Stacey Abrams comes out swinging for 2022

| 8:00 pm EDT March 16, 2021
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“It is a redux of Jim Crow in a suit and tie.” This is Stacey Abrams’ take on Republicans suppressing the votes of people of color. One of the most frustrating things about this vote suppression is that it is based on a lie. As Abrams said during her interview, multiple governors, the courts, and secretaries of state have said the 2020 election revealed no fraudulent activity. Yet, according to CNN, Republicans in 43 states have introduced over 250 pieces of legislation to allegedly “secure elections.” It is plausible that the “big lie” is merely being used as a cover by Republicans to do what they have been wanting to do anyway.

Jake Tapper posted a quote from Republican John Kavanagh of Arizona, who said: “There’s a fundamental difference between Democrats and Republicans. Democrats value as many people as possible voting, and they’re willing to risk fraud. Republicans are more concerned about fraud, so we don’t mind putting security measures in that won’t let everybody vote – but everybody shouldn’t be voting.” Does John Kavanagh of Arizona know how ridiculous this sounds? He is basically saying that they do not want everyone to be able to vote. Abrams countered that she is “fundamentally disappointed” that people like Kavanagh “misunderstand our democracy. Our system of government demands active participation from citizens to direct the future our nation.” Unfortunately, Republicans do want to direct the future of our nation, and they do not want our participation unless we vote for them. Surprisingly, Georgia’s Republican Lieutenant Governor disagrees with them.

Lieutenant Governor Geoff Duncan appeared on NBC’s “Meet the Press” to condemn the bills presented by the Republican-led legislature. He agreed that the bills are designed to deliberately target Black voters, to which he said he is “sensitive,” and he put his finger on the heart of the problem: “There are a lot of solutions in search of a problem. Republicans don’t need election reform to win. We need leadership.” Amen to that. Republicans need to look for a winning strategy by considering the people they allegedly represent—all the people, not just the wealthy people. This country is made up of far fewer wealthy people. They are not entitled to run everyone else’s lives because they have money. Besides, there is a lot more to life than money, like fairness, equity, and harmony. Perhaps that sounds idealistic, but why can it not be true? Why do people want to run over others to get what they want? The U.S. is still one of the richest countries in the world, and there is plenty to go around for everyone.

Contrary to what Republicans want to push, there is no overwhelming “lost confidence” in our election system. In fact, more people believe changes—changes that had been in place for years prior to 2020—have made the system more equitable and provided easier access for people to exercise their right to vote. There is absolutely no point in changing what is not broken. Republicans see it as broken because they are not winning. Perhaps they should look in the mirror to find what is truly broken.