The WaPo Fact Checker fact-checks Stacey Abrams's denial that she was ever an election denier.

I scrolled immediately to see how many "Pinocchios" this got, but somehow this gets to be one of the statements that eludes the rating. Let's figure out why:

[A] review of numerous interviews shows that Abrams subsequently used language denying the outcome of the election that she now appears to be trying to play down.

For instance, Abrams at various times has said the election was “stolen” and even, in a New York Times interview, that “I won.” She suggested that election laws were “rigged” and that it was “not a free or fair election.” She also claimed that voter suppression was to blame for her loss, even though she admitted she could not “empirically” prove that. While she did acknowledged Kemp was the governor, she refused to say he was the “legitimate” governor.... 

"Though [Stacey Abrams] is beloved by Democratic voters, she has lost some ground with Black men, who provided crucial backing in her narrow loss to Mr. Kemp in 2018...."

The NYT reports in "Democrats Fret as Stacey Abrams Struggles in Georgia Governor’s Race She has been trailing her Republican rival, Gov. Brian Kemp, alarming Democrats who have celebrated her as the master strategist behind the state’s Democratic shift":

Ms. Abrams has in recent weeks focused attention on winning support from Black men, voters who have inched toward Republicans during the Trump era. Her campaign has begun a series of conversations with Black men, calling the events “Stacey and the Fellas.”...

“We wouldn’t start talking to white suburban voters just a few weeks before the election,” [said Kevin Harris, a former executive director of the Congressional Black Caucus who helped lead Mr. Biden’s Georgia campaign operations in 2020].... 

"[Stacey] Abrams immediately tried to 'contextualize' her remarks..."

"... by pointing to declining wages and the state’s high maternal mortality rates. Days later, she called her comments 'inelegant' but her sentiment true."

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports, in "'Bless her heart.' Kemp ad slams Abrams for ‘worst state in the country to live’ remark." 

Here's Kemp's ad:

ADDED: To what extent is "Bless her heart" an insult? That's a question I considered 10 years ago, when Mitt Romney said it about Obama.

AND: Southern Living says: "Southerners know that the meaning of the phrase depends on the tone in which it's spoken, and a slight change in inflection or volume can make all the difference...."

"[Stacy] Abrams hasn’t specified what led her to bypass Biden’s event... Her decision triggered speculation... that she was avoiding the president’s souring approval ratings."

"But that narrative hasn’t reflected her strategy. She has closely aligned herself with Biden, campaigned to be his running-mate and launched her bid [for governor] with a promise to back the president’s agenda.... While Georgia Democrats typically celebrate a Democratic president’s visit to the state, Biden’s trip was met with complaints from activists and party officials. Some grumbled about the lack of coordination with local Democratic leaders and the timing of an event scheduled a day after Georgia played in the college football championship game in Indianapolis. Others questioned why Biden didn’t hold a fundraiser for Georgia candidates during his trip and lamented that Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris made the trip at all given that the Democratic U.S. senators who needed to be convinced to relax filibuster rules were in Washington."

From "Abrams camp rejects ‘false rumors’ about her no-show at Biden event" (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution).

Here's the transcript of the event, with the text of the speeches given by Biden and Harris. Did anyone even mention the glorious victory of Georgia's football team the day before? A tremendously uplifting event had occurred. It wasn't political. It was special to Georgia. 

But the Washingtonians descended upon the state with dramatic, racialized negativity. They insisted on setting the tone, their tone, and it wasn't jubilation. And not one speaker mentioned football. How could they? It would spoil their message of joylessness. It would offer discordant evidence that Americans can come together, and life isn't all about politics.

"David Perdue, the former U.S. senator from Georgia and ally of Donald Trump, plans to announce on Monday that he will run in a Republican primary..."

"... against the state’s incumbent governor, Brian Kemp.... Mr. Trump has vowed to orchestrate Mr. Kemp’s defeat as payback for the governor’s refusal to help overturn the former president’s November election loss in the state.... Mr. Perdue’s decision to try to knock out a fellow Georgia Republican in 2022 is... sure to ignite an ugly — and costly — intraparty war before a general election in which the Republican nominee will likely face Stacey Abrams, the Democratic superstar whose national fame will allow her to amass a huge campaign war chest.... The former senator has told people he was uncertain about running but decided to run because he’s gravely worried about her prospects for victory over an incumbent who has been weakened by Mr. Trump’s unrelenting attacks."

The NYT reports.

"We are seeing again and again this version of Jim Crow in a suit and tie..."

"... because it is designed explicitly for the same reason as Jim Crow did, to block communities of color from active participation in choosing the leadership that will guide their democracy... In the last two election cycles, we saw a dramatic increase in the number of voters of color who voted by mail, the number of young people who used early voting, the number of African Americans who voted on Saturday and Sunday.... We saw unprecedented levels of turnout across the board. And so every single metric of voter access that has been a good in Georgia is now under attack.... This is entirely driven by the existential crisis of a Republican Party that has decided that rather than adapt to the changing needs of the populace, it is easier to stop the people from participating."

Said Stacey Abrams, quoted in "Georgia Republicans Pass the Most Restrictive Voting Laws Since Jim Crow" (Mother Jones).

With violent protests in Atlanta, has potential VP nominee Stacey Abrams taken the opportunity to distinguish herself?

Now is the time to show leadership and courage. I found "Georgia politicians condemn violent protests, others see 'day of reckoning'" at AJC. The "day of reckoning" quote is not Abrams's. The part about her is just:

Stacey Abrams, the 2018 Democratic gubernatorial candidate and a potential vice presidential nominee, urged those infuriated by the police brutality to channel their anger to the ballot box.

“As long as those who suborn injustice are in charge, nothing changes,” she said. "So we must vote. Not because voting is the only answer, but it is one that we can’t afford to ignore.”

I don't understand the idea. Is she suggesting that Atlantans vote against Democrats? The mayor of Atlanta has been a Democrat since 1855, with one exception from 1871 to 1872. That one exception was a Republican. How is voting an answer in Atlanta? What does Abrams even mean? How can it resonate with violent protesters in Atlanta?

Who governed Atlanta before 1855? There were 3 mayors from no party at all, and before that, 2 mayors from the Moral Party, and before that, 3 mayors from the Free and Rowdy Party.

What was the Moral Party? The 4th mayor of Atlanta Jonathan Norcross said the Moral Party was "American statesmen defend[-ing] their principles of 'classical republicanism, with arguments drawn from Aristotle, Publius, and Cicero.'"

The Moral Party was distinguished from the Free and Rowdy Party, the party of the first 3 mayors of Atlanta.

The Rowdies included many owners of distilleries, bars and brothels, and represented most of what the city was, especially as an outpost along the railroads. They existed in direct opposition to the Moral Party, which called for temperance and chastity. The two parties were also said to differ on approaches to civil engagement, and so where the Rowdies were the party of militant disorder, the Moral Party promoted law and order. Atlanta's fourth Mayor, Jonathan Norcross, was a member of the Moral Party, and used city hall to so harass the Rowdies that many moved out of what was then incorporated into the city, to places like Snake Nation and Murrell's Row.

So...  the Rowdies were the party of militant disorder.... That resonates with Atlanta these days.

If we look at Minneapolis, the site of the death that led to the current protests, we see another city  run by the Democratic Party — which is called the Democratic Farmer Labor Party there. That party has run the city since 1945, when Hubert H. Humphrey became mayor. [ADDED: There were actually 2 Republican mayors since 1945, one from 1957 to 1961 and another for 2 days, December 31, 1973 to January 2, 1974. And there was an independent who served from 1969 to 1973 and again from 1976 to 1977. So no one but a Democrat since 1977 and no Republican since 1961 unless you count that one guy who was mayor for 2 days.]

By the way, HHH was one of the ex-Vice Presidents who became the Democratic Party's nominee for President and then lost. When is the last time the Democratic Party nominated an ex-Vice President who went on to win the presidency? The recent losers are Al Gore (2000), Walter Mondale (1984), and Hubert Humphrey (1968). I invite you to go back into the list of candidates for President and see if  you can find an example. I'm not asking for Democratic Vice Presidents who became President because the President died. I mean a former VP who ran to become President and then won. You'll find some Republicans, but I don't think you'll find a Democrat in the last 100 years. Was there ever one? I know there's a Democrat who lost as a VP nominee and then went on to win as the party's presidential nominee. But find me an example of a Democrat in Joe Biden's position.

ADDED: One answer to my question is Martin Van Buren, who was VP under Andrew Jackson and then ran for President and won in 1846. I believe he is the only one.

"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.

"Kaine brought good and solid credentials. But the difference between a Cory [Booker] and Tim Kaine could’ve closed the enthusiasm gap."

"Looking back on it, it’s fair for people to ask if we should’ve factored enthusiasm more into it."

Said Minyon Moore, a political activist who worked on the VP selection process with the Hillary Clinton campaign, quoted in "Black Leaders Want a Black Woman as Biden’s Running Mate. But Who?/Among black leaders close to Joe Biden, a commitment to selecting a woman is not enough. They have publicly and privately pushed him to select a black woman to fuel black voter enthusiasm" (NYT). The "enthusiasm" she's talking about is the enthusiasm of black voters.

From the Wikipedia article on Minyon Moore:

Minyon Moore graduated from Boston University's Film School with a certificate in digital film-making... Together with Donna Brazile, Leah Daughtry, Tina Flournoy and Yolanda Caraway, Moore is a member of the informal group the "Colored Girls," described by political columnist Matt Bai as "several African-American women who had reached the highest echelons of Democratic politics." Governor Howard Dean, former chair of the DNC, who had one of his dinners with the Colored Girls on the night of the 2014 midterm elections, said their perspective was important. "They’re very rare Washington insiders who understand the rest of the country," Mr. Dean said. "That’s part of what makes them so valuable. These women have not lost their connections with where they came from." In 2018, Moore, Brazile, Daughtry, and Caraway published For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Politics, a joint memoir and history of their time in politics.

The title of that memoir strongly suggests that their choice of that particular racial term was influenced by the 1970s play, "For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide / When the Rainbow Is Enuf." The playwright, Ntozake Shange, has said that she used that word "so her grandmother would be able to understand it."

Back to the question of picking a running mate. It's hard to believe, in retrospect, that Hillary picked Tim Kaine. It's hard even to remember him. But — for whatever reason — she resisted the pressure to choose an African-American running mate. Perhaps she wanted to go all-out stressing her potential status as the first woman President. What's the good of complicating the diversity messaging with the idea of the first black Vice President when we're succeeding the first black President?

In that light, you can see why Joe Biden is more susceptible to the pressure to pick a black person for his running mate. He's already committed to picking a woman, but there have been women vice presidential candidates twice before, and it's already a step down from last time to have the woman in the secondary position. It's not a very exciting Diversity! celebration. It's just another instance of an old white man — a boring party stalwart — trying to add what he lacks. The only way for Biden to do anything different from what McCain did — and what Mondale did 30 years ago — is to make that woman he's promised to pick a black woman.

So the interesting question is whether Kamala Harris or Stacey Abrams is the better pick. Now that I've posed the question, I think the answer is obvious, but I'll do a poll before I reveal my answer. And I do realize that there's some talk about Michelle Obama. I'm not seeing that as a real possibility, and I want to keep this poll simple:

Assuming Joe Biden decides he must pick a black woman as his running mate, which choice is the smarter choice for him?

Kamala Harris

Stacey Abrams

 

pollcode.com free polls

"I love these people. I know the people from spas and beauty parlors, tattoo parlors. Bikers for Trump, a lot of tattoos. I love them, I love these people."

"And barbershops, these are great people, but you know what? Maybe you wait a little bit longer until you get into a phase two. So, do I agree with him? No, but I respect him and I will let him make his decision. Would I do that? No. I’d keep them a little longer. I want to protect people’s lives, but I’m going to let him make his decision. But I told him I totally disagree. Okay?"

Said Trump, at yesterday's Task Force press briefing, expressing his disagreement with the Governor of Georgia. I enjoyed "I love these people... Bikers for Trump, a lot of tattoos. I love them, I love these people."

Trump's disagreement with the Governor is cagey. It combines reaching out — with love — to the people who want to be free — free to seek bodily adornment — with respect for federalism:

I told the governor of Georgia, Brian Kemp, that I disagree strongly with his decision to open certain facilities, which are in violation of the phase one guidelines for the incredible people of Georgia. They’re incredible people. I love those people. They’re great. They’ve been strong, resolute. But at the same time, he must do what he thinks is right. I want him to do what he thinks is right, but I disagree with him on what he’s doing, but I want to let the governors do. Now if I see something totally egregious, totally out of line, I’ll do. 

Interesting usage of "do" — let the governors do... I'll do.... It saves a lot of time going into the governmental details. And he's eager to get back to his paean to the people — the Trump people:

But I think spas, and beauty salons, and tattoo parlors, and barber shops in phase one, we’re going to have phase two very soon, is just too soon. I think it’s too soon. And I love the people. I love those people that use all of those things. The spas, and the beauty parlors, and barber shops, tattoo parlors, I love them. But they can wait a little bit longer, just a little bit, not much, because safety has to predominate. We have to have that. So I told the governor very simply that I disagree with this decision, but he has to do what he thinks is right.

We have to do safety first, but if the Governor sees things a different way, then he has to do what he thinks is right. Trump is letting the Governor make the call... or is he? I think he wants the Governor to go first, to start to do whatever he thinks is right, but as the Governor thinks about what is right, he now knows Trump thinks it's wrong, and maybe Trump will step in somehow if he makes the wrong choice.

Later, Trump is asked about his conversation with Governor Kemp:

What did he say to you when you said you strongly disagreed with him? And for gym owners and tattoo parlor artists and barbers in Atlanta and Georgia generally, would you to advise them to listen to you and not to their governor?

The question doesn't completely make sense. Business owners can listen to their Governor and hear that they are free to open, but that does not require them to open. Just as Trump is leaving the decision whether to remove the restrictions to the Governor, the Governor deciding to remove the restrictions would only be leaving the decision to the individual, and the individual can think for himself, and that thinking can take into account what he's heard from the President.

But that's how I — a law professor — think about federalism and levels of decisionmaking. What Trump said was:

Look, I’d like them to listen to their governors, all of their governors. I have the right to do if I wanted to clamp it down, but I have respect for our governors. 

There's that distinctive "do" again. The right to do. He's saying he has the power to override the Governor's decision, but he wants the Governors to go first and maybe they'll get it right. He puts some pressure on the Governor to get it right:

They know what they’re doing. I think… And as you know, Brian Kemp, governor of Georgia, I worked very hard for his election. He beat their superstar. He beat the superstar of their party. I think you could say I helped a lot. Michelle Obama, Barack Obama, Oprah Winfrey, they all went in. They campaigned for him very hard, and he lost. 

He lost? The "superstar" in question was Stacey Abrams.

[Kemp] also was way down in the primary and ended up winning the primary after I came out and endorsed him. So, a lot of good things and there’s a lot of good feeling between myself and Brian Kemp. I like him a lot. I happen to disagree with him only in time and timing.

Then he turns away from Kemp and toward the people. The quote I put at the top of this post appears at this point in the transcript. And think about what that means to Kemp. Trump just got done saying You got elected because I came down there and connected with the people. And then suddenly he's directly connecting with the people, showing how he does it. I know these people. I love them.

Has Kemp backed down yet?

ADDED: It's best on video:

Please stop saying Kamala Harris would be "the first black woman President."

This is a very common phrase in the news, and it should stop.

If Kamala Harris wins in 2020, she will be the first woman President, which is a big first. She will also be the second black President, which is worth saying but not as big a deal. If there had already been a woman President and she were the second woman President and the second black President, it would be a good idea to call her "the first black woman President."

The term "the first black woman President" puts her in a smaller category, making the first a smaller step. If you say Kamala Harris would be "the first black woman President," you're implying that later some candidate would have the distinction of being "the first white woman President." But we are not going to say that. The accomplishment in the offing is first woman President. First black President already happened.

"First black woman President" should only be the stock phrase if that's the largest category in which a first is still possible. It made sense to talk about Stacey Abrams as potentially "the first black woman governor" in America because there have been black governors and there have been female governors, but never yet a black female governor.

I anticipate that many of you are about to comment that you wish people would stop talking about race and gender and just see people as individuals. But my argument above suggests why that's a bad idea for the comments on this post. We've already had that discussion, and this is a new topic. See the value of the specific thing that is new.

"Stacey Abrams handed Chuck Schumer his most embarrassing recruiting fail of the cycle, leaving Georgia Democrats stuck with an assortment of second-tier candidates."

"Her decision is the latest in a string of high-profile Democrats who have rejected Schumer’s pitch out of fear of facing formidable Republican Senators next fall."

Said National Republican Senatorial Committee spokesman Jesse Hunt, quoted in "Georgia Democrat Stacey Abrams will not run for Senate in 2020" (WaPo).

"I think you don’t run for second place.... If I’m going to enter a primary, then I’m going to enter a primary."

"And if I don’t enter a primary, my job is to make certain that the best Democrat becomes the nominee and whoever wins the primary that we make sure that person gets elected in 2020."

Said Stacey Abrams on "The View."

"Close advisers to former Vice President Joe Biden are debating the idea of packaging his presidential campaign announcement with a pledge to choose Stacey Abrams as his vice president...."

"But the decision poses considerable risk, and some advisers are flatly opposed. Some have pointed out that in a Democratic debate, he could be asked why no one on the stage would be a worthy running mate. Advisers also know that the move would be perceived as a gimmick...."

Axios says.

Muller.

"[Stacey] Abrams mulls asking a court to order a second vote in Georgia governor’s race" (WaPo).

[Abrams] would rely on a provision in Georgia law that has never been utilized in such a high-profile contest. It allows losing candidates to challenge results based on “misconduct, fraud or irregularities . . . sufficient to change or place in doubt the results.”...

Unofficial returns show Kemp with about 50.2 percent of the more than 3.9 million votes cast. To avoid a runoff with Abrams, he must win at least 50 percent of the vote. He has about 18,000 more votes than necessary to win outright.

To prevail in a court challenge, Abrams would have to demonstrate that irregularities were widespread enough that at least 18,000 Georgians either had their ballots thrown out or were not allowed to vote.

UPDATE: Abrams gives up, because "The law currently allows no further viable remedy," but...

“Let’s be clear: This is not a speech of concession because concession means to acknowledge an action is right, true or proper,” Ms. Abrams said amid a blistering attack on Mr. Kemp’s record as the state’s chief elections regulator and on the balloting process in Georgia. “As a woman of conscience and faith, I cannot concede that.”

"Republican Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker is not conceding defeat to Democrat Tony Evers."

"Unofficial results show Evers beat Walker by about 29,000 votes, or just over 1 percentage point, out of more than 2.6 million votes cast. State law only permits recounts for losing candidates who are within 1 percentage point. Walker campaign spokesman Brian Reisinger says 'we need the official canvass and for military ballots to be counted before any decision can be made.'... Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker's campaign is alleging that 'thousands of ballots were damaged and had to be recreated' in the election that saw Democrat Tony Evers score a narrow victory. Walker campaign spokesman Brian Reisinger says until the ballots can be examined, there is no way to judge their validity.... Counties have until 9 a.m. Tuesday to canvas the vote."

AP reports.

AND: In Georgia, Democrat Stacey Abrams refuses to concede.

UPDATE: Walker concedes.

"I am an independent woman. I've earned the right to think for myself and to vote for myself, and that's why I am a registered independent."

Said Oprah Winfrey, rallying for Stacey Abrams in Georgia.

I was wondering what size crowd Oprah drew. I'm seeing that all available tickets were claimed and that the event was Forbes Arena at Morehouse College, which has a capacity of 6,000. That doesn't mean there were 6,000 people there. In the video, there's a black curtain behind Oprah, so I'm thinking there were unused seats behind the curtain. The audience does sound very enthusiastic. Anyway, I'm interested in the way crowd size is reported/unreported, now that Trump has set such an insanely high standard for political rallies. I would think that if anyone on the Democratic (independent?) side could draw the same kind of crowd, it would be Oprah.

IN THE COMMENTS: Big Mike said:

Correction. She was born with the right to think for herself and to vote for herself as a citizen of the United States. One can thoughtlessly relinquish those rights, but they are our absolute birthright.

I am sure Oprah would agree that all Americans have this right, so to me, the interesting question is why Oprah said "earned." It seems wrong, because it suggests that less successful, accomplished Americans do not have this right. The trick is in the word "right." If she'd said "power," it would make sense.

I think it goes something like this: Oprah had to struggle to get to the place where she can think for herself and vote independently. She didn't mean to imply that other people are not entitled to think and to vote in their own independent way. It's that some of them haven't got in touch with their power to exercise their rights. You need to develop as a person — and it takes work — to get where you see, value, and use your rights.

Another way to look at it is that Americans should not be complacent about rights. Rights come and go and change over time. If we don't work to see, value, and use them, they can get lost. We're losing and gaining all the time, and if you haven't noticed, you're part of the problem. Don't get too comfortable. You may think you were born with an immense fortune in rights, but don't loll around like a pettish heiress.