Barack Obama Is Meeting With Donors for Biden
DEAR BARACK, MEET WITH THE BLACK VOTERS OF GEORGIA WHO ARE LEANING TO TRUMP FOR SOME BBQ INSTEAD!
This is a picture from a not-too-long-ago Atlanta, Georgia. Excuse me for the “racism porn (or something like that),” a term I didn’t know until it was pointed out to me by Clay Rivers, but the times call for shocking images. I have chosen this image from a different town to try to convince Justin Williams, a Black man from Macon, that he should not vote for Trump.
I tried to find Mr. Williams on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Google but couldn’t locate the man whose comment made me shout at the walls last Sunday. Williams told the Washington Post reporter he was better financially better off under Trump because inflation wasn’t cutting into his earnings. So he was seriously considering voting again for the orange buffoon.
By the mid-19th century, a vast majority of white Georgians, like most Southerners, had come to view slavery as economically indispensable to their society. Georgia, with the greatest number of large plantations of any state in the South, had, in many respects, come to epitomize plantation culture. When the American Civil War began in 1861, most white southerners (slave owners or not) joined in the defense of the Confederate States of America (Confederacy), which Georgia had helped to create (Slavery, the Cival War and the Reconstruction).
Georgia has made progress since then, but I am not sure that this progress is sustainable, especially if a newly emboldened Donald Trump, with the promise of dictatorial powers, is elected in November. The Georgia that Williams imagines he is a respected citizen of has actively worked with the Republican Party and the Supreme Court to deny Mr. Williams and other Black Georgians their right to vote.
Here are some things that Trumpists in Georgia consider vitally important for properly governing the state.
Voter ID Laws: Georgia implemented strict voter ID laws, requiring photo identification to vote in person, which disproportionately affects minority, elderly, and low-income voters who may be less likely to have the required ID.
Voter Roll Purges: Aggressive voter roll purges have been conducted, removing hundreds of thousands of voters from the rolls. These purges disproportionately target minority voters.
Polling Place Closures: Many polling places in minority communities, especially in rural areas, have been closed, resulting in longer travel times and longer lines on Election Day, which can discourage or prevent people from voting.
Exact Match Law: Georgia’s “exact match” law required voter registration information to match other government records exactly. Minor discrepancies, such as a missing hyphen or a typo, could result in voter registration applications being placed on hold. This law was found to affect minority voters disproportionately.
Senate Bill 202 (2021): This comprehensive voting law introduced several changes, including stricter ID requirements for absentee ballots, limitations on absentee ballot drop boxes, and new rules for provisional ballots. It also restricted food and water distribution to voters waiting in line. Critics argue that these measures disproportionately impact minority voters, who are more likely to face long lines at the polls (Voter Rights Under Attack).
Williams has been so affected by the post-COVID inflation that he and his friend are now doing a side hustle, smoking meat and selling at an abandoned parking lot off of Macon’s Route 41.
“Nothing’s changing. It feels like the economy is getting worse,” said James, 34, noting that everything has risen in price — from the green peppers and onions at his prep station to the plasticware they serve customers who pull up in pickup trucks during Macon’s lunch rush. Flipping chicken and wings as smoke billowed from the grill, Williams — who juggles a third job as a mobile DJ — said his decision about whom to vote for will come down to whether he concludes Donald Trump can improve the economy if he’s back in the White House (Black Men Are Wavering).
What I want to scream at Justin is that the economy is getting better, but not thanks to Republicans and certainly not thanks to the policies of Trump.
Today’s economy is much more robust, but it is groaning under the legacy of debts incurred — mostly during Trump’s term, by the way, not Biden’s — during the pandemic.
Biden’s deficit argument is strong on both the merits and the politics. Yet it’s often challenging to get voters to focus on budget math and other tedious matters.
If Democrats do well, taxes on the rich will rise and the deficit will shrink, at least temporarily. If Republicans do well, the deficit will explode, and the bankruptcy of Social Security will accelerate.
The consequences will be profound for any middle-class voter who cares about mortgages, auto loans or small businesses in need of financing — but thus far few of these voters seem to realize it (Which Candidate Is Better for the Middle Class).
Like too many Americans, Justin has no clue why things seem worse now. He doesn’t understand that if Trump wins, his lot won’t improve substantially; instead, it will just be guaranteed to get much worse in the long term. At 36, Williams is too young to recall the ugliness of the 1960s and 1970s. The racism around him today is systemic and getting worse. A Trump victory will launch Project 25 into our lives, and Black Americans will be reminded of their “proper place” in our white, American society.
This brings me to ask the question: Supporting Biden at fundraisers with rich people is a great help. Itis wonderful that President Obama is pitching in, but wouldn’t President Obama popping by Justin William’s barbecue stand in Macon do a lot more to remind the wavering Black men and women considering voting for a man who could easily be the Grand Dragon of the KKK.