Democrats say it and journalists parrot it back. That’s how things work in a Democratic administration. Joe Biden on Thursday slimed the state of Georgia for an “un-American” election security bill. CBS’s election law expert David Becker on Friday upped that to “anti-American.” Appearing on CBS This Morning, he derided the whole state, despite admitting that the bill was a “mixed bag.”
The hyperbole “It's important to note first that all of these efforts in the states like Georgia are based on the big lie…. The rush to pass these laws does raise concerns. President Biden was absolutely right yesterday when he called the effort anti-American.”
Usually, when a conservative is perceived as questioning the patriotism of a liberal, such a comment is an outrage. But no push back at all from Dokoupil. Instead, Becker immediately showcased how over-the-top his language is by calling the Georgia bill a “mixed bag,” adding:
There are things in there that are bad, and there are some things that are not so bad. For instance, there are limits on the ability of third parties to give people who are waiting in line food and water. There are limits on drop box locations and drop box availability to drop a mail ballot off. The driver's license number requirement on a mailed ballot is -- it could be a net good.
So how can a “mixed bag” with some positive and negative legislation be turned into “anti-Americanism?” He didn't say. Dokoupil dismissed all voter security bills, which include popular clauses like requirements to show a signature, as useless:
As a matter of fact, this is a solution in search of a problem. There is not widespread fraud in this country or in the state of Georgia. And yet we have 43 states pursuing similar restrictions on voting. What does this passage in Georgia mean for those other efforts?
But remember, if Biden thinks something is un-American, than you can count on journalists to parrot his talking point.
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A transcript is below. Click “expand” to read more:
CBS This Morning
3/26/2021
7:10 AM ET
TONY DOKOUPIL: Let's talk about that Georgia voting law. Here's what's in the law that was signed by Governor Kemp yesterday. For mail-in absentee voting, you will need an I.D. number which could be a driver's license or a state I.D. That replaces signature checking. The law limits the use of ballot drop boxes including the number of drop boxes in each county. It's now a misdemeanor to hand out food and beverages in voting lines, and some of those lines can be long, we remind you. Despites these restrictions, it actually expands early in-person voting for primary and general elections. So let's go to CBS News election law expert, David Becker, for more on this. David, you've been following these election laws. What's your take on this one?
DAVID BECKER (CBS News Election Law Expert) Good morning, Tony. It's important to note first that all of these efforts in the states like Georgia are based on the big lie, based on the lie that the election lacked integrity when in fact this was the most secure and transparent election we've had. The rush to pass these laws does raise concerns. President Biden was absolutely right yesterday when he called the effort anti-American. But this particular law as it ended up is kind of a mixed bag. As you pointed out, there are things in there that are bad, and there are some things that are not so bad. For instance, there are limits on the ability of third parties to give people who are waiting in line food and water. There are limits on drop box locations and drop box availability to drop a mail ballot off. The driver's license number requirement on a mailed ballot is -- it could be a net good. It's similar to what they do in Minnesota. It means they don't have to check signatures anymore which could mean that fewer ballots get rejected. Particularly because Georgia has a very good voter registration system. And it also – yeah, go ahead --
DOKOUPIL: I was going to say, David, in the weeks leading up to the passage and signing by Governor Kemp, there were major concerns about some more restrictive aspects of the law that did not make it in. What are those?
BECKER: Yeah. There were at least three big things that didn't make it into the law that I think it's great that they weren't in the law. One was a roll back from the automated voter system which led to some of the most accurate lists in the country. There was also a significant rollback proposed about mail voting. That is not in the law. There's still ample opportunity for mail ballot options in Georgia. And finally, there were some really difficult to understand limitations around early voting, specifically around weekend day, Sunday days when African-American churches push voters out to go souls to the polls. That is not in the bill, currently even early voting is expanded in the current bill with two Saturdays and counties have the option to provide for Sundays, as well.
DOKOUPIL: And David, as a matter of fact, this is a solution in search of a problem. There is not widespread fraud in this country or in the state of Georgia. And yet we have 43 states pursuing similar restrictions on voting. What does this passage in Georgia mean for those other efforts?
BECKER: Well, I think we're going to be keeping an eye on some laws in other states, particularly states like Arizona and Texas and even Florida where mostly Republicans actually are passing laws trying to restrict voting, trying to roll back things that have been in place for decades that voters like and that actually lead to integrity. Early voting, mail voting, it helps election integrity, gives you an early warning system if there's a problem. And so states should be really looking for ways to expand the franchise and let people vote conveniently over a great number of days. And it's unfortunate to see states trying to roll back those measures in this kind of rushed environment based on an entire lie.
DOKOUPIL: Yeah, I think turnout would be something that all Americans could root for. David Becker, thank you very much.
