ALBERT EDMONDS: Warnock understands that country comes before party

President Biden recently described a meeting with world leaders in which he tried to assure them that “America is back.” But his counterparts remained skeptical. They referenced the riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, to overturn the presidential election and asked if he could guarantee that wouldn’t happen again.

Sadly, he couldn’t.

The United States is the world’s leading democracy. Other countries have modeled their constitutions and their systems of government after ours. They understand that debate and disagreement are normal byproducts of democracy. But they also know that political leaders in strong and healthy democracies find ways to work together for the common good and support bipartisan outcomes, while leaders in weak and unstable countries promote extreme partisanship and distrust of democratic institutions.

Divisiveness helps our enemies. Unfriendly foreign governments are actively exploiting our political disagreements, using social media to spread misinformation and widen our divisions. They know that polarization and the politicians who practice it weaken us and threaten our national security. When we are divided, lose trust in our democratic institutions, and resort to violence, our adversaries see us as vulnerable, and our allies question our capacity to lead.

That is why, as a former senior military officer who has served and risked my life for the United States, I support the Rev. Raphael Warnock for Senate in the Dec. 6 runoff in Georgia. He puts country before party and practices bipartisanship to improve the lives of the people he serves, not just those who voted for him. He supports the rule of law and the institutions that protect it. He is a good man with a genuine sense of public duty who believes in the democratic principles that have kept our country strong.

In his time in office, Warnock has built an extraordinary record of bipartisanship, including on legislation to support the military and the men and women who serve. He fought to enact the PACT Act to improve medical treatment for veterans with cancer. He worked for bipartisan legislation to improve transparency and accountability at the Veterans’ Administration. He teamed with Republican senators to prioritize a project that will better connect Georgia’s military installations with those in Texas and to designate a week in September to honor sacrifices made by families of military members who lost their lives in service to this nation.

Of special significance to me as an alumnus of Morris Brown College, a historically black college and university in Atlanta, Rev. Warnock has worked across the aisle with Republicans to increase federal funding for HBCUs. In addition, he has fought for bipartisan measures to improve safety conditions for railroad workers, protect children from health hazards caused by lead, and protect small businesses from security breaches.

Moreover, Rev. Warnock has led efforts to protect one of our most cherished democratic institutions — the right to vote. He believes in free and fair elections and ensuring that every vote counts. He respects the democratic process and supports the peaceful transfer of power. He knows that’s what makes our country great, secure, and a model of democracy to the world.

Rev. Warnock’s opponent doesn’t. By aligning himself with Donald Trump, Herschel Walker supports those who would divide and polarize our country and weaken our national stature and security. By refusing to acknowledge Trump’s lies about the last election, Walker perpetuates the mistrust in our democratic institutions that makes us vulnerable.

This election is not just about which party controls the Congress. It’s also about electing men and women to public office who will support democracy, even when they don’t agree with the results. It’s about political leaders who understand that in order to keep our country free, we must demonstrate not just military strength but also moral authority. It’s about basic values that our Founding Fathers knew were necessary to preserve our republic, especially putting public good over partisanship.

By his words and deeds, Rev. Warnock has demonstrated those principles. Walker has not. I believe it is in the national interest to return Rev. Warnock to the U.S. Senate.