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By Jack Bernard

Bernard is a retired corporate executive.

This column continues last week’s regarding how David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler are misleading Georgians via spreading lies through their campaigns.

Lie #4: Perdue and Loeffler indicate that Warnock and Ossoff want to force “everyone into one government-run system” for healthcare. And that Perdue/Loeffler favor covering those with pre-existing conditions. Once again, the facts are much different. Ossoff and Warnock do not support Medicare expansion to cover all, but rather private insurance coverage expansion. Ossoff, married to an Emory MD, wants to expand Medicaid and the ACA (Obamacare), guaranteeing that people could choose private health insurance.

On the other hand, Perdue repeatedly voted on the Senate floor to abolish the ACA. If Senator John McCain had not voted against the bill supported by Perdue, insurance companies would again be free to disqualify millions of Americans from getting coverage because they have asthma, diabetes, and a number of other pre-existing conditions. Loeffler has also never supported the ACA, which protects those with pre-existing conditions. And, Warnock has not advocated abolishing private insurance. He simply wants to expand Medicaid for the poor, a position that polls show is consistent with the majority of Georgians. He also supports voluntary Medicare buy-ins and opposes cuts.

Lie #5: Perdue/Loeffler say Ossoff/Warnock want to defund the police and Warnock is a “cop hater.” However, these statements are totally untrue. Ossoff, an admitted moderate, is firmly behind the police. He has stated, “I’ll also support more federal law enforcement resources to attack organized crime, human trafficking, racketeering, money laundering, fraud, espionage, and corruption.” Warnock has pointed out obvious police overreaches, such as shooting unarmed men in the back. Clearly, most Georgians agree with him. However, he does not support defunding the police and in fact wants to fund increased police training. He also wants us to work to rehabilitate felons so that they will not commit crimes and be reincarcerated. These are mainstream positions, that should be supported by most citizens.

Lie #6: Incredibly, Perdue repeatedly calls Ossoff a “privileged liberal,” and himself and Loeffler “outsiders.” But Perdue is a former corporate CEO worth $45 million, coming from a prominent, politically connected family. Ossoff runs a very small media company.

Loeffler is the wealthiest Senator, with a reported net worth of $1 billion. Her husband owns the New York Stock Exchange, and she owns a sports team. While Reverend Warnock, who grew up in Savannah public housing, is a simple preacher at MLK Jr’s church. His parents were working class people. He had 11 brothers and sisters. Should the common person believe that billionaire Loeffler is the outsider and Warnock, the self-made man, is not?

Lie #7: These Senators both say they “put America first.” Instead, they have slavishly supported self-serving, autocratic Trump. Trump has also constantly tried to evade constitutional restrictions on presidential power and is not acknowledging the results of a fair and honest election. Perdue and Loeffler have been silent, supporting Trump’s unfounded allegations versus defending democracy. Further, both Perdue and Loeffler have been accused of illegally making millions by using early, confidential insider knowledge of the COVID-19 pandemic in stock trading. At the same time, they were telling the American people that the virus was not going to be a problem.

Some people are firmly of the opinion that, regardless of the facts, whatever Sens. Perdue and Loeffler say is true. In that case, I’m certain this column has not changed your views. However, if you have an open mind, think about the above inaccurate statements before we put two deceitful, self-interested, corporate multi-millionaires back into office.