Around Town: “You Might Be Republican If” Due in Rome Saturday. Plus: Greene 'Meanies'

Football star Travis Kelce is set to host a new game show, “Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity?” Perhaps his brother, Jason, is available to emcee one of the hottest items in Georgia right now: “Are You Really a Republican?”

That subject played out in federal court on Wednesday stemming from the civil war among “conservatives” in Catoosa County over who can truly be labeled a Republican.

That answer, whether in the form of a federal judge’s ruling or a Georgia Supreme Court hearing, likely won’t be known until August. The real answer should be to let voters decide in the May 21 primary and not the right-arching members of the county’s GOP. By decree, party members have removed the voice of the voters.

But it also comes at a time when a fractured Republican Party can’t keep out of the headlines. Consider:

♦ In New York, the GOP’s presumptive nominee for president is in the opening days of his criminal “hush money” trial. This is the first courtroom drama for Donald Trump with more to follow.

♦ In Washington, Republican hardliners are after what’s become the “flavor of the month” House Speaker, Mike Johnson, over this push for aid to Ukraine and Israel. Leading the bid to oust Johnson: Marjorie Taylor Greene♦ of the 14th District.

♦ In Georgia, the 2020 election interference cases against Trump and others continue, and a recent sidebar included the naming of a special prosecutor to investigate Lt. Gov. Burt Jones’♦ part as one of the state’s “fake electors” seeking to award Georgia’s votes to Trump even as Biden won the state.

♦ Now add to that this case heard in the Rome federal courthouse about defining what a Republican candidate really is.

So how does it translate locally? We might get a clearer picture this Saturday as the Republican Party of the 14th Congressional District meets at the Forum in downtown Rome, just blocks from the federal courthouse.

You can register at the door beginning at 9 a.m. with the meeting beginning at 10. Tickets are $10 without lunch, $25 with lunch and $40 for delegates/alternates.

The district assembly — which mirrors the parts of Georgia represented by Greene in the House — clearly sides with the hard-right Catoosa GOP.

An April 4 post on the district’s Facebook page is titled, in capped letters we won’t emulate here, “Resolution Supporting Catoosa GOP in Their Fight for Freedom of Association.”

Or quite simply, the far right vs. those they consider RINOs or “Republicans in name only.”

So where does the Floyd County Republican Party stand in all this? Surprisingly, the “host” chapter of the district convention has no mention of the gathering on its Facebook page. The party’s outdated website says the convention site is “to be decided.”

The Floyd GOP does list an agenda, however, stating “At the District Convention, we will elect members of the state committee, elect officers of the 14th District Republican Party and consider any necessary changes to the district party’s official rules.”

That last one, in particular, might provide the best show of how district members are divided: hard right vs. “traditional” Republicans.

The convention might well be worth the price of admission on Saturday (with or without lunch). Perhaps the theme song should be a borrowed cut courtesy of a certain friend of the Kelce boys. How about... “Shake it Off” (Taylor’s version).

Popcorn & Politics, part II

Greene meanies: We could fill a corner of the internet repeating the names pegged to Marjorie Taylor Greene since her House campaigns began four years ago.

But one is sticking, Moscow Marge, and adding a case of Super Glue was AJC editorial cartoonist Mike Luckovich with a sketch that saw MTG’s makeup and wig come off, revealing Vlad Putin. Ouch.

We doubt it will even dent her ardent base in the 14th Congressional District but some supporters are asking questions. Greene has no primary opposition while four Democrats are vying to face her on the November ballot.

Calendar:

Tonight: The Floyd County Democrats’ Georgia Giants dinner is at the Cave Spring Community Center at 10 Georgia Ave. Happy hour is from 5:30 until 6:30 p.m. with dinner to follow. Tickets start at $75. Guest speaker: Georgia political journalist Bill Nigut.♦

Monday: Last day for lapsed or new voters to register♦ for the May 21 primary.

April 29: First day of advance voting♦ for the primary.

May 2: Floyd County Republican Women, The Palladium, 11:30 a.m. lunch, noon meeting. Guests: GOP Clerk of Court candidates Barbara Penson and Mary Hardin Thornton; sheriff’s hopeful Robbie Whitfield (Dave Roberson♦ was at the April meeting).

Peaks & Valleys

The highs and lows of Northwest Georgia

Peak to Summit Hill Foods’ plans to grow: Last year ended in a flurry of moves for the former Southeastern Mills — different parts spun off, some to new owners, in part triggering the layoffs of 50 to 70 employees at the downtown mill. But now comes plans to recall some of those idled — 23 jobs in all — as the company expands its Old Lindale Road location to central production of a popular brand. That’s part of a $10 million investment overall. Talk about a comeback story.

Valley to that empty nest syndrome at Berry College: The first two eggs in the nest behind Krannert Center were duds, dashing hopes of watching two more eaglets fledge the storied nest. The mother produced two more, one of which hatched and appeared quite active. But last week, B-17 as it was named became ill and didn’t survive the night. The other egg wasn’t viable. So now the nest is empty except for visits by the parents to do a little sprucing up. Here’s hoping for better results next winter.