March 26, 2021

"This makes Jim Crow look like Jim Eagle. I mean, this is gigantic..."

Said Joe Biden at his press conference yesterday. Transcript. He was talking about new legislation in some GOP-led state legislatures tightening up voting requirements.

Context: 

What I’m worried about is how un-American this whole initiative is. It’s sick. It’s sick. Deciding in some states that you cannot bring water to people standing in line waiting to vote, deciding that you’re going to end voting at five o’clock when working people are just getting off work, deciding that there will be no absentee ballots under the most rigid circumstances, it’s all designed, and I’m going to spend my time doing three things. One, trying to figure out how to pass the legislation passed by the House, number one, number two, educating the American public. The Republican voters I know find this despicable, Republican voters, the folks outside this White House. I’m not talking about the elected officials. I’m talking about voters. Voters. And so I’m convinced that we’ll be able to stop this because it is the most pernicious thing. This makes Jim Crow look like Jim Eagle. I mean, this is gigantic what they’re trying to do and it cannot be sustained. I’m going to do everything in my power, along with my friends in the House and the Senate, to keep that from becoming the law.

By the way, he said he's "going to spend my time doing three things," then he ticked off "number one" and "number two," but he never listed the third thing. But he just kept rambling on, and he didn't have his fingers in the air to remind us that he was doing a list, so there was no Rick Perry "oops" moment. 

 

And, of course, the reporter (Yamiche Alcindor [formerly] of the NYT) did nothing to re-focus him on completing the list. But back to "Jim Eagle." I've seen some defense of this weird new character, upstaging the old Jim Crow. It's not hard to get what he was going for. If Jim Crow was bad, then Jim Eagle would be even worse. A crow is a bird, and an eagle is a bigger, more dangerous bird. But...

1. Is the new legislation even worse than Jim Crow laws? How could that be?

2. The eagle is the national bird, and Biden was standing in front of an image of an eagle, which we saw right behind his head as he was using the eagle as a symbol of evil:

3. The expression "Jim Crow" is not a reference to a bird, but a particular character

The origin of the phrase "Jim Crow" has often been attributed to "Jump Jim Crow",* a song-and-dance caricature of black people performed by white actor Thomas D. Rice in blackface, which first surfaced in 1828 and was used to satirize Andrew Jackson's populist policies. As a result of Rice's fame, "Jim Crow" by 1838 had become a pejorative expression meaning "Negro". When southern legislatures passed laws of racial segregation directed against black people at the end of the 19th century, these statutes became known as Jim Crow laws.

Click on the link to see how a black man was depicted on the sheet music to that song. "Jim Crow" is not a bird, but a man, depicted as inferior and contemptible, in what is overt racism. If a man were depicted in a way that called to mind an eagle, he would be a more powerful man — an admired man. Thus, to go from crow to eagle in this context is to put black people in a better position, not worse. Biden's word play is based on historical ignorance.

4. To do word play, you need to know what the thing you are playing on means. For example, earlier this morning, I blogged about the Washington Post Fact Checker, and we got to talking about the time last month when I fact-checked the Fact Checker. I wisecracked: "He's the Fact Checker, I'm the Fact Chess!" See? I'm proposing a new kind of word play where you deliberately misunderstand the word that you're playing upon. 

5. Voting rights are important and maybe humor isn't such a good idea here. I know I've just made a joke, and perhaps I should delete it, but if jokes here are to be self-censored, Biden ought to have resisted saying "Jim Eagle." In any case, it was a joke that was hard for some people to understand, and understanding it required us to come within his misunderstanding, with "Jim Crow" as a bird.

6. Since I blogged about Cliff Edwards yesterday, I want to end by saying that he — a white man — did the voice of the lead crow in the Disney movie "Dumbo," and here's the sequence "When I See an Elephant Fly," which you can watch for yourself to think about whether it's so racist it should be suppressed. Here's a Reddit discussion from a year ago, begun by somebody who thinks it's not so bad.

__________________________

*If you click on the "Jump Jim Crow" link in #3, you get to this additional material: 

The origin of the name "Jim Crow" is obscure but may have evolved from the use of the pejorative "crow" to refer to black people in the 1730s. Jim may be derived from "Jimmy", an old cant term for a crow, which is based on a pun for the tool "crow" (crowbar). Before 1900, crowbars were called "crows" and a short crowbar was and still is called a "jimmy" ("jemmy" in British English), a typical burglar's tool. The folk concept of a dancing crow predates the Jump Jim Crow minstrelsy and has its origins in the old farmer's practice of soaking corn in whiskey and leaving it out for the crows. The crows eat the corn and become so drunk that they cannot fly, but wheel and jump helplessly near the ground, where the farmer can kill them with a club.

162 comments:

Mary Beth said...

He knows Republican voters?

rhhardin said...

depicted as inferior and contemptible

I'd have said amusing. But women would have to be careful using that characterization. The bemusement movement is still strong.

Spiros said...

The rest of the world has extremely strict mail-in voting rules. Concern about vote fraud with mail-in ballots is not delusional.

Ralph L said...

Direct Dumbo link

Does anyone want to close the polls at 5 pm, besides the poll workers? In NC, they're not allowed to arrive or leave while polls are open on election day.

rhhardin said...

Voting rights are important and maybe humor isn't such a good idea here.

Serious is a subgenre of frivolous, not its opposite. It's a way of being frivolous. The long face, the earnest eye.

Sebastian said...

'if jokes here are to be self-censored, Biden ought to have resisted saying "Jim Eagle.""

Non-prog jokes are to be self-censored, other jokes are fine. In fact, other jokes don't need to be jokes.

Progs don't do foolish consistency. They prefer rational consistency: things that work for them, go; things that don't, don't.

Churchy LaFemme: said...

First: No it should not be surpressed.

Second: I believe the character name on the original model sheet for Edwards's character was actually "Jim Crow", though that was changed to "Dandy" Crow, and the name was never used in dialogue.

Third: As always the Pitch Meeting for Dumbo is worth your time.

DavidUW said...

Every action encourages and enables fraud.

but we all know that.

no R able to make a cogent argument against voting fraud?

Again, no wonder the USA is dead.

See ya from St. Kitts.

Ficta said...

Nicola Shulman's piece on Dumbo in the Times Literary Supplement: The Ears Have It (Note: the article at the main TLS site is behind a paywall, I found this link via a google search...) may blow your mind. She has a bold new theory about Dumbo: the whole story is a parable of prejudice against mixed race couples and their children and is about Dumbo reclaiming the suppressed half of his mixed heritage when he meets the crows and learns to fly. It all hinges on his ears. After all, what kind of elephants have large ears....? It's impossible to miss once you've seen it. The clowns even paint Dumbo's face white at one point!

D.D. Driver said...

If Jim Crow was bad, then Jim Eagle would be even worse.

Isn't he saying Jim Eagle is a good guy. And what the GOP is doing makes Jim Crow look like a good guy.

"These guys make Satan look like Santa Claus!"

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

You need an ID to buy alcohol, you need an ID to travel, you need an ID to book a hotel room, you need an ID for many things that protect us all from identity theft.
You need an ID to get into the DNC convention.

Somehow its RACIST to require an ID to vote.



Why do white leftists assume blacks are stupid?

bagoh20 said...

Let me explain this for ya.

Dumbest President ever, and it would still be true even if he got elected in his prime.

Think about it. Voters who voted for him this time, never thought he was worthy of even 3% of the vote when he was coherent, but now he's awesome. Dumbest President ever was elected by the dumbest voters. We know who you are, and you should be ashamed of yourselves. To be fair, I'm only disparaging the voters who were actually alive when they voted.

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
MadisonMan said...

I was listening when he said Jim Eagle and all I thought was "Who the heck is Jim Eagle?" Baffling use of a phrase.

Jim Eagle sounds like a native American name to me.

Curious George said...

"And, of course, the reporter (Yamiche Alcindor of the NYT) did nothing to re-focus him on completing the list."

She doesn't work at the NYT. She's with PBS. Not that there is a dime's worth of difference.

Quayle said...

I'm getting the impression that sooner or later, and it seems it will be sooner THAN later, a lot of people are going to be eating eagle that they wanted and supported this administration.

bagoh20 said...

After the Democrats destroy what little is left of our election integrity, the Chinese will decide who is in our government. They have the plans for it already in place and are currently paying off the right people and getting them elected.

We always knew that this country could only be brought down from within. First maleducate, then infiltrate, then infantalize and demoralize.

bagoh20 said...

How do you think Democrats would feel about voter ID if they believed that the Republicans were the cheaters. Their stance is a confession.

gilbar said...

But! But what would Woodsy Owl have to say about this?
Also; his name isn't "Jim Eagle", it's Sam Eagle

i mean; Come On, Man!

Curious George said...

"MadisonMan said...

Jim Eagle sounds like a native American name to me."

It needs a adjective. Like Jim Flying Eagle.

Bill Running Deer. Like that.

bagoh20 said...

Perry got eliminated for that minor lapse. Howard Dean was instantly destroyed for a scream of enthusiasm at a rally.

Biden didn't know where he was, what office he was running for, or that part of the Declaration of Independence he had practiced reciting, and millions voted for him.

harrogate said...

What's up with legislation banning people from bringing water to those standing in line to vote? What is the goal of such garbage legislation if not to suppress votes?

bagoh20 said...

Look, here's the deal. I'm stupid, and now senile. I mean, c'mon man!

Michael K said...

Tucker Carlson makes a good point about Biden and the press conference.

This is the Deep State bureaucracy saying we don't need anyone in the Oval Office. We run the country.

gilbar said...

Serious Question
Which President is a bigger joke? A bigger disgrace to the nation??

A pompous, arrogant, asshole; that gets things done?
or
A senile, drooling, pedophile, that can't even remember where he is?
i mean; Come On, Man!

Greg The Class Traitor said...

If you want to know whether or not the Democrats think they have to steal elections to win, you need only look at their response to basic ballot safety measures.

Absentee voting is an invitation for fraud, vote bullying, and vote selling.

The reason for the secret ballot was to make vote selling impossible. In a public vote, the people who paid you to vote their way know whether or not you did.

in a secret ballot, they can pay you all they want, but you can still go in and vote however you want.

Since absentee ballots can be examined before they're mailed, absentee ballots make vote selling possible again.

GA added more days when you can vote early with a secret ballot, and made it harder to sell you vote with an absentee ballot. The fact that the Democrats are screaming about this shows their corruption

henge2243 said...

I think slow Joe got it backwards. If this is worse than Jim Crow, shouldn't he have said, "this makes Jim Crow look like Jim Sparrow"?

If you think that President Biden gave a commanding performance, please forward me you delivery guy's number.

Original Mike said...

"1. Is the new legislation even worse than Jim Crow laws? How could that be?"

This claim that we are living through Jim Crow (or worse!) is despicable. Do these people have any principles at all?

Bruce Hayden said...

“ What's up with legislation banning people from bringing water to those standing in line to vote? What is the goal of such garbage legislation if not to suppress votes?”

Just the opposite - to suppress election campaigning within the zone around polling places where it is forbidden. If the people who were doing this had just put the bottles on a table by the door, etc, this wouldn’t have been an issue. But I think it highly likely that the justification for this ban is that some Dem activists were caught campaigning within the forbidden zone, while they passed out bottles of water. Besides - we are talking November. Aren’t going to be that many people passing out for lack of water in November.

Howard said...

I'm sure you people have the supreme court behind you on Jim Crow 2.0

I say bring it on. The more the merrier. Social media can start by working to cancel all Georgia based corporations like Coke, UPS, Home Depot and Delta Airlines.

Meade said...

harrogate said...
"What's up with legislation banning people from bringing water to those standing in line to vote? What is the goal of such garbage legislation if not to suppress votes?"

People without food or beverages who are hungry and thirsty voluntarily get in lines? Who does that?

Bruce Hayden said...

“ What's up with legislation banning people from bringing water to those standing in line to vote? What is the goal of such garbage legislation if not to suppress votes?”

How does forcing people to bring their own water voter suppression?

Meade said...

(see Hayden, Bruce 11:35 AM)

Matt Sablan said...

So, I was wrong when I picked on Perry all those years ago. You DON'T have to be able to count to three to be President. Sorry Perry.

iowan2 said...

IF, big if...we had a neutral judiciary, this would have been settled when the first voter ID laws were passed. Then ruled against by judges.

If ID laws segregate out non whites, the judicial remedy is not to invalidate voter ID laws.

The remedy is to have the states clean up their acts to make the ID process non-discriminatory. If required ID's are a bar to voting, there are literally 100's of other venues that are segregating out non-whites. But Al Sharpton doesn't care about the same minorities that cant open a checking account our by real property. Why?

Back to my soap box...Whats the goal?

Original Mike said...

"What's up with legislation banning people from bringing water to those standing in line to vote? What is the goal of such garbage legislation if not to suppress votes?"

Voter suppression?? When all you have to complain about is water

Don't you feel foolish? (And no, I don't expect you to be honest.)

wildswan said...

To get vaccinated you have to do the same things you have to do to vote. You have to show your driver's license when you show up. Before that you have to register for an appointment, find the place, and go to the place at the stated day and time.
In the big Dem cities vaccination is way down among the black community. Is this due to vaccination suppression?
Who is acting to save the black community from vaccination suppression?
And look at the consequences. The schools won't open even in the fall in the black community if those areas are covid hot-spots as they will be with a low level of vaccinations at all ages. And there will be transportation and restaurant consequences.
This is happening while there are wokeist curriculums and seminars and apologies on white supremacy littering the landscape. You'd think people would be alert. But the effect of wokeism seems to be like that of a powerful drug inducing a feeling of righteous euphoria which entirely disconnects the wokeist - teacher or student - from present reality.
And so catastrophe unfolds while wokeists preen.
When you read history, you say "why didn't they see?" Look around you. Why don't YOU see?

gspencer said...

"but he never listed the third thing"

3. Remembering the other two things.

Meade said...

Very well said, swan.

harrogate said...

Some of these lines go on for hours. It could be impossible to care about that for many of you who vote at polling places where you are in and out in a relatively short period of time, and who don't have to worry about conflicts with work and / or child care, for instance.

Lurker21 said...

Biden was pals with the old segregationists in the Senate, so it's not surprising that he might not think Jim Crow was that bad. If a Republican had said something like that it would be a major scandal (think Trent Lott).

I suppose he wanted to say something else and got lost in the middle. All those birds. Hard to keep straight.

*

I wouldn't trust those etymologies. Most of them are just guesses.

Dave Begley said...

The Dems play the race card even when it doesn't remote apply. They do that with climate change too.

It's all a joke.

Bruce Hayden said...

“I say bring it on. The more the merrier. Social media can start by working to cancel all Georgia based corporations like Coke, UPS, Home Depot and Delta Airlines”

Never did like Delta Airlines. My view is that they are the one major airline even worse than American (though my firm did lose a big client after one of their larger mergers). Home Depot is probably safe - progressives, for the most part, won’t get their hands dirty using HD products anyway - their clientele is mostly either minorities or Trump voters. Coke has long had a strong minority following, at least in this country. Just look at their ads. And UPS is primarily a business product, in a cut throat industry. They aren’t going to be successfully boycotted.

gilbar said...

“ What's up with legislation banning people from bringing water to those standing in line to vote? What is the goal of such garbage legislation if not to suppress votes?”

The Georgia law isn't "banning people from bringing water"...
It's banning giving away food and beverages

So, you've got a line of people; waiting to vote...
And you've got cute girls and guys, wearing VOTE DEMOCRAT shirts handing out burgers and colas
to the people in line.... WHY Would ANYBODY want to ban that?
I mean; Come On, Man!

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Humperdink said...

Filibuster? Don't need no stinkin' filibuster.

"Joe Biden on Friday announced he is nominating Democrat Senator Joe Manchin’s wife, Gayle Manchin, for federal co-chair of the Appalachian Regional Commission." (Gateway Pundit)

Mr Wibble said...

Some of these lines go on for hours.

That's a failure of the county election officials. If they can't manage enough polling places to get voters in and out in a timely manner, then they should be fired and replaced by someone more competent.

Matt Sablan said...

"What's up with legislation banning people from bringing water to those standing in line to vote? What is the goal of such garbage legislation if not to suppress votes?"

-- Did you know that you're also not allowed to do lots of things while waiting to vote? These aren't people who have been working in the hot sun for hours on end. These are people who have chosen to get in line, usually in decent weather or inside, who are coming to or from a safe location where they can pack for themselves.

But, you want to know why this became a law? Because people abused the chance to do nice things for people for political reasons, per Secretary Raffensperger's explanation: "Political organizations or advocacy groups will use the giveaways or gifts, known as “line warming,” to inappropriately influence voters in the crucial final moments before they cast their ballots." -- https://sos.ga.gov/index.php/elections/secretary_raffensperger_cracks_down_on_line_warming_loophole

So, sorry. As usual, political advocacy groups ruined a nice thing.

Amadeus 48 said...

And remember, Joe was talking about voter ID, something that 80% of Americans favor.

What a hater that Biden is!

Balfegor said...

Re: Spiros:

The rest of the world has extremely strict mail-in voting rules. Concern about vote fraud with mail-in ballots is not delusional.

Well, perhaps that's Democrats' point? Lax electoral integrity is as American as apple pie. Deliberate shoddiness is a distinctive feature of our American system, like rotten boroughs in 18th century Britain. Reform? Baaah, racist humbug!

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

Great Trucker.
to sum up:

According to the corrupt liar left- Blacks do not have IDs.

None of them. No black anywhere in racist Jim Crow USA - has an ID or a drivers license. Amazing!

Blacks cannot drive, blacks cannot open bank accounts or travel or buy things... it's amazing we've been living in such a racist nation where blacks live without Identification!
Never-mind that it is virtually impossible to live without identification - but somehow, black Americans do not have identification.

yeah -I'm being cheeky because it's just more lies from the corrupt left to snow their loyalists into a frenzy of BS, and do away with any requirement to show a valid ID to vote. Get rid of ID requirements - which are already lax, and the left open the door for fraud and all but ask people to vote more than once - or get illegal entrants without ID to vote. +


btw - How do blacks put up with this level of condescension and stupidity from the democrat party?

Scrivener said...

I think D.D. Driver has it right - he wasn't using Eagle as a bigger, more dangerous bird, but as the symbol of American freedom and strength. The point, I think, is that

These new laws:Jim Crow laws
as
Racist Evil:Freedom and virtue

I would criticize that as minimizing the evil of Jim Crow and being unproductively antagonistic to the opposition, but the word play sort of works.

Quaestor said...

Voting rights are important and maybe humor isn't such a good idea here.

Absolutely correct.

Consequently, any system that promotes unlawful voting, such as ballots cast by non-citizens, whether legally residing in the United States or illegally living here, is an affront to national sovereignty and a gross violation of the voting rights of everyone.

Except Democrats.

bleh said...

Poor Rick Perry. Wasn't his excuse that he was hopped up on painkillers from a recent back operation or something?

clint said...

For what it's worth, the 5 pm claim is about a proposal in Texas to close the polls at 5 during the first of the two full weeks of early voting. I'm not aware of any proposal anywhere to make it 5 pm on election day itself, or even during the second week of early voting.

It's pretty weak sauce to call that voter suppression, and seriously offensive to compare that to Jim Crow.

tim maguire said...

As a liberal, Biden doesn't care about the specific factual bases of the things he says. He wants to create an impression and he'll choose the words that he thinks will create that impression. To him (as with all liberals), his words are true if he succeeds in creating the intended impression.

When you are descending into dementia, a mind already used to ignoring the reality behind the words will be all the more susceptible to losing track of any sense at all. At this point, Biden's statements are just a grab bag of words with a general feeling of "Democrats good, Republicans bad."

Amadeus 48 said...

Does the Georgia legislation ban people from passing out Obamaphones to voters in line at polling places?

Asking for a friend.

(OK harrogate. Satisfied?)

Quaestor said...

...but the word play sort of works.

No, it doesn't.

And don't set yourself up as a judge of wordplay when it appears you can't even spell it.

Jim Eagle is just another Residential brain fart.

Best save up for a gas mask. Before too long there'll be so many Residential brain farts floating around that the supply of breathable air will run short.


Amadeus 48 said...

I have recovered Biden's lost third goal:

Get rid of the Departments of Commerce, Education, and Energy.

Greg The Class Traitor said...

harrogate said...
What's up with legislation banning people from bringing water to those standing in line to vote? What is the goal of such garbage legislation if not to suppress votes?

Are you stupid, or just dishonest?

It's not reasonable to allow people to try to buy votes.

Allowing people to give things to people in line to vote is allowing people to try to buy votes

Yes, a secret ballot makes it harder for them to succeed, but simply giving people "free things" can make them feel favorable towards you.

That's electioneering. And we don't allow that.

All that aside, if it's "vote suppression", it's "vote suppression" of the stupid, and those who just can't plan ahead.

So, what I hear you saying is that Democrats are dependent upon the votes of the stupid and thoughtless. Would that be correct?

rcocean said...

Jim eagle? WHy not Jim ill eagle? Why not Jill Crow? why so sexist?

Once again, I'm struck by how no Democrat, No liberal, No leftist, has to watch his tone when attacking Republicans, conservatives, etc. No attack can be too vicious, idiotic, dishonest, or illogical for anyone to push back on.

The POTUS says anyone who wants less voter fraud, is bringing back Jim Crow. In fact, its even worse then Jim Crow. And the R's in Congress say....nothing. As usual. No wonder people love Trump and he is still the head of the Republican Party.

Iman said...

Only in America can an ethnic group Black Awareness Month, Black Holiday, Black-Only Colleges, Black-Only Dating Sites, Black-Only bars and clubs... and turn around and call everyone else racists.

rcocean said...

We've just had a POTUS election STOLEN, and the media censor any mention of it, and the Big Tech de-platforms anyone who says boo about it. But any attempt to reduce the fraud is "Jim Crow".

Basically, Biden and NYT are saying blacks are too stupid to vote using ID, and too lazy to show up on the election polling places on time. Why don't the R's counter-attack using this meme? Why? Because they don't care about anything except pleasing their big Donors and helping big business. As long as Chicom Mitch can get the Chamber of Commerce agenda through congress, that's all that matters.

Greg The Class Traitor said...

harrogate said...
Some of these lines go on for hours. It could be impossible to care about that for many of you who vote at polling places where you are in and out in a relatively short period of time, and who don't have to worry about conflicts with work and / or child care, for instance.

If the long lines are causing you child care / work issues, then I'm pretty sure that "no one is giving me a free bottle of water" is not going to be your problem.

So, first you need to make up your "mind" about what the problem is.

Then you need to get Democrat areas to stop being so incompetent that they can't set up enough polling areas that the long lines don't happen.

Rural areas manage to set up 1 polling place per X people, and keep their line sizes down. Are you saying that Democrats just aren't competent enough to be able to do the same?

stlcdr said...

Maybe he was thinking of Eddie Eagle brought to you by the evil NRA?

Greg The Class Traitor said...

I wonder if the real issue here is that larger precincts make the vote fraud easier.

You have a few places where a lot of people are registered to vote, it's easier to add in the ballots needed to steal the election.

Whereas if you have a lot of places with small numbers of voters, it takes a lot more coordination to get the fraud working, without being too obvious.

And thus having fewer voting places, with longer lines

rcocean said...

Like everything else, the Liberal/left has gotten to the point where they feel they are powerful enough to do and say anything they wish. They don't have to make sense, fight fair, follow the constitution, respect norms, or even make sense.

They have the power and they're going to use it. Don't like it? Fuck you. Limbaugh before he died called this out. The liberal/left doesn't care about Democracy or elections anymore. The will of the people is what THEY want. Don't like it? Fuck you. That's their answer.

So, I'm getting tired of the endless jabber and weak "Wow, they sure are hypocrites". That's irrelevant now. They do not care.

n.n said...

Diversity and exclusion. Diversity and contempt. Diversity is a progressive condition.

harrogate said...

Y’all are raising some good points that I honestly hadn’t considered about how it opens the door to electioneering. I appreciate that.

Regarding the question of why some polling places have longer lines than others, I suspect it’s a mixture of forces. One of which being sheer population density. But whether done by Dems or Republicans, it is nefarious to cut the number of polling places in ways that translate into these long—ass lines.

Matt Sablan said...

"I wonder if the real issue here is that larger precincts make the vote fraud easier."

-- Never assume malice where incompetence will suffice. Large, machine politic cities are just, in general, incompetent at handling many, many things. What makes us think that the people who can't fill potholes and deal with homelessness in a humane, safe way are going to be logistical... not even geniuses, just logistical competences.

Matt Sablan said...

"But whether done by Dems or Republicans, it is nefarious to cut the number of polling places in ways that translate into these long—ass lines."

-- It's usually driven by budget chicken. Something has to give, and elections don't happen that often, so we can take the hit on the budget there, instead of having to say no to something else right now. Again: I don't think local governments are part of some massive conspiracy; I think they're more a confederacy of dunces.

n.n said...

"Wow, they sure are hypocrites". That's irrelevant now. They do not care.

If they ever did. The Twilight faith, the Pro-Choice religion, and liberal (i.e. divergent) ideology, not limited to Planned Parent/hood, diversity, political congruence, sexism, intuitive science (e.g. cargo cult), is a gateway to a progressive path and grade.

Openidname said...

Shouldn't that be, "He's the Fact Checker, I'm the Fact Checkmate"?

n.n said...

"But whether done by Dems or Republicans, it is nefarious to cut the number of polling places in ways that translate into these long—ass lines."

Simple. Open dual-use facilities, staff them with volunteers, and afford accountability (e.g. purple thumbs a la third-world). There are many. Planned/Parent/hood would capture the mood and tone of social progress.

mezzrow said...

Cruelty to crows! Horror!

Hence, how can any of there facts be valid?

Welcome to using lived experience for your epistemology. Face the future with certainty and ignorance.

Greg The Class Traitor said...

harrogate said...
Regarding the question of why some polling places have longer lines than others, I suspect it’s a mixture of forces. One of which being sheer population density. But whether done by Dems or Republicans, it is nefarious to cut the number of polling places in ways that translate into these long—ass lines.

Sorry, but "population density" doesn't work. All congressional districts in a State have roughly the same number of people in them. Same for the State legislative seats.

So if the precincts in the cities have significantly more voters in them than the precincts in the suburbs / rural areas, it's because the cities, run by Democrats, have chose to do it that.

You don't get to attack Republicans for the Democrat's choices

mezzrow said...

there = these

it's always the nothing words that trip me up.

n.n said...

a lot of people are going to be eating eagle

Scraps from the Green gauntlet.

n.n said...

Crow as in indigenous tribe? When did that evolve as a pejorative?

Diversity [dogma] denies individual dignity, individual conscience, intrinsic value, and normalizes color blocs (e.g. "people of color", identity defined by skin color, racism), color quotas, and affirmative discrimination.

One step forward, two steps backward.

Amadeus 48 said...

When Illinois was competitive, all sorts of election shenanigans were featured in every election. Now that we are a uniparty state, everything is more peaceful, orderly, and efficient on election day. I am confident that my vote was properly processed and counted in my Lincoln Park precinct. It was one of 88 cast for Trump versus 484 for Biden.

narciso said...

Honestly that deserves james downeys diss of billy madison on a quiz show.

n.n said...

more voters in them than the precincts in the suburbs / rural areas, it's because the cities, run by Democrats, have chose to do it

Democratic gerrymandering, capital clustering, and, as we have learned, fertile ground for denying civil rights under the color of law. People... persons, second, third, and Pro-Choice.

Bob Boyd said...

Joe Shitbird

narciso said...

South africa has voter id, they also have other tactics that keep the corrupt regime in power, read deon meyer inspector series

Rory said...

"That's irrelevant now. They do not care."

This is correct. This is why the rest of us have to agree on a way forward, and then move on. If we have to spin off the crazy coasts, let that happen.

rhhardin said...

Jim Cow, the laws against bullshit.

Static Ping said...

I would describe "Jim Eagle" as a "Dad joke" except Dad jokes can at least produce a chuckle and may be entertaining to small children who haven't heard them a hundred times before. This is more like the bore who thinks he is extremely clever because he came up with a super lame pun, finds it funny unironically, and then won't let you forget it by repeating the story over and over again.

There's a reason why Biden repeatedly plagiarized other people.

Joe Smith said...

"Why do white leftists assume blacks are stupid?"

Soft bigotry of low expectations...blacks are like pets for Dems.

Any person of any color who is not smart enough or not motivated enough to get an ID should not be voting.

Besides, the Ds could easily pass a law that mandates that states provide free ID to everyone of legal voting age and citizenship.

Separation of powers, I get it. But if voting is the 'most sacred thing' we do in this society, I think even the Supreme Court would give it a pass.

And something so fucking sacred shouldn't be so easy that fraud is the inevitable result.

Bob Boyd said...

Joe's right, eagles do get pretty big, bigger than crows for sure.
On the other hand, I guess we should be grateful this thing isn't like...Jim Ostrich.

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

I had no idea blacks were not allowed to drive.

Iman said...

Teh Soft Bigotry of Low Biden IQ.

Bob Boyd said...

Biden should have called them the Black Vulture laws. The black vulture is bigger than an eagle and it's black. Not as black as a crow, but sort of in that ball park...Plus vultures are not generally considered inspiring or admirable, like eagles.

He definitely missed an opportunity when he didn't say, it is the most pernicious thing. This makes Jim Crow look like Jim Eurasian Black Vulture. I mean, this is gigantic...

Tina Trent said...

I just got done working that bill in Georgia. It is not racist, and it is repulsive to call it racist.

We have one of the longest in-person early voting periods in the country. It is much easier to vote here than it is in most blue states. So we have more hours and days of access to the polls than most states. The bill did not change this. I think it created some regularity of the days themselves among counties, but we already have weeks of early voting and this was not reduced.

The time period between elections and run-offs was reduced but early voting days in the runoff period were not reduced. This has nothing to do with access to voting: it is about the elections calendar.

We require ID here, but the state gives all eligible voters a free state ID if they don’t have a driver’s license, and there are multiple programs getting that ID to people who are elderly or disabled or don’t speak English or are registering to vote for the first time. Year-round. Requiring ID to vote is not racist. It protects the votes of every legal voter of every race. I think some 3% of otherwise eligible voters lack the proper ID. There is massive outreach to them, especially to the elderly. And you can cast a ballot on Election Day without ID and then “correct” that vote for a week after the election.

The food and water restrictions exist in some form in every state. They were established to clean up dirty poll behavior — openly trading votes for cash or liquor as was done well into the, well, depends on where you are. Maybe the Thirties. But every state has rules about approaching voters on Election Day within certain distances from the polls, and strict rules about not offering anything monetary in exchange for a vote. Even a bottle of water. Activists in Atlanta were intentionally and repeatedly violating those rules. I’ve seen candidates and aggressive gangs of teens working for candidates handing out actual walking-around money, saw it every election in the many years I poll watched in Atlanta. This issue is being wildly misrepresented.

Moving the drop off boxes inside the voting centers is not racist. We just established them this year, and they were not secure in many of the places they were being set outside. Due to our long in-person early voting days, anyone has weeks of time to drop ballots off when the voting centers are open. Not racist.

Fulton and DeKalb Counties, which are Atlanta, run intentionally dysfunctional elections. They get more state money than anyone, and they still can’t staff centers right, use machines right, manage crowds or ballots. Every other vote in the state will have been counted by midnight, and DeKalb and Fulton will take days or sometimes weeks to finish counting. The bill gives the state elections board permission to correct and manage chronically dysfunctional county systems. They are intentionally dysfunctional.

Why intentionally? The 6:59. Every election I watched in Atlanta, at 6:59, a minute before the polls closed, Cynthia McKinney and other professional grifter would drop busloads of activists pretending to be poor oppressed voters off at polling places and they’d act out and yell to the reporters (who were told to meet them there) that they were being denied the right to vote. And all over the news that night, jerk reporters would be crying crocodile tears in front of a bunch of paid fools pretending they had been “kept from the polls.” By the man, of course. This entirely fabricated, frankly disgusting abuse of the history of real voter suppression would often appear on the national news too. And the bill fixes it by putting more state workers at polls where there is such behavior. There will be more access to the polls in Atlanta if the state brings some order to their intentional disorder.

And more access to the polls is ... not racist.







narciso said...

Thanks for the heads up, tina, i wondered about that in blue broward where i worked.

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

When you don't have a good argument - just yell "RACIST!"
The left do it daily.

Scott said...

The leader of the free world and the largest economy is declining into senility.

What were the people who voted for him thinking?

Quaestor said...

Scott writes: What were the people who voted for [Biden] thinking?

Since most of them don't exist on the Material Plane -- nothing.

Iman said...

Our youngest son thought crows were “black eagles” when he was 5 years old and that’s what he called them.

Nonapod said...

Thanks for the information, Tina Trent. It's about what I exepcted but I'm glad to have it all confirmed.

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

what about allowing u-haul trucks filled with "ballots" to arrive at 3AM - after the poll watchers are asked to leave, and no one is allowed to know anything about that u-haul filled with "ballots"

?

What about asking poll watchers to leave - then a few people stay behind to keep "counting"?

Rick.T. said...

I am confident that my vote was properly processed and counted in my Lincoln Park precinct.
------------------
Depending on where and when, it is possible I was your election judge who was that rarest of creatures - a Republican one.

320Busdriver said...

Either we are a nation of laws and strive to live by them and treat EVERYONE equally under these laws, or we are a banana republic.

Democrats willfully broke all kinds of election laws that the legislatures passed all over this country and now half the country believes our elections are a joke, like Joe Biden.

The real “Sick” stuff is the BS that these same Democrats are trying to force down our throats in HR1. If they succeed, because of what it takes to get there, this country will never be the same. And surely, not in a good way.

320Busdriver said...

What were the people who voted for him thinking?


Anything but Trump.......literally anything. I’m sorry, but these people are too dumb to have the vote.

Butkus51 said...

analyzing a blithering fool is no way to go through life

Scott said...

The people who prayed for "anyone but Trump" got the answer to their prayers, good and hard.

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Browndog said...

Matt Sablan said...



-- Never assume malice where incompetence will suffice


I know you like this term, as often as you use it.

I find this particular principle bogus, unrealistic, and juvenile.

Joe Smith said...

"Tell us how racist the filibuster is - while we ignore your past support of hit."

Black civil rights activists over the past 150+ years: "Abraham Lincoln set us free. He is a great man.'

Black civil rights activists today: "Abraham Lincoln was a racist motherfucker."

: )

Ignorance is Bliss said...

This makes Jim Crow look like Jim Eagle. I mean, this is gigantic...

Professor- you missed what was, to me, the biggest flaw in this comparison. He's trying to say that this is big. To do that, you should say it makes the thing you are comparing it to seem small by comparison. So he could have said This makes Jim Crow look like Jim Chickadee

By saying it makes Jim Crow look bigger, he implies that the current law is, in fact, small.

Browndog said...

Again, democrats know the filibuster isn't racist.

They must bust out in a hearty laugh every time they throw out the stupidest thing they can think of, then watch conservativse debate it for weeks.

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

The questions the hack press posed were so... partisan.

Dear Mr. president - Tell us how racist the filibuster is - while we ignore your past support of it.

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

BREAKING: Biden Nominates Senator Manchin’s Wife For Cushy Government Job

but of course.

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

160,000/ year job.

Bilwick said...

Jim Eagle was the inventor of trunalimunumaprzure. Everyone knoows that.

Arturo Ui said...

Why did the Georgia GOP prohibit handing out drinking water to voters standing in line to vote?

The Vault Dweller said...

Assuming he remains standing while urinating, and this is a big assumption, what percentage of Joe Biden's pee do you think makes it into the toilet? I'm guessing over half. But I could be persuaded to a lower estimate.

Arturo Ui said...

The Vault Dweller said...
Assuming he remains standing while urinating, and this is a big assumption, what percentage of Joe Biden's pee do you think makes it into the toilet? I'm guessing over half. But I could be persuaded to a lower estimate.

**************************

Gotta love the dipshits who didn't watch the press conference, have no idea how competently and fluently Biden performed answering whatever the press threw at him, but always have time to make these empty jokes. You guys did the same $hit with Obama: "He can't speak without a teleprompter!" Obama gave many lengthy press conferences sans teleprompter, even televised debates with the entire House GOP conference, and you guys ignore all of it and keep pumping out the same stupidity.

Skeptical Voter said...

Shnufflin Senescent Joe--The Delware Rambler and a senile old gas bag at best.
And Arturo I did watch Shufflin Joe fumbling around. So take your dipshit epithet and do something useful with it.

The Vault Dweller said...

Blogger Arturo Ui
If you aren't going to entertain my question about President Biden's urination capabilities seriously please don't comment.

Browndog said...

BREAKING: Biden Nominates Senator Manchin’s Wife For Cushy Government Job

BREAKING: After careful consideration, and long discussions with his wife, Joe Manchin now realizes the filibuster is indeed racist.

Fernandinande said...

"The crows seemed to be calling his name, thought Jim Caw."

n.n said...

A law equally applied. Allegations of diversity require extraordinary proof.

Michelle Dulak Thomson said...

BidenFamilyTaxPayerFundedCrackPipe,

You need an ID to buy alcohol, you need an ID to travel, you need an ID to book a hotel room, you need an ID for many things that protect us all from identity theft.
You need an ID to get into the DNC convention.


To which, add: You need an ID to get any of the several COVID vaccines.

Do you see anyone at all complaining about that? Saying that poor people and minorities are being withheld the vaccine(s) specifically because they don't have photo ID? To the contrary, I see people complaining that white "interlopers" are getting the vaccine where they shouldn't, and photo ID solves this.

Joe Smith said...

"BREAKING: Biden Nominates Senator Manchin’s Wife For Cushy Government Job"

It's like the mafia, but they're not trying to keep it a secret.

n.n said...

Black civil rights activists over the past 150+ years: "Abraham Lincoln set us free. He is a great man.'

From colored people (i.e. low information attribute).

Black civil rights activists today: "Abraham Lincoln was a racist motherfucker."

To people of color (i.e. color bloc, identity defined by skin color, racism).

Can they abort the baby, cannibalize her profitable parts, sequester her carbon pollutants, and have her, too? Yes, they can.

Michelle Dulak Thomson said...

Arturo Ui,

You guys did the same $hit with Obama: "He can't speak without a teleprompter!" Obama gave many lengthy press conferences sans teleprompter, even televised debates with the entire House GOP conference, and you guys ignore all of it and keep pumping out the same stupidity.

OK, so let's have a Biden presser w/o either TelePrompTer or notes. An hour long. Questions not cleared in advance, or limited to the WH press corps, but from members of the public. You game?

I rather thought not.

Iman said...

“The border is open and schools are closed. This is the Joe Biden presidency.”

—- Comfortably Smug

n.n said...

re: Black civil rights activist

Excluding black citizens and those not subject to diversity dogma.

re: Lincoln

The only credibly complaint is that he waited. The choice to end diversity and exclusion through sacrifice of blood and treasure could not have been easy, but Americans did not take a knee, and our Posterity stand up to the lingering legacy of diversity dogmatists.

Deb said...

GA added more days when you can vote early with a secret ballot, and made it harder to sell you vote with an absentee ballot. fact that the Democrats are screaming about this shows their corruption

"the democrats are screaming as if they were being slowly lowered into a wood chipper." -Erick Erickson

(Thank you, Tina Trent!)

Iman said...

This is “competently and fluidly” in Arthur UTI’s world?

https://twitter.com/RitaPanahi/status/1375192102796075009?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1375192102796075009%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ace.mu.nu%2F

Jim at said...

What's up with legislation banning people from bringing water to those standing in line to vote? What is the goal of such garbage legislation if not to suppress votes?

Bring your own water bottle, you fucking baby. Or do you need government to do everything for you?

Chris N said...

I'd glad he didn't bring up Chief Running Sore.

CapitalistRoader said...

The Democratic Party is a racist relic of Jim Crow. And of American slavery, for that matter.

Michael K said...

You guys did the same $hit with Obama: "He can't speak without a teleprompter!"

No, he just said "Uh" a lot. He was glib when on Teleprompter and stumbled a lot when not given the speech. He was good on the Final Four, though.

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

only democrats think people are too stupid to carry their own water.

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

u[ next: why won't evil republicans allow democrats to bring butt wipes for everyone?

Browndog said...

Not sure why people feel they need to pack water everywhere they go like they're about to cross a desert.

walter said...

"The folk concept of a dancing crow predates the Jump Jim Crow minstrelsy and has its origins in the old farmer's practice of soaking corn in whiskey and leaving it out for the crows. "
Jim Beam

Ken B said...

We have voter ID in Canada. Jim Beaver?

They have it in France. Jacques Le Pew?

stevew said...

Voting should not be easy, and it should not be available to people that are unwilling to prove they are who they say they are. The Democrats are pushing for a system that will advantage them by making it easier to commit voter fraud. Simple as that.

Greg The Class Traitor said...

Arturo Ui said...
Why did the Georgia GOP prohibit handing out drinking water to voters standing in line to vote?

Because bribing voters is supposed to be against the law, you pathetic moron

Bruce Hayden said...

Actually, the filibuster did have a bit of a racist past: Southern Democrats used it up into the 1960s to prevent passage of Republican backed Civil Rights laws. Calling it racist should remind everyone of the Democrats using it to keep their Jim Crow laws in place. Yes - the Jim Crow laws were enacted by Democrats over opposition by Republicans. Every single one of them. Jim Crow laws are also one of the things that every Democrat should be mortified is in their party’s past.

Amadeus 48 said...

Rick T
Precincts at 345 Fullerton

iowan2 said...

Why did the Georgia GOP prohibit handing out drinking water to voters standing in line to vote?

I call BS. Cite that part of the bill, word for word.

I know lots of states have laws prohibiting providing food and drink at the polls. For obvious reasons.

n.n said...

Every single one of them. Jim Crow laws are also one of the things that every Democrat should be mortified is in their party’s past.

The Party of White, now the Rainbow of inclusive exclusion, with a forward-looking legacy of diversity dogma (e.g. racism). Forward, and don't spare the baby... "burden".

tommyesq said...

And, of course, the reporter (Yamiche Alcindor [formerly] of the NYT) did nothing

And, of course, the [former] reporter (Yamiche Alcindor) did nothing...
FIFY

tommyesq said...

by the way, who believes Old Man Joe actually knows any Republican non-politician voters?

Matt Sablan said...

"Southern Democrats used it up into the 1960s to prevent passage of Republican backed Civil Rights laws."

-- Yeah, but "the parties switched."

n.n said...

Because bribing voters is supposed to be against the law

Tricks and treats... But is it a bribe-bribe h/t Whoopi?

n.n said...

-- Yeah, but "the parties switched."

They did a 360.

narciso said...



bon appetit:

https://theconservativetreehouse.com/2021/03/26/biden-gas-price-increases-and-new-millage-tax-will-cost-middle-class-twice-as-much-as-covid-stimulus-checks-received/

Bruce Hayden said...

-- Yeah, but "the parties switched."

Nope. Wishful thinking, but no. My family has been voting Republican for 160 years now, and nothing really has changed. The Democrats are still the racists.

CapitalistRoader said...

"Southern Democrats used it up into the 1960s to prevent passage of Republican backed Civil Rights laws."

-- Yeah, but "the parties switched."


Exactly. 180°. Now they're racist against whites instead of blacks.

Anonymous said...

Joe Biden is the idiot who said Mitt Romney wants to "put ya'll back in chains."

So to say that Republicans today are trying to bring back segregation is actually an improvement in rhetoric from this racist and idiotic demagogue.

Original Mike said...

"Exactly. 180°. Now they're racist against whites instead of blacks."

Their patronizing of black citizens "(they need us to bring them water") is deeply racist.

I'm Not Sure said...

"Not sure why people feel they need to pack water everywhere they go like they're about to cross a desert."

To be fair, a lot of the newer Democrats did.

Lurker21 said...

On Dumbo: Fairy tales and children's stories are often about the weak, marginalized, or excluded winning out in the end. You could read them all in a woke, anti-racist way. Except that is for the ones about witches, giants, ogres, trolls, etc. They are about how we hate, marginalize and exclude people who are different and why they deserve it.

Cappy said...

How in the world did we end up with him?

JPS said...

Ken B, 5:30:

"We have voter ID in Canada. Jim Beaver?"

Terrific character actor, interesting writer, and by all accounts a heck of a nice guy.

Michael K said...

The Democrats have never forgiven us (the GOP plus my two great uncles who died in the Civil War) for freeing their slaves. At least it looks like they will be able to get segregation back soon.

dgstock said...

Soon to be memoryholed: Ralph Bakshi’s “Fritz the Cat” and the nevertobeforgotten Crows. Good times.

jimb said...

I know! Let's make a new national holiday! Election Day! Even better- the government will pay you $300 for voting in person! Easy peasy.

Any questions?