As you may know, Republican Kent Kingsley is running for the United States Congress (www.KingsleyforCongress.com) in Georgia’s Third District.
I have known Kent for over 30 years and I can say without reservation that he will be an outstanding Congressman and that he is an exceptional person in every way save one – the man cannot dance.
There it is. Paparazzi and political hatchet men need look no further for the dirty secret of Kent Kingsley.
If you doubt my word, just ask Joy, his long-suffering wife of 40 years. Treated like a princess in all other situations, she is an abused woman on the dance floor.
Kent steps on her, trips over her and twirls her into other couples while executing what he believes to be smooth moves. Luckily, Joy is as tough as she is pretty and seldom complains.
What does dancing have to do with running for national office at a critical time in our history? The answer is absolutely nothing. However, much can be learned about a man by watching the way that he addresses the problem areas of his life.
Though not a politician, astronaut Buzz Aldrin is a good example of this principle. If you watched “Dancing with the Stars” a couple of seasons ago, you know that he can’t dance either, probably never could, but he overcame two left feet and made it all the way to the moon.
One can learn all about Kent’s solutions for this country’s problems by visiting his website, listening to his speeches or reading his weekly position papers. I’m not going to rehash that information here. My purpose in writing this letter is to tell the voters of Fayette County what makes Kent tick.
When Kent reads that I said that he can’t dance, he will wonder how his old friend could tell such a lie. The man literally oozes self-confidence and he thinks that he is a great dancer.
His first instinct will be to take a few lessons, rent some Fred Astaire movies and then get out onto the floor to prove me wrong. However, Joy will rein him in and tell him to keep his eye on the ball.
In addition to all of her other good traits, she is a great political advisor. She has her hands full with Kent, though. He is the most determined and competitive person that I know. You can see it in his eyes.
Anyone who has competed against him in anything, be it golf, basketball or dancing, knows that you had better get a good night’s sleep and eat your Wheaties before taking the field against Kent.
I have heard some discuss the David and Goliath aspects of an unknown going against an established incumbent in an important election. Just remember, in the original contest, David won.
Perhaps Kent’s dancing skill deficit is due to a lack of practice. After all, he is a busy fellow. Kent and I met at the Infantry Officer Advanced Course at Fort Benning in 1981. During the remainder of our military careers, our paths crossed and recrossed, although it seemed like he always got to do all the fun stuff.
He was a Green Beret A-team commander in Panama, an intelligence officer and a company commander at Fort Bragg, N.C., and a battalion operations officer during the first Gulf war.
As the operations officer for his battalion, he was responsible for drafting his unit’s plan for the left hook around the Iraqi Republican Guard which destroyed that elite force and brought the war to a successful conclusion.
In an earlier assignment, he was an ROTC instructor at Mississippi State University and earned a master’s degree in political science while he was there.
He was also selected for resident attendance at the Command and General Staff College (CGSC) at Fort Leavenworth, Kan.
Just graduating from CGSC wasn’t enough however. While there, he applied and was selected for the Army Strategist Program, which required additional class work in international relations.
During his career, Kent was awarded the Bronze Star, the Combat Infantry Badge and Master Parachutist wings.
After Kent retired from the Army, he became a gentleman farmer, raising cattle and tending his land near Milner in Lamar County. He was also a high school teacher and basketball coach and taught classes at Gordon College.
Eventually, he left teaching and opened a successful real estate business in Barnesville. He still had openings in his schedule though, so he decided to enter politics. He was elected chairman of the Lamar County Commission and served in that office for several years. Like I said, busy, busy, busy.
When Kent announced his candidacy for the United States Congress, I wondered what could drive an otherwise intelligent person to want to do a thankless job in a God-forsaken place like Washington, D.C. Then I remembered that I was talking about Kent Kingsley.
Kent is one of those guys who sits in a crowded room and sees a crooked picture. Most of us will ignore the picture if we see it at all. The Kents of this world will go crazy until they can get up and straighten the picture.
Combine that attitude with his determined nature and patriotic spirit and you will understand why Kent wants to go to Washington.
Our national picture is crooked and Kent Kingsley intends to straighten it.
He isn’t looking for a permanent job, though. He has too much going for him at home to stay in Washington.
Leave the hearth, do what needs to be done and then go home. Isn’t that the way that the original patriots did it?
There is one other thing that you need to know about Kent — he is a genuinely good guy. He is a devoted Christian, a loving husband, father and grandfather, and a true patriot. Joy, two great kids and a grandson that he is doing his best to spoil are at the center of Kent’s world and consume a great deal of his attention.
He also likes to play golf and watch football. He doesn’t even mind if you rest your feet on the coffee table while you are watching the game. He is a loyal friend and someone that you want on your side if the going gets rough.
In all the years that I have known him, I have never heard Kent say anything bad about another person. He will look you in the eye and talk TO you, but he will never talk ABOUT you to others.
I have attended campaign events with him and heard others talk about the person that he is running “against.” Each time Kent will say that he isn’t running “against” anyone. He just wants to give voters a choice.
You can’t be more fair than that.
Visit his website. Research his positions. You will like what you see. Then vote for Kent Kingsley for Congress.
Do NOT vote for Kent Kingsley if he shows up as a contestant on “Dancing with the Stars.”
Fred Springer
Fayetteville, Ga.
