U.S. Rep. Barry Loudermilk, R-Cassville, addressed the Marietta Business Association this week and spoke about what he described as a coming “golden era” for American business. The event drew attention from local activist groups Indivisible Cobb and Indivisible Woodstock, whose members protested outside The Foxglove venue and called for more transparency from the congressman.
Martha Jean Schindler, leader of Indivisible Woodstock, said her group believes Loudermilk supports “the rise of authoritarianism and fascism brought on by the Trump regime.” Schindler added, “We are here because we feel like Barry Loudermilk has failed to represent us. He hasn’t had town halls, or reasonable responses to constituents in a very, very long time. He tends to only do these private events with vetted people. It shows that he is not considering any challenging questions.”
Protesters questioned Loudermilk’s engagement with constituents as luncheon attendees walked past them.
In his remarks at the beginning of his speech, Loudermilk acknowledged the protesters and stated his support for First Amendment rights but said there are “proper ways to doing it.” He commented on their questions about his identity: “It’s hard to take them serious when they keep asking what do I look like.”
Loudermilk also alleged that some protest participants are paid to attend demonstrations. “A lot of the protesters we end up getting in Washington D.C. are literally paid,” he said. “I’ve actually come up to some getting cash handed to them after the protest. So, when they have to ask what I look like or they say something to you guys, apologies for that.
“Either they don’t have a cellphone or don’t know how to use Google. All you’ve got to do is put my name in there and my picture’s everywhere.”
During his address, Loudermilk discussed limiting government involvement in local businesses and criticized current regulatory practices as adversarial toward both citizens and business owners.
“We have to restructure government agencies away from where they are now,” he said. “They were designed for this idea of supporting the general welfare … The term ‘general welfare’ (means) that Congress – the federal government – should create an environment where individuals and individual businesses can prosper. And part of that is limited government involvement in your operations.”
He argued that achieving this requires a shift in federal culture—a process he credited President Donald Trump with initiating through executive actions since his reelection.
“A lot of people have expressed concern, they’re asking, ‘Why is Donald Trump coming in and just cleaning house? Why is he firing people left and right?’ It’s because he’s trying to change the culture within those agencies,” Loudermilk said.
Loudermilk recounted a recent Oval Office meeting with Trump where the president outlined plans for what he calls a new “golden era” for America.
Loudermilk quoted Trump as saying “the best thing to have ever happened to (him) was to lose that last election.” According to Loudermilk: “It gave him four years to focus on what we needed to do to return to American exceptionalism… When you look at what he’s done with tariffs, and then what he’s doing in the regulatory environment, cleaning house with some of the folks who have not been willing to change the culture … they’re all part of this plan to usher in what he believes to be the new golden era.”
Chase Sanger, president of the Marietta Business Association and staff member in Loudermilk’s office, supported these points: “The message he has been sharing pretty much everywhere he goes is about how America is getting ready to have this great era of exceptionalism,” Sanger said. “It’s really exciting.”
