You can tell a lot about a person by their children. There’s always exceptions to the rule of course, but for the most part, if you want to know the measure of a man or woman, watch how their children interact with them. In Georgia, a runoff on July 22nd will determine the Republican candidate the Senate race in November. The two vying for the spot are Congressman Jack Kingston and former Dollar General CEO David Perdue, cousin of former Governor Sonny Perdue.
I’m a registered Republican with liberal leanings so I don’t have a clear choice for Senate candidate. Last weekend, I was at the Atlanta Press Club debates and met David Perdue and Jack Kingston. Both men were very approachable and their staff was nice, but Kingston had this one young man who, in my brief conversation with him, gave me some insight into Kingston. It was his son, Jim Kingston, and he talked about his dad the way young men used to discuss their parents – with respect and warmth. For a split second, I even thought about my own father as I listened to Jim give me some background on what his father would do as Senator. The best part of our conversation were the little anecdotes of wisdom that Jim provided, passed on from his father.
What I like most about Jim is that he was brought up in the shadow of politics, and yet my one vote was clearly something to be earned, not taken for granted and it mattered to him that I knew what I would be getting in return for 
it. Ever the women’s rights activist, I mentioned my blog. Jim didn’t blink, he was excited and quickly grabbed a pen, asking twice for me to spell out the URL. He then asked for my email so that he could send me information, and he did just that. When I asked about the women in his life, he bragged about his grandmother, his mom and his two sisters. Geez I hope he runs someday.
In contrast, I reached out to Perdue’s folks and didn’t get near the same attention. Perdue touts his business acumen and I sent his staff two emails with suggestions and didn’t even get a note of thanks back. (And I gave some great suggestions!). So much for his business sense.
If you think your vote doesn’t matter, take a look at the Women’s Party of America Primer. Congress makes the laws and provides the money. Because of that, it is more important than ever to vote in the mid-term elections and especially in any runoff currently taking place.
As for my choice, I’m going to go with the man who has earned his young son’s admiration. That is not easy to do today. It counts for something.