In a full-page ad released earlier this week, an organization of black conservative clergy members attacked the lies shared by President Biden and Stacey Abrams regarding Georgia’s widely discussed election integrity bill.
Published in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Atlanta’s only major daily newspaper, the Conservative Clergy of Color demanded that the Democratic leaders “Stop Lying” to the American public about the effects of the recently passed law. The easy to follow ad juxtaposes a handful of commonly heard “lies” about the bill with the “truth” found in the bill’s actually text.
- LIE: The new law restricts early voting. TRUTH: The law expands early voting hours and additional weekend voting opportunities, including Sundays.
- LIE: Voter ID requirements are racially discriminatory. TRUTH: IDs are necessary for numerous everyday activities, and the law even lets voters use documents like utility bills instead of state-issued IDs.
- LIE: Restrictions on distributing food and water to voters are intended to make voting more uncomfortable for minority voters. TRUTH: The law only prohibits using free food and beverages as a form of electioneering.
- LIE: The new law eliminates absentee ballot drop boxes. TRUTH: Drop boxes never existed before the pandemic. The new law creates rules to keep them—and the ballots inside—secure.
- LIE: The new law allows “takeovers” of local election administration. TRUTH: The law protects voters when local officials fail to prevent excessive lines or struggle to process absentee ballots.
The ad goes on to expresses in no uncertain terms, “There’s nothing ‘racist’ about the Election Integrity Act, and it’s certainly not ‘Jim Crow 2.0.' Your lies are now devastating minority small businesses in Atlanta,” going on to conclude, “ Enough is enough.”
In late March, following a pair of ultra-competitive 2020 Senate races within the state, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp signed “the Election integrity Act” into law.
Immediately, the legislation became a national debate, with the President and his Democratic cohorts labeling the bill as “voter suppression” and “Jim Crow on steroids.”
Sixty-four days into his presidency, Biden said in his first news conference, “This is Jim Crow on steroids what they’re doing in Georgia and 40 other states. What is this all about,” going on to say the law “makes Jim Crow look like Jim Eagle.”
Former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacy Abrams has likewise levied questionable attacks against the so-called “voter-restriction” bill.
In an interview with CNN's Jake Tapper, Abrams told the anchor that she does “absolutely agree that [the Georgia bill] is racist.” Going on to say, “It is a redux of Jim Crow in a suit and tie."
The only problem with the “Jim Crow” attack is that it simply does not hold up under the lightest of scrutiny. Although I suppose it’s only a problem if you're aiming for truth.
Enter the Conservative Clergy of Color to clarify not only the actual provisions of the bill and the blatant lies regarding its consequences, but also the devastating damage those lies have caused to communities the Democrats supposedly care about.
In a press release for the ad published on the organization’s website, Bishop Aubrey Shines, a founding member of Conservative Clergy of Color, offered his take on the Georgia law and its consequences.
“Biden and Abrams keep saying the Election Integrity Act is worse than Jim Crow, which is an insult to the millions of Black Americans,” said Bishop Shines.
Continuing on, “The truth is that this law actually expands access to the ballot box, while also taking common-sense steps to protect the sanctity of every legal vote.” The bishop concludes, “We believe that it should be easy to vote and hard to cheat and the Georgia Integrity Act makes that possible for all voters.”
However, as told by Bishop Shines, the consequences of the language used by the bill’s opponents go far beyond the shameless devaluing of all those who legitimately lived through Jim Crow and ultimately fought to eradicate the discriminatory practice.
As a direct result of Biden’s and Abrams’s various attacks on the Georgia legislature, the people of Georgia are the ones paying the price, literally.
“As our ad points out,” expressed Bishop Shines, “the lies that Biden and Abrams are telling about this law aren’t just another example of political theater. Like elections, lies have consequences.”
“The MLB’s decision to relocate the All-Star Game in response to the left’s irresponsible and baseless assertions,” said Shines “will deprive hard working Georgians – including countless Black-owned businesses and their employees – of a much-needed economic boost that would have helped them recover from the pandemic-induced economic downturn.”
According to reports, the MLB’s decision to pull the 2021 all-star game from Atlanta could cost the local economy over $100 million in lost revenue. Likewise, Will Smith’s decision to move the production of an upcoming movie out of Georgia will also result in a significant loss of income for Georgia businesses.
Ultimately, with the purchase of a full-page ad, the Conservative Clergy of Color have put their money where their mouth is and lived up to their mission statement of “deliver[ing] truthful narratives on the issues of racism.”