Randall Harman freely admits to feeling confused – and more than a little worried – about the direction politics in this country has taken.
He identifies as a Republican, but even more importantly as an American who wants to see real politicking return to politics instead of the partisan bickering he feels it’s mostly devolved into these days.
To visually depict his wish for increased cooperation from both sides of the political divide, he’s come up with ball caps adorned with his new slogan, “20/20 for 2024!”
“We the people, the peaceful majority, we need to start talking … so I came up with this idea,” the Lake Oconee-area resident explains. “Blue 20, red 20, a green line for climate, and 2024, it’s left and right, black and white. We need open eyes and open minds going forward because this is, I want to say scary, but really, to me, it’s a very ominous period.”
Harman’s hats are available through his website, LetDCKnow.org, where he also encourages written correspondence with politicians, provides links to register to vote, and offers a free subscription to email updates and notifications. Harman insists that having education available and a willingness to learn are equally important to maintaining democracy.
He describes attending a business function a few years ago and speaking with a woman very high up the executive ladder in the U.S., who was working for a German-based medical equipment company.
He remembers the woman describing a trip she took to Germany in which she had to address a group of older German executives, almost all male, of how and what the company had to do in order to move a business initiative forward.
Harman says she was surprised at how many questions she faced as the German execs wanted to explore every angle and what the results and ramifications would or even could be, given various scenarios.
“She told me she sat there for two days straight answering question after question after question after question. Then she said, ‘When I got back, I was talking to one of my fellow employees that moved from Germany to America to work, and I asked her, what is that all about?’” Harman recalls. “Then she says her colleague answered, ‘Years ago we didn’t ask questions.’ And that was powerful.
Very powerful.
“We’ve got to ask questions. We have just got to ask questions,” Harman stresses. “I pray for my grandchildren.”
Though a vague memory for many, Major League Baseball’s withdrawal of the 2021 MLB All-Star game from Atlanta remains an obvious sticking point for Harman, who agrees with what Georgia Governor Brian Kemp said that April about MLB’s last-moment decision to move the July showcase to Denver in response to what it considered then to be repressive new voting laws.
“Georgians – and all Americans – should fully understand what the MLB’s knee-jerk decision means: cancel culture and woke political activists are coming for every aspect of your life, sports included,” the governor declared at the time.
For Harman, the first stated goal for his LetDCknow initiative is to return the All-Star game to Truist Park in Atlanta.
After Seattle hosted this summer, next year’s game is committed to Dallas-Ft. Worth and in 2026 it will be played in Philadelphia, which leaves 2025 still open. Reportedly, Atlanta is back in the mix for the MLB All-Star experience, along with Baltimore, Toronto and Chicago (Cubs).
“I want to get very focused on this, and it’s like this, I’m going to start a GoFundMe is my plan, and I’ll give hats to the first hundred people that donate, and the whole objective is to get the All-Star game back,” Harman said. “In other words, let’s just focus on this for now. The people need to talk. We need to say what’s wrong and just take real steps to make things right again.”