Heaven forfend that a Republican should be praised. That was the message on MSNBC's AM Joy show this morning. The Republican in question was Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. He's come in for some accolades on the left [and criticism from President Trump], for certifying Joe Biden as the Peach State winner.
Tia Mitchell, the Atlanta Constitution's D.C. correspondent [though she could easily be confused for a partisan-Democrat columnist], went after Raffensperger because of the investigations he's launched into a number of organizations, including one founded by Stacey Abrams, that are trying to register people to vote in the Senate runoff elections in January.
These organizations have, reportedly, been aggressively attempting to register ineligible voters, including out-of-state residents, and voters, to quote Monty Python, who have "ceased to be."
In Mitchell's view, there's nothing wrong with sending postcards urging people to vote, "even if they don't meet [the requirements] to register to vote, if they're 'gone,' or incapacitated." Did she mean gone as in left the state or gone as in dead? (Her next comment was on people being incapacitated after all.)
Mitchell claimed that Raffensperger's investigations show that "he's still a tried-and-true-conservative." No. It shows that he's trying to maintain the integrity of the vote. If that makes him a conservative, then what does trying to undermine the integrity of the vote make Democrats?
Guest-host Jason Johnson seconded Mitchell's sentiment, says it "galls" him that Republicans like Raffensperger are praised just for saying something reasonable. They're still, insisted Johnson, "dedicated to the same racist suppression tactics they were engaged in before."
Here's the moment:
TIA MITCHELL: And he’s insinuating that some of those were not in good faith, but again, it’s not illegal to send someone a postcard, even if they doesn’t meet the [requirements to] register to vote or if they’re not even — if they’re gone or incapacitated. But that’s what he’s insinuating. And that shows that, again, he is still a conservative, he's still a Trump supporter, even if in recent days he’s said things that have angered President Trump.
JASON JOHNSON: Yeah, this is what sort of galls me. That the moment any sort of Republican says something reasonable, right, just reasonable, like, hey, maybe you should stop encouraging death threats again state officials or, hey, I did a paper recount and there was no fraud here. They're still dedicated to the same racist voter-suppression tactics that they were engage in before.
The propaganda on MSNBC was sponsored by Dell and Proctor & Gamble, maker of Gain.
Here's the transcript. Click "expand" to read more.
MSNBC
AM Joy
12/5/20
10:07 am ET
JASON JOHNSON: While thousands are the getting sick and hundreds are dying every day in states like Georgia because of the pandemic, it seems like the local government is only concerned with oppressing and harassing people who are trying to protect everybody’s right to vote.There’s a recent story about an investigation into voter organizations and get out of vote organizations in Georgia. What’s going on with that right now? And how is that being perceived on the ground, that in the midst of this health care crisis, they’re still trying to keep organizations from getting people to the polls?
TIA MITCHELL: And I think that investigation by Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger is proof that even though Democrats, and folks who are critical of President Trump have praised the Secretary of State for standing up for the integrity of the election, this investigation he’s launched shows he’s still a tried-and-true conservative.
He has a lot of policies and thinking and proposals that have frustrated organizations that are on the ground, particularly those that are focused on Democratic candidates or progressive issues. And so, this investigation is about organizations that have sent mailers and postcards encouraging people to register to vote.
And he’s insinuating that some of those were not in good faith, but again, it’s not illegal to send someone a postcard, even if they doesn’t meet the [requirements to] register to vote or if they’re not even — if they’re gone or incapacitated. But that’s what he’s insinuating. And that shows that, again, he is still a conservative, he's still a Trump supporter, even if in recent days he’s said things that have angered President Trump.
JOHNSON: Yeah, this is what sort of galls me. That the moment any sort of Republican says something reasonable, right, just reasonable, like, hey, maybe you should stop encouraging death threats again state officials or, hey, I did a paper recount and there was no fraud here. They're still dedicated to the same racist voter-suppression tactics that they were engage in before.
