Showing MSNBC had no concern or regard for facts and sober analysis, The ReidOut host Joy Reid spun more lies and trumpeted apocalyptic rhetoric on Tuesday night about Georgia’s new election law, and cheered corporate boycotts to inflict further pain on workers amidst a pandemic while holding up a new, For the People Act-like law in New Jersey as a necessary step to loosen voter integrity measures.
Her tiresome hyperbole began right from the tease for what would be two segments on voting: “[Y]ou will not believe the explanation from a Georgia trooper for why he arrested a black lawmaker at the state capitol last week. Meanwhile, Georgia is going all Jim Crow while another state is making it easier for people to vote. Imagine that.”
After a break, Reid insisted that “as states across the country race to enact laws to suppress voting, New Jersey did the opposite today,” which in of itself was a lie via her implication that Georgia wasn’t following the Garden State’s lead.
Reid laid it on thick when she hailed New Jersey’s Stacey Abrams-blessed law “expanding early voting, allowing in-person voting up to ten days before an election” since “it stands in stark contrast to Georgia's Jim Crow voter suppression law, which faces mounting legal challenges.”
Our friend Erick Erickson had done herculean work pushing back on these lies (see here and here as we'll be referring to both). Starting with access, the Peach State measure does nothing to eliminate drop boxes but codified it as the ones for recent elections were possible because of the COVID-19 state of emergency.
Moving to early voting, New Jersey’s measure will create nine days of early voting, but it still trails Georgia’s 17 days (including two Saturdays and possibly a Sunday). Early voting for runoffs would be cut from three weeks to one, but, as Erickson revealed, it’s because runoffs will now be moved to “four weeks after the general election.”
And on voter ID, Erickson (and others, including one Brad Raffensperger's office) have pointed out that one was already required for in-person voting and the change under the new law is requiring a state ID number be included on absentee ballots (instead of simply your signature).
Reid next griped about the arrest of State Representative Park Cannon (D) for trying to break into Governor Brian Kemp’s room where he was signing the bill (click “expand”):
Also today, we learned the most ludicrous arrest for one protest of Georgia’s law. Georgia state Representative Park Cannon forcibly hauled out by state troopers after knocking on Governor Brian Kemp’s door while he signed the bill. Well, in an incident report, the officer who arrested cannon said: “I felt that if I did not take action, the other protesters would have been emboldened to commit similar acts. The events of January 6th at the U.S. Capitol were in the back of my mind.”
I can't believe I have to say this, but a lone African-American state representative gently knocking on the governor's door while he signed a law stripping the right offense the state's Black and Brown citizens behind closed doors is in no way shape or form comparable to violent insurrectionists laying siege to the United States Capitol to repudiate our democracy because Black and Brown voters chose their candidate and the insurrectionists didn't like the outcome. Full stop. Today, Stacy Abrams applauded New Jersey law — in contrast with her home state — as taking the country in the right direction toward democracy.
While on a smaller scale, Reid’s point was null and void due to the precedent it would set for opposition lawmakers and protesters to storm a signing ceremony to prevent things they dislike from becoming law. As Erickson has said, there’s “no difference” between these “Jim Crow 2.0” activists and President Trump’s fight to overturn the election.
For Murphy’s part, he contributed to the pile of lies by boasting: “By the way, no restriction if someone wants to hand you some water while you're in line. That's also something we're proud of up here this New Jersey.”
Here again, Erickson noted in a fact-check on food and drink at polling places (click “expand”):
Under Georgia law, electioneering at polling locations is prohibited. But in progressive enclaves, local Democrats in charge of polling locations have allowed Democrat activists to pass out food and water while urging votes for Democrats. The Democrats have claimed this is not electioneering, but taking care of those in long lines.
In 2018, leftwing activists in Planned Parenthood t-shirts passed out water and iTunes gift cards in the sixth congressional district. Last year, leftwing activists passed out water with leftwing group logos affixed to it. It was electioneering that local officials denied was electioneering.
That loophole has now been closed. I actually opposed closing the loophole thinking it was a bit overkill. But I am more opposed to the people lying about it. Here’s the truth about what is happening.
Water and food will be permitted within 150 feet of a polling location provided it is set up by poll workers and is unattended by non-voters.
Outside the 150 feet, you can have food trucks, bands, and whatever else you want so long as they stay 25 feet from the actual voter line. Voters will be allowed to leave the line and come back into the line without penalty so they can get food and drink.
That’s the actual truth. I realize people on the left say it is not true, but these people believe in their truth and my truth and not the actual truth. But this is all the actual truth.
In the next segment, Reid brought in Bishop Reginald Jackson to cheerlead the calls to boycott Coca-Cola, Delta Airlines, and other major employers of Georgians for their refusal to be a full and committed partner to the Stacey Abrams-led mob’s agenda.
As part of that, Reid boasted of former UN Ambassador Andrew Young’s comparison of Georgia’s economy with that of the former apartheid country of South Africa, leaving the insinuation that the Peach State was an apartheid state.
On voter ID, for example, it’s quite the insinuation that such a law would be meant to prevent African-Americans from voting because, by this logic (which Tucker Carlson had pointed out in the last week), millions and millions of this racial minority group were intellectually and physically incapable of obtaining an ID. It’s ludicrous.
Jackson later closed the segment with more fear-mongering and gaslighting by warning that, with “41 other states” that “have bills similar to these on the books,” these measures form a “threat to our democracy” because “[w]hen these laws work for them...they were fine” but “when they work for” minorities, laws are changed.
Returning one last time to the Georgia talk radio host, Erickson was correct that Republicans have passed the law “in response to Democrats winning in November,” but the changes do nothing to suppress only Black and Brown votes.
“What Republicans have done is make minimal changes to the Georgia Election Code. But you’d never know that the way Democrats are screaming about it. The result is what the Georgia Republicans needed — a psychological win for their side. With few changes, the GOP base will now be convinced the problems of 2020 are fixed and they’ll go vote again,” said Erickson.
Reid’s disinformation campaign was made possible thanks to the support of advertisers such as Allegra and Fidelity. Follow the links to see their contact information at the MRC’s Conservatives Fight Back page.
To see the relevant MSNBC transcript from March 30, click here.
