Readers of this column know I’m a big baseball fan, especially of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Baltimore Orioles. So, Major League Baseball’s “woke” cancel-culture decision to move this year’s All-star game from Atlanta to Denver due to an election reform measure Georgia passed presents a real conundrum.
Especially because the first person to raise the issue was Dodger manager Dave Roberts.
Georgia, which had a number of problems with its two most recent elections, took sensible actions to ensure future elections do not suffer the same problems and are completed, including vote counting, quickly and fairly. The state wanted to assure that all legitimate votes are counted and no illegitimate ones are.
But progressives and other leftists falsely attacked the Georgia measures by mischaracterizing the statute’s terms and purposes. MLB and some other corporate bullies promptly caved in to the cry-baby destructive radicals. Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred first announced the All-star game, planned for Atlanta for a couple of years, would be moved, costing Georgia and Atlanta tens of millions of dollars.
“In other words, Georgia is being punished financially for vote-suppressing acts it didn’t take,” wrote award-winning author Wesley J. Smith, who is also chairman of the Discovery Institute’s Center on Human Exceptionalism. “In other words, … Manfred took this punitive action based on lies, not only in the media, but most blatantly by – and at the urging of – the president of the United States.”
“Specifically, ‘President Unity’ sank into the caustic quicksand of demagoguery by claiming the new law is worse than Jim Crow,” which is simply ludicrous.
The Washington Post’s leftist fact-checker Glenn Kessler gave Biden’s critique of the Georgia reforms “Four Pinocchios,” his lowest rating.
Let’s review some opponents’ claims and the facts.
First, the allegation the new law discourages voting and suppresses votes. In fact, it actually preserves or expands ballot access in several important ways, such as requiring large precincts with hour or longer wait times to add voting machines and personnel in subsequent elections. It also increases mandatory days of early weekend voting. Etc.
Second, the claim it eliminates voting on Sunday to suppress African American votes. In 2020, only 16 of 159 counties offered early voting on Sundays. The reform provides the option for early voting on two Sundays for all areas.
Third claim: The bill eliminates drop boxes for absentee voting. The reforms make drop boxes an official part of Georgia elections; they were unknown before 2020. So, they will be an official part of elections in all 159 counties and supervised to prevent tampering.
Biden also lied by numerous times claiming the standard provision in Georgia’s law and common to all others that prevents politicking of voters standing in line would prevent voters from getting food and water. The new law specifically allows for poll workers to provide.
There are more details, but the upshot is the reform law improves access for voters and fairness. Manfred and MLB leadership ignored the facts and charged ahead with their virtue signaling. Ironically, they did so right after cutting a deal with communist China to set up a baseball league there, as well as to live-stream MLB games to the country.
The same China that’s committing genocide against the Uighurs in its western provinces. The one that harvests organs from living Falun Gang practitioners who are prisoners of conscience. The one that has crushed democracy in Hong Kong and may soon do worse.
Not a peep from Manfred and baseball owners about these awful, continuing and growing abuses. They saw what happened when a basketball coach criticized China.
What to do? First, you can be absolutely sure I won’t watch the All-star game or read about it. I’ve already cast the National Basketball League and National Football League into the outer darkness (completely ignore them and their products) for their craven fealty to wokeness and cancel culture.
And I’m beginning to boycott other Big Business, Big Tech and Big Entertainment that reject and insult America, as are many individuals and groups. (Go to hell, Twitter!)
I would find it hard to completely ostracize the Dodgers for Dave Roberts’ monstrous mistake. But he needs to go. The Dodgers should get someone else.
Ron Knecht has served Nevadans as state controller, a higher education regent, economist, college teacher and legislator. Contact him at RonKnecht@aol.com.
Ron Knecht
775-882-2935
775-220-6128
www.RonKnecht.net
Especially because the first person to raise the issue was Dodger manager Dave Roberts.
Georgia, which had a number of problems with its two most recent elections, took sensible actions to ensure future elections do not suffer the same problems and are completed, including vote counting, quickly and fairly. The state wanted to assure that all legitimate votes are counted and no illegitimate ones are.
But progressives and other leftists falsely attacked the Georgia measures by mischaracterizing the statute’s terms and purposes. MLB and some other corporate bullies promptly caved in to the cry-baby destructive radicals. Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred first announced the All-star game, planned for Atlanta for a couple of years, would be moved, costing Georgia and Atlanta tens of millions of dollars.
“In other words, Georgia is being punished financially for vote-suppressing acts it didn’t take,” wrote award-winning author Wesley J. Smith, who is also chairman of the Discovery Institute’s Center on Human Exceptionalism. “In other words, … Manfred took this punitive action based on lies, not only in the media, but most blatantly by – and at the urging of – the president of the United States.”
“Specifically, ‘President Unity’ sank into the caustic quicksand of demagoguery by claiming the new law is worse than Jim Crow,” which is simply ludicrous.
The Washington Post’s leftist fact-checker Glenn Kessler gave Biden’s critique of the Georgia reforms “Four Pinocchios,” his lowest rating.
Let’s review some opponents’ claims and the facts.
First, the allegation the new law discourages voting and suppresses votes. In fact, it actually preserves or expands ballot access in several important ways, such as requiring large precincts with hour or longer wait times to add voting machines and personnel in subsequent elections. It also increases mandatory days of early weekend voting. Etc.
Second, the claim it eliminates voting on Sunday to suppress African American votes. In 2020, only 16 of 159 counties offered early voting on Sundays. The reform provides the option for early voting on two Sundays for all areas.
Third claim: The bill eliminates drop boxes for absentee voting. The reforms make drop boxes an official part of Georgia elections; they were unknown before 2020. So, they will be an official part of elections in all 159 counties and supervised to prevent tampering.
Biden also lied by numerous times claiming the standard provision in Georgia’s law and common to all others that prevents politicking of voters standing in line would prevent voters from getting food and water. The new law specifically allows for poll workers to provide.
There are more details, but the upshot is the reform law improves access for voters and fairness. Manfred and MLB leadership ignored the facts and charged ahead with their virtue signaling. Ironically, they did so right after cutting a deal with communist China to set up a baseball league there, as well as to live-stream MLB games to the country.
The same China that’s committing genocide against the Uighurs in its western provinces. The one that harvests organs from living Falun Gang practitioners who are prisoners of conscience. The one that has crushed democracy in Hong Kong and may soon do worse.
Not a peep from Manfred and baseball owners about these awful, continuing and growing abuses. They saw what happened when a basketball coach criticized China.
What to do? First, you can be absolutely sure I won’t watch the All-star game or read about it. I’ve already cast the National Basketball League and National Football League into the outer darkness (completely ignore them and their products) for their craven fealty to wokeness and cancel culture.
And I’m beginning to boycott other Big Business, Big Tech and Big Entertainment that reject and insult America, as are many individuals and groups. (Go to hell, Twitter!)
I would find it hard to completely ostracize the Dodgers for Dave Roberts’ monstrous mistake. But he needs to go. The Dodgers should get someone else.
Ron Knecht has served Nevadans as state controller, a higher education regent, economist, college teacher and legislator. Contact him at RonKnecht@aol.com.
Ron Knecht
775-882-2935
775-220-6128
www.RonKnecht.net
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