James_Nov-Dec_2025_web - Flipbook - Page 64
As I drove back to Tampa from
the event (my wife and I drive
almost everywhere because we
can’t stand leaving our beloved dog
Dooley behind), I called another
dear friend and former colleague
Larry Walker Jr. (not his son Larry
III who carries on his tradition in
the Georgia Senate). Like Butch
Parrish, Larry was at one time a ultrapowerful Georgia Democrat, before the party drifted far too left for
his taste. And like so many others I
served with back then, these were
good friends. We ate lunches and
dinners together, got to know each
other’s family members, constantly
shared laughs and stories and most
importantly worked together.
In this context, I like to note
that InsiderAdvantage was founded
by me and the political star of our
day Pierre Howard, who crushed
me in our 1990 race for lieutenant
governor. But he later became my
business partner and friend.
I could go on and on giving
examples of the different political
64
world we lived in decades ago. But
what of the future?
Well, you can go home again,
but you truly can’t go back in time.
As legacy media in America became increasingly one-sided in favor
of Democrats, alternative conservative media came to life. Social media
became the daily conduit through
which most people received their
news and algorithms made sure
that everyone saw only their viewpoint reflected in their news feed.
Anyone who has an interest
could blog, create video content and
influence policy and public opinion.
And, somehow, it became okay
to resegregate a nation that so
many had literally given their life
and/or freedom to desegregate. To
praise heritage, some media chose
to focus on just one racial group, ostensibly to “lift up unique culture.”
And maybe that is good, and
maybe it’s not. But one thing is for
sure. We truly have become a sliced,
diced and separated nation. Even
Georgia could not escape it.
JAMES NOVEM B E R/D EC E M B E R 2 0 2 5
A few years ago, when visiting
the Hall Booth Smith law office
headquarters in Atlanta at the
191 Peachtree building. I decided
to grab a bite to eat at the adjoining Ritz Carlton. As I turned into
the restaurant, I was face-to-face
with Stacey Abrams. She had just
delivered the Democrat response to
President Donald Trump’s State of
the Union Address. Without hesitation I said, “that was a really great
speech you gave.” Stacey smiled
broadly and thanked me. As we
went to our table one of the folks
I was eating with asked me “why
did you do that?’
I replied that while I didn’t
agree with much of what she said,
it was a good speech and she deserved the credit. Obviously, I had
not come to realize the new nature
of Georgia politics.
But for me, it was worth it just
to see her genuine smile. What
would it really cost us to bring a
little civility back to the world of
public service?
