Delta Airlines caves to the angry mob - calls Georgia's new voting law "unacceptable"

The CEO of Delta Airlines is now calling Georgia’s new voting law “unacceptable”. This is a 360-degree reversal of a statement released last Friday by the company, headquartered in Atlanta. That was then, this is now.

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There is no other way to look at a statement released today by Delta Airlines CEO Ed Bastian but to see it as a massive cave to angry Democrats looking to drive a wedge between Georgia voters. The bill, SB 202, was signed into law last Thursday. The next day, Bastian was taking credit for working with other Atlanta-based corporations to make sure that “some of the most egregious measures” were taken out of the bill before Governor Kemp signed it.

He said in a statement last Friday saying that it “improved considerably during the legislative process, and expands weekend voting, codifies Sunday voting and protects a voter’s ability to cast an absentee ballot without providing a reason.”

Today, just five days later, Bastian issued another statement and this one is noticeably different in its tone. Today he is expressing indignant outrage.

“We had some success in eliminating the most suppressive tactics that some had proposed,” Bastian said. “However, I need to make it crystal clear that the final bill is unacceptable and does not match Delta’s values.”

Bastian further said, “It’s evident that the bill includes provisions that will make it harder for many underrepresented voters, particularly Black voters, to exercise their constitutional right to elect their representatives.”

“I know this result in Georgia has caused frustration, anger and pain for many members of our Delta family,” Bastian wrote. “I commit to you that as we move forward, Delta will continue to do everything in our power to hear and protect your voice and your rights, both in Georgia and nationwide.”

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Gosh, I wonder what could have happened. You know what happened – the angry mob became predictably outraged over the new legislation and had a hissy fit when the governor signed it. The worst part of this orchestrated outrage is that it is all based on lies. The way they represent the bill is divorced from reality. Democrats are quick to call it a return to the days of Jim Crow in the South – you know when Democrats controlled the politics of southern states. This really points to the fact that people lodging this criticism are ignorant of the meaning of the term ‘Jim Crow’. Democrats are fundraising off the Jim Crow language on a national level.

Three lawsuits have already been filed against the legislation, including one lawsuit filed in federal court saying the legislation features race-based discrimination. Companies like Coca-Cola were threatened with boycotts unless they speak out against the law.

Look no further than to Erick Erickson, a resident of Macon, Georgia, and a former election law attorney to clarify the issue. He very clearly disproves the hyperbole against the legislation. The state legislature reformed Georgia’s state election law and Democrats are losing their minds. I’ll use several points made by Erickson to show the absurdity of the charges from critics.

One of the key points in this is the restriction of ballot drop boxes. Do you know what happens if the Georgia legislature does not pass a law on ballot drop boxes? They all go away.

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Drop boxes were allowed due to Covid-19 mitigation. They had not been used before the 2020 election. Now there is legislation that makes them permanently allowed but only ” in boards of election offices or in places with early voting and they have to be collected by close of business and they have to be monitored.” This is good. This keeps the drop boxes secure and doesn’t allow for any tomfoolery. Drop boxes won’t need to be in lots of locations since the fear of catching the coronavirus will be gone by the next election cycle.

In Georgia, the law states that if you show up to vote, you must have a photo ID. You must have a driver’s license number or the state will give you a free photo ID and you must have that number. What they’ve done with absentee ballots is instead of examining your signature on an absentee ballot that could change over time, you have to put your driver’s license or photo ID number and birthday on the ballot which will be used to verify your identity. There will no longer be signature matches in the state, which is good. My signature on my voter registration card is different from my current signature.

The dirty little secret is that a majority of Americans support voter id laws – yes, even black voters. Providing a driver’s license number, or another id number, instead of relying on a signature makes sense. This also eliminates the need for professionals who can tell if signatures are legit or not.

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The state elections board will be able to takeover County election boards when necessary. This is one of those issues where the Democrats are claiming conspiracy, but it’s actually good.

He uses the example of Fulton County. Its Board of Elections, which he calls “highly incompetent” keeps firing and re-hiring the same people.

One helpful revision made is that once ballot counting begins, it cannot stop. This will eliminate calls of fraud in the process. We all remember stories of suitcases of ballots under tables being brought out when many workers were sent home for the night.

Like many of us, Erickson thinks the food and water provision is lame. The purpose was meant to eliminate the possibility of electioneering at the polls – a candidate or surrogates passing out water bottles with campaign logo labels, for example. The way it is written, though, creates a false impression of its intention.

Anyway, you get the point. The new law clearly lays out good reforms and it has nothing to do with racial discrimination or denying anyone the right to vote. Georgia had a record turnout by black voters in its last two elections. The perpetual outrage is used to claim victimhood and paint Republicans as racist. It’s classic Democrat playbook stuff.

One interesting tidbit coming out of all the calls for boycotts of Georgia is that Hollywood is holding back on such calls. Only a few are speaking up and aligning themselves with the Party of Victimhood. Star Wars actor Mark Hamill and Ford v Ferrari director James Mangold are playing the role of useful idiot for Democrats. However, others are calling for a halt in demands of a boycott, including Martin Luther King Jr.’s daughter Bernice King.

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She’s right. It hurts working-class Georgians who will find themselves without jobs.

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Ed Morrissey 12:40 PM | November 21, 2024
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David Strom 11:20 AM | November 21, 2024
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