Georgia Voters And The First 100 Days

 

President Joe Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden celebrated his first 100 days in office in the most appropriate place he could: in the State of Georgia at a drive in rally. In November, Georgia gave Biden its 16 electoral votes, a nice but not decisive number in his landslide Electoral College tally. Rather, it was the January 5 run off election pitting Jon Ossoff and Rev. Raphael Warnock respectively against Republican Senators David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler that was of historic significance to Biden's Presidency. Ironically, but appropriately, malignant narcissist and seditionist leader Donald "Loser" Trump undercut the Republican Senate candidates by claiming the November election was rigged, so many in his cult were thought to be discouraged about voting in the run off.

Looking back at the landscape prior to November, it would be hard to imagine Georgia as the state giving Biden the Senators he needed to pass legislation through an evenly-divided Senate, with VP Harris casting her vote in ties. It's been a Republican state for many election cycles, but the influx of people from around the country in the past decade, especially to Atlanta and its suburbs, is changing the demographic profile. David Smith of The Guardian sets the scene for Biden's rally:

"With a US national flag behind him, Biden told supporters gathered around vehicles: 'Because of you, we passed one of the most consequential rescue bills in American history … You changed America. You began to change America and you’re helping us prove America can still deliver for the people.'

That meant, he said, a hundred days that included the creation of 1.3m jobs, more than other president in history over the same period. It meant food and rental assistance, loans for small businesses and an expansion of healthcare. And, he said, the US is on course to cut child poverty in half this year."

A massive turn out on January 5 of African-Americans (particularly women), young voters, and disaffected Republican suburban voters were what gave Biden just enough seats to pass his massive funding programs through the reconciliation process. Unfortunately, unless and until the filibuster rule is eliminated or drastically revised, voting rights, police reform and other critical legislation will be nearly impossible with unified Republican obstruction using the 60 vote filibuster threshold. But for now we can thank the voters of Georgia for the easy-to-overlook January 5 Senate run off that may end up changing America.

(photo: President Biden is joined by Sen. Warnock, the First Lady, and Sen. Ossoff. Nathan Posner  / AJT)