Stacey Abrams made the rounds on a couple of Sunday morning news shows and explained in no uncertain terms exactly how she feels about Georgia beginning to reopen as the coronavirus continues to ravage the state. The Democratic star unapologetically took shots at Donald Trump and Mike Pence in while having to, again, seemingly defend her ambition for wanting to be Joe Biden‘s vice-presidential running mate.
Appearing first on CNN, Abrams was ready when asked why she’s made no secret of so vocal about possibly running to be the next vice president of the United States. While she said she was confident that Biden would make “the right choice,” she also cited her heritage in explaining why someone in her position needs to be a squeaky wheel in order to get the grease.
“As a young Black woman, growing up in Mississippi, I learned that if you don’t raise your hand, people won’t see you, and they won’t give you attention,” Abrams told Jake Tapper. “But it’s not about attention for being the running mate, it is about making sure that my qualifications aren’t in question, because they’re not just speaking to me, they’re speaking to young Black women, young women of color, young people of color, who wonder if they too can be seen.”
Later in the morning, Abrams appeared on “Meet The Press” and repeated a variation of that answer when Chuck Todd inevitably asked the same question people have been throwing at her for weeks now. But it was her answer to another question when Abrams held absolutely no punches.
When Todd asked her about her home state of Georgia prematurely reopening amid the coronavirus crisis — a decision made by Gov. Brian Kemp, the man who suppressed enough votes to barely beat Abrams in the 2018 gubernatorial race — Abrams held no punches. In doing so, she may have provided a preview of what a Stacey Abrams-Mike Pence vice-presidential debate might look like.
When Todd suggested that Kemp went against the wishes of Trump to reopen the state, Abrams quickly checked the NBC anchor.
“I give Donald Trump zero credit for backing away from this because he incited it, with his ‘liberation of the states’ narrative. I think Brian Kemp was responding to that call and decided to wrongheadedly move forward,” she said while pointing out the obvious.
Abrams took the opportunity to use call out the blind loyalty to the president from Kemp and Pence as a painful reminder that it was only a few days ago that Trump encouraged the idea of humans being injected with disinfectant to possibly “cure” the coronavirus.
“And, unfortunately, as a result, [Kemp] found himself crossways with the president, with Mike Pence nodding pathetically at the same time about ingesting Clorox as the president gave more false information to the public,” she correctly said.
She saved the money quote for last: “But I think all three of these men have misserved Georgia and misserved the country.”
Abrams’ answers about why she wants to be vice president and why she is so vocal about it have never wavered. Back in February, she offered a similar anecdote about leading the way for Black and brown women while she appeared on Seth Meyers’ late-night TV show.
It’s a question that may not have ever been asked another person reportedly being considered as a vice-presidential running mate in political history. But, then again, as Abrams so astutely said, there has never been a Black woman legitimately considered as a vice-presidential running mate in political history as we’re seeing from her.
The narrative for months has been that Biden must pick a Black woman running mate in order to beat Trump, which is the primary objective for Democrats. Biden previously vowed to pick a woman but he recently refused to commit to selecting a woman of color.
Abrams, for her part, has been resolute on the issue.
During a recent episode of “The View,” Abrams expressed “concern about not picking a woman of color because women of color — particularly Black women — are the strongest part of the Democratic Party. The most loyal,” she said. “That loyalty isn’t simply how we vote, it’s how we work. And if we want to signal that that work will continue, that we’re going to reach not just to certain segments of our community, but to the entire country, then we need a ticket that reflects the diversity of America.”
Abrams is not the only qualified Black woman reportedly being considered for Biden’s running mate. Scroll down to find nine others.
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