“Election was stolen from her”?? Wrong!, she lost because she was a candidate who only appealed to her minority base .
Total lightweight who has never had a real job or accomplished anything. How’s the media in her hip pocket. Rather than going to the private sector and accomplish something, then run for elected office, and she will continue to travel the country to build up her image. Another empty suit
17
She is not an elected official of the Federal government. Why is she speaking? I guess anyone can give the rebuttal. Duh.
16
The media should do Ms. Abrams a favor and forget whether she is black or white, male or female. She is a graduate of Yale Law School, a tax lawyer for non-profits, and a small businesswoman. With all due respect to the Black Caucus and the emergent female progressives, Ms. Abrams can run circles around most of them. She isn't a good black candidate. And she isn't a good female candidate. She appears to be a great candidate. Period.
368
@michjas Stacey Abrams burned the flag of Georgia, behavior that hardly makes her worthy of representing the great state of Georgia in the US Senate.
Further, Stacey Abrams fiscally irresponsible, as described in an opinion piece by none other than Michele Goldberg of the NYT. According to Ms. Goldberg, Stacey Abrams is more than $200,000 in personal debt, including $54,000 to the IRS. And Ms. Abrams has given $50,000 to her campaign instead of paying off most of her IRS debt. You must be kidding!
Ms. Goldberg's opinion piece tried to portray Ms. Abrams as working-class, whereas in fact she has a law degree from Yale, worked as a tax attorney, and co-founded a financial services firm.
Even now, 19 or 20 years after getting her law degree, Ms. Abrams still has an outstanding student loan balance of six figures and a five-figure balance due the IRS. Perhaps she needs to go back to Yale (or even a local community college) for a refresher course on personal finances.
How could anyone believe Ms. Abrams could possibly be a suitable candidate for the Senate? This is not a matter of party or race or gender; it is about someone's blatant and longstanding inability to manage her personal finances responsibly, and to show respect for the state she hopes to represent.This is a very bad sign for someone running for Senator.
23
@Ro Ma
So, in other words, she shares a situation with tens of thousands of Americans with overwhelming college debt. Sounds representative to me!
58
@Ro Ma Oh piffle, debt? People work out repayment plans with their creditors. It's not impossible to do. Over a decade ago, I was over $24 K in debt to creditors, as well as owing to the IRS. Well, guess what? The IRS agents will helped me set up a repayment plan, so I wouldn't have to live on the streets. And, thanks to a 3rd-party credit negotiator, my creditors were all paid off in a few years. Like me, Stacey has worked out repayment plans with all her creditors and the IRS. Some of us aren't fortunate enough to pay off grad school debts and other expenses in under 19 years.
Now, if you want to hold debt against someone, you have our current president, the self-proclaimed "King of Debt" who still owes banks millions but managed to avoid paying taxes because of business losses. On gambling casinos. I haven't done all my research, but who else besides Donald Trump lost money on gambling casinos?
And Sen. Perdue is one of the president's loudest cheerleaders. If he even tries to hold Abrams' debts against her (should she run), it could backfire on him, because he's in political cahoots with the greatest debtor president.
44
Enough whining about the Georgia election. Jason Kander ran for Senate whilst Secretary of State in Missouri in 2016, and no Dems called on him to step down. Georgia elections are run on the county level. Record numbers of mid-term votes were cast, African Americans voted at a share of the electorate unmatched except for Obama's elections, and the Abrams campaign was unable to find Georgians who were unable to vote if they wanted to.
There was no fraud. She thought she would win, but Republicans stunned her by turning out more voters. Time for her to turn the page and stop whining.
29
Well, you may have a point. Certainly if Trumpists have expertise in anything, it’s whining.
22
@GB
Kemp has been sued for his election process several times and lost. Then he continues to hold the Sec of State office - overseeing the elections while running for governor but purged thousand of voters records that again, was questionable.
You would be questioning this guy too if you lived here and saw what he is getting away with. Mighty fishy is all I will say.
It isn't whining- it is understanding and getting at the truth. We would be fools to let it slide.
Georgia's elections need to be questioned and improved upon.
23
@GB
In the Governor's race, all of the Republican's ads against Abrams were focused on Nancy Pelosi's strong endorsement and financial support. The "Undecideds" in Georgia were not big fans of Pelosi.
2
OK, so democrats want to lose again. Sorry, I have nothing against her, and I'm sure she'd make a fine senator. However, the south is still the south. Much as I liked Gillum in Florida, Graham's daughter would have had a better shot at winning the governorship. Likewise, the other woman in Georgia, I forgot her name, would probably have won as well. Unfortunately, a very progressive agenda by an African-American in the south will simply not fly.
18
Abrams is talented, but her childish response to losing the Governor's race—in sharp contrast to that of Andrew Gillum in Florida—won't help her much. Time to move on.
41
@Mike Livingston
Nothing childish. When an elections official runs for governor and still manages the elections- of course people are going to question it. Kemp should have resigned while running.
38
@OpieTaylor Following precedent and with the approval of the governor. And scrutinized at every step as a result.
9
Having been raised and lived in Georgia for most of my years, I had hopes that Georgia would elect this well spoken, impressive woman, and be our first black governor.
Unfortunately, it did not happen and as a Georgian, I am actually embarrassed that our present governor wanted to "round up" illegals while sitting in his pick up truck, exhibited by his campaign ad. Another ad he sat and pointed a gun at someone. I was mortified.
I wanted to think that Georgia had progressed beyond this.
Our election with our present governor, Kemp, would not give up his elections position while running for governor. This continues to be questionable for many Georgians. An ethical and upfront leader would have resigned. Was he hiding something?
Of course we are going to question the entire process and I hope Ms. Abrams will continue to do so. Georgians deserve to know.
I can only hope that Ms. Abrams will not give up and that she will seek other positions in government, local, state or federal. She has so much to offer. If Georgia won't or can't recognize her ability, perhaps she will be appreciated elsewhere.
Go for it Stacey!
67
David Perdue has been a terrible senator. He won't meet with anyone who can't make a big campaign contribution. He has never held a town hall. He makes breathtakingly absurd statements even when he's not parroting Trump. He's a walking dumpster fire.
Stacy Abrams would make a great senator. She is really smart, really dedicated and really hard-working. She won't take no for answer, she just goes out and makes it happen. She should really be governor today, but she isn't and so Washington has the opportunity to put her to work. We like Stacy!
71
She lost, and having lost, will likely lose again 2 years later. This next incumbent will be a stronger candidate.
Georgia is a center right state. If the Democratic party puts up candidates somewhat to the left of center right, they can win when a) the Republicans nominate an extremist or the incumbent is involved in a scandal, or b) voters wish to protest against the Republican party in Washington.
Being black and a woman wins some votes, loses some others. It sounds like a lot of party activists would rather lose with a black woman than win with a white man, which is a recipe for losing. Let's see who the other candidates are before jumping on bandwagons.
As for the state of the union reply, will she articulate a policy vision the entire party can run on, or is she just a symbol, a black woman to contrast to Trump? I'm uncomfortable with the latter; too much identity politics, unlikely to sway marginal Trump voters.
15
@Tom: You know that the results for the governor's race were: Kemp 50.2% and Abrams, 48.8%, don't you?
17
@Tom I think the election was stolen from her. Many votes - that would have been for her - were disqualified. Don't forget that her conflicted opponent Kemp was in charge of the election as Georgia's secretary of state. Also I'm a little put off by your "being black and a woman wins some votes" comment and your contention that her strength is "identity politics."
On the contrary, Stacey Abrams would be one of the BETTER qualified people in the Senate if she won. Graduated magna cum laude from collage, MA in Public Affairs from UT and a law degree from Yale which is a lot more than I can say for many Senators. Look at the background of these guys. Mike Enzi (WY) Shoe store, Chuck Grassley (IA) politician for life, James Lankford (OK) Baptist evangelical, James Inhofe (OK) headed an insurance company which went bankrupt (and let's face it, is a really, really stupid climate denier). But, I think it's axiomatic that women (especially black women) have to be smarter and better prepared than men to compete on the same playing field. Women have always known that.
29
@Tom
Georgia a center right state?! On what planet?
3
Stacey Abrams is very impressive. She ran a very strong race for Gov in GA. She might have won if voter suppression weren’t so effective in GA. I am very happy the spotlight is on her and I hope she prevails in future races. Good for the Democrats for being smart enough to support an activist like her.
28
@Susan Tarrence What voter suppression? Can you elaborate? Our elections are held under magnifying glasses.
7
@Margo - Kemp did not approve 53,000 voter registrations, most of whom were African Americans, during the 2018 election because the names did not exactly match the Social Security Administration database of names. 600,000 voters were purged in 2017 and 900,000 were purged in 2018 because they didn't vote in the previous election. These things have an impact on voting. And Georgia still has to contend with its history, even if the not very Supreme Court feels otherwise.
16
I have mixed feelings about Abram's SOTU response. On the one hand, she is an excellent speaker whose response will be intelligent and challenging. On the other hand, responders to SOTU addresses have all to frequently gone down in flames and destroyed their political careers. Abrams is too valuable to risk.
13
@Andrew Zuckerman
think positive, think nikki haley and her brilliant 2016 response to obama's final SOTU that also obliquely and fairly criticized trump and his behavior during the primaries that year. the response to SOTU gives stacey abrams a chance to shine and be seen outside the state and the region, proving trump, who said she wasn't qualified to be governor of georgia, wrong again.
7
@Andrew Zuckerman She will not go down in flames. She can take the heat. She is polished and very able and seasoned as a public speaker. She will not get thirsty or get camera shy or awkward. She'll do very well.
14
She should be governor, is meant to be governor. Senators are political foghorns. Governors get things done, shape policy and the world around them and as they find it and change our world.
She should put aside the entreaties. They serve neither her or the State and people of Georgia.
She should stay active, dive into the campaign for president once the party has a nominee -- but stay out of it until it has one and work instead as she has and is on voter rights -- and be ready in two years time to begin a forceful campaign to win the governorship.
Her talent, energy and experience would be wasted in the Senate but well employed in the office of governor.
10
The Democrats, in picking Abrams to give the response tonight, demonstrate once again that they are the party of losers. Literally. I suspect the party has been infiltrated by Trump operatives.
7
Regardless of Stacey Abrams's continuing leadership for equality and justice as an elected official for the people of Georgia or wider office, we can do her and ourselves the service of listening and watching her commentary tonight follo9wingb the expected as scheduled State of the Union address, as it were.
She is a legal scholar and an accomplished and articulate voice for those of us who respect the facts and the Rule of Law and we need her voice to continue today and in the future.
14
There was so much rampant voter fraud and suppression reported in GA when Perdue gained his Senate seat in 2014 that it was criminal that he was seated to begin with. Michelle Nunn was cheated out of the seat and America lost big time because of it.
5
@Joseph Tate How do you know this and when was it reported?
4
@Margo - OK. PBS reported it on Oct. 28, 2018, The Atlantic magazine reported it on Nov. 6, 2018 and Reuters reported it on Nov. 2, 2018 and Washington Post reported it on Oct 20, 2018. Google it - voter suppression in Georgia. Suprisingly, Fox did not report it. Where I suspect you get most of your information from, correct?
6
Abrams was unable to win in the face of strong anti-Republican sentiment, she's a nonstarter, I know everybody likes her look and the idea of Abrams, but she can't win.
Democrats are very good at steel Depot people that look good on paper but won't win at the polls, they need to turn this around if you're going to unseat-trump.
No more 70-year-olds or ultraleft candidates, please!
10
It's very nice of the Democrats to give the unemployed Stacey Adams an opportunity to audition for a new job before such a big audience. With any luck, she'll land a gig as a VP-Human Resources at some Fortune 500 corporation.
8
I love this woman. Smart and thoughtful. We need more like her.
10
Fracking is the reason Donald Trump is president and the Republicans have the majority. The real problems are that greed and religion are destroying the world through the climate crisis. When Clinton and Obama became Cheney's fracking salespeople, they drove the good people to Bernie Sanders. Nothing really matters now except getting off the fossil fuels death march. I've lost all respect for my own country. Survival is far more important than whether you are capitalist or socialist.
2
The question I have is:
Is Schumer using the Democratic response to encourage someone to run for office (in this case Ms. Abrams) as part of his Senate strategy—
Or is he choosing who he thinks is the best qualified individual to give this important response?
2
@srwdm These are not mutually exclusive considerations.
2
@srwdm both?
2
I hope she runs. David Perdue as a Senator has been very underwhelming and publicly unlikable with his All-Things-Trump embrace. Stacey has a good opening here and she should go for it. Georgia is turning blue!
5
She’d lose again probably by 5 or more points. If with a strong anti-Trump wave you can’t win then it’s next to impossible to win next time around. One thing about Dems nominating increasingly left wing candidates is that it helps turn out the other side too.
9
Senate? She would be perfect on the ticket as the Vice-Presidential candidate.
10
Go Stacey Go.
11
I love Tracy Abrams! She’s very smart, thoughtfully progressive with a balanced respect for more moderate thinkers, and a clear, accessible, compelling communicator. I’m very happy the Dems understand and respect her talents and values. I just hope all the Dems now running for President listen to her closely and carefully.
10
Here is the thing. If you assume Trump will carry Georgia in 2020 then its very hard to see her winning. A strong candidate in NC has a better chance against Tillis because NC is a true swing state.
2
I would have prefer that instead of governorship , she is so talented.
3
This article on Stacy Abrams runs right below the breaking news of Trump's inauguration finance investigation-with a photo of Trump with his fingers-front closed fist (see the Anti-Defamation League definition for more detail https://www.adl.org/education/references/hate-symbols/aryan-fist)
And we wonder why a black woman who has won nearly every legislative, civic and Chamber of Commerce business award in Georgia - holds prestigious international fellowships to boot - and who was called "brilliant" by her Republican State Senate peer, is getting trolled in these comments.
I can't WAIT for her rebuttal to Trump's State of the Union. I would say that it will feel just like Christmas getting to watch Trump taken down by Abrams - but just to irk the trolls, I'll say it will feel like a very, very happy holiday!
19
Even spellcheck likes Stacey Abrams - when it "helps" me spell her name, it just drops the "e"- but when I type Trump, it corrects it to chump!
5
Run for the Senate? Run for President Stacy—you have my vote!
8
I hope I find a job in GA by fall 2020 so I can move back and vote for her!
7
Stacy is extremely bright. I went to one of her speeches
when she was running for Governor and was very impressed, in every way. She would have been a much better Governor than Kemp. Kemp and Purdue - just hearing them speak sets my teeth on edge. Remember when David's relative, Sonny Purdue, Governor of Georgia, organized a crowd to pray for rain?
11
She handled her loss to Kemp with such grace and civility, why not run again?
10
@JB
She refused to concede even though she lost. Is that grace and dignity or arrogance?
11
It’s an acknowledgement of the reality, that voter suppression was egregious, open, and widespread.
3
I was being facetious. She handled defeat about as poorly as a candidate can. Of course that endeared her even more to hard-core Dems who see grace and civility to opponents as weaknesses.
10
It is clear to me after reading these comments why the country is stuck in divisiveness. Race, women and gerrymandered state districts all contribute to election default. Ignorance breeds ignorance. Can everyone agree with this? Then take responsibility and ask yourself: Do I really believe what I'm saying and how will it affect others.
Stacey Abrams for VP
Sherrod Brown for Pres
A winning ticket
11
@Geo
Better yet,
ABRAMS for president
and
BROWN for vp
3
The candidacy of Stacey Abrams boiled down to 2 factors - she is a woman, and she is black. All I would hear is how she would be the first female black governor in the history of the U.S. Not where she stands on various issues, whether those are in the best interest of Georgia, and how she plans to raise money for some of her more progressive views. I really don't care what her gender or skin color are - if her policies are going to break the fiscal responsibility Nathan Deal has imposed during his tenure, then I am not voting for her.
If Abrams were to run for the Senate today, I would vote for Purdue. She has done nothing that convinces me she will be a good, centrist, fiscally-minded leader.
10
@PK she wanted to give voting rights to illegal immigrants and make Georgia a sanctuary state. That won't get my vote.
5
Surprising to see all the negative comments here about Abrams. Many of us have been very impressed with her speeches and look forward to her response on Tuesday. Good that the Dems chose her.
And was surprising to see all the comments supporting or excusing Northam. Interesting to see a surprising number of Northam supporters claiming they're people of color. Really? These names are sure bringing many polarized views.
7
Why are the various politicians mentioned in
this article identified by their race ?
As for Ms. Abrams - she is going to run for the Senate.
6
No chance of winning
7
@Bill Curtis
And who would expect anything different coming from someone who's probably not Black in South Carolina?
2
@Bill Curtis: South Carolinians nominated George W. Bush over John McCain in the 2000 primaries because they believed Karl Rove's robocalls that spread false information about John McCain. Now trump insults McCain, which you all accept.
But, you're right: Georgia is for trump, Perdue is for trump, so Georgia is for anyone who backs trump.
But kindly note the closeness of the 2018 Georgia gubernatorial race.
And, finally, you do not understand statistical analysis, so we cannot accept the validity of your "no chance" assessment.
6
Can't wait to hear Stacey. Will not tune in to Trump. Only lies come out of his mouth. This time though, Nancy will be right behind him laughing internally to what he says.
15
You had to know she would run against Perdue even before she conceded the Governor's race. She will run and she will lose - badly.
7
Just like the gop steals and tried to steal elections. And they STILL lose.
The cold water will never be as refreshing as it will be on Wed Nov 4 2020
5
@AdamStoler
Biggest voter turnout ever in Georgia and she still lost. No theft here. She is a weak candidate with lots of baggage like unpaid taxes and a fair amount of scandal with her voting rights group. She will lose and lose badly.
4
How about Joe Cunningham’s big win in the south.
RUN STACEY RUN!!!
5
I was invited to an Emily's List lunch in the fall of 2017. It was an amazing afternoon with some very impressive women and some well-known names. You know who was not well known then?
Stacey Abrams.
Everyone spoke....brilliant points were made....impressive people crowded the room. You know what happened at the end?
The line to get to Stacey Abrams was a mile long. In a sea of impressive people, she stood TALL. When I finally got to her I told her I wanted to shake the hand of a future president.
She is amazing.
32
This woman lost the election and then refused to accept the results. She just castigates the notion of E Plurbius Unum and favors decisive racial identity politics. And finally, she’s $200k in debt.
She’s an absolute disgrace.
19
@Jon
4 fingers pointing back at you.
You may not support her. OK.
But your attitude says a lort more about you than her.
7
@Jon A disgrace to be in debt? Millions of Americans are so disgraceful.
4
@Jon
What's wrong with being decisive?
2
Why would she waste her time running for the senate? She should join the horde of completely unqualified democrats running for President.
15
@Dan M You mean like Donald Trump is unqualified?
5
Nobody’s as unqualified as Donald Trump. Seriously, even Louie Gohmert is better prepared.
1
@Dan M: What's wrong with putting an unqualified Democrat up against the unqualified trump? Trump is totally unqualified, and he won. So Dems could accomplish the same thing.
And save your hyperbolic "horde" for trump's rhetoric.
2
I live in GA and will vote for Stacey. David in the Senate voted with the GOP to ax our healthcare. Party over people's lives.
19
At this point, all I can say is if people don't know who Stacey Abrams is, they haven't been listening to what's going on in this country.
There are few times in my life where I have been left so speechless by political events that were allowed to go on without either question or rebuke -- and that Governor's race in Georgia is one of them.
Not so much because of the racially divisive rhetoric and usual tricks Republicans play in order to undermine Black voters, but because of the blatant conflict of interest with candidate Bob Kemp's office as Secretary of State when it came to a viable election.
And sorry, finally stepping down near the end of the campaign is hardly a sign of impartiality.
That said. No matter what Stacy Abrams has to say after the State of the Union Address, I shall be listening.
And so should the rest of America.
31
@N. Smith One of the abuses HR 1 will fix is preventing the head of any state election board from supervising their own election.
Trump is right. This woman is not to bright.
11
@Steve " This woman" is a graduate of Morehouse College and Yale Law School, the minority leader of the State House of Representatives, and has done a fine job working across the aisle with both parties. Her name is Stacey Abrams, and she is "very bright."
7
My advice is, learn the diff between a preposition and “too,” and try again on the pretense of intellectual superiority. Be happy to help with the big words.
Or, apply to any of her colleges and grad schools. Lemme know how that goes.
5
@Steve
Too not to.
2
Didn’t she just lose an election?
16
the man in the white house lost the race. only is there due to some outdated electoral voting system and the Russians.
2
You would think that democrats would have learned a lesson from the loss of the three "centrists"/fake liberals in the senate. It is not that they weren't conservative enough it is that they were conservatives. They didn't attract liberal voters because there were no liberals running. Democrats, try running as liberals and stop pretending to be GOP-lite.
5
This is a great move in the political calculus for 2020. Abrams is an excellent campaigner and has demonstrated ability to put together a solid platform for the state. However if the DNC is really serious about this, there has to be a nationally funded and concerted effort to register African American voters across the state of GA and infrastructure has to be put in place to counteract the 19th century disfranchisement laws enacted by the GA GOP. It cannot simply be the responsibility of the the state party to make this possible. DNC either puts its money where its mouth is or this is just more hot air from the DNC which historically prefers flash over substance.
14
I've listen to her speak and have been blown away by her poise, understanding, bravery, and commitment to the truth. A number of candidates have run on far less and as our current president has shown, even won on far less.
29
She shows how weak the Democrat bench is that she is the best they have? She presents very poorly
15
There are so many Trump supporters terrified of Stacey Abrams' impending takedown of the president tomorrow night, that they are spreading lies and propaganda in these comments.
That's OK! It's completely understandable that they're scared. I would be, too, if I were in their shoes.
Republican Party member and Georgia State Representative, Allen Peake, called Stacey Abrams “brilliant” and in an interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, he warned that “people who underestimate her risk complete embarrassment."
Prepare to be embarrassed tomorrow night, Mr Trump.
16
Because the most important thing to Dems these days is your race and gender... remember that kids.... they are clearly hyper-focused on people races and genders..... kind of makes 'em sound well, racist and sexist.
18
Today's Democratic Party is doomed to permanent minority status as long as it continues to proffer spokespersons and candidates like Ms. Abrams.
They have in common academic credentials and no demonstrated leadership accomplishments, no history of actually running anything complex, no training in modern management, and no outdoor interests. Most importantly, none of them -- whether in the military, public service, or activism -- have ever put themselves in harm's way.
John Kennedy, George HW Bush, Christine Whitman, should be gold standards here. Stacey Abrams, like Corey Booker and Elizabeth Warren, brings nothing to motivate me
20
She was Minority Leader of the Georgia House of Representatives for 7 years.
14
@Mack Add to that, an alarming propensity for racking up debt, and a history of refusing to pay it or her taxes for several years.
18
@Mack
This comment seems highly misinformed, and lazy to be honest.
Where is the evidence that the people you list have no "leadership accomplishments, no history of running anything complex..."? I'll be the bigger person here and admit that I haven't perused the entire biographies of Stacey Abrams, Corey Booker and Elizabeth Warren, but from casual skims I can tell you from the top of my head that Abrams was the minority leader of Georgia's Democratic House and Warren was charged with operationalizing some major office in government during Obama's presidency. So what you say confuses me.
Also, since when does putting oneself in harm's way equate to good leadership? Why is helping to prevent another financial crisis (Warren) and expanding voting rights (Abrams) so that people don't suffer at the hands of Wall Street and regressive Republican policies not valued as highly as endangering your life? The US is so backwards when it comes to this. The Constitution grants all Americans the right to LIFE, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Yet to be viewed as a "gold standard" you have to be willing to die, get hurt? I don't understand. The people you've listed have sacrifice their time and energy to issues they care about. That's a good enough reason for anyone to support the Democratic Party.
16
As long as the electoral rules in Georgia a re stacked against the democrats, it is unfair for the Democratic party to lobby Ms Abrams to, against her better judgement, run for the US Senate seat. Running for Governor, she have an automatic answer to shut down the accusations of "outside" influence that so often influence the parochial elements in any southern state.
1
@On Therideau Maybe you could point out those electoral rules, please. And show exactly who has been affected by them unfairly. And describe how political party has a part in it, too.
This is Georgia - we don't force voters to declare a party afgiliation, so your remark is way off base.
9
I will not waste my time listening to Trump lie for an hour; however I look forward to Stacey's rebuttal.
22
I must watch Tramp. It's a responsibility of citizenship.
5
Stacey made few friends after the election .... The best thing she has is her weak opponent.
With fewer voters ..she loses again. The Dems should find a winner.
13
OMG, this makes me wish I could vote for her! The right person at the right time in the right state for the right reasons.
13
Stacey Abrams is the real deal. I’ve seen and heard her several times. I’ve watched some of her achievements in Georgia’s House. She is smart, articulate, fair, and focused on the public interest. I hope she nails it in her Democratic response to Tump’s SOU address. I hope her political career skyrockets because America will be better for having her as an elected representative.
26
Just think -- if Stacey Abrams was a senator from Georgia, and I wrote a constituent letter to the Senator, I could maybe have hope that I might actually get a reply letter within 6 months that was not a canned response filled with Republican nonsensical talking points that had nothing whatsoever to do with the letter I wrote him. Or even better, get a real, individual letter that would give me hope that my representative was actually listening to me. Maybe then I could feel there was hope for American democracy after all...
8
Brian Kemp and Jeff Duncan the stolen election Gov. And LT. Who won by 50.22% you must be over 50% in Ga to avoid a runoff have gone into the General session acting like they won with a mandate. Kemp promised all teachers a $5,000 pay raise in the last days of the race. Stacey Abrams did not match this instead she said that she felt that teachers deserved higher pay, but it had to be based on what the State Budget could pay for. already Brian Kemp has reneged on his promise for this large raise, it is only $3,000. Then last Thursday in Dekalb County one of the biggest districts issued their new pay scales and 4 th year teachers ended up with pennies. The HR Director resigned).
The first day The Kemp admin. Reduced the statue of limitations victims could file sex harrasement against State Senate. The women of both parties spoke out. Next they took the third highest Republicans duties away from her, and put her as chair on an obscure committee. Then they thought they would name a Dem women to chair another committee and claim they are advancing women. Both committees do virtually nothing. The women of both parties banded together in outrage. We will probably see both the Republican women flip parties as their counties have gone blue.
David Purdue has had zero town halls, even via phone. He is completely out of touch.
The Arrest of the rapper will awaken blacks and Hispanics too.
Georgia will go Blue!
17
I think Stacey Abrams is inspiring and I will be tuning in to listen to her tomorrow night. I will skip the first course, word salad tossed by Donald, in what I am sure he will rate as the most outstanding state of the union speech delivered since the very dawn of time.
I hope she will run for the US Senate. She would be a phenomenal Senator.
12
She is terrific.
8
Is she paid up on her federal tax bill?
19
Strange question since it’s Trump who is the proven tax evader
18
@Yeah Two things can be true at once.....
3
@Yeah . Is it? Trump pays his taxes. She not only owes several years, she has refused to pay back her student debt. Is this what we can expect from her in office?
13
Does Ms. Abrams believe that illegal aliens should be allowed to vote in her prospective Senate election? Just wondering.
15
I’m wondering if legal citizens will be allowed to vote, given the proven voter suppression tactics used to defeat her in the last race. No snark. It was open and unapologetic.
25
@Yeah,
Blatant voter suppression has always been the modus operandi of the Republican Party. That the only way the win elections, that and gerrymandering.
3
@Yeah. It’s easy to vote in Georgia. Present an ID and vote.
7
Democrats love a loser, but it wouldn't hurt us every four years or so to go with a winner.
7
Stacey Abrams burned the flag of Georgia, behavior that hardly makes her worthy of representing the great state of Georgia in the US Senate.
Further, Stacey Abrams fiscally irresponsible, as described in an opinion piece by none other than Michele Goldberg of the NYT. According to Ms. Goldberg, Stacey Abrams is more than $200,000 in personal debt, including $54,000 to the IRS. And Ms. Abrams has given $50,000 to her campaign instead of paying off most of her IRS debt. You must be kidding!
Ms. Goldberg's opinion piece tried to portray Ms. Abrams as working-class, whereas in fact she has a law degree from Yale, worked as a tax attorney, and co-founded a financial services firm.
Even now, 19 years after getting her law degree, Ms. Abrams still has an outstanding student loan balance of six figures and a five-figure balance due the IRS. Perhaps she needs to go back to Yale (or even a local community college) for a refresher course on personal finances.
How could anyone believe Ms. Abrams could possibly be a suitable candidate for the Senate? This is not a matter of party or race or gender; it is about someone's blatant and longstanding inability to manage her personal finances responsibly, and to show respect for the state she hopes to represent.This is a very bad sign for someone running for Senator.
19
@Ro Ma Oh she doesn't need to be "suitable." Have you seen what else the Democrats have elected to Congress lately? It's like scraping the bottom of the barrel. The question is "why?"
8
@Ro Ma, my cousin is a 26 year old Engineer who went to Penn State, lived at home. He also had $90 K from his portion of a malpractice settlement from his mother’s death when he was 11. He works for a Major employer of Engineers. He told me he is $70k in debt. His coworkers who went to Private colleges or Ivies owe $200k many are married to people they met in school. So couples are $400k in debt and can not buy a house or start a family. His girlfriend friend is ten years older, so they had a baby yesterday ( that window is narrow). They rent a house.
Many college graduates with top degrees from top colleges are $100,000 to $400,000 in debt.
The Trump and Republican Tax cut did not help them. My 24 year old RN daughter just did her taxes and owes $299 on Federal and 90 on State. She is putting 15% in her 401k. She said mom I have never not gotten a refund. I said it will be worse next year when you have your full year salary.
3
@Ro Ma
She is on a payment plan for the IRS and had medical bills for her parents. She was open (which is more than Trump is about.)
http://fortune.com/2018/04/24/stacey-abrams-debt-georgia-governor/
5
I suggest that the folks yelling about Stacey Abrams fantasized lack of quals for high office take a good ol’ jump onto David Perdue’s wikipedia page before cranking out one more silly word.
24
@Robert Did that - really impressed that as a "turn around " specialist - guys who pump up the stock so Investment Bankers can sell pieces and make oodles of money - that he offshored tens of thousand of jobbs and failed to save Pillowtex after taking $1.9 million in compensation in seven months after laying off 7,650 workers. Yeah, a real overwhelming resume for anyone really impressed with $5000 suits and expensive haircuts.
8
Toast before put in the toaster. Female and black. No way today. Just look at Hillary and Obama. We need to get another generation or two beyond where we are today.
4
@LynnBob I disagree passionately. Obama was able to run successfully because losing candidates like Shirley Chisholm and Jesse Jackson warmed up the electorate for him. A future female President will win in part because Geraldine Ferraro and Hillary Clinton got the electorate acclimated to the idea of a woman President. There’s value in having minorities and women run for office even if the odds seem slim.
8
Part of their reason for recruiting her is to give Democrats, particularly 'mainstream' Democrats, cred in other states. They don't really believe that they can win in Georgia, but they bolster their progressive credentials by supporting a
black candidate in the old south.
They expect a strong progressive turn in 2020. I hope and believe that they are right.
Whatever the reason, I think it's admirable that the Democrats want to start making their case in states they've ignored in the past. Those states can hardly be blamed for regressive views when they've never heard the other side of the story.
The more progressive wing of the party, including Ocasio -Cortez and Sanders, has led the way in this effort. I'm glad to see the mainstream catching on.
Mainstream or progressive, only good can come from a willingness to talk to people. I would, in any case, support Ms. Abrams.
7
Stacey Abrams proves that Career Politicians are really full of themselves.
12
@Hank Rockwell Jr Trump supporter attacking Women. Been there; seen that.
21
@Ray Sipe Ad hominem is not an argument.
4
Abrams is quite impressive and I can’t wait to hear her speech responding to you know who on Tuesday.
See Vox article--- “Stacey Abrams’s new essay on identity politics reveals why she’s a rising star.”
“She took to an elite journal to make the case for identity politics. What she wrote is worth reading now.
Her piece, in the journal Foreign Affairs, is a response to an essay by famed intellectual Francis Fukuyama….who advices politicians to focus on class, not on race and gender.”
Abrams says that “messages based on class vs identity being in conflict is part of the problem — and results in the exclusion of minority concerns from politics.”
The article quotes her well reasoned ideas at length.
8
@Meredith
I wonder how many of the mushrooming crop of Democratic Presidential candidates has ever read an issue of Foreign Affairs, or at least had one explained to them.
4
@Diogenes,
Actually there are plenty of Democrats not running for Presidential elections, who subscribe to Foreign Affairs, and some are also members of The Council on Foreign Relations.
7
@Miss Ley - well said!
2
Stacey Abrams helped create an inspiring movement for change in Georgia. She would be an incredible senator with her experience and qualifications.
58
Go get ‘em, Stacy! Can’t wait to donate to that campaign.
11
The problem is even she wins her winning votes will not be counted correctly. The racist south is still working overtime to suppress the black vote just as they have done for decades.
8
@Milly Durovic
What is the nickname of Santee again? Holier than thou mindset is a misnomer.
1
@Milly Durovic Who is counting votes in Georgia these days? Take a look around and recognize that black people are definitely a part of the process. If there was an attempt there would be immediate media attention, no cover up.
5
1) She didn’t lose, the election was stolen.
2) You go girl!
88
I hope Ms. Abrams runs and wind the Senate seat. We need her!
16
Last I checked, Stacey Abrams lost the gubernatorial race.
Lost, as in 'did not win', 'do not hold the office', 'have no chance of holding the office in the near future' kind of lost.
She is a very nice person and I agree 100% with her politics, but...can we move on and start giving responses to the State of the Union with somebody in office?
19
@Stan Carlisle Last I checked; you sound like a Trumper. Last I checked; the heads of the Democratic Party can ask who they wish to speak. Last I checked; right wing is terrified of Strong Women. Ray Sipe
49
@Stan Carlisle
We've done that. Bobby Jindal and Marco Rubio come to mind. Time to think out of the bag.
6
@Ray Sipe - well done, sir - you consistently make excellent points in these pages.
9
Stacey Abrams for President 2020!
7
They must be desperate: someone who failed in her only attempt at high office.
She came close, but there is no credit for that. Elections are either win or lose.
16
@Jonathan Katz Right wing bigots are terrified of Strong Women; look at their targets: AOC; Speaker Pelosi; Hilary; Warren. Trumpers got their panties in a bunch over Abrams. Ray Sipe
22
Pelosi is a strong woman. The others -- AOC, Hillary and Abrams -- are simply frauds, heroes to naive liberal voters.
5
Only Republicans are desperate, and gleefully resort to the most lowlife means to keep/win office at a time when the electorate is changing in ways that don't include them.
Stacy Abrams surely would be my governor now if lowlife Kemp didn't steal the election.
Give me a break!
3
Yes, Ms Abrams is a black woman, and yes, she is both progressive and bipartisan - but missing from this article are her extensive qualifications for office (beyond her Yale degree):
Abrams was named Legislator of the Year by the Georgia Alliance of Community Hospitals, Champion for Georgia Cities by the Georgia Municipal Association, and Legislator of the Year by the DeKalb County Chamber of Commerce. She also received the Georgia Legislative Service Award from the Association County Commissioners of Georgia, the Democratic Legislator of the Year Award from the Young Democrats of Georgia and Red Clay Democrats, and an Environmental Leadership Award from the Georgia Conservation Voters. For rural bonafides, Abrams won Grand Champion for showing 1000 lb. heifer Bessie at the 2012 Legislative Livestock Showdown at the Georgia National Fair. And Abrams is highly skilled in international relations: she is a lifetime member of the Council on Foreign Relations, a Next Generation Fellow of the American Assembly, an American Marshall Memorial Fellow, a Salzburg Seminar – Freeman Fellow on U.S.-East Asian Relations, and a Yukos Fellow for U.S. – Russian Relations.
Abrams is one of most qualified people who could run for office in the country, so yes, we ALL should urge her to run.
Now THAT'S enough said.
166
@common sense advocate
You missed author of a number of potboiler romance novels and weak on paying her income taxes.
13
But you did not miss repeating Sean Hannity’s lying about her taxes, so I guess we’re even.
8
@kwb - far too easy a softball to return:
Abrams supported her parents through illness - as she said, "she couldn't defer dad's cancer payments" so she's been on a deferred payment plan for her taxes dice 2017 and owes less than a hundred thousand dollars. Meanwhile her gubernatorial opponent Kemp borrowed more than a million dollars in insider loans from a bank he helped start and still owes eight hundred thousand dollars, and the leader of your party went bankrupt 6 times, and sued thousands of people to try to get out of paying them for work they did for him. And his dad gave him millions of dollars to bail him out - he certainly never helped his dad. As for the romance novels - I'd much rather see someone use their brains to make money legally than illegally, like the Trump administration members who've been indicted.
But super, super good try!
64
Oh my. So many derogatory, diminishing comments about Abrams' abilities and accomplishments. I wonder why?
For those who feel the need to bring her down a peg or two, let me remind you that she got her law degree from Yale, same as Brett Kavanaugh. And with her experience as Minority Leader in the GA State Assembly, she doesn't need coaching from Oprah or anyone else to give a smart thoughtful speech tomorrow.
I have nothing but admiration for women who go into politics knowing full well that there will always be some who attack their intelligence, ambition, and hard-won connections as a liability.
116
I always read comments about how women politicians are “full of themselves”. Like, how dare they run. Who do they think they are?!
1
@Chris You know, she did have Oprah at one of her events. The thing is, she's gotten all these celebrities to stand up for her. Why?
4
She already won the governor's race. The only reason she's not governor now is because the election was rigged. Take away the racist games with people's votes and she'd be governing right now. Let her win another important seat, and this time let's see if the voting process is fair enough for her to actually be seated.
57
@Joe Hey Joe, get ready. California is planning on cleaning up electoral lists this year. I expect there will be some complaints there, too.
5
Seems to me that coming back in 2022 to take what was stolen is the better course, and one that actually would have more resonance. I'm interested in what people in Georgia think.
5
I think we better get this woman in some major office soon for our own good, never mind waiting for 2022.
Go Stacy!!!
4
Even Obama could not set his agenda his first two years with Democratic majority in both houses. The voters will remember this and elect to keep a divided Congress.
however, maybe a seasoned warrior like Joe Biden, with running mate, Ms Harris, can keep order and policy.
Second term, they'll switch!
2
Stacey Abrams is from the state where my black ancestors were owned by and bred with my white ancestors.
After burning Atlanta William T. Sherman came by and my black ancestors were no longer enslaved. They made a symbolic and real exodus away from the lands where they were enslaved to a land they named New Canaan.
Having lost one statewide Georgia campaign then thrusting her into the limelight to deliver the Democratic response to the the Trump SOTU and preparing to run for another statewide office I am concerned that she will be burned out.
After the teenaged son of a friend was shot to death in front of his mother by a white man for no reason nor consequence beyond being " uppity" my paternal grandparents boarded a train from Atlanta to Chicago with their four young kids in 1930. And they never had a regret.
16
Stacey Abrams's concession speech was a long time in coming after it was very clear her opponent, Brian Kemp, had won the race. Even then she did not want to admit defeat. There was no evidence of voter tampering involving minorities and the voting tally was conducted in a fair and accurate way. The Democrats do not want to admit their candidate lost and will always accuse the winner of fraud. This is totally false and ridiculous.
19
Is the response to the SOTU really a "task of extraordinary prominence"? It's more of a formality at this point, and the politics have almost never gone well for the people who delivered it.
8
@Sam, If she does an outstanding job it could propel her to national prominence. Remember that Obama as a neophyte Senator gave a well-received speech at a Democratic National Convention that moved him to the presidential nomination (and victory) 4 years later.
24
@JerryV
This assignment has no upside and plenty of downside. Ask Marco Rubio.
3
Of course, she's listening. Abrams has been a career politician since her 20s. All she ever wanted was a direct route to the highest levels of political power, eventually the White House. Congress is just as good a path as governor. Sadly, the candidate who actually could've beat Republican Brian Kemp in Georgia's governor race was her toe-to-toe Democrat opponent, Stacey Evans, who while as or more qualified had the misfortune to be a white woman.
7
@Maggie
I think you meant to say that Abrams has been a career politician since her mid-thirties, since she was not elected until 2007, after having finished law school (Yale), become a successful tax attorney, and then agreed, at the age of 29, to serve as the deputy city attorney for Atlanta.
Stacey Evans, who is younger than Abrams, also has a law degree (Georgia), and has served for just as long in the Georgia House as Abrams. Abrams, however, served in an executive position as Minority Leader of the House for all six of her years in office.
18
Why do you people only ever accuse WOMEN of pursing “political power”??? With men, they’re public servants; with women, they’re power-hungry, and will do anything to claw their way to the presidency. I read the same thing, basically, almost every. single. time. Give me a break. Any man that has purses higher office is just as power-hungry as any woman: no more, no less. (Though I don’t call politicians power hungry but serving a public calling. I choose to be optimistic about my fellow citizens.)
19
@Adam
Abrams started out in politics while in college, working in the Atlanta mayor's office.
She and Stacey Evans have the identical resumes in the Georgia legislature, both are lawyers, both come from lower income families - though Evans was actually POOR, her parent a struggling single mom. Evans is 4 years younger that Abrams. Your comment is a distinction without a difference.
6
I don't live in Georgia so I can't vote for her yet. I hope she eventually runs for nationwide office. I want to vote for her someday...
19
She should be selected as Vice President with Sherrod Brown at the top of the ticket. He is extremely electable and with her at the VP spot, she will gain enormous exposure and be the heir apparent after Brown. She is only 45. At 55, she would be at a prime age for the job. I still think that a president should be in their 50's because it just takes more time to gain the wisdom the job requires. She certainly has the intellect and poise, but in a few more years, she would be incredible. I have the same problems with the 40 something males that are running. A person can experience tremendous growth between 45 and 55.
68
Bruce, we are politically soul mates. I've been saying exactly this, for months. Cheers.
17
@Bruce Rozenblit and @Phyllis Dalmatian - great call! Brown is a excellent choice - I'll also throw in the idea of pairing Ms Abrams with Senator Klobuchar, the most productive Senator in terms of getting legislation passed in 2016 - and she has a 72 percent approval rating from her state of Minnesota (the state Clinton only won by 1.5 percent) OR Colorado governor Hickenlooper, who's outstanding for both leading economic growth and bipartisan negotiations!
13
I'm in. We need some Midwest, for sure. Amy is at the top of my list, also.
Ohio Native, here.
12
Don’t do it Stacy. Give yourself four more years of demographic change in Georgia. You will need fifty million for a 3 year voter education drive, combined with a tour of every rotary, civitan, etc clubs. Continual visits to local elected officials to show them you are not the Devil. You are a national treasure and need to be nurtured and supported in this awfully difficult journey.
4
David Perdue won his Senate seat with only 52.9% of the vote in 2014 so he can be beaten, especially when Stacy Abrams collected 1,923,685 votes (almost 600K more votes than Perdue collected in 2014) in her losing effort for Georgia governor last year. I could see her winning with as little as 49%/not even half the vote if a Libertarian wins 2% (Abrams 49% Perdue 48% Libertarian 2%.)
10
@Primary Power, you have to have 50% plus 1 in Ga
3
@Primary Power
Georgia requires 50% plus one.
4
Stacey Abrams burned her bridges in Georgia after she refused to concede an election she lost.
She has no political future.
19
@Rolf
I am not sure when or where you were elected or appointed to speak for the voters of the state of Georgia on the topic of Stacey Abrams. Could you tell us, please?
Personally, I'd love to see Sen. Purdue out of there and Stacey Abrams sounds like a great replacement.
31
@Rolf
You have no political sense.
15
@Rolf - I would never vote for a politician who DIDN'T protest the tens of thousands of voter registrations disqualified by Kemp in his role overseeing voter registrations. Abrams showed leadership and strength, unlike her opponent who thinks it shows strength to threaten his daughter's teenaged suitor with a gun.
4
Hundreds of thousands Democrats from all 50 states will donate to her next campaign!
18
@BSR And the Georgian Republicans will criticize her as being a pawn of the liberal, coastal elite and thus wrong for Georgia.
10
@alex,
It would be of interest to this American to have Dr. Benjamin Dreyer's thoughts on the word 'Elite', reminiscent to this ear of Givenchy and a bit chi chi.
1
@alex And they would not be wrong.
3
Yes Yes a far left Democratic candidate who can’t pay her personal debts. That’s what Georgia is going to vote for.
Who cares if she went to Yale. Some of the dumbest people I know went there, save my dad.
13
@Brad L. And yet we have a president who filed for bankruptcy multiple times.
25
Oh wow, she’s in debt, I’m in debt. If that’s the biggest deal you can come up with then I’m sure she has a chance.
11
@Brad L.
Not paying taxes debt is different from mortgage or car loan or student loan or other legitimate debt v
6
I have a standing monthly donation to Fair Fight and will continue to donate until Georgia elections are fair and everyone who is qualified to vote CAN vote. I'll worry about Senate and Presidential races later. We need to fix voting in Georgia now.
42
Ms Abrams was a shining light while she was in the mostly benighted Georgia legislature. She is such an accomplished politician that she won the grudging respect of most of her GOP colleges. That said I still fear that my beloved state is still home to too many racists and far right fools for her to win a statewide election.
39
Abrams couldn’t win the governor’s race last year when there was no incumbent and there was an anti Trump wave. But in two years, when people have lost interest in her, the anti Trump interest will be focused on the presidential election, and there will be an incumbent in the race, we are supposed to believe that she can win. Not to mention the pressure she will feel from the left to change her liberal positions into truly lefty ones in a right of center state.
Every two years, the NYT gets all excited about some New Democrat being the latest thing that will change the political landscape. Remember Wendy Davis in Texas in 2014. She was going to change Texas to blue. She lost, and her conservative opponent took almost half of the Hispanic vote. In 2018, we had O’Rourke in Texas, Abrams in Georgia, and someone else in Florida. They all lost.
29
Oh.,thanks. I’d been wondering how come Trump’s GOP got so hammered in the House elections, managed to turn an overwhelming Senate advantage into picking up just two seats, got whomped in governor’s races all over the country, and so on.
17
@luxembourg People will not lose interest in her, they are still angry Brian Kemp stole the election from her by purging mostly black people and Democrats from the roll who would've handed her the victory.
2014 is eons ago in this 24-7-365 news cycle we did not have in '14. We didn't have Trump either.
You greatly underestimate Abrams' local following which again was almost 600K better than Perdue's. How is he hitting Abrams' 2018 vote total? White fear? Bring it. Times are changing. Abrams' can only grow bigger in name with growing anger at do-nothing Trump suckups like Perdue.
33
The obvious Democratic candidate is Sally Yates, the Justice Department Acting AG fired by Trump in Jan. 2017.
12
Looking forward to hearing Stacey Abrams re State of the Union. Hope she runs again!
28
As a resident of Atlanta, I wish Stacey Abrams would run for governor in 2022. But the idea of having a Democratic Senator represent the state is also very important to me, and millions of others here in Georgia. So I say go for it Stacey Abrams.
Senator Purdue is a backward thinking politician, doesn’t want to expand Medicaid for the poor, votes for tax cuts for the rich and big business. 2020 will be a big year and with Trump out there with his big MAGA flag and repressive actions, he’ll be driving more Democrats to the polls than ever imagined.
But as important, if Stacey runs, she has a great capacity for raising tons of cash, and will run a very, very, competitive campaign. And that will drain the coffers of the Purdue and the National Republican Senatorial Committee. Senator McConnell will be going batty with all the money he’ll have to fork out for Purdue, that he could have spent elsewhere in what he thought were more competitive races. Stacey Abrams is one of a kind here in the South, and she makes millions of us so proud to be Democrat.
Go Stacey Abrams.
161
@cherrylog754
Raising lots of money is a prime recommendation for office.
Is that a "liberal" speaking?
3
@cherrylog754
Well said and as you recognize, Georgia needs her. Those of us who live in Georgia see more good than the bad that so many focus are focused upon. She has been open but most of all has and is dealing with the debt.
5
She should continue to run on health care. I was shocked to read that Georgia has the highest maternal mortality rate in the Country if not the world at 46.2 per 100,000 births. . This is sadly twice the US average of 23.8 which ranks us 49 in the developed world. This is a color blind issue.
52
@Sailorgirl
It's a cultural issue: people who don't take care of themselves or live responsibly.
4
@Jonathan Katz,
We are counting on you to lead the way to the path of enlightenment.
7
Great idea! Do it! She's a strong candidate, great speaker with experience how to run a campaign.
We need all hands on deck to neutralize the republican traitors who are wilfully betraying democracy thru voter suppression and Gerrymandering.
35
@Tony M. Gerrymandering plays no role in state wide elections such as those for governor or the senate.
3
@Tony M What gerrymandering are you referring to here?
3
"'I hope she runs", Mr. Myers stated. 'That election was stolen from her.'"
Oh really? By who's count? Putting her up as the Dems response to the SOTU address, (with Oprah probably coaching from the side) is a huge insult to elected Democrat politicians everywhere. The party is now fully manifested in a whiney, 'poor loser face' that is epitomizing more and more of a radical-Left-out of touch party.
14
@SecondChance Anyone who uses terms like 'radical left' is probably not a fan of any Democrat and probably loves Sean Hannity et al.
16
@SecondChance
Her presence is not an insult to elected dems, rather it helps define who we are.
And by the way, there hasn't been a radical left since the 60s. Many of us are hoping to push our moderate party a bit more in that direction.
1
The Democrats should stand unified and boycott the State of the Union. Trump does not deserve the respect of their presence. The only reason for the Democrats to attend the State of the Union is to hear Stacey Abrams give the Democratic response to the SOTU. Abrams's concession speech as Governor of Georgia was a thing of brilliance. She has what it takes to be a leader in the Senate, and the SOTU will give this nation the opportunity to become better acquainted with her.
26
@Tom
So much hate.
8
@KJH
I beg your pardon?
5
@Tom I'm not sure boycotting the SOTU address will sit well with independent voters in 2020 - and it may rally Trump's base which hangs on every bitter, whining word of the president.
2
I look forward to her rebuttal of the usual Trump nonsense tonight. He will be just as confused as he was yesterday.
7
@Cleareye
She'll probably garner higher ratings than him, too.
It just won’t happen. Especially not in 2020, because it’ll be a Senate race against Perdue and in a general election year.
2018 was her best chance. Her opponent in the gubernatorial race had to go to the far right in his primary, while our Democratic primary was largely decided on optics. It basically came down to white progressives siding with Abrams over the other Stacey because we wanted the righteous victory of having a black female candidate to run. It was historic. Plus, her signature issue of voter registration made a nice contrast to Kemp’s Secretary of State position that pushed for voter registration controls.
In 2020 those conditions won’t hold. We won’t be able to paint Perdue as a right wing loon (he won’t even have a primary most likely), and I’m sorry to say it but in 2020 there’s going to be far more scrutiny on the Dems presidential candidate. If this person is left leaning, it’s going to bring out millions of Georgians to vote against him or her, and to vote for Trump, and Perdue will ride those coattails.
This is Georgia. This may come as a surprise to all of those blue state people who are fawning over her and who melted over Ossoff, but neither could even put their party on their yard signs. That’s how damaged the Democrats brand here is.
Maybe let’s be a little more realistic. If we want her to win, having another go during an off year election is a safer bet.
11
So you advocate that Abrams and the Democrats roll over and play dead in 2020 in Georgia? What a defeatist attitude.
7
More women in the Senate would be AMAZING!
11
Brian Kemp was a tomato can who would have been sent packing by any candidate who wasn't drafted from the Oprah/reality-star wing of the Democratic party.
5
I first learned of Ms. Abrams when she was running for governor. Her voice rings with a certain confidence I have not heard from other politicians. A confidence that seems rooted in a deep belief in empirical truths.
Ms. Abrams confidence allows her to speak to these truths unapologetically and revealing them to be self evident. This may allow Ms. Abrams to open peoples eyes and re-think their own long held positions.
Ms. Abrams is a leader and a winner.
14
Fascinating piece.
I agree with Abrams that Governor of Georgia is more consequential than Senator from Georgia in the context of what she can do with her political life.
But, I'm looking at this as a Democrat. The party and the country need her more to run for the Senate. As I see it we need to pick up four seats because Jones will lose in Alabama. That is a very hard climb. I only see about a half dozen seats that we have any real shot at unless Trump revulsion gives us a tidal wave. Even picking up 3, Maine, Arizona and North Carolina seem most promising, will be a challenge. We’ve got to get the Senate back. If not, even if we win the Presidency we are dead for judicial vacancies.
Abrams is by far the strongest candidate we can run in Georgia. I’m not much taken with comparisons to Nunn’s defeat in 2014. That was a Republican year. She never had a realistic chance. Abrams does. Also, Abrams now is a known quantity in Georgia with a very strong and energized base. That makes it much harder for Perdue to “frame her for the voters” than when he beat Nunn.
38
@John Collinge
Abrams has always had her sights on the White House. She cares not one whit which path gets her there.
2
@John Collinge
Let's assume Jones loses his seat in Alabama for 54-46 Republicans momentarily.
I don't see a single incumbent Senate Dem losing his or her seat.
The Dems have to take only four seats from Colorado, Alaska, North Carolina, Maine, Kentucky, Iowa, Pennsylvania, and Georgia plus the Presidency for a Senate majority (50 Senators plus the VP.)
Alaska incumbent Dan Sullivan won by only 6,014 votes in 2014. Gardner, Toomey, and Tillis did better than him but barely won then, too.
The key with Dems is to sell people the fact that the Republican-controlled Senate is a do-nothing, obstructionist waitstaff for Trump and the ones preventing progress - look at the shutdown. They could've prevented it with a veto override but bowed to Trump. Look at Trump Waterboy Mitch McConnell not even bringing a vote to the Senate floor cuz he's that. He has turned the US government into a monarchy where the Senate will refuse to act on orders from a phony king. If you won't bow to Trump, we won't bring a vote to the floor, is Waterboy's stance.
9
@John Collinge
Who is "we"? Is this newspaper the New York Democrat or the New York Times? Should everyone who is not a party-line Democratic voter cancel their subscriptions because they are not welcome?
3
Go Stacey go!
I completely understand her desire to be governor. But the moment we're in - and that Georgia specifically is in - calls for her to be in the Senate. Stacey has legislative skills and experience that we need right now, and she knows what it is like to work across the aisle in a tricky climate.
And she's young enough that she can be governor down the line.
13
The Democrats need a good candidate. But, even with the best candidate, they have to do more to overcome the voter suppression tactics of the Republican Party in Georgia (and elsewhere).
27
Stacey Abrams would make a fine Senator.
What happened to her and the people of Georgia via the corrupt Brian Kemp and his rigged 2018 election is a disgrace to Georgia and the American people.
I hope Ms. Abrams is part of a beautiful blue 2020 wave that helps restore democracy and Democratic control of public policy to the United States.
As people call for the political head of Virginia Governor Ralph Northam for racial insensitivity and stupidity 30 years ago, the Republican governor of Georgia, Brain Kemp, sits proudly and illegitimately in office after massive voter suppression and voter file purges three months ago.
Resist the Russian-Republican overthrow of democracy.
https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2018/11/gubernatorial-candidate-brian-kemp-is-running-and.html
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/georgias-kemp-accused-banana-republic-election-tactics
177
As a Georgia voter, I would be ecstatic for the opportunity to vote for Abrams again and I understand her hesitancy to wait another 3 years until Kemp is up for reelection and to run for governor again. However, Kemp will have incumbency and the full support of the powerful Georgia GOP behind him and so far, he's governing more moderately than how he campaigned.
Unfortunately, unless Kemp makes a pivot to tackle social issues that he ran on during his campaign and becomes more unpopular, Abrams would have an even more uphill battle to beat him than in 2018.
I'm sure Abrams is weighing these factors heavily in her decision to run for Senate. Whatever her path or prospective office, you can bet I'll vote for her in a heartbeat!
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@Jon-Speaking of the powerful Georgia GOP. Ever since the honorable Max Cleland's seat was stolen, Georgia's Republicans have grown more emboldened. The Associated Press reported that, under the guise of “voter roll maintenance,” Kemp’s office canceled more than 1.4 million voter registrations since 2012, and nearly 670,000 registrations in 2017, ostensibly to guard against voter fraud. Further, Kemp put on hold 53,000 new voter registration applications. When the DHS told Kemp Georgia was targeted by Russian hackers in 2016, he declined help from Washington for the midterms, claiming the state had everything under control. As Georgia relies on direct-recording electronic voting machines that leave no paper trail, it's hard to detect vote manipulation. No matter, Kemp also ignored evidence turned up by a cybersecurity expert who discovered Georgia’s entire voter database containing the records of 6.7 million voters was at risk. Kemp = corruption = contempt.
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Some dumb guy told Kamala Harris to run for President and she was dumb enough to do it..
Here we go again with Abrams. She wants to be Governor of Georgia.. but the liberal Power Brokers are whispering at her to consider a Senate run... I hope she's smarter than Harris and says, "NO" ...
Follow your bliss Stacey Abrams and you will become Governor of Georgia in the next election. I promise!
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@Aaron
Why are you in ultra-liberal California then? Your county turned blue overnight in spite of you.
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As the man and woman said, Puleeeeeze! Another milestone on the Democratic Party death march.
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@MDeB, you mean the Democratic Party that walloped the GOP Congressional races with the largest percentage victory since 1974. 10 million more people voted for Democrats over Republicans in 2018 and even in the Senate where we lost 3 seats, aggregately, more people voted for Republicans than Democrats by a wide margin. But for the Electoral College, gerrymandering and voter suppression, the GOP would be the dead party.
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@MDeB this will no doubt come as a surprise, but you don't sound like someone she'll be taking advice on with this decision.
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Oh, Happy, Happy DAY !!!!! She's only just begun, Mark my words.
Run, Stacey, Run. I will do everything I can to help you.
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@Phyliss Dalmatian From Wichita, Kansas! Seriously?!!!
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MONEY, dude.
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This would be a great turn of events if Ms Abrams was elected to the US Senate.
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I think her decision to run has been reached. If not why would the Dems select her for the rebuttal?
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