Celebrations broke out across the country (and world) when it was reported that Joe Biden had defeated Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election, and though Trump's defeat is indeed something to celebrate, the work is far from over. One of the most pressing issues at the moment is the Senate race. In order for the Democrats to win back control, they’ll have to win both seats in Georgia’s runoff election on January 5. Stacey Abrams, the Democratic former candidate for Georgia governor and activist who is widely credited with helping to flip Georgia blue in the presidential election, appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert to discuss how donations to her Fair Fight initiative can help determine the outcome of the Senate race.
"[We need] to raise all the money we can, as fast we can, from anywhere we can," she said. "We know that Kelly Loeffler -- QAnon Kelly -- she has already put in $31 million, $20 million of her own money. We know David Perdue is out there shilling for dollars. We have to beat both of them."
"If you go to GASenate.com, you can contribute to our work," Stacey continued. "It's about helping Jon Ossoff, it's about helping Raphael Warnock, it's about helping Georgia but moreover, it's about saving democracy. Mitch McConnell is not a good leader, he is not a good man, and we cannot withstand four more years of blocking and denying the needs of Americans. So giving to GASenate.com means that you're gonna help make certain that we flip two seats at once."
If you're a Georgia voter who has not yet registered, you can register by December 7. Request your ballot now. For those who don't live in Georgia and still want to help out, donate to GASenate.com. Learn more at Fair Fight's website.
Stacey did say on Colbert that she celebrated Trump's loss for "about 17 minutes on Saturday afternoon," and for any Democrats wondering if Biden's victory is real, Stacey says absolutely. "There’s an orange menace of putrescence who will no longer be able to occupy the White House. That’s a big deal," she said. "There is an incoming president who has moral leadership and character, and who actually believes in science and facts. We have seen the change of the face of leadership by adding Kamala Harris, so women can see themselves, women writ large and women of color in particular, can see themselves in the highest positions in the land. Oh, and did I mention, Trump is leaving? That’s a big win." Watch her full Colbert interview below.
Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez also recently spoke to the NY Times about what's next after Biden assumes office. She said in part:
We need to do a lot of anti-racist, deep canvassing in this country. Because if we keep losing white shares and just allowing Facebook to radicalize more and more elements of white voters and the white electorate, there’s no amount of people of color and young people that you can turn out to offset that.
But the problem is that right now, I think a lot of Dem strategy is to avoid actually working through this. Just trying to avoid poking the bear. That’s their argument with defunding police, right? To not agitate racial resentment. I don’t think that is sustainable.
[...] If the party believes after 94 percent of Detroit went to Biden, after Black organizers just doubled and tripled turnout down in Georgia, after so many people organized Philadelphia, the signal from the Democratic Party is the John Kasichs won us this election? I mean, I can’t even describe how dangerous that is.
AOC also stressed that "progressive policies do not hurt candidates," adding that "every single candidate that co-sponsored Medicare for All in a swing district kept their seat" and that several candidates who co-sponsored the Green New Deal did as well.
Amnesty International have also outlined 11 human rights priorities that they call on the Biden administration to adopt, including healthcare, gender equality, U.S. killings of Black people, the climate crisis, and more. Learn more here.
More info on Fair Fight:
We promote fair elections in Georgia and around the country, encourage voter participation in elections, and educate voters about elections and their voting rights. Fair Fight brings awareness to the public on election reform, advocates for election reform at all levels, and engages in other voter education programs and communications.
Voter suppression of voters of color and young voters is a scourge our country faces in states across the nation. Georgia’s 2018 elections shone a bright light on the issue with elections that were rife with mismanagement, irregularities, unbelievably long lines and more, exposing both recent and also decades-long actions and inactions by the state to thwart the right to vote. Georgians and Americans are fighting back. Fair Fight Action engages in voter mobilization and education activities and advocates for progressive issues; in addition Fair Fight Action has mounted significant programs to combat voter suppression in Georgia and nationally.
Fair Fight PAC has initiated programs to support voter protection programs at state parties around the country and is engaging in partnerships to support and elect pro voting rights, progressive leaders.
