Althouse: "And as a young black girl growing up in Mississippi, I learned that if I didn't speak up for myself, no one else would."

April 27, 2020

"And as a young black girl growing up in Mississippi, I learned that if I didn't speak up for myself, no one else would."

"So... my mission is to say out loud if I'm asked the question, 'yes, I would be willing to serve.' But I know that there's a process that will be played out, that Joe Biden is going to put together the best team possible. And I believe that he will pick the person he needs."

Said Stacey Abrams, on "Meet the Press" yesterday, when Chuck Todd asked her, "Do you believe you'd be the best running mate Joe Biden could find?"

Notice that she's answering a different question from the one that was asked. One could infer that the answer to the question asked is no. She's not the best running mate Biden could find. She contorted her way to another question — Are you willing to serve? — which is, apparently, the question she wanted or anticipated. To that, she says yes.

But couldn't she have said yes to the question asked? Before she got to the part of her answer I've quoted above, she said, "I was raised to tell the truth. And so when I'm asked a question, I answer it as directly and honestly as I can." Who knows if that is the truth? But assuming it is, I infer that her answer to the question asked is no.

I guess she wasn't raised to answer questions straightforwardly. Only "as directly and honestly as I can." But why can't she give a yes or no to the question Chuck Todd asked? The answer seems to be that she was raised to speak up for herself. And yet she did not take the opportunity to promote herself as the best person.

That's as far as I go for now understanding the rhetoric, ethics, and mind of Stacey Abrams.

113 comments:

donald said...: Biden/Abrams 2020. Sure man.; 4/27/20, 8:27 AM
Mr. O. Possum said...: There's no precedent in American history, so far as I know, for a potential VP pick to campaign for the job.

Kiss of death.

Supposedly she's going to go from serving in the George House to being VP.

And this from Wikipedia: In April 2018, Abrams wrote an op-ed for Fortune revealing that she owed $54,000 in federal back taxes and held $174,000 in credit card and student loan debt.; 4/27/20, 8:28 AM
Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...: Waiting for the Hillary chop arm to fall. One should navigate carefully.; 4/27/20, 8:29 AM
Lucid-Ideas said...: Her only qualification for anything in this clown world is that she's black. She is massively unqualified for anything else.; 4/27/20, 8:29 AM
Lucien said...: When someone says they were raised to tell the truth you can pretty much guarantee they are about to lie.; 4/27/20, 8:30 AM
Biotrekker said...: She claims to always tell the truth but she lied about losing the Georgia governor's race fair and square. She attributes it to voter fraud for which there is zero evidence. She's a proud memebr of the Leftist victim culture. She shouldn't be anywhere near the Whitehouse. BTW, when will we be renaming the Whitehouse (racist!!) the Rainbowhouse (inclusive!)?; 4/27/20, 8:32 AM
Ken B said...: Veep theater.

We will know it’s serious when the question is, “Since Biden is too ill to serve, what would be your policy as his replacement?”; 4/27/20, 8:33 AM
gilbar said...: But couldn't she have said yes to the question asked?
Assumes a level of competence Not in Evidence

Supposedly she's going to go from serving in the George House to being VP.
No, she's going to go from LOSING the Governor's race, to losing the VP nomination race; 4/27/20, 8:33 AM
rhhardin said...: They try to raise boys not to tell the truth, under the early version of political correctness called manners.; 4/27/20, 8:33 AM
Browndog said...: You have to respect the real governor of Georgia for answering the questions that needed to be asked, not the ones posed.

Leadership; 4/27/20, 8:34 AM
rhhardin said...: She seems to lake the growing up a girl in Mississippi intellectual heft of Eudora Welty. Maybe it's a skin color thing.; 4/27/20, 8:35 AM
Lucid-Ideas said...: Black women are among the most highly educated segment of our society while simultaneously being among the stupidest, most egotistical, and having the most outsized sense of self-importance. This is largely - once again - because segments of society continue to provide encouragement ('YAS QUEEN SLAYYYYY') out of all proportion to their actual contributions.

A perfect example of this is Michelle Obama. That woman's greatest accomplishment in life (much like Hillary Clinton) was marrying her husband. Full stop. She has literally done nothing else. She, like Abrams, is perfectly unqualified to do or be anything else.

Highly educated? Sure. And completely unqualified.; 4/27/20, 8:37 AM
CJinPA said...: Abrams was born in 1973. She was a "young black girl in Mississippi" in the 1980s. She wasn't running from Bull Connor and needed no help speaking up for herself.

Her open campaign to force her way on to a presidential ticket is fascinating, and will say a lot about whether Identity Politics will lead the Democratic Party to lasting dominance or self-destruction.; 4/27/20, 8:38 AM
Hari said...: Does she still believe that if she doesn't speak up for herself, no one else will?; 4/27/20, 8:39 AM
Fernandinande said...: And as a young white boy growing up in places other than Mississippi, I learned that if I didn't speak up for myself, no one else would.

Someone who says lame shit like that shouldn't be in any position of power. And besides that, it's probably a bad idea to have the US represented to its citizens, and the rest of the world, by a grotesquely obese person. And besides that "As expected, cohort members who became obese had lower adulthood IQ scores", which might explain her comments and credit card debt.; 4/27/20, 8:39 AM
Shouting Thomas said...: And as a young black girl growing up in Mississippi, I learned that if I didn't speak up for myself, no one else would.

So, she starts out with an obvious lie.

For the past 60 years, every governmental and academic institution has been speaking up for black girls and women. First quota preference in everything.

In fact, my first suspicion is that if not for her vagina and black skin nobody would take her seriously as a candidate for any office.; 4/27/20, 8:39 AM
Bill, Republic of Texas said...: What did she have to say about Tara Reade's allegation about Biden finger raping her. Did they play the recording of Reade's mom calling Larry King for help?; 4/27/20, 8:39 AM
gilbar said...: serious question:
What does it say about the liberal Mecca of Madison Wisc, that Stacy Abrams' family would rather live in Mississippi, in the TERRIBLE 1970's; than continue living in Mad town?

Wisconsinites...
You Capitol City is SO FUCKING RACIST, that Black Families move to Mississippi to get away from you; 4/27/20, 8:41 AM
Temujin said...: This is a crazy person. She, in fact, may be the greatest self-promoter since Trump. But Trump actually did something in his life. Built an empire, lost some of it, built it back up, globally. Employed (employs) thousands of people. Built a global brand. Created a literal empire.

Stacy Abrams lost an election. She refused to acknowledge she lost. Claims to be the rightful Governor (like something out of Game of Thrones). And because she's a black woman who, as a Democrat, lost, she now gets a promotion and is still appearing on talk shows to get her opinions on things when NO ONE IN AMERICA WANTS TO HEAR WHAT STACY ABRAMS HAS TO SAY ABOUT ANYTHING.

If only she'd have been a Republican, we would not have to hear from her again.; 4/27/20, 8:41 AM
I'm Full of Soup said...: Her full name is Stacey Abrams Tank.; 4/27/20, 8:42 AM
Maillard Reactionary said...: No need to overthink it, Professor: She's just a dim bulb. Remember, half the population is below average in intelligence. (I'm not even going to touch on the difference in "average intelligence" between black and white Americans, except to say that it ain't helping here.) It's no surprise some of them show up in public life.

It's a special case of the Dunning-Kruger effect: They're too dumb to realize how ridiculous they sound when they open their mouths.; 4/27/20, 8:42 AM
JAORE said...: The answer is easy, "Hell no I'm not the best choice."; 4/27/20, 8:43 AM
Lucid-Ideas said...: I'm sorry, I was too harsh regarding Michelle Obama. She was able to make a sign saying 'Bring Back Our Girls' during the Kony crisis and held it up so a photo could be taken and spread virally on the internet. She was able to do that, however her actual making of the sign might have been 'delegated' to someone else. The facts may never be known.

Additionally, she is capable of being quite photogenic from time to time, on the cover of Time. She takes a good picture. Abrams? Hmmmmm, maybe not so much, but that's ok because 'yas queen slay'.

So there. I can be magnanimous and give credit where it's due. They both can read and write and can potentially or actually run for office. Oh and yes, they can also have babies either actually or potentially. Good for them.; 4/27/20, 8:44 AM
Bob Boyd said...: I thought she gave a good answer.

She could have said yes to the question asked, but it was the follow up she didn't want to answer which would have been, "Why do you think you're the best?"; 4/27/20, 8:45 AM
Todd said...: "And as a young black girl growing up in Mississippi, I learned that if I didn't speak up for myself, no one else would."

I read the headline and somehow (honest!) I just knew Stacey Abrams would have said that.

This quote works just as well:

"And as a [any age] [any race] growing up in [anywhere/anytime], I learned that if I didn't speak up for myself, no one else would."

How self centered do you have to be to not understand that you must speak up for your self, that everyone does, and that anyone else doing so is either your mother or wants to use you for something. That quote is the sort of thing you expect to hear from a young adult, NOT someone striving to be VP of the U.S.A.; 4/27/20, 8:46 AM
Automatic_Wing said...: I think it's the first rule of political interviews to answer the question you want to answer rather than the question that's asked.; 4/27/20, 8:47 AM
Lee Moore said...: "I was raised to tell the truth. And so when I'm asked a question, I answer it as directly and honestly as I can."

The thing is, lying often works better if you presage your lie with a declaration along those lines. Some people are just very trusting. And good for them. Cynics and perpetual sceptics can be very tiresome.; 4/27/20, 8:48 AM
Lurker21 said...: She was raised to answer questions honestly and directly. When she can't answer honestly, she ducks the question and answers a different one. So much for answering directly. Whatever one's raising, once one becomes a politician, one avoids answering questions. Supporters don't see that. You have to be a skeptic to pick up on the contradictions.

I understand not liking her. There are myriad reasons to dislike her and there's a lot of her to dislike, but a scalpel is better than a bludgeon, and it may not make things so messy when people use it. Generous commenters won't go to the edge so early, but leave a little for those who come after them.; 4/27/20, 8:49 AM
Dave Begley said...: And Chuck Todd, of course, didn't ask Abrams about Tara Reade.

"Are you willing to be the VP candidate for a man who has been credibly accused of sexual assault?"; 4/27/20, 8:49 AM
Bay Area Guy said...: "I guess she wasn't raised to answer questions straightforwardly. Only "as directly and honestly as I can." But why can't she give a yes or no to the question Chuck Todd asked?"

And, I guess, old Chuck Todd wasn't raised to ask relevant questions, straightforwardly, such as, "If Tara Reade's sexual assault allegations against Biden were true, would you still accept the VP slot?"; 4/27/20, 8:50 AM
Bay Area Guy said...: Begley beat me to it!; 4/27/20, 8:50 AM
Wince said...: Reminds me of "that's my story and I'm stickin' to it."

"...I learned that if I didn't speak up for myself, no one else would."

Whatever happened to somebody needing to second that motion -- or emotion, h/t Smokey -- as the case may be?

"But I know that there's a process that will be played out..."

Isn't the usual construction that the process will play our or play itself out, rather than be played out?

Sounds like she believes the DNC deck is stacked and her best bet to get something -- other than the VP nod -- for herself is to play the VP game by letting the game play her.; 4/27/20, 8:52 AM
Bilwick said...: She's a stupid State-shtupper. There: that's as far as you need to go into the mind of Tank Abrams.; 4/27/20, 8:53 AM
Tommy Duncan said...: Somewhere in here there is an analogy to a loose cannon on an M1 Abrams tank.; 4/27/20, 8:54 AM
Lucid-Ideas said...: @Tommy Duncan

An M1 Abrams is far more attractive, and infinitely more useful.; 4/27/20, 8:57 AM
DanTheMan said...: I expect Biden to win, primarily due to vote fraud on a massive scale in key states. Like Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania.

So whoever Biden picks will very likely be President as I don't believe Joe can last 4 years. All of his VP candidates realize that, and I would suspect most D voters as well.; 4/27/20, 8:58 AM
Heartless Aztec said...: She's an aspiring politician on the make. She needs a a weatherman to see which way the wind is blowing before committing to a yes/no answer.; 4/27/20, 9:00 AM
Brian said...: When someone says they were raised to tell the truth you can pretty much guarantee they are about to lie.

Yep. It's nonsensical.

Are there children that are raised to lie? Even kids of confidence men are probably taught to tell the truth aren't they?; 4/27/20, 9:01 AM
Bob Boyd said...: They should have asked her if, as a young, black girl, she liked to go the pool and watch the white lifeguard's leg hair floating in the water.; 4/27/20, 9:01 AM
Wince said...: Abrams: "And as a young black girl growing up in Mississippi..."

K Harris: "There was a little girl in California... That little girl was me."

Abrams: No, it was me.

K Harris: No, it was me.; 4/27/20, 9:01 AM
DanTheMan said...: From my dad, a long time ago:
Never bet on a sure thing.
Never trust anybody who says "Trust me".
Anybody who says "Would I lie to you?" already has.; 4/27/20, 9:02 AM
iowan2 said...: I'm convinced WWII was the greatest generation. They won WWII and the military heros, each and everyone of them, regardless of medals, came back to the US as leaders. Leaders of the clubs, and towns, business, and industry, Colleges, and agencies, cities, states, etc. War created real leaders. I can define real leaders, by what passes today as leadership. Has anyone seen anything that would lead you to the conclusion, Stacie Abrams could lead a small Girl Scout Troop?; 4/27/20, 9:02 AM
Chuck said...: This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.; 4/27/20, 9:05 AM
Birkel said...: It would be more interesting if she had said she grew up as a disabled white boy with a lisp.; 4/27/20, 9:06 AM
Lucid-Ideas said...: Compared to Michelle and Abrams, I'm of the opinion Kamala Harris is actually more qualified. She is an attorney and has actually won an election. She also gives good head, I guess, we'd have to ask Willie Brown if it was indeed 'good'. Additionally she managed to wrangle herself a white boy to put a ring on it, so she's been 'upped' by association plus being racially mixed instead of being 100% black, so she can 'play' the part when it's advantageous.

There are some qualified 'black' female political candidates out there, and Harris might be one of them.

#HarrisAndHerTechnicolorDreamcoat2020
#KamalaIsBlack&HasAVagina
#KHarrisBleached2020; 4/27/20, 9:09 AM
Browndog said...: She's not as dumb as some may think.

She has her own highly funded PAC, associated with a number of super-PACS, board member of a few liberal policy driven think tanks and non-profits.

How do you think she rose out of nowhere to challenge a republican for a red State governorship?

She has a clear agenda, most of which cannot be spoken of in public.

I'm not saying she's electable, I'm just saying she's a major democrat power player behind the scenes.; 4/27/20, 9:10 AM
DanTheMan said...: >>Playing to her TrumpCult readership.

Distractor General reports for duty, and attempts a hijack, as usual.

Ann could post about pancake flavors, and he would do the same. It's all done in bad faith.; 4/27/20, 9:12 AM
rcocean said...: There's zero reason to pick her over Harris. She's a state legislator. Her only plus, is she's a real african-american, while Harris is a Jamaican-Hindu who grew up in Canada. Harris is a female exotic just like Obama. Only he married a black girl from Chicago, while Harris married a Jewish Millionaire.; 4/27/20, 9:14 AM
Amadeus 48 said...: Biden/Abrams 2020. I mean, c'mon, man.; 4/27/20, 9:15 AM
William said...: Have any comparative studies been done as to which takes more courage: growing up as a black girl in Mississippi or coming out as a gay man? Who is braver: Stacy Abrams or Mayor Pete?....Whatever the answer, one thing is clear. Both people have more reserves of courage than any straight, white man will ever be capable of. Moreover their struggles have ennobled them and given them an understanding of the world's problems that no straight, white male, safely cocooned in his privilege, will ever achieve or even be capable of.; 4/27/20, 9:15 AM
rcocean said...: Scott Adams made the point that 19 days after the Reade story broke, CNN had run ZERO stories about it. They'd run 700 Stories about Blowsey Ford and Kavanaugh in 24 days.
The other media outlets have acted similarly.; 4/27/20, 9:16 AM
Mike (MJB Wolf) said...: Stacey is barking up the wrong tree. Joe ain’t even gonna make it through the convention.; 4/27/20, 9:17 AM
rcocean said...: Abrams for VP - get outta here with that Malarkey.; 4/27/20, 9:17 AM
BUMBLE BEE said...: So... Biden is senile... he's gone. Abrams likely has enough comorbidity for all Atlanta... she goes down to Covid-19.. who's next Baba O'Riley, or Nancy Pelosi?; 4/27/20, 9:18 AM
wendybar said...: If you are white, AND a man.(exspecially straight)..WHY are you even IN the Democrat party?? They left you YEARS ago.; 4/27/20, 9:19 AM
Shouting Thomas said...: @William

What a pile of horseshit lies.

Black girls and gay men have been venerated, showered with praise, quota-ed into positions they can’t handle and generally ass kissed for decades by the schools, media and government.

Working your quota privilege is the key to getting ahead. God, that might have been the fucking dumbest, obvious lie in the history of comments.; 4/27/20, 9:19 AM
Amadeus 48 said...: Harris is an honorary white person. The Tank has got the goods.

A little girl growing up in Mississippi in the 1990s, she was not elected governor of Georgia, except in her head. She missed the Great Migration, except in her head.

I think she and Biden are a dream ticket.; 4/27/20, 9:19 AM
wendybar said...: No x is especially!! Finger jumbo!!; 4/27/20, 9:19 AM
Todd said...: iowan2 said...

I'm convinced WWII was the greatest generation. They won WWII and the military heros, each and everyone of them, regardless of medals, came back to the US as leaders. Leaders of the clubs, and towns, business, and industry, Colleges, and agencies, cities, states, etc. War created real leaders. I can define real leaders, by what passes today as leadership. Has anyone seen anything that would lead you to the conclusion, Stacie Abrams could lead a small Girl Scout Troop?

4/27/20, 9:02 AM

HEY, don't sell S. Abrams short! I am sure she could lead a small Girl Scout Troop, right to the cookies!

(dang, now I have to say 12 Hail Marys and 12 Our Fathers); 4/27/20, 9:31 AM
Automatic_Wing said...: There's zero reason to pick her over Harris.

There are actually a bunch of reasons to select her over Harris, aside from the ones you listed - she's a real AfAm and not married to a white guy.

She's from Georgia, which is now a swing state thanks to immigration. She wasn't a prosecutor who threw a lot of black people into jail. She doesn't have a reputation for blowing people to get ahead.

Overall, I think she would do a lot more to drive black turnout than Harris would. Not that that necessarily makes her the best choice. But she's certainly got quite a few advantages over Harris in particular.; 4/27/20, 9:32 AM
Churchy LaFemme: said...: I give her a few points for writing the books. That's a step up from what most pols can do.; 4/27/20, 9:37 AM
William said...: Dear Shouting Thomas: Thanks for validating my writing style. I aim for a delicate shade of irony rather than heavy handed sarcasm. The fact that you didn't get it indicates that I'm hitting my mark.; 4/27/20, 9:39 AM
Shouting Thomas said...: Thanks for straightening that out, William.

Sarcasm can be hard to detect on the web.; 4/27/20, 9:43 AM
Amadeus 48 said...: "19 days after the Reade story broke, CNN had run ZERO stories about it. They'd run 700 Stories about Blowsey Ford and Kavanaugh in 24 days"

Yes, but what can you do about that? I sold my AT&T stock. I am glad to see Randall Stephenson is being shown the door. I expected much better out of him.

So, I guess management likes the way things are. But we all need to recognize that CNN isn't going to change, and their management understands that half of America doesn't believe them. They are providing entertainment for the other half of America, which they believe aligns better with their advertisers. They also are running the whole operation for CNN International. That is the goose laying eggs. The US operation is a little-watched sideshow complete with clowns (Don Lemon). Lemon better never watch Bamboozled. He might see himself differently.

And who really cares about a 27 year-old sexual assault allegation against Joe Biden? How much respect did Mary Jo Kopechne get? Last year was the 50th anniversary of her demise. Teddy Kennedy became the Lion of the Senate. She got a suffering death and a hurry-up burial.

CNN is in the entertainment business, folks. The same business where Trump found his calling. And go read about Julius Caesar--now there was an entertainer. He refused a crown when Antony offered it.; 4/27/20, 9:44 AM
ga6 said...: "That's as far as I go for now understanding the rhetoric, ethics, and mind of Stacey Abrams."

What we in the white deplorable community describe as a "bullshit artist"
or just "another lying politician".; 4/27/20, 9:53 AM
Limited blogger said...: Since Joe Biden is essentially appointing the person who will complete his term, the stakes are fairly high.

But only lightweights as far as he eye can see.; 4/27/20, 9:53 AM
Be like a tree said...: I'm still shocked that democrats thought (in the individual and party leadership sense) that Biden was the best choice for POTUS. At this point, the choice for VP can be as equally bizarre and nonsensical.; 4/27/20, 9:55 AM
John henry said...: Blogger gilbar said...

Wisconsinites...
You Capitol City is SO FUCKING RACIST, that Black Families move to Mississippi to get away from you

A few years ago, Race to Equity part of the Wisconsin Council on Children and Families did a study. It found that, by the numbers, Madison is probably the most racist city in the US.

The report is here: http://racetoequity.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/WCCF-R2E-Report.pdf

I would bet that if a study were done, it would find that Madisonians care(tm) more about racism and not being racist than most other parts of the US. So many liberal/fascist/progressive types care a lot about thing like world peace, global warming, racial harmony that it is almost a cliche. They really, really, REALLY!!! CARE(tm), dammit. I don't even doubt their sincerity, must of the time. I think they actually do care.

The problem is that so many of them think that if they care(tm) enough about these things, they don't need to actually DO anything about them. In fact, they often spend their days criticizing the people who actually do stuff rather than talking about (caring) the need for somebody else to do something.

A lot of them are useless passengers in this world.

John Henry; 4/27/20, 9:56 AM
Ron Winkleheimer said...: As a young white boy growing up in Ohio I too learned that if "I didn't speak up for myself, no one else would." It works that way for everybody.; 4/27/20, 9:59 AM
Drago said...: BAG: "And, I guess, old Chuck Todd wasn't raised to ask relevant questions, straightforwardly, such as, "If Tara Reade's sexual assault allegations against Biden were true, would you still accept the VP slot?"'

Chuck Todd knows that if he asks such a question he can be prosecuted by a democrat DA.; 4/27/20, 10:00 AM
John henry said...: Blogger Lucid-Ideas said...

I'm sorry, I was too harsh regarding Michelle Obama. She was able to make a sign saying 'Bring Back Our Girls' during the Kony crisis and held it up so a photo could be taken and spread virally on the internet.

Perfect example of my comment above. Everyone got giddy about her making that sign (or at least having it made) because it showed that she really, really, really, Really!!! cared.

And that was enough. She didn't need to convince her husband, the president of the US to actually DO anything. She didn't need to actually go to Nigeria and talk to people to try to get anything done.

She showed that she cared. That was enough.

John Henry; 4/27/20, 10:00 AM
Lurker21 said...: Moreover their struggles have ennobled them and given them an understanding of the world's problems that no straight, white male, safely cocooned in his privilege, will ever achieve or even be capable of.

It's hard to tell if you are being sarcastic or not. Not all white men are "safely cocooned in privilege." And "courage" isn't necessarily what it once was. On average it certainly does take more grit and determination to succeed as a Black woman (or a Black man) than as a White man (or a White woman?), but there's a tendency for some people to claim more of the sufferings of their group as their own than they personally experienced.

The situation is similar with gays, or will be soon enough -- people using group membership to claim that they suffered more than they may have. You went wrong in taking Pete Buttigieg as your example, though. Whatever the difficulties he went through, did he really show more courage than those who were on the front lines of the war, while he was driving generals around and polishing his resume? If you want to talk about cocoons of White privilege, can you really give the guy who go skipped Basic Training and OCS and still got a commission a pass?

"Cocoon" and "Cocooning" are interesting concepts. Pete may have had difficulties grappling with his sexuality, but it looks to me like he passed from one comforting cocoon to another: from the cocoon of bright, affluent, White, presumably heterosexual youth to the cocoon of progressive politics, which didn't view his sexuality as anything wrong and may even have seen it as a plus. "Intersectionality," if I understand the concept correctly, allows young mayor Pete to claim that he is as much a victim as an African-American in 1950s Mississippi or an illegal Latinx trans teen today. It doesn't seem to have much room for more subtle distinctions.; 4/27/20, 10:01 AM
Russell said...: Its difficult to decide who is the more pathetic poster child of the modern Democratic party: Stacey Abrams or Beto O'Roarke. Both of these people have been elevated BECAUSE they lost. And because they are aesthetically pleasing in as cynical away as you can get in modern politics which is saying something. Abrams because she is black and lost in a deep south state gets to be the poster child for the Democrats utterly sinister belief that requiring a (free state funded) photo ID to vote is akin to a poll tax. O'Roarke because he's young, has a Hispanic sounding nickname and seems hip. Fortunately, O'Roarke's elevation to presidential candidate ran its course because his theoretical greatness proved to be false and Democratic voters learned what everyone else already knew: that he was a vapid empty shell of entitlement. Abrams has not run for anything since her (utterly legal and above board) loss so she now gets to play the 'hopes and dreams' card that others will place on her.

It's rather gross. Leaving aside the pure cynical calculation of 'Biden needs a black woman' as his running mate, that Abrams would be seen as on par with Kamala Harris (whose actually accomplished way more, warts and all) shows how losing gets fetishized by the media and the Democrats (but I repeat myself).; 4/27/20, 10:03 AM
John henry said...: Blogger DanTheMan said...

From my dad, a long time ago:
Never bet on a sure thing.
Never trust anybody who says "Trust me".
Anybody who says "Would I lie to you?" already has.

Never play cards with a man named "Doc"

Never eat at a restaurant named "Mom's"

John Henry; 4/27/20, 10:04 AM
John henry said...: Comment deleted

This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

Thank you.

John Henry; 4/27/20, 10:08 AM
Todd said...: Unknown said...

I'm still shocked that democrats thought (in the individual and party leadership sense) that Biden was the best choice for POTUS. At this point, the choice for VP can be as equally bizarre and nonsensical.

4/27/20, 9:55 AM

Look at it this way, 4+ years ago NO ONE (well almost no on) thought Trump a) would be any good, b) was running for other purposes, and c) would never last. He would up being the last man standing. Anyone giving his current record an honest appraisal would have to admit that he has not only done a pretty darn good job so far BUT he SO out performed the person he was running against. Could you even imagine how screwed we all would be right now with Ms President?

This is a form of what the left is going through right now. Joe was the last one standing. We (on the outside) can't see it and can't believe it but for [a large number] of those on the inside [I guess] it all sort of makes sense...

I don't get it but he is not running for me.; 4/27/20, 10:20 AM
William said...: I'm sure if you polled all those GIs safely cocooned in their LSTs and white privilege on D-Day as to who demonstrated more raw physical courage them or Stacy Abrams and Pete Buttigieg, they would reply in the latter. It's all very well to charge the beaches on D-Day but coming out as gay or growing up black takes reserves of courage that straight white men will never know. The only question is who is braver: Stacy or Mayor Pete.....Note to world: THIS IS SARCASM>; 4/27/20, 10:20 AM
AZ Bob said...: Chuck Todd gave a typical softball interview. No follow up.; 4/27/20, 10:21 AM
Lucien said...: John Henry: Never pick a fight with anyone called “Tiny”.; 4/27/20, 10:25 AM
tcrosse said...: Isn't the rainbow enuf?; 4/27/20, 10:27 AM
Darrell said...: The miracle was getting her to shut up.; 4/27/20, 10:30 AM
Martin said...: I didn't read Abrams as saying she is NOT the best qualified, but that it is not her call to make. Which is fine.; 4/27/20, 10:31 AM
Sebastian said...: "Notice that she's answering a different question from the one that was asked. One could infer that the answer to the question asked is no. She's not the best running mate Biden could find. She contorted her way to another question — Are you willing to serve? — which is, apparently, the question she wanted or anticipated. To that, she says yes."

Well, she's a Dem. Honesty would be a liability.

By the way, does she #BelieveAllWomen?; 4/27/20, 10:33 AM
tastid212 said...: Abrams brings to mind Roman Hruska, the Nebraska Senator. When one of Nixon's Supreme Court picks was called a mediocre jurist, Hruska's defense of the poor fellow was that there were lots of mediocre people out there and they deserved representation on the Court, too.

In that sense, a Biden/Abrams ticket would be a doubly good choice.; 4/27/20, 10:33 AM
Whiskeybum said...: I just love how she couches here answer in terms of "willing[ness] to serve". It's as if she's saying "It would be a really a big sacrifice for me to hold the office of Vice President of the United States, but if I must, I will make that sacrifice for my fellow Americans". Yeah, right. Willingness to serve herself at the public trough.; 4/27/20, 10:35 AM
Jupiter said...: Doesn't Biden already have a hole in his head?; 4/27/20, 10:36 AM
Narr said...: Stay-stay Abrams : clean and articulate!

One of the reasons we are doomed is exactly because we are forced to treat people like Abrams as if they had anything to contribute to society. I spent my mediocre career at a middling Southern state school and trust me (!) the most useless but highly-praised demo was the AfAm females in administration. Many of them, pulling in multiples of what most profs made, were barely literate.

And since veteran Mayor Pete was mentioned, here's another anecdote of doom. One of my former colleagues in the library is a veteran (Airborne All The Way!) of enlisted service who has remained in the Reserve as an enlisted man since he got out in about 1994. He got an MLS and PhD in military history, has curated museums and special collections and archives, has published and presented widely in both fields, including co-editing a major collection of new scholarship on the Seven Years War.

About 2010 he applied for a direct commission, hoping to do something with cultural preservation (i.e. Monuments Men) but his services were not required!

Narr
Maybe if he'd been willing to suck cock, like Mayor Pete . . .; 4/27/20, 10:44 AM
Biff said...: I have the suspicion that "serving" anyone is the last thing on her mind and that she would find the very idea to be offensively racist.; 4/27/20, 11:04 AM
Anne in Rockwall, TX said...: I read somewhere over the weekend that Abrams was at the last Bilderberg meeting. True?; 4/27/20, 11:17 AM
chuck said...: She would be such a great match for Biden.; 4/27/20, 11:22 AM
Yancey Ward said...: Oh, Joe Biden, please, please, please pick this woman. Please.; 4/27/20, 11:34 AM
Yancey Ward said...: And when anyone prefaces an answer by saying they were raised to tell the truth, expect that you have just been lied to.; 4/27/20, 11:35 AM
Douglas B. Levene said...: Stacey Abrams would be well qualified to be the VP-HR at a woke Fortune 500 Corporation. She could bully all the deplorable working there into using all the right pronouns and not micro-aggressing against any member of any victim class. Plus she could make booty and pay off all her tax debts. Win/Win.; 4/27/20, 11:36 AM
Sam L. said...: I wouldn't even go that far.; 4/27/20, 11:40 AM
Bilwick said...: William writes: "Have any comparative studies been done as to which takes more courage: growing up as a black girl in Mississippi or coming out as a gay man? Who is braver: Stacy Abrams or Mayor Pete?....Whatever the answer, one thing is clear. Both people have more reserves of courage than any straight, white man will ever be capable of. Moreover their struggles have ennobled them and given them an understanding of the world's problems that no straight, white male, safely cocooned in his privilege, will ever achieve or even be capable of."

You want courage? How about pro-freedom Blacks and Gays who bolt the "liberal" plantation and defy the "liberal" Hive?; 4/27/20, 11:47 AM
Nichevo said...: Whiskeybum said...
I just love how she couches here answer in terms of "willing[ness] to serve". It's as if she's saying "It would be a really a big sacrifice for me to hold the office of Vice President of the United States, but if I must, I will make that sacrifice for my fellow Americans". Yeah, right. Willingness to serve herself at the public trough.

4/27/20, 10:35 AM

Well, she specifically had to say that thing, because earlier in the primary process, when Joe Biden actually floated her as a possible VP pick, she in her outrageous outsized huge enormous not to say grotesquely swollen hubris, said, almost verbatim, Thanks but no thanks, maybe Joe would like to be my VP running mate.

Now she gets to eat every inch of that turd she shat, bite by bite.

If Biden has a firing neuron left he will realize that she is not the one.; 4/27/20, 11:54 AM
Kathryn51 said...: Douglas said. . .
Plus she could make booty and pay off all her tax debts. Win/Win.

See Browndog's post above
She has her own highly funded PAC, associated with a number of super-PACS, board member of a few liberal policy driven think tanks and non-profits.

Don't worry about those tax debts - the lady is rakin' it in these days.; 4/27/20, 11:59 AM
Rosalyn C. said...: I agree with the first comment by Unknown. Abrams demonstrates she isn't stupid. She deftly avoided a trap. No one publicly lobbies for the VP slot -- it would be unseemly. She's so out of the loop she felt she needed to indicate her interest and used race to justify her aggression.; 4/27/20, 12:14 PM
Shouting Thomas said...: Politics perfectly mirrors the sibling rivalry of my grandkids.

“It’s not fair!” “I didn’t get my turn!” “You let her/him do it so why not me!”; 4/27/20, 12:40 PM
phantommut said...: Stacy Abrams makes Sarah Palin look like Condi Rice.; 4/27/20, 12:45 PM
Michael said...: Abrams is far from dumb but very close ro evil. The insane fiction that she was cheated out of a win by some white cabal is now widely believed by young Blacks in Georgia. Probably in Mississippi and Alabama as well. Losing with grace?; 4/27/20, 1:02 PM
Rabel said...: Abrams would be a safe pick - safe from Joe that is. She just doesn't look like his type.

But, she is pretty smart, and telling baldfaced lies to media people who won't dare question a Black woman works well for Democrats.; 4/27/20, 1:16 PM
Rabel said...: This medication shortage is beginning to cause problems.; 4/27/20, 1:18 PM
Jim at said...: When someone says they were raised to tell the truth you can pretty much guarantee they are about to lie.

Indeed. Whenever Barack Obama said 'I want to be perfectly clear' you knew a whopper was coming.; 4/27/20, 1:49 PM
brylun said...: Identity politics is inconsistent with my identity as an individual.; 4/27/20, 2:04 PM
DavidUW said...: Her mindset?
Lying grifter machine politician. Simple as that.; 4/27/20, 3:05 PM
JMW Turner said...: Re:Crazy, Barking at the Moon commentary. I love the breath of subject matter and the frankly intimidating knowledge of many of the commentators on Ann's blog. I've upped my knowledge reading these daily postings, and this site is quite addicting. However, these flame wars remind me of other sites where anger and invective has replaced reasoned arguments. I'm not going to stop visiting here (too late, I'm hooked),but this anger fest from both sides isn't a good look.; 4/27/20, 3:38 PM
NMObjectivist said...: All politicians answer a question other than the one asked. Part of the trade.; 4/27/20, 3:40 PM
Lurker21 said...: It's true that Stacy is more authentically African-American than boujee upscale Kamala, but the three big strikes against Kamala with Black women are no Black husband, no Black kids, no Black church, and it looks like Stacy strikes out too, though she could probably fake the church thing.; 4/27/20, 4:24 PM
Maillard Reactionary said...: Browndog said: "She's not as dumb as some may think...."

It's possible that we both may be right.

On the one hand, I do expect that she would struggle with the crossword puzzle in Highlights For Children (if they have them).

On the other hand, she is potentially useful to the usual Lefty operators because, in addition to being a conventional shiny butterball in the Aunt Jemima tradition (who won't intimidate anyone with a weight problem like e.g. Michelle Obama might), she also obviously checks the race and sex boxes, and seems to genuinely believe in her victimhood and entitlement, which appeals to a certain slice of the Dimographic. Some probably believe that those qualities could make her electable; and if she does get elected, she'll have all the best advisors pushing their agendas with her, with none of that inconvenient pushing-back that you get from the honkies sometimes.

After all, why do you think they let a demented stumblebum like Joe Biden get this far? Of course, they'll probably have to swap him out at the last minute (which will cause a stir) but a year ago, it probably seemed like a pretty good idea, before the other ones self-destructed on TV.; 4/27/20, 6:20 PM
Lurker21 said...: I can't see upper middle class White women - the ones we are calling in a racist/sexist way "Karen" - being very enthusiastic for Stacy Abrams. They might talk that way to each other, but some of them aren't going to turn out to vote for her (or as it looks now, to mail in their ballot for her). She's not "aspirational" enough for them. She doesn't have much for the guys, either. Same thing: public professions of support, but no real love or enthusiasm.; 4/27/20, 9:17 PM
Tina Trent said...: Abrams has never had to do anything other than perform identity politics. She bragged about not paying her taxes. Her parents were graduate students.

Her life experience has been one big gimmie bag. Little wonder she fails to grasp the importance of working, paying bills.; 4/28/20, 4:52 AM
Unknown said...: > "And as a young black girl growing up in Mississippi, I learned that if I didn't speak up for myself, no one else would."

You mean like Jesse and Al?

Shadow Gov Tank lends heft to the ticket by ticking boxes

and like a squab member, it ready to advocate we all join in her false consciousness.; 4/28/20, 6:45 AM