The element of surprise
What we saw in Georgia last night was an electoral atrocity. The Republican Party in the state went to extreme lengths to deny nonwhite citizens their right to vote, and it didn’t even try to hide what it was up to. It was pure evil. It was also a reminder that these forces of evil we’re up against aren’t necessarily all that bright.
The sanctity of every election is important in its own right. But last night’s Georgia primary doesn’t amount to a hill of beans in comparison the upcoming general election in Georgia. In November the state will pick two new U.S. Senators, and play a role in the presidential election as well. Republican Governor Brian Kemp, a Trump acolyte, is clearly looking to rig all of these elections in the GOP’s favor. We know this because he showed his hand last night. Now we even know part of how he’s planning to do it.
Kemp appears to have made a huge mistake. Now that he’s shown his hand this early, we have five months to fight him in court on every aspect of voting rights, and to shine a light on his corruption, and to figure out how to work around the games he’s planning to play with polling sites.
When you’re trying to cheat, the element of surprise is the best thing you’ve got going for you. If Brian Kemp were smart, he’d have avoided meddling in last night’s primary election, where he didn’t gain anything anyway, and he’d have saved his tricks for November. It’ll still be a mess, but Kemp just stupidly gave away at least part of his gameplan. He’s gotten overconfident – and now it’s our turn to exploit his sloppiness.
