VICTOR JOECKS: Voter suppression is a conspiracy theory
There are some conspiracy theories the mainstream media don’t mind promoting. Just look at President Joe Biden’s claims about voter suppression.
In a Tuesday speech, Biden accused Republicans of threatening American democracy. Republicans, he claimed, want to make it harder to vote. He specifically attacked GOP legislatures for changing voting laws in their states. They’re specifically targeting “people of color,” along with everyone “who did not vote for them,” Biden said.
“There is an unfolding assault taking place in America today — an attempt to suppress and subvert the right to vote in fair and free elections,” he said.
That’s a serious accusation — that crumbles under even minimal scrutiny.
Some of that evidence was in Biden’s own speech. Before the 2020 election, Democrats publicly complained about voter suppression. They filed lawsuits against voter ID requirements and election officials cleaning up voter rolls. There was a panic about the U.S. Postal Service removing blue mailboxes and mail-sorting machines.
“You have 23, I believe it is, states have passed over 82 pieces of legislation making it harder for people to vote,” Biden said in June 2020.
That rhetoric was ignored on Tuesday. Instead, Biden bragged, “In 2020, more people voted in America than ever.”
Record turnout isn’t what you’d expect from a country awash in voter suppression. But that didn’t stop Biden from recycling old talking points.
“This year alone, 17 states have enacted — not just proposed, but enacted — 28 new laws to make it harder for Americans to vote,” Biden said. He continued, “The 21st-century Jim Crow assault is real.” He had specific ire for Georgia’s new voter law. He said it was “racially discriminatory” and a “vicious anti-voting law.”
That’s ridiculous. Georgia’s new voting law provides at least 17 days of early voting. Early voting hours will even increase in some areas. During the past election, Biden’s home state of Delaware didn’t provide any early voting. An absentee ballot will be available to any voter who requests one. Georgia offers a free voter ID card that fulfills its photo ID requirements.
The reason Biden talks so much about voter suppression is to boost voter turnout among Democrat-aligned groups. African Americans vote overwhelmingly for Democrats and have for decades. But they have little to show for it. That’s especially true in Democrat-run cities where crime is high and educational achievement is low.
Democrats have found a way to avoid addressing their policy failures. They tell African American voters that Republicans want to prevent them from voting. That’s the point of comparing these voting bills to “Jim Crow,” despite the obvious historical dishonesty.
Biden can get away with this because he knows the national mainstream media will parrot his untruths.
“Biden blasts ‘un-American’ voting limits,” the headline of an AP story on Biden’s speech reads.
“ ‘Have you no shame?’ Biden frames voting rights as a moral reckoning,” The New York Times headline reads.
Don’t let the national mainstream media’s gaslighting fool you. In 1921, voter suppression was a serious issue. In 2021, it’s a conspiracy theory.
Contact Victor Joecks at vjoecks@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4698. Follow @victorjoecks on Twitter.