NFL
By: Zachary Draves
Herschel Walker belongs in the College Football Hall of Fame. He does not belong in the United States Senate. The former Georgia running back’s record on the field speaks for itself. But so does his rap sheet, which concludes that he is not to be trusted holding the reins of power let alone qualified to be in that position.
This past Tuesday, as the nation was steel reeling from the horrific massacre at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, Walker won the GOP Senate primary in Georgia. Even though he intentionally skipped debates and has proven time after time that he doesn’t know what he is talking about, he is the GOP’s choice to take on Georgia’s current Senator Rev. Raphael Warnock this November.
From the beginning of his unorthodox campaign, which is putting it mildly, information about Walker has risen to the surface that demonstrates his utter incompetence and capacity for lying. Starting with the fact that he has been a resident of Texas since 2011 and even declared it his permanent residence for tax purposes. So how in the world can he possibly know what is in the best interest of Georgia voters when he has been absent for over a decade?
There are also the distributing details about his personal life. He admitted himself to acts of domestic violence towards his ex-wife. There was an incident in which she said that he pointed a loaded gun at her and threatened to blow her (expletive) brains out!’ Another incident was when the police were called to their home in Irving, Texas and they had to confiscate his gun after he threatened to engage in a “shootout with police”.
Walker attributes these acts of violence to his battle with mental illness. However, that is an excuse that is used time and time again by abusers to deflect from accountability. The truth of the matter is that Walker chose to be violent. What does it also say to those who struggle with mental illness who don’t act violently towards others? It’s a choice and a learned behavior.
Then there is Walker’s horrific business career or lack thereof. He told his supporters that “Whenever Georgia needed somebody to speak up for their businesses, they called Herschel Walker ”. However, the Atlanta Constitution Journal did an investigation and found Walker’s record to be shady. It includes failed businesses, lawsuits, millions of dollars in unpaid loans, and gross exaggeration.
Just recently there was a report that he claimed to create a veterans program called Patriot Support. It turns out he was their celebrity spokesperson. Furthermore, this group is a for profit organization that allegedly preyed upon veterans and their families as well as defrauding the government.
His positions on issues are completely out of line. He stated that he believes that abortion should be outlawed even in the cases of rape and incest. Walker also believes that the 2020 election was stolen even though there was and is no evidence to confirm that.
If that wasn’t enough there is his remarkable ability to sound completely incoherent. Back in March, Walker stated that he doesn’t believe in evolution and his explanation was outstandingly off. He said “At one time, science said man came from apes, did it not?” “If that is true, why are there still apes? Think about it.” None of that proves evolution is false.
After the Uvalde massacre, he was asked by CNN’s Manu Raju of what he would do to prevent school shootings if elected. Walker said “What I like to do is see it and everything and stuff.” He followed up that gem with another. When asked by one of his backers Fox News’s Sean Hannity that same question, he said he would create “a department that can look at young men that’s looking at women that’s looking at social media.”
Oy Vey.
Finally, he is just simply unqualified. He has never held public office before. Walker did not even graduate from the University of Georgia after claiming that he did.
In this day in age when running for office has become more of a popularity contest, it diminishes and disrespects those who actually trained themselves to be effective in government. For instance, Congressman Colin Allred (D-Texas) and Congressman Anthony Gonzalez (R-Ohio) are two former NFL players who chose public service after their playing careers were finished.
Allred has a JD from UC Berkeley School of Law. He served in the General Counsel’s office in the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. He became a civil rights attorney before being elected in 2018. Gonzalez received a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. He was also elected to Congress in 2018.
Regardless of what anyone thinks of their policy positions, nobody can deny that they took the process of obtaining public office seriously. That’s not Herschel Walker.
His broken record reflects a broken man who needs to be far away from Washington DC. It is truly a shame that the idea of public service has become a reality show where the most outrageous and titillating seems to triumph over seriousness and integrity.
You have guys like Hershel Walker to thank for that.
