Cross posted to the MRC's NewsBusters blog
In spite of being schooled by a Republican guest earlier this week who defended the new voting law in Georgia, CNN's New Day show on Friday morning was still fearmongering over the issue as several guests were allowed to push their anti-Republican views.
After one liberal guest excoriated the Republican party as a "cult" which passed the new law as a result of "fantasizing over a lie," another guest in the next hour claimed that the new law would "take away people's right to vote."
Much of the segments focused on corporations that have started speaking out against the new Georgia law. Speaking with Bishop Reginald T. Jackson, fill-in co-host John Avlon claimed that the law "limits access to the ballot box," and then invited his guest to grade the corporations on whether they have done enough to oppose the measure: "You spoke to the CEO of Coke earlier this week. Are they doing enough? Or is this too little too late?"
As he followed up, Avlon fretted over a Pew poll finding that Republican support for making voting easier has plummeted over the past couple of years, and then posed: "But it seems like the big lie has had a big effect, and that's motivating these state legislatures. What's your strategy to try to reach out to Republicans to heal this divide?"
Notably, polling which shows that most Americans -- including most African Americans -- support voter ID requirements are never acknowledged by the liberal media who always seek to discredit such measures.
Bishop Jackson soon complained that "we are coming to a very dangerous point in this country where we no longer have two political parties. You have the Democratic party and you have cult. And this cult has their policies based on a lie." He added:
And so how much sense does it make if you pass legislation which is based on a lie? And I think Republicans have to decide -- are they going to deal with truth? Are they going to fantasize over a lie? And those of us who are opposed to what they're trying to do and believe that everybody ought to have a right to vote, then we have to stand on truth and principle, and eventually I think we'll win.
In the next hour, co-host Alisyn Camerota interviewed civil rights activists Bernice King and Al Vivien about their effort to pressure corporations over the Georgia law. Without anyone bothering to explain that the new law provides a way to replace inept local election board members to make sure elections will be well-run, Vivien complained about the move: "I'm a former Army captain, so, for me, democracy is immensely important. There is nothing more un-American in a democracy than to take away people's right to vote. That's what makes us a democracy. Killing that is un-American."
This Democrat propaganda pretending to be journalism was sponsored in part by Fast Signs. Their contact information is linked.
Transcripts follow:
CNN
New Day
April 2, 2021
7:43 a.m. Eastern
JOHN AVLON: Joining me now is Bishop Reginald T. Jackson, who oversees more than 500 AME churches in Georgia. He is among the most vocal opponents of Georgia's new election law, which limits access to the ballot box. ... I want to start with the boycott because, a week ago, you announced a boycott going forward against these corporate giants rooted in Georgia -- Coca Cola, Home Depot, Delta -- because they didn't speak up more firmly against the bill before it passed. Since then, they've started to speak out against it. You spoke to the CEO of Coke earlier this week. Are they doing enough? Or is this too little too late?
BISHOP REGINALD T. JACKSON, AME CHURCH, SIXTH EPISCOPAL DISTRICT: Well, it is a combination of all. It is a little too late, but it's not entirely too late. And, in fact, we're glad that they have begun to speak out -- and because the other, Coca Cola have spoken out, we now see in other states, for example, in Texas where American Airlines is beginning to speak out -- so while it has been late, we believe we can still overcome this situation. ...
(....)
AVLON: What you're asking for is to help reverse a law that's been passed. And Georgia has passed their law -- but, as you well know, this is something that's going on nationwide right now. And to get these legislatures -- to convince these legislatures, you're going to have to find a way to reach across the aisle. And I want to some statistics from a new Pew poll that came out earlier this month because I think it speaks to the division you got to deal with here -- 85 percent of Democrats say everything possible should be done to make it easier to vote. But just 28 percent of Republicans.
And I want to contrast that on the Republican side to the number just two years ago in 2018, it was nearly half of Republicans said everything should be done to make it easier to vote. But it seems like the big lie has had a big effect, and that's motivating these state legislatures. What's your strategy to try to reach out to Republicans to heal this divide?
BISHOP JACKSON: Well, first thing I think we have to do is be honest and face the truth. And that is that we are coming to a very dangerous point in this country where we no longer have two political parties. You have the Democratic party and you have cult. And this cult has their policies based on a lie. And so how much sense does it make if you pass legislation which is based on a lie? And I think Republicans have to decide -- are they going to deal with truth? Are they going to fantasize over a lie? And those of us who are opposed to what they're trying to do and believe that everybody ought to have a right to vote, then we have to stand on truth and principle, and eventually I think we'll win.
(...)
8:48 a.m. Eastern
CAMEROTA: The Derek Chauvin trial resumes this morning after four days of very emotional testimony. The trial comes at the same time that many states are trying restrict voting rights. And some civil rights activists see a connection.
(...)
BERNICE KING, DAUGHTER OF DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.: And the little bit of good that comes out of this does not supersede the very bad that has come out of this. If the bad is very bad, the good is not that great because when you talk about putting local elections throughout the state -- when you talk about taking away local power -- local power from the people's elected officials to secretary of state, there's no excuse for that. .And corporations can do what is necessary to ensure that these kind of things don't happen. And, unfortunately, that did not happen, so we are calling on corporations to, you know, step up to the plate. They made these equity commitments down here in Georgia, and this was a chance for them to put it to action.
CAMEROTA: And, Al, it sounds like your letter got their attention. Here is the response from the CEO of Delta and Coca Cola.
ED BASTIAN, DELTA AIRLINES: When we finally got a chance to see it all put together and had a chance to digest it as well as listen and here from the voices of our people about it, we realized that this was restricting.
JAMES QUINCEY, COCA-COLA: -- is crystal clear and unequivocal. This legislation is unacceptable. It is a step backwards.
CAMEROTA: Now, is that gratifying?
AL VIVIEN, SON OF REVEREND C.T. VIVIEN: It's gratifying, but it was kind of late. I applaud them now coming forward, and I guess I would say to make up for that they and all the other CEOs throughout the country can do is now step up and push for the John Lewis bill to be signed into law and We the People.-- at the federal level -- law to be signed in, that would supersede and kind of destroy some of the things in these other states because there are -- last count I saw -- there are 43 different states that are planning very similar actions. And I want to stress that piece about -- what Bernice was saying about giving them control to just take away.
They could -- basically, by this law, they could supersede any county in the state. If they didn't like the outcome, they could pretty much override it. I'm a former Army captain, so, for me, democracy is immensely important. There is nothing more un-American in a democracy than to take away people's right to vote. That's what makes us a democracy. Killing that is un-American.