Herschel Walker Hides From Georgians & It’s No Wonder Why

Walker facing blistering criticism for latest comments about climate policy

Over the weekend GOP Senate candidate Herschel Walker blocked access to his “open to everyone” appearance at a public park in Gainesville, Georgia — and it’s no wonder why. Video from the event caught Walker discussing climate policy as “our good air decided to float over to China’s bad air.” Walker continues to show he’s not ready to represent the people of Georgia. 

WJCL (Savannah):

AJC: The Jolt: Herschel Walker campaign doubles down on ‘China’s bad air floating’ comment

• Most political candidates wouldn’t want to prolong a negative story. But Herschel Walker’s camp thinks it sees opportunity in the aftermath of his mystifying comments over the weekend about the origins of air pollution and the coronavirus.
  
• As your Insiders reported Monday, the Republican Senate nominee told a Hall County GOP gathering that was barred to the media that the coronavirus was “created by China” and federal efforts to clean up climate pollution are worthless because air moves.
  
• “But since we don’t control the air, our good air decided to float over to China’s bad air. So when China gets our good air, their bad air gotta move. So it moves over to our good air space. Then, now, we’ve got to clean that back up.”
  
• But rather than ignoring the story, as his deputies have done after most of Walker’s previous gaffes, his aides doubled down on the comment.
  
• Campaign manager Scott Paradise spun the comments to assert that Walker meant to say China was “primarily responsible for causing Covid and polluting the air.”

Atlanta Voice: Herschel Walker just proved (again) what a massive risk he is for Republicans

• Here’s what the Georgia Republican Senate candidate said about climate change during a recent campaign event:

• “Since we don’t control the air, our good air decided to float over to China’s bad air. So when China gets our good air, their bad air got to move. So it moves over to our good air space. Then — now we got we to clean that back up.”

• This is, um, not how things work? All the “bad air” doesn’t move en masse. And it certainly doesn’t all move in a direct line from China to the United States where we, uh, clean it back up.

• For Walker, who is running against Georgia Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock, this nonsensical answer on climate change is in keeping with a number of self-created controversies he’s faced recently.

• There was the report that Walker claimed to be in law enforcement when he wasn’t. And the public acknowledgment of having three children with women he was not married to. And his answer on gun control in the wake of the Uvalde, Texas, mass school shooting. And the problems with his business record.
  
• All of these incidents make clear what a massive gamble Republicans made when they lined up behind Walker’s candidacy.

• That gamble looks worse with each passing day. Walker is struggling mightily to adjust to the pace and scrutiny that comes with being a Senate nominee in one of the marquee races in the country this fall.

• The Point: Walker was always a major risk for Republicans to take in a seat considered essential to their hopes of winning back the Senate majority. But I’m not even sure the most cynical Republicans thought he would be this bad on the campaign trail.

AJC: The Jolt: Herschel Walker’s campaign bars press, brings in reinforcements

• Republican Senate nominee Herschel Walker has scarcely changed his approach to the media since running away with the GOP nod in May. He’s largely stuck to a “velvet rope” regimen of private events, tightly controlled appearances and limited-access speeches.

• That strategy was even more pronounced in the last week as he faced another series of damaging stories that could threaten his credibility. But rather than address the criticism head on, Walker spoke at two events within the last week that barred media access.

• The first was a Buckhead Young Republicans gathering, which one of your Insiders was told was a “closed, private event.” The second was a Hall County GOP meeting at a public park in Gainesville, where organizers booted WABE’s Rahul Bali from a speech advertised as “open to all.”

• In both cases, campaign officials said the event organizers set the protocol. But Hall County GOP officials countered that Walker’s aides dictated the no-media policy.

• The attempt to shield Walker comes as most polls show a razor-thin race between Walker and Democratic U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock– and an outlier gives Warnock a sizable edge. Warnock has held a series of campaign events with media access recently.

• ENSLAVING YOU? So what did Herschel Walker say at the Hall County GOP meeting that his aides were so worried about? Much of the same of what we’ve heard at other events, with a few additions.
  
• Later, in a riff about independence and Juneteenth, Walker said, “We’re enslaving all of you right now, because the Democrats seem to want to control you, Republicans seem to want to treat you by being your servant.”
  
• And he focused on unproven assertions that the coronavirus originated from a lab in China.

• “They’re not telling you that this virus was created by China,” he said. “But do you know the whole world is not even talking about it? Because it seems like everybody want to play footsie with China. I’m running because I’m sick and tired of this.”
  
• He added in a criticism of federal efforts to clean up dirty air and fight climate change, saying it‘s all for naught.

• “But since we don’t control the air, our good air decided to float over to China’s bad air. So when China gets our good air, their bad air gotta move. So it moves over to our good air space. Then, now, we’ve got to clean that back up.”

Fox News: Herschel Walker’s head-scratching answer on Green New Deal, China’s ‘bad air’ draws criticism

• GOP Senate candidate Herschel Walker was roundly criticized Monday for his argument against climate legislation like the Green New Deal.

• Walker said during a campaign stop in Hall County, Georgia on Saturday that such billion-dollar laws would indirectly reward China and other major polluters. He said, under the Green New Deal, clean U.S. air would ultimately be sent to China and dirty Chinese air would then contaminate American skies.
  
• “We, in America, have some of the cleanest air and cleanest water of anybody in the world,” he told a group of supporters. “So, what we are going to do is put, from the Green New Deal, millions, billions of dollars cleaning our good air up. So, all of the sudden China and India, they put nothing to clean that situation up.”

• “Since we don’t control the air, our good air decides to float over to China’s bad air,” Walker continued. “So, when China gets our good air, their bad air got to move. So, it moves over to our good air space. Then, now, we got to clean that back up.”

• Walker’s race against incumbent Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., is currently rated as a “toss up” by Cook Political Report. Recent polls show the two candidates in a tightly contested race, according to RealClear Politics.

• Walker’s campaign didn’t respond to a request for comment from Fox News.

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