican campaign, which won 49.7% of the vote, has blamed libertarian Hazel for putting the future of the Senate at risk. The difference between Perdue and Ossoff was 90,000 votes, making Hazel a key figure in the January 5th run-off.
The Libertarian candidate has not said whether he will back any of the candidates in the second round, but the differences with Perdue lie in the discontent that according to Hanzel is evidenced by the Republican’s low rating for this year in the New American Freedom Index, which measures the closeness to the Consitution of elected politicians.
Libertarian voters, according to Hazel, are voters with strong values. They voted strongly against lockdowns, against excessive state intervention and the right to bear arms , which on the initiative of the Democrats is on its way to being regulated in Georgia. As a result, the Republican candidate has the best chance of winning the Libertarian vote in Georgia.
Camilo Bello is a consultant focused on Asia Pacific studies and has experience in strategic management. He has studied law in Colombia and is currently pursuing studies in language and history at National Taiwan Normal University. He has collaborated with Students for Freedom in Hong Kong and Taiwan // Camilo es consultor enfocado en estudios de Asia Pacífico y experiencia en gestión estratégica. Cuenta con estudios en Derecho en Colombia y actualmente se encuentra realizando estudios en lenguaje e historia en National Taiwan Normal University. Colaborador de Estudiantes por la Libertad en Hong Kong y Taiwán