alternet--2020-12-15--Here's the key to activating voter turnout in Georgia

Commerce Street , once the heart of downtown Hawkinsville , Georgia , is easily overlooked .
A visitor following state highways through the Pulaski County seat would glance at a row of faded brick buildings , awning-covered storefronts and dusty windows .
Parking and getting out feels like stepping into an old postcard .
In the sunlight 's glare and morning quiet , you might not know that Black businesses were once barred from the street .
Or that the Ku Klux Klan held some of its largest rallies in America nearby .
Or the street 's cluster of Black-owned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ quick assessments are out of sync with the rhythm of life and pace of change here .
Below buildings painted in pastels , antique-style streetlamps and blue banners labeling Hawkinsville as a `` Historic River Town '' are two barbershops , a Southern bar and grill , a Caribbean takeout restaurant , clothes and gift shops , a small accounting firm , and a tobacco vape store .
Most intriguing of all is what lies below the street 's largest sign , `` The Newberry Foundation . ''
The Hawkinsville African American Heritage @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a faded pine board saying `` COLORED ENTRANCE '' above its door .
Next to it is the Plough and the Pew Reading Room , a ballroom-size space with a dozen large tables and shelves of leather-bound books .
Its volumes range from Jet magazine , to the Journal of Negro Education , to The War of the Rebellion : A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies .
A block away is the county courthouse and its large Confederate monument .
On a recent Saturday before the December @ @ @ @ @ @ @ start of early voting , this crossroad of past and present rural Georgia was the setting for a voter registration drive for the upcoming Senate runoffs on January 5 .
That contest will determine which political party holds the Senate 's majority and with it , the fate of legislation proposed by President-elect Joe Biden .
While the biggest concentrations of Democratic voters surround Atlanta , voting rights groups believe that rural communities of color could tip the balance or cement Democratic wins , if they voted .
A small colorful caravan drove @ @ @ @ @ @ @ where the early unofficial results showed that 4,081 of its 5,687 registered voters cast ballots in the November 3 election .
Most were white voters backing Republicans .
Like the 1960s ' Freedom Riders , whose buses crossed the South to register voters , the registration drive had a similar task : engage and turn out voters .
The drive was led by Fenika Miller , a calm and focused activist who has been working for decades to empower nearby communities of color and women .
Miller runs Black Voters Matter 's middle-Georgia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in front of the museum .
Its eye-catching red , green and black exterior announced the We Got the Power tour , with the words `` Black Voters Matter '' and `` Love '' printed on the side of the van .
Parked behind them was a purple Winnebago from Vote Equality , a group that promotes the Equal Rights Amendment .
It had come from Virginia to boost the drive 's visibility .
Both teams , mostly women , set up tables and chairs on a brick sidewalk .
They laid out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with voting information .
They had gifts , such as T-shirts and other items saying , `` Black Voters Matter , '' `` It 's About Us '' and `` Vote Equality ! ''
to give to anyone registering or who pledged to talk to friends and family about voting .
Then they waited .
Mid-morning on a Saturday was not Commerce Street 's busiest hour .
A deputy sheriff arrived and pretended to be irked that he did not know about this event .
He was happy to stick around .
A @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the shade below the awnings .
They knew each other , were active locally and supported the cause .
Within 15 minutes , a tall , broad , affable middle-aged man with a professorial manner brought a tray of McDonald 's coffee and introduced himself .
He was Julius Johnson , the Newberry Foundation 's founder , museum 's creator , reading room curator and former U.S. State Department worker .
He returned from overseas with his family to Hawkinsville , his ancestral hometown , after his father died .
When I spoke @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I said I had come to town to see people working on voter outreach for the runoffs and not just report on it via Zoom .
`` You know , we have 159 counties in Georgia , '' he said .
`` And each county has different population numbers .
And if you look at the results of the last election , it will tell you a story in terms of voter participation , and that might be a starting point . ''
Miller chose Hawkinsville because of Pulaski County 's turnout numbers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` I caught that 1,026 Black people… [ were eligible to vote ] in this town , but over 800 still did not , '' she said , referring to the presidential election .
`` We have a lot of work to do here , in small towns . ''
Other organizers eyeing the Senate runoffs reached similar conclusions .
But they believed that overlooked rural voters of color could be an unexpected force in the runoffs , which are historically low-turnout races .
Johnson , who briefly introduced himself after serving coffee @ @ @ @ @ @ @ just run for Georgia 's state senate .
He received 31,000 votes but did not win .
Johnson listened to a summary of this runoff strategy .
`` There 's not a lot of time , '' he replied , cutting to the heart of the matter .
`` How do you activate those voters ?
One of the keys is to lean on the existing stimuli , like the churches , or this [ drive ] , or other efforts . ''
The challenge is turning out historically marginalized voters , he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a big registration drive , especially as pastors and ministers were delivering Sunday sermons online in response to the pandemic .
That meant that fewer people would hear announcements about voting .
Johnson said that he had invited some parents to bring their children to register and had urged younger people to bring older relatives .
That strategy seemed like scratching the surface .
Was that going to work ?
He looked up .
`` In rural Georgia , cultural norms and things are pretty entrenched , '' he said .
`` When @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , they are less subjected to the influences of the national sort of influencers .
They still have community .
They 're getting their information on their porches .
They get their information from their pastors , from neighbors at the supermarket , from the clubs they belong to .
They pretty much know the way they 're going to vote . ''
What Johnson was saying was important to understand , especially for Americans who want to help in the runoffs .
Rural Georgians , especially voters of color , were unlikely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ family , friends and faith leaders .
Distrust of outsiders is real .
He patiently answered more questions , responding with unusual candor and detail in a state where it could be hard to get past congenial conversation or curt talk when the subject turned to politics .
I asked to see his museum , which led to a conversation that unexpectedly revealed what many Black residents thought , but would not say aloud , about voting , race and power in middle Georgia .
Johnson walked into the museum .
Displays of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ iconic moments in the civil rights struggle .
He created the museum and the reading room because he was a collector and historian , he said , adding that he was working on a PhD from Howard University .
There was a need to preserve Black local history , create educational settings and have safe civic spaces `` for events like this , '' the voter drive .
`` We want to be a model for other rural communities because in the rural South there are n't many spaces for civic interaction and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It 's not like in Washington , D.C. , or Massachusetts where you have coffee shops and bookstores .
In the rural South , the only public space where people talk is primarily at church or in their homes .
If they go to a restaurant , it 's really just to eat—they are n't there for analytical reasoning or anything like that . ''
In the few restaurants that were open on nearby streets , a handful of white diners were being served by Black employees .
Miller said her canvassers went @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that many people did not go out after dark .
`` There is n't protection . ''
The resistance to change was present and lingering .
Inside the museum , Johnson passed a large basket of cotton and stopped before a memorial on a mantlepiece .
He said that his full name was Julius Johnson Newberry and that this relic was his most prized possession .
It was a tombstone eight inches wide and eight inches high that did not have a name on it .
Its base read , `` Mr. Charley @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his grandfather , seven generations ago .
Near the tombstone 's base were two dashes symbolizing chains from slavery .
At the top were two stars above a line of dashes and dots , signifying broken chains and that he died a free man .
In the 1870s , the Newberry family bought land from their former owners .
`` The worst 300 acres , '' Johnson said .
They cleared the stony soil and grew cotton .
White families with 19th-century roots in Hawkinsville knew the Newberrys .
`` It 's very @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to how the past shadows the present in this town and rural Georgia .
`` It 's very complicated because there is a lot of trauma .
There 's a lot of terror .
And in many respects , there 's love , too , among some large groups in the rural South .
I 'm speaking of African Americans… But we also have a growing Spanish-speaking population here .
They 've been terrorized [ by current authorities ] and stay hidden . ''
Johnson spoke of legacies that outsiders would not know @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cemeteries for white people and Black people ; family stories of how Black people who moved to the North were not permitted to unload their cars on Hawkinsville 's streets into the 1960s , lest the local Black residents see their relative poverty ; that Black people were whipped on nearby farms as late at the 1970s and 1980s ; the reason why many Black people still do n't swim in the nearby Ocmulgee River , as skeletons periodically surface or are dredged up .
`` There 's a lot of trauma here @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have not accessed the local power structure effectively to represent their interests , '' Johnson said , returning to politics and elections .
`` They 've been outsmarted by every trick in the book .
And while people are resilient , they 're fatigued .
And people have adjusted to a lot of the inequality that exists . ''
Johnson 's work for the State Department included trying to sway `` hearts and minds '' in Afghanistan .
Inequality could still be seen locally , he said , as most of the leadership @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and education were held by white people .
Illiteracy was a real issue , he said , citing Vietnam veterans who could not fill out benefit forms .
So was race-based intimidation .
Those cultural currents and a rural economy with limited opportunities left many people of color contained , cautious and wary of outsiders .
Many people of color stayed in their lane and kept quiet .
`` It 's like once you 're identified to do something here , especially if a white person gives you an opportunity , you stick @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` And to stick with it means you stay in your place and do n't get involved in things that will jeopardize your income because jobs are hard to come by . ''
Johnson broke out of this mold .
His roots , higher education , federal service and efforts to redevelop Hawkinsville 's former commercial center were not openly criticized in a small county 25 miles from the interstate highway .
He confided that he did not have many close local friends .
The conversation continued in his office in Hawkinsville 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lawyers , realtors and businessmen once worked .
He and the other Commerce Street merchants were underwriting the voter drive and had invited people .
He did n't expect many to show up .
But word would get around .
`` Most people have things to do on Saturday , '' Johnson said .
`` To ask them to come downtown for something like this is unusual .
We have reached out to a cross-section of people and we 'll see who turns up .
There 's a saying down here , 'Every @ @ @ @ @ @ @ So , although you do n't see the numbers , [ that ] does n't mean the numbers are n't seeing you . ''
Johnson 's openness and insights were surprising .
He explained what was widely understood but not often spoken in middle Georgia—and especially not spoken of to out-of-town journalists .
His dissection of the culture had a direct bearing on how rural voters of color could—or should not—be reached for the Senate runoffs .
His clear takeaway was that only known groups and people , relying on local volunteers or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would likely be effective messengers to motivate people who did n't plan to vote .
As Johnson showed his visitors the rest of his building that he hoped would become a democracy center—a hub readymade for organizers—a younger man ran up the staircase and said , `` Mr. Way is outside and wants to see you . ''
Johnson smiled and quickly headed down to Commerce Street .
Sam Way , age 95 , wore a flannel shirt , pressed jeans , and a surgical mask and walked with a cane .
His @ @ @ @ @ @ @ days .
His family founded nearby banks that were still open and owned vast tracts of farmland and forests .
Mr. Way , who is white , knew many leading Georgia politicians when Southern Democrats controlled the state , such as Jimmy Carter when he was governor and president .
And Georgia 's politicians knew him .
The handful of Black people sitting in chairs on the sidewalk stood to greet Way : Mary Colson , the only Black Board of Elections member ; Bernice Banks , who moved back to town five @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deputy chair of a newly revived county Democratic Party ; and Black Voters Matter 's Miller and her team .
Johnson greeted Way , who was surveying the colorful Black Voters Matter van and registration table and Vote Equality 's RV and its table .
`` We could use more of this , '' Way said , pressing a folded $ 100 bill into Johnson 's hand .
Johnson introduced Way to the Vote Equality crew as `` one of the founders of this town . ''
The women at the Vote Equality @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Virginia to help the voter drive .
Miller quickly organized a group photograph .
Afterward , Way was asked what people could do to help efforts like this voter drive .
`` The main thing you can do is identify people who live in this town who are not registered .
And then follow it up and make sure they get to the polls on Election Day , '' he said .
`` It 's that simple . ''
`` Was that hard to do around here ? ''
he was asked .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ somebody is dedicated to get out there and work with it , '' he replied .
`` Just like Stacey [ Abrams ] has done .
She 's just gotten everybody to organize in Atlanta .
Because 70 percent of the vote on November 3 was white in this county .
Only 30 percent [ of the vote ] was Black .
And yet the population is about 50-50 .
So that 's the challenge . ''
After Way left , the registration drive continued .
Miller felt that the trickle of people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ streets .
But Johnson 's assessment had been spot on .
Not one of the dozen people who showed up to register to vote shared their full name or said much more than voting was `` a good thing . ''
Across the street inside Bryant 's Barber Shop , people felt a bit freer to talk .
It was a safer space , especially after Johnson 's introductions .
He praised Elgin Bryant as a `` quiet guy who touches everybody 's head in this town . ''
Bryant 's ancestors had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was retired from work at a nearby military base and cut hair at his father 's old barbershop on weekends .
Bryant said he was pleased that Joe Biden had picked Kamala Harris as his running mate .
He was pleased that Georgia 's voters chose Biden .
People were paying attention , he said , especially younger people .
`` It 's a great thing .
I think it 's going to make people realize we need to get out and vote , '' he said , cautiously optimistic .
`` I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it .
The older generation , they kind of thought it did n't matter… Over a period of years , you know , a lot of Black people have gotten less [ than whites ] .
It 's time now .
This needs to change . ''
Shawn Nelson , a younger man and a truck driver in Bryant 's seat , was eager to talk .
He seemed genuinely excited about the runoffs .
`` The outcome of the January 5 election is going to have an impact on the United States @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` We need to get those two Democrats in and start making a change .
For health care , education… '' Nelson , too , wanted to believe that Biden 's victory meant change could come .
`` That 's big progress for Georgia , '' he said .
`` I 'm 40 years old and as far as I can remember , Georgia has been known as a racist state .
Even though it still probably is , I think with these Democrats that are getting in office , I think we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . ''
But back outside , the foot traffic had slowed as mid-afternoon approached .
Elizabeth Small , who was sitting in a chair by the Black Voters Matter table and ready to help anyone register , seemed flustered .
She was 79 , and still a poll worker .
She was not pleased with the Black turnout on November 3 and wanted to see more people show up for the registration drive .
`` As you can see , there are not enough Blacks here for the event that 's coming up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
`` Blacks need to participate more .
They are not here .
I do n't know where they are .
Because they should participate… But we do n't often get asked to participate . ''
Small admitted that she was frustrated .
`` Everything that you want to have happen takes too long , '' she said .
`` And the ones that you see today are the ones [ that ] are always present , for whatever , especially for the voter registration .
It 's always the same few @ @ @ @ @ @ @ few . ''
By 3 p.m. the registration drive was over .
The local newspaper did not show up .
The Black Voters Matter crew drove back to Warner Robins , a small city nearby .
The Vote Equality crew followed Johnson to his house .
The January 5 runoffs were more than a month away .
Voter registration would close on December 7 .
Early voting would start on December 14 .
While the national media has been concentrating on suburban Atlanta 's Biden voters who `` tore down political fences , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ voters of color in rural Georgia who could play an outsized role—if they vote .
At first glance , Hawkinsville looks like it has barely changed in decades .
But its once-white business center is now filled with Black-owned businesses .
Looking toward January 5 , there is an election where its long-suppressed voices—like others across Georgia—could ring from coast to coast .
Steven Rosenfeld is the editor and chief correspondent of Voting Booth , a project of the Independent Media Institute .
He has reported for National Public Radio , Marketplace , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ well as a wide range of progressive publications including Salon , AlterNet , the American Prospect , and many others .
This article was produced by Voting Booth , a project of the Independent Media Institute .

Commerce Street, once the heart of downtown Hawkinsville, Georgia, is easily overlooked. A visitor following state highways through the Pulaski County seat would glance at a row of faded brick buildings, awning-covered storefronts and dusty windows. Parking and getting out feels like stepping into an old postcard. In the sunlight's glare and morning quiet, you might not know that Black businesses were once barred from the street. Or that the Ku Klux Klan held some of its largest rallies in America nearby. Or the street's cluster of Black-owned businesses as a small-town triumph.
But quick assessments are out of sync with the rhythm of life and pace of change here. Below buildings painted in pastels, antique-style streetlamps and blue banners labeling Hawkinsville as a "Historic River Town" are two barbershops, a Southern bar and grill, a Caribbean takeout restaurant, clothes and gift shops, a small accounting firm, and a tobacco vape store. Most intriguing of all is what lies below the street's largest sign, "The Newberry Foundation."
The Hawkinsville African American Heritage Center is a Black history museum with a faded pine board saying "COLORED ENTRANCE" above its door. Next to it is the Plough and the Pew Reading Room, a ballroom-size space with a dozen large tables and shelves of leather-bound books. Its volumes range from Jet magazine, to the Journal of Negro Education, to The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. A block away is the county courthouse and its large Confederate monument.
On a recent Saturday before the December 7 registration deadline and the December 14 start of early voting, this crossroad of past and present rural Georgia was the setting for a voter registration drive for the upcoming Senate runoffs on January 5. That contest will determine which political party holds the Senate's majority and with it, the fate of legislation proposed by President-elect Joe Biden. While the biggest concentrations of Democratic voters surround Atlanta, voting rights groups believe that rural communities of color could tip the balance or cement Democratic wins, if they voted.
A small colorful caravan drove to the center of Pulaski County, where the early unofficial results showed that 4,081 of its 5,687 registered voters cast ballots in the November 3 election. Most were white voters backing Republicans. Like the 1960s' Freedom Riders, whose buses crossed the South to register voters, the registration drive had a similar task: engage and turn out voters.
The drive was led by Fenika Miller, a calm and focused activist who has been working for decades to empower nearby communities of color and women. Miller runs Black Voters Matter's middle-Georgia office, whose colorful van was parked in front of the museum. Its eye-catching red, green and black exterior announced the We Got the Power tour, with the words "Black Voters Matter" and "Love" printed on the side of the van. Parked behind them was a purple Winnebago from Vote Equality, a group that promotes the Equal Rights Amendment. It had come from Virginia to boost the drive's visibility.
Both teams, mostly women, set up tables and chairs on a brick sidewalk. They laid out registration forms, flyers, and cards with voting information. They had gifts, such as T-shirts and other items saying, "Black Voters Matter," "It's About Us" and "Vote Equality!" to give to anyone registering or who pledged to talk to friends and family about voting. Then they waited. Mid-morning on a Saturday was not Commerce Street's busiest hour.
A deputy sheriff arrived and pretended to be irked that he did not know about this event. He was happy to stick around. A few Black women quietly found seats in the shade below the awnings. They knew each other, were active locally and supported the cause. Within 15 minutes, a tall, broad, affable middle-aged man with a professorial manner brought a tray of McDonald's coffee and introduced himself. He was Julius Johnson, the Newberry Foundation's founder, museum's creator, reading room curator and former U.S. State Department worker. He returned from overseas with his family to Hawkinsville, his ancestral hometown, after his father died.
When I spoke with Johnson, he lit up when I said I had come to town to see people working on voter outreach for the runoffs and not just report on it via Zoom. "You know, we have 159 counties in Georgia," he said. "And each county has different population numbers. And if you look at the results of the last election, it will tell you a story in terms of voter participation, and that might be a starting point."
Miller chose Hawkinsville because of Pulaski County's turnout numbers, she explained while setting up. "I caught that 1,026 Black people… [were eligible to vote] in this town, but over 800 still did not," she said, referring to the presidential election. "We have a lot of work to do here, in small towns."
Other organizers eyeing the Senate runoffs reached similar conclusions. But they believed that overlooked rural voters of color could be an unexpected force in the runoffs, which are historically low-turnout races. Johnson, who briefly introduced himself after serving coffee, did not mention that he had just run for Georgia's state senate. He received 31,000 votes but did not win. Johnson listened to a summary of this runoff strategy.
"There's not a lot of time," he replied, cutting to the heart of the matter. "How do you activate those voters? One of the keys is to lean on the existing stimuli, like the churches, or this [drive], or other efforts."
The challenge is turning out historically marginalized voters, he said. It was too late for a big registration drive, especially as pastors and ministers were delivering Sunday sermons online in response to the pandemic. That meant that fewer people would hear announcements about voting. Johnson said that he had invited some parents to bring their children to register and had urged younger people to bring older relatives. That strategy seemed like scratching the surface. Was that going to work? He looked up.
"In rural Georgia, cultural norms and things are pretty entrenched," he said. "When you get down to these smaller counties, they are less subjected to the influences of the national sort of influencers. They still have community. They're getting their information on their porches. They get their information from their pastors, from neighbors at the supermarket, from the clubs they belong to. They pretty much know the way they're going to vote."
What Johnson was saying was important to understand, especially for Americans who want to help in the runoffs. Rural Georgians, especially voters of color, were unlikely to trust people outside their circle of family, friends and faith leaders. Distrust of outsiders is real. He patiently answered more questions, responding with unusual candor and detail in a state where it could be hard to get past congenial conversation or curt talk when the subject turned to politics. I asked to see his museum, which led to a conversation that unexpectedly revealed what many Black residents thought, but would not say aloud, about voting, race and power in middle Georgia.
Unlocking the Unspoken
Johnson walked into the museum. Displays of local history stood next to recreations of iconic moments in the civil rights struggle. He created the museum and the reading room because he was a collector and historian, he said, adding that he was working on a PhD from Howard University. There was a need to preserve Black local history, create educational settings and have safe civic spaces "for events like this," the voter drive.
"We want to be a model for other rural communities because in the rural South there aren't many spaces for civic interaction and engagement," Johnson explained. "It's not like in Washington, D.C., or Massachusetts where you have coffee shops and bookstores. In the rural South, the only public space where people talk is primarily at church or in their homes. If they go to a restaurant, it's really just to eat—they aren't there for analytical reasoning or anything like that."
In the few restaurants that were open on nearby streets, a handful of white diners were being served by Black employees. Miller said her canvassers went out in pairs—never alone. Johnson said that many people did not go out after dark. "There isn't protection." The resistance to change was present and lingering.
Inside the museum, Johnson passed a large basket of cotton and stopped before a memorial on a mantlepiece. He said that his full name was Julius Johnson Newberry and that this relic was his most prized possession. It was a tombstone eight inches wide and eight inches high that did not have a name on it. Its base read, "Mr. Charley Newberry, 1818-1880." This was his grandfather, seven generations ago. Near the tombstone's base were two dashes symbolizing chains from slavery. At the top were two stars above a line of dashes and dots, signifying broken chains and that he died a free man. In the 1870s, the Newberry family bought land from their former owners. "The worst 300 acres," Johnson said. They cleared the stony soil and grew cotton. White families with 19th-century roots in Hawkinsville knew the Newberrys.
"It's very complicated," Johnson said, referring to how the past shadows the present in this town and rural Georgia. "It's very complicated because there is a lot of trauma. There's a lot of terror. And in many respects, there's love, too, among some large groups in the rural South. I'm speaking of African Americans… But we also have a growing Spanish-speaking population here. They've been terrorized [by current authorities] and stay hidden."
Johnson spoke of legacies that outsiders would not know or recognize: The town's separate cemeteries for white people and Black people; family stories of how Black people who moved to the North were not permitted to unload their cars on Hawkinsville's streets into the 1960s, lest the local Black residents see their relative poverty; that Black people were whipped on nearby farms as late at the 1970s and 1980s; the reason why many Black people still don't swim in the nearby Ocmulgee River, as skeletons periodically surface or are dredged up.
"There's a lot of trauma here, and people in these rural towns have not accessed the local power structure effectively to represent their interests," Johnson said, returning to politics and elections. "They've been outsmarted by every trick in the book. And while people are resilient, they're fatigued. And people have adjusted to a lot of the inequality that exists."
Johnson's work for the State Department included trying to sway "hearts and minds" in Afghanistan. Inequality could still be seen locally, he said, as most of the leadership posts in county government, law enforcement and education were held by white people. Illiteracy was a real issue, he said, citing Vietnam veterans who could not fill out benefit forms. So was race-based intimidation. Those cultural currents and a rural economy with limited opportunities left many people of color contained, cautious and wary of outsiders. Many people of color stayed in their lane and kept quiet.
"It's like once you're identified to do something here, especially if a white person gives you an opportunity, you stick with it," Johnson said. "And to stick with it means you stay in your place and don't get involved in things that will jeopardize your income because jobs are hard to come by."
Johnson broke out of this mold. His roots, higher education, federal service and efforts to redevelop Hawkinsville's former commercial center were not openly criticized in a small county 25 miles from the interstate highway. He confided that he did not have many close local friends. The conversation continued in his office in Hawkinsville's first two-story brick building, where white lawyers, realtors and businessmen once worked. He and the other Commerce Street merchants were underwriting the voter drive and had invited people. He didn't expect many to show up. But word would get around.
"Most people have things to do on Saturday," Johnson said. "To ask them to come downtown for something like this is unusual. We have reached out to a cross-section of people and we'll see who turns up. There's a saying down here, 'Every shut eye ain't asleep.' So, although you don't see the numbers, [that] doesn't mean the numbers aren't seeing you."
Johnson's openness and insights were surprising. He explained what was widely understood but not often spoken in middle Georgia—and especially not spoken of to out-of-town journalists. His dissection of the culture had a direct bearing on how rural voters of color could—or should not—be reached for the Senate runoffs. His clear takeaway was that only known groups and people, relying on local volunteers or paying local people a small wage, would likely be effective messengers to motivate people who didn't plan to vote.
As Johnson showed his visitors the rest of his building that he hoped would become a democracy center—a hub readymade for organizers—a younger man ran up the staircase and said, "Mr. Way is outside and wants to see you." Johnson smiled and quickly headed down to Commerce Street.
The Way Forward
Sam Way, age 95, wore a flannel shirt, pressed jeans, and a surgical mask and walked with a cane. His Hawkinsville roots went back to pre-Civil War days. His family founded nearby banks that were still open and owned vast tracts of farmland and forests. Mr. Way, who is white, knew many leading Georgia politicians when Southern Democrats controlled the state, such as Jimmy Carter when he was governor and president. And Georgia's politicians knew him.
The handful of Black people sitting in chairs on the sidewalk stood to greet Way: Mary Colson, the only Black Board of Elections member; Bernice Banks, who moved back to town five years ago and this fall became the deputy chair of a newly revived county Democratic Party; and Black Voters Matter's Miller and her team.
Johnson greeted Way, who was surveying the colorful Black Voters Matter van and registration table and Vote Equality's RV and its table. "We could use more of this," Way said, pressing a folded $100 bill into Johnson's hand.
Johnson introduced Way to the Vote Equality crew as "one of the founders of this town." The women at the Vote Equality table said that they had come from Virginia to help the voter drive. Miller quickly organized a group photograph. Afterward, Way was asked what people could do to help efforts like this voter drive.
"The main thing you can do is identify people who live in this town who are not registered. And then follow it up and make sure they get to the polls on Election Day," he said. "It's that simple."
"Was that hard to do around here?" he was asked.
"It's not hard, if somebody is dedicated to get out there and work with it," he replied. "Just like Stacey [Abrams] has done. She's just gotten everybody to organize in Atlanta. Because 70 percent of the vote on November 3 was white in this county. Only 30 percent [of the vote] was Black. And yet the population is about 50-50. So that's the challenge."
After Way left, the registration drive continued. Miller felt that the trickle of people stopping by justified shifting to canvassing nearby streets. But Johnson's assessment had been spot on. Not one of the dozen people who showed up to register to vote shared their full name or said much more than voting was "a good thing."
Across the street inside Bryant's Barber Shop, people felt a bit freer to talk. It was a safer space, especially after Johnson's introductions. He praised Elgin Bryant as a "quiet guy who touches everybody's head in this town." Bryant's ancestors had also been slaves in Hawkinsville. He was retired from work at a nearby military base and cut hair at his father's old barbershop on weekends.
Bryant said he was pleased that Joe Biden had picked Kamala Harris as his running mate. He was pleased that Georgia's voters chose Biden. People were paying attention, he said, especially younger people.
"It's a great thing. I think it's going to make people realize we need to get out and vote," he said, cautiously optimistic. "I think the younger generation's really getting it. The older generation, they kind of thought it didn't matter… Over a period of years, you know, a lot of Black people have gotten less [than whites]. It's time now. This needs to change."
Shawn Nelson, a younger man and a truck driver in Bryant's seat, was eager to talk. He seemed genuinely excited about the runoffs.
"The outcome of the January 5 election is going to have an impact on the United States for years," he said. "We need to get those two Democrats in and start making a change. For health care, education…"
Nelson, too, wanted to believe that Biden's victory meant change could come.
"That's big progress for Georgia," he said. "I'm 40 years old and as far as I can remember, Georgia has been known as a racist state. Even though it still probably is, I think with these Democrats that are getting in office, I think we can look forward to seeing some change."
But back outside, the foot traffic had slowed as mid-afternoon approached. Elizabeth Small, who was sitting in a chair by the Black Voters Matter table and ready to help anyone register, seemed flustered. She was 79, and still a poll worker. She was not pleased with the Black turnout on November 3 and wanted to see more people show up for the registration drive.
"As you can see, there are not enough Blacks here for the event that's coming up that's so important," she said. "Blacks need to participate more. They are not here. I don't know where they are. Because they should participate… But we don't often get asked to participate."
Small admitted that she was frustrated. "Everything that you want to have happen takes too long," she said. "And the ones that you see today are the ones [that] are always present, for whatever, especially for the voter registration. It's always the same few people. Right? Always the same few."
By 3 p.m. the registration drive was over. The local newspaper did not show up. The Black Voters Matter crew drove back to Warner Robins, a small city nearby. The Vote Equality crew followed Johnson to his house. The January 5 runoffs were more than a month away. Voter registration would close on December 7. Early voting would start on December 14.
While the national media has been concentrating on suburban Atlanta's Biden voters who "tore down political fences," there are thousands and thousands of voters of color in rural Georgia who could play an outsized role—if they vote. At first glance, Hawkinsville looks like it has barely changed in decades. But its once-white business center is now filled with Black-owned businesses. Looking toward January 5, there is an election where its long-suppressed voices—like others across Georgia—could ring from coast to coast.
Steven Rosenfeld is the editor and chief correspondent of Voting Booth, a project of the Independent Media Institute. He has reported for National Public Radio, Marketplace, and Christian Science Monitor Radio, as well as a wide range of progressive publications including Salon, AlterNet, the American Prospect, and many others.
This article was produced by Voting Booth, a project of the Independent Media Institute.


alternet--2020-12-15--A judge just said the Trump Organization must hand over records to the NY attorney general

Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Arthur Engoron has just ordered President Donald Trump 's company , the Trump Organization , to @ @ @ @ @ the State of New York 's Attorney General , Letitia James .
James has been @ @ @ @ @ family businesses since March of 2019 , just two months after she took office .
@ @ @ @ @ the Trump Organization to divulge reams of information about engineer Ralph Mastromonaco , '' Law @ @ @ @ @ who was retained to develop the Seven Springs estate , one of four properties currently @ @ @ @ @ into whether Eric Trump and various corporate entities improperly inflated assets to obtain tax benefits @ @ @ @ @ , Trump Organization subsidiary Seven Springs LLC bought the estate for $ 7.5 million , @ @ @ @ @ .
`` Two decades later , Trump agreed to establish a 'conservation easement ' to @ @ @ @ @ salamanders and bats in 2015 , assessing the value of that property 's feature at @ @ @ @ @ year . ''

Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Arthur Engoron has just ordered President Donald Trump's company, the Trump Organization, to hand over more documents to the State of New York's Attorney General, Letitia James.
James has been investigating President Donald Trump's family businesses since March of 2019, just two months after she took office.
"The ruling could force the Trump Organization to divulge reams of information about engineer Ralph Mastromonaco," Law & Crime reports, "who was retained to develop the Seven Springs estate, one of four properties currently subject to a broad investigation into whether Eric Trump and various corporate entities improperly inflated assets to obtain tax benefits."
"In 1995, Trump Organization subsidiary Seven Springs LLC bought the estate for $7.5 million," Law & Crimes adds. "Two decades later, Trump agreed to establish a 'conservation easement' to provide a habitat for rare salamanders and bats in 2015, assessing the value of that property's feature at $21.1 million the next year."
James celebrated the development Tuesday afternoon.


alternet--2020-12-15--Far-right activist Charlie Kirk loses it over Mitch McConnell congratulating Biden

On Tuesday , Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell — known for being one of the fiercest GOP partisans on Capitol Hill — acknowledged Democrat Joe Biden as president-elect and congratulated him along with vice president-elect Kamala Harris .
And McConnell is being slammed for it by far-right radio host and Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk .
Kirk angrily told listeners : `` If he had to and was getting pressure , he could have , at the very most , ( said ) , 'Today , I will recognize . '
I probably would have taken exception to that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ means that you are applauding and recognizing an achievement of success .
When do you use 'congratulations ' in your life ?
When people attain athletic accomplishments .
When people get married , engaged . ''
Many Republican supporters of President Donald Trump have been claiming , without evidence , that Democrats stole the election from him by committing widespread voter fraud .
But U.S. Attorney General William Barr , a Trump loyalist , has said that despite the Justice Department 's investigations into the subject , no evidence has emerged to indicate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the result of the election .
And the most right-wing U.S. Supreme Court in generations has rejected Republican lawsuits challenging the election results .
Regardless , Kirk implied that McConnell was congratulating Biden for some type of wrongdoing .
`` You typically do n't use the term congratulations when someone just stole a bank , stole money from a bank , '' Kirk told listeners .
`` You do n't go to your friends or your family members that might be engaging in criminal activity and say , 'Congratulations . '
It 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ things . ''
Here are tweets posted in response to Kirk 's attack on McConnell :

On Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell — known for being one of the fiercest GOP partisans on Capitol Hill — acknowledged Democrat Joe Biden as president-elect and congratulated him along with vice president-elect Kamala Harris. And McConnell is being slammed for it by far-right radio host and Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk.
Kirk angrily told listeners: "If he had to and was getting pressure, he could have, at the very most, (said), 'Today, I will recognize.' I probably would have taken exception to that. But the term 'congratulations' inherently means that you are applauding and recognizing an achievement of success. When do you use 'congratulations' in your life? When people attain athletic accomplishments. When people get married, engaged."
Many Republican supporters of President Donald Trump have been claiming, without evidence, that Democrats stole the election from him by committing widespread voter fraud. But U.S. Attorney General William Barr, a Trump loyalist, has said that despite the Justice Department's investigations into the subject, no evidence has emerged to indicate there was fraud that could have altered the result of the election. And the most right-wing U.S. Supreme Court in generations has rejected Republican lawsuits challenging the election results.
Regardless, Kirk implied that McConnell was congratulating Biden for some type of wrongdoing.
"You typically don't use the term congratulations when someone just stole a bank, stole money from a bank," Kirk told listeners. "You don't go to your friends or your family members that might be engaging in criminal activity and say, 'Congratulations.' It's typically not the right way to handle things."
Here are tweets posted in response to Kirk's attack on McConnell:


alternet--2020-12-15--Biden to nominate Pete Buttigieg for transportation secretary: report

A year ago , former Vice President Joe Biden and then-South Bend , Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg were debating one another during the Democratic presidential primary .
Now , Buttigieg is being nominated for transportation secretary in President-elect Biden 's incoming administration , according to CNN , as well as other outlets .
CNN 's Dan Merica explains , `` The role of transportation secretary is expected to play a central role in Biden 's push for a bipartisan infrastructure package .
Buttigieg is seen as a rising star in the Democratic Party , but someone who lacked an obvious @ @ @ @ @ @ @ continued rightward shift of his home state of Indiana . ''
Biden and Buttigieg , now 38 , had their disagreements during the primary , but after Buttigieg dropped out , Biden spoke highly of him and even compared him to his late son Beau Biden .
At an event in Dallas in March , Biden said of the comparison , `` I know that may not mean much to most people , but to me , it 's the highest compliment I can give any man or woman . ''
Buttigieg is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Biden has selected .
Although Biden and Sen. Kamala Harris had some testy exchanges during the primary , he ended up choosing her as his running mate — and the California senator is now vice president-elect .
Journalist Bill Scher , in May 2019 , predicted that Buttigieg would end up in a presidential administration — and he even guessed the right position : Other Democrats who were considered for transportation secretary , Merica notes , range from Rhode Island Gov .
Gina Raimondo and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti to former Chicago @ @ @ @ @ @ @ White House chief of staff in President Barack Obama 's administration in 2009 and 2010 .
Biden reportedly considered Buttigieg for other positions in his administration , including Commerce secretary and U.S. ambassador to the United Nations .

A year ago, former Vice President Joe Biden and then-South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg were debating one another during the Democratic presidential primary. Now, Buttigieg is being nominated for transportation secretary in President-elect Biden's incoming administration, according to CNN, as well as other outlets.
CNN's Dan Merica explains, "The role of transportation secretary is expected to play a central role in Biden's push for a bipartisan infrastructure package. Buttigieg is seen as a rising star in the Democratic Party, but someone who lacked an obvious path to higher elected office given the continued rightward shift of his home state of Indiana."
Biden and Buttigieg, now 38, had their disagreements during the primary, but after Buttigieg dropped out, Biden spoke highly of him and even compared him to his late son Beau Biden. At an event in Dallas in March, Biden said of the comparison, "I know that may not mean much to most people, but to me, it's the highest compliment I can give any man or woman."
Buttigieg isn't the only former Democratic primary rival Biden has selected. Although Biden and Sen. Kamala Harris had some testy exchanges during the primary, he ended up choosing her as his running mate — and the California senator is now vice president-elect.
Journalist Bill Scher, in May 2019, predicted that Buttigieg would end up in a presidential administration — and he even guessed the right position:
Other Democrats who were considered for transportation secretary, Merica notes, range from Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti to former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emmanuel, who served as White House chief of staff in President Barack Obama's administration in 2009 and 2010.
Biden reportedly considered Buttigieg for other positions in his administration, including Commerce secretary and U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.


alternet--2020-12-15--In private call, Mitch McConnell tries to shut down GOP plan to contest Biden's win: reports

Although the Electoral College confirmed on Monday that President-elect Joe Biden won 306 electoral votes in the 2020 presidential election , some allies of President Donald Trump are hoping that Republicans in Congress will refuse to acknowledge Biden 's victory during the Jan. 6 joint session .
But according to Axios ' Alayna Treene and Politico 's Jake Sherman , Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is urging fellow Republicans in the U.S. Senate to accept Biden 's certification that day .
On Tuesday , Sherman tweeted that McConnell , Sen. Roy Blunt of Missouri and Senate Majority Whip John Thune @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to NOT object to the election results Jan. 6 '' during a phone conversation : Treene , in response to Sherman 's tweet , confirmed his reporting : In an article published by Axios on Tuesday afternoon after those tweets , Treene explained , `` Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and his leadership team urged fellow Republicans on a conference call today not to participate in any efforts to object to certifying Joe Biden 's presidential election win in the January 6 joint session , two sources on the call tell Axios .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ is about politics as much as about doing the right thing .
Strategists are concerned any public vote could hurt GOP incumbents up for reelection in 2022… .
'McConnell said 'there 's zero sentiment ' for an objection , according to sources . ''
Thune , Treene reports , told fellow Republicans , `` It would be great if there were no members that took up that issue . ''
Tuesday on the Senate floor , McConnell finally acknowledged Biden as `` president-elect '' and Sen. Kamala Harris as vice president-elect and congratulated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Republicans are committed to challenging the results of the election on Jan. 6 when Congress counts slates of electors .
For a challenge to succeed , a senator must join in .
But even with a congressperson and a senator , the challenge proceeds to deliberations by both the House and the Senate chambers , both of which are nearly guaranteed to reject any chance to overturn Biden 's win .
So while the hard-core Trump supporters want to create chaos to show their loyalty to the president , the likely result of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more embarrassment and discord in the GOP .

Although the Electoral College confirmed on Monday that President-elect Joe Biden won 306 electoral votes in the 2020 presidential election, some allies of President Donald Trump are hoping that Republicans in Congress will refuse to acknowledge Biden's victory during the Jan. 6 joint session. But according to Axios' Alayna Treene and Politico's Jake Sherman, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is urging fellow Republicans in the U.S. Senate to accept Biden's certification that day.
On Tuesday, Sherman tweeted that McConnell, Sen. Roy Blunt of Missouri and Senate Majority Whip John Thune, "all pleaded with Senate Rs to NOT object to the election results Jan. 6" during a phone conversation:
Treene, in response to Sherman's tweet, confirmed his reporting:
In an article published by Axios on Tuesday afternoon after those tweets, Treene explained, "Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and his leadership team urged fellow Republicans on a conference call today not to participate in any efforts to object to certifying Joe Biden's presidential election win in the January 6 joint session, two sources on the call tell Axios."
According to Treene, "This is about politics as much as about doing the right thing. Strategists are concerned any public vote could hurt GOP incumbents up for reelection in 2022…. 'McConnell said 'there's zero sentiment' for an objection, according to sources."
Thune, Treene reports, told fellow Republicans, "It would be great if there were no members that took up that issue."
Tuesday on the Senate floor, McConnell finally acknowledged Biden as "president-elect" and Sen. Kamala Harris as vice president-elect and congratulated them on their victories.
Several House Republicans are committed to challenging the results of the election on Jan. 6 when Congress counts slates of electors. For a challenge to succeed, a senator must join in. But even with a congressperson and a senator, the challenge proceeds to deliberations by both the House and the Senate chambers, both of which are nearly guaranteed to reject any chance to overturn Biden's win. So while the hard-core Trump supporters want to create chaos to show their loyalty to the president, the likely result of any challenge is likely to just be more embarrassment and discord in the GOP.


alternet--2020-12-15--Columnist explains how Biden can fix one of Trump's most 'destructive failures'

The United States reached another tragic milestone in the coronavirus pandemic this week when the country 's COVID-19 death count , according to Johns Hopkins University , passed 300,000 .
President-elect Joe Biden will inherit a massive health crisis after his inauguration on January 20 — one that , liberal Washington Post opinion writer Greg Sargent stresses in his column , President Donald Trump has gone out of his way to politicize .
`` For President Trump , the coronavirus amounted to little more than a weapon of convenience — a way to realize his deranged goal of deepening national @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Which has saddled Joe Biden with a huge challenge : the imperative of converting it into an occasion for national unity . ''
Sargent discussed Biden 's coronavirus response with David Kessler , who is serving as co-chairman of the president-elect 's COVID-19 advisory board .
And as Kessler sees it , the pandemic offers an `` enormous opportunity for the country to come together . ''
`` At the end of the day , '' Kessler told Sargent , `` this is about the president-elect connecting with the American public to emphasize @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , it protects the people around you — your family , friends , neighbors .
And it 's a patriotic duty . ''
According to Kessler , the fact so many people have been affected by COVID-19 makes it harder to deny its deadly impact .
Kessler told Sargent , `` There was a time during this epidemic when the average person said , ' I do n't know anyone who was affected . '
That has changed .
Every family has been touched in one way or another .
`` The Post @ @ @ @ @ @ @ messaging on a COVID-19 vaccine .
`` The Biden team is already laying the groundwork for an intense communications campaign designed to persuade the public to accept vaccines , '' Sargent explains .
`` A lot is riding on the rollout .
If it goes well , it could boost confidence in government and science alike . ''
According to Sargent , the pandemic gives Biden a chance to show that government can work for the country 's common good .
`` Biden faces some truly epic challenges next year , '' Sargent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and you can see that the opportunities are also vast . ''

The United States reached another tragic milestone in the coronavirus pandemic this week when the country's COVID-19 death count, according to Johns Hopkins University, passed 300,000. President-elect Joe Biden will inherit a massive health crisis after his inauguration on January 20 — one that, liberal Washington Post opinion writer Greg Sargent stresses in his column, President Donald Trump has gone out of his way to politicize.
"For President Trump, the coronavirus amounted to little more than a weapon of convenience — a way to realize his deranged goal of deepening national division," Sargent writes. "Which has saddled Joe Biden with a huge challenge: the imperative of converting it into an occasion for national unity."
Sargent discussed Biden's coronavirus response with David Kessler, who is serving as co-chairman of the president-elect's COVID-19 advisory board. And as Kessler sees it, the pandemic offers an "enormous opportunity for the country to come together."
"At the end of the day," Kessler told Sargent, "this is about the president-elect connecting with the American public to emphasize that wearing masks not only protects you, it protects the people around you — your family, friends, neighbors. And it's a patriotic duty."
According to Kessler, the fact so many people have been affected by COVID-19 makes it harder to deny its deadly impact.
Kessler told Sargent, "There was a time during this epidemic when the average person said, 'I don't know anyone who was affected.' That has changed. Every family has been touched in one way or another."The Post columnist has high hopes for Biden's messaging on a COVID-19 vaccine.
"The Biden team is already laying the groundwork for an intense communications campaign designed to persuade the public to accept vaccines," Sargent explains. "A lot is riding on the rollout. If it goes well, it could boost confidence in government and science alike."
According to Sargent, the pandemic gives Biden a chance to show that government can work for the country's common good.
"Biden faces some truly epic challenges next year," Sargent observes. "But look closely, and you can see that the opportunities are also vast."


alternet--2020-12-15--Media critic details how Sean Hannity is poisoning the minds of viewers against democracy

Like other opinion hosts at Fox News , Sean Hannity has been quick to promote President Donald Trump 's baseless claims that he was a victim of widespread voter fraud in this year 's presidential election and that Joe Biden is n't really president-elect .
Washington Post media critic Erik Wemple slams Hannity for promoting false claims and conspiracy theories about the election on his show in a new column this week , stressing that it is bad for democracy .
`` Long a merchant of false and harebrained lines of attack against Democratic politicians , he has moved to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ disenfranchising voters , '' Wemple argues .
`` With each errant utterance , Hannity pushes his viewership closer to a breakup with U.S. democracy .
So , when the next presidential candidate tries to hijack an election , the 'Hannity ' base will be primed to believe whatever random allegations about fraud and irregularities get tossed into the public square .
It 's enough to qualify Hannity as the No .
2 threat to U.S. democracy , right behind his phone buddy in the White House . ''
Wemple goes on to offer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hannity 's `` sprawling and dangerous attack , '' noting that his coverage of the election results often differed considerably from what was reported by Fox News ' hard news division .
On Election Day , Fox News ' decision desk — much to Trump 's chagrin — called Arizona for Joe Biden .
Fox News ' hard news division , in fact , reported Arizona as a Biden win when CNN , MSNBC , the New York Times and other major media outlets were still holding off on calling Arizona for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Saturday , November 7 , Fox News ' hard news division called the election for Biden .
But Hannity , in contrast , refused to acknowledge Biden as president-elect .
And on November 9 , Hannity told viewers , `` We begin tonight with a major Fox News alert .
Attorney General Barr has now authorized the Department of Justice to probe substantial allegations of voting irregularities in multiple states .
We 'll have full coverage throughout the hour on this major development . ''
One pro-Trump election lawsuit after another has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ courts .
But Wemple points out that for `` Hannity '' viewers , `` a Trump Electoral College victory is always around the legal corner . ''
`` Time and again , Hannity alerts his viewers to how many people are buying into the idea that the election was stolen , '' Wemple observes .
`` On November 10 , he riffed , 'Now , tonight , millions of Americans , you do feel betrayed .
According to Politico , look at this : 70 % of Republicans , they do n't believe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and for a good reason . '
Could it be that a lot of those Republicans get their news from Hannity ? ''

Like other opinion hosts at Fox News, Sean Hannity has been quick to promote President Donald Trump's baseless claims that he was a victim of widespread voter fraud in this year's presidential election and that Joe Biden isn't really president-elect. Washington Post media critic Erik Wemple slams Hannity for promoting false claims and conspiracy theories about the election on his show in a new column this week, stressing that it is bad for democracy.
"Long a merchant of false and harebrained lines of attack against Democratic politicians, he has moved to a more alarming perch: advocate for disenfranchising voters," Wemple argues. "With each errant utterance, Hannity pushes his viewership closer to a breakup with U.S. democracy. So, when the next presidential candidate tries to hijack an election, the 'Hannity' base will be primed to believe whatever random allegations about fraud and irregularities get tossed into the public square. It's enough to qualify Hannity as the No. 2 threat to U.S. democracy, right behind his phone buddy in the White House."
Wemple goes on to offer a detailed "A-to-Z guide" to Hannity's "sprawling and dangerous attack," noting that his coverage of the election results often differed considerably from what was reported by Fox News' hard news division.
On Election Day, Fox News' decision desk — much to Trump's chagrin — called Arizona for Joe Biden. Fox News' hard news division, in fact, reported Arizona as a Biden win when CNN, MSNBC, the New York Times and other major media outlets were still holding off on calling Arizona for the former vice president.
Wemple notes that on Saturday, November 7, Fox News' hard news division called the election for Biden. But Hannity, in contrast, refused to acknowledge Biden as president-elect. And on November 9, Hannity told viewers, "We begin tonight with a major Fox News alert. Attorney General Barr has now authorized the Department of Justice to probe substantial allegations of voting irregularities in multiple states. We'll have full coverage throughout the hour on this major development."
One pro-Trump election lawsuit after another has been rejected or thrown out in the courts. But Wemple points out that for "Hannity" viewers, "a Trump Electoral College victory is always around the legal corner."
"Time and again, Hannity alerts his viewers to how many people are buying into the idea that the election was stolen," Wemple observes. "On November 10, he riffed, 'Now, tonight, millions of Americans, you do feel betrayed. According to Politico, look at this: 70% of Republicans, they don't believe this election was free, fair, and for a good reason.' Could it be that a lot of those Republicans get their news from Hannity?"


alternet--2020-12-15--'Embarrassing': Georgia Republican Raffensperger scorches GOP senators as the party devolves into in

'Embarrassing': Georgia Republican Raffensperger scorches GOP senators as the party devolves into infighting

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger ( R ) is firing back at Sens .
Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue ( R-Ga. ) .
for reportedly requesting data that has already been made `` publicly available '' by his office .
On Wednesday , Dec. 15 , Raffensperger released a statement criticizing Loeffler and Perdue 's demand for a new list of Georgia voter registrations .
In his tweet , he explained why the requests are far worse than just `` embarrassing . ''
`` As embarrassing as it is for Sens .
Perdue & Loeffler not to know that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ available from the Secretary of State , it 's even worse that they 're not aware their own campaigns already have the data they 're looking for , '' he said .
He went on to note that early voting for the Georgia runoff is already underway .
However , he did insist that the senators can still contact their respective offices and advise their campaigns to govern themselves accordingly .
Raffensperger added , `` Early voting has already started but it 's not too late for them to call their offices and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Raffensperger 's remarks come just days after Loeffler and Perdue released a joint statement claiming the lists were not released even one week after the voter registration deadline .
the lists were not released even one week after the voter registration deadline .
The two incumbents , whose runoff election will determine the fate of the Senate , also criticized Raffensperger 's office saying the so-called delayed release is `` totally unacceptable . ''
`` It 's been one week since the voter registration deadline passed and the secretary of state has failed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of newly registered voters , '' Loeffler and Perdue said in a joint statement .
`` This is totally unacceptable – the deadline for new voter registration was Dec. 7 , 2020 .
In-person early voting starts today , and the public remains without a full accounting of who is registered and who may attempt to cast a ballot in the runoff . ''
The senators added , `` This lack of transparency needs to be rectified immediately , or the integrity of our elections will remain threatened , '' the senators continued @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and accuracy in our elections process – and the secretary of state is failing to provide it in a timely manner . ''
Raffensperger became a target for Loeffler and Perdue , as well as other Republicans tightly aligned with Trump , as the president raged at the secretary of state over his election loss .
Though he has been unable to come up with any credible reason the election should be overturned , Trump has launched a series of false attacks at Raffensperger and others in an effort to discredit the results @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the party could damage its chances at keeping the Senate seats in the upcoming race .
The Georgia runoff is scheduled for January 5 .

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R) is firing back at Sens. Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue (R-Ga.). for reportedly requesting data that has already been made "publicly available" by his office.
On Wednesday, Dec. 15, Raffensperger released a statement criticizing Loeffler and Perdue's demand for a new list of Georgia voter registrations. In his tweet, he explained why the requests are far worse than just "embarrassing."
"As embarrassing as it is for Sens. Perdue & Loeffler not to know that the data they want is already publicly available from the Secretary of State, it's even worse that they're not aware their own campaigns already have the data they're looking for," he said.
He went on to note that early voting for the Georgia runoff is already underway. However, he did insist that the senators can still contact their respective offices and advise their campaigns to govern themselves accordingly.
Raffensperger added, "Early voting has already started but it's not too late for them to call their offices and get their campaigns in order."
Raffensperger's remarks come just days after Loeffler and Perdue released a joint statement claiming the lists were not released even one week after the voter registration deadline.the lists were not released even one week after the voter registration deadline. The two incumbents, whose runoff election will determine the fate of the Senate, also criticized Raffensperger's office saying the so-called delayed release is "totally unacceptable."
"It's been one week since the voter registration deadline passed and the secretary of state has failed to compile and release a final list of newly registered voters," Loeffler and Perdue said in a joint statement. "This is totally unacceptable – the deadline for new voter registration was Dec. 7, 2020. In-person early voting starts today, and the public remains without a full accounting of who is registered and who may attempt to cast a ballot in the runoff."
The senators added, "This lack of transparency needs to be rectified immediately, or the integrity of our elections will remain threatened," the senators continued. "Georgians demand transparency, accountability and accuracy in our elections process – and the secretary of state is failing to provide it in a timely manner."
Raffensperger became a target for Loeffler and Perdue, as well as other Republicans tightly aligned with Trump, as the president raged at the secretary of state over his election loss. Though he has been unable to come up with any credible reason the election should be overturned, Trump has launched a series of false attacks at Raffensperger and others in an effort to discredit the results. Some Republicans fear that the infighting in the party could damage its chances at keeping the Senate seats in the upcoming race.
The Georgia runoff is scheduled for January 5.


alternet--2020-12-15--The delusions of MAGAworld are starting to crumble

After weeks of refusing to acknowledge or accept the outcome of the 2020 election , President Donald Trump 's `` alternative facts '' news networks are clearly struggling with how to proceed .
But with the meeting of the Electoral College , the reality of President-elect Joe Biden 's win is creeping in .
Newsmax is finally reporting the truth about Biden becoming the next president of the United States , while One America News Network has a slightly different stance .
The Washington Post reported that , unlike Newsmax , the smaller OANN downplayed the Electoral College in its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ quietly shared a retweet acknowledging the vote .
That tweet read : `` BREAKING : Joe Biden has cleared the 270-electoral-vote mark to formalize his presidential victory with California 's 55 votes .
( Per AP ) '' However , their site continues to publish pieces suggesting that widespread voter fraud is the reason for Biden 's victory despite having no evidence to support those claims .
The allegations of fraud are supported by misinterpretations of the facts , misunderstandings of the law , special pleading , and some outright lies .
Both @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sources airing Trump 's unfounded grievances and unproven claims of voter fraud .
Fox News , which played a significant role in initially calling the election for Biden , alienated many of its viewers with the truth , even as much of its coverage gave excessive credence to Trump 's fraud claims .
No matter how outlandish the claim , Newsmax and OANN have enthusiastically reported the president 's claims and refused to accept the outcome of the election .
In fact , they have even advocated for Trump 's attempts to overturn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ attorneys Victoria Toensinga and Joseph diGenova said on Newsmax still believe there will be more avenues to argue Trump 's points .
`` There will be a lot discussed about this over the next 24 hours , '' diGenova said , the Post reported .
Toensing chimed in as she added , `` Maybe only on Newsmax . ''
However , it appears NewsMax is generally turning a corner .
The Post reported that one of the outlet 's anchors tried to break the news of Biden 's win gently to its audience @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do is manage everyone 's expectations , '' host John Bachman said .
`` These judges do n't seem to be taking up these cases .
This is the reality .
This is the motion set in place . ''
Meanwhile , the Newsmax homepage now highlights Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell 's ( R-Ky. ) remarks acknowledging Biden 's win .
`` Many of us had hoped the presidential election would yield a different result , '' McConnell said of Biden 's win .
`` But our system of government has the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in on Jan. 20 .
The Electoral College has spoken . ''
Like the conservative networks and McConnell , a number of other Republican lawmakers have finally conceded that Trump will not be re-elected for a second term .
Sen. John Thune ( R-S.C ) also another top-ranking Republican senator , admitted that there comes a time when you just have to move forward .
For him , the official vote on Monday was a breaking point .
`` At some point , you have to face the music , '' said Thune @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the issue today , it 's time for everybody to move on . ''

After weeks of refusing to acknowledge or accept the outcome of the 2020 election, President Donald Trump's "alternative facts" news networks are clearly struggling with how to proceed. But with the meeting of the Electoral College, the reality of President-elect Joe Biden's win is creeping in. Newsmax is finally reporting the truth about Biden becoming the next president of the United States, while One America News Network has a slightly different stance.
The Washington Post reported that, unlike Newsmax, the smaller OANN downplayed the Electoral College in its television coverage. Nevertheless, the network quietly shared a retweet acknowledging the vote.
That tweet read: "BREAKING: Joe Biden has cleared the 270-electoral-vote mark to formalize his presidential victory with California's 55 votes. (Per AP)"
Twitter / One America News Network
However, their site continues to publish pieces suggesting that widespread voter fraud is the reason for Biden's victory despite having no evidence to support those claims. The allegations of fraud are supported by misinterpretations of the facts, misunderstandings of the law, special pleading, and some outright lies.
Both conservative networks have been the main television sources airing Trump's unfounded grievances and unproven claims of voter fraud. Fox News, which played a significant role in initially calling the election for Biden, alienated many of its viewers with the truth, even as much of its coverage gave excessive credence to Trump's fraud claims.
No matter how outlandish the claim, Newsmax and OANN have enthusiastically reported the president's claims and refused to accept the outcome of the election. In fact, they have even advocated for Trump's attempts to overturn the outcome of the election. Conservative attorneys Victoria Toensinga and Joseph diGenova said on Newsmax still believe there will be more avenues to argue Trump's points.
"There will be a lot discussed about this over the next 24 hours," diGenova said, the Post reported. Toensing chimed in as she added, "Maybe only on Newsmax."
However, it appears NewsMax is generally turning a corner. The Post reported that one of the outlet's anchors tried to break the news of Biden's win gently to its audience.
"What I'm trying to do is manage everyone's expectations," host John Bachman said. "These judges don't seem to be taking up these cases. This is the reality. This is the motion set in place."
Meanwhile, the Newsmax homepage now highlights Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's (R-Ky.) remarks acknowledging Biden's win.
"Many of us had hoped the presidential election would yield a different result," McConnell said of Biden's win. "But our system of government has the processes to determine who will be sworn in on Jan. 20. The Electoral College has spoken."
Like the conservative networks and McConnell, a number of other Republican lawmakers have finally conceded that Trump will not be re-elected for a second term. Sen. John Thune (R-S.C) also another top-ranking Republican senator, admitted that there comes a time when you just have to move forward. For him, the official vote on Monday was a breaking point.
"At some point, you have to face the music," said Thune. "Once the Electoral College settles the issue today, it's time for everybody to move on."


alternet--2020-12-15--How Trump is laying the groundwork for a shadow presidency

On Monday morning 's edition of `` Fox & Friends , '' Donald Trump 's personal Wormtongue , white supremacist Stephen Miller , Trump 's latest and most ludicrous attempt to remain president despite the incontrovertible results of the election .
Also on Monday , the Electoral College officially affirmed Joe Biden and Kamala Harris as the winners of the election , 306-232 .
This , Miller seemed to suggest , is irrelevant .
Miller explained that Republican legislators in the major swing states will send alternate electors to Congress — electors who , unlike the actual electors , have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the popular-vote outcome .
`` You have an alternate slate of electors in a state like , say , Wisconsin or in a state like Georgia , '' the lifeless-eyed outgoing White House adviser began .
`` And we 'll make sure that those results are sent up side by side to Congress . ''
In other words , Miller apparently believes these `` alternate '' cosplay Trump electors will allow congressional Republicans to take one last stab at certifying the fake Trump electoral vote over the votes of the actual electors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Republicans are following through with this charade .
In Arizona , Nevada , Pennsylvania , Michigan , Wisconsin and Georgia , rosters of phony-baloney GOP electors cast their ballots for Trump .
Meanwhile , the actual Texas electors even voted 34-4 to support these sham electors .
The Red Hats have gotten desperate enough to fool themselves for another couple of weeks , into halfway believing their slates of fake electors will hand Trump the real presidency .
It does n't work that way , obviously , but it further enables what I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ For some time now , I 've been predicting on my podcast and elsewhere that Trump is setting up a shadow presidency and real-life fifth column .
This elector scam augments the framework for it .
He 's already spent most of November and December insisting that he 's the actual winner of the election , `` by a lot . ''
Now he has so-called electors to backstop his claim .
It 's entirely possible , if not inevitable , that Trump will hold his own swearing-in ceremony on Inauguration Day , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rally .
That will officially launch his shadow presidency , while conveniently distracting at least some viewers from paying attention to the actual inauguration of President Joe Biden at the U.S. Capitol .
During the event , Trump will inevitably yawp his way through a `` second inaugural address , '' laying out his supposed agenda for the next four years .
From there , he 'll retreat to his alternate-universe `` White House '' at Mar-a-Lago , where he 'll proceed as if he were still the chief executive .
Except now @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a diminishing group of loyalists who will acknowledge him as their president-in-exile , awaiting his triumphant return to Washington in 2025 .
Sociopathic tyrants like Trump never abandon their power .
They must be dragged away from it .
Psychologically speaking , pretending to still be president will go a long way toward dampening the pain of Trump 's ouster .
He 's like a child who 's told he ca n't have a dog , so he buys a BB gun instead and shoots pellets at the neighbor 's dog .
There @ @ @ @ @ @ @ walk away .
He ca n't physically bring himself to do it .
A shadow presidency , therefore , will allow him to continue play-acting as a wrongfully deposed leader , forced by a `` rigged election '' to flee to Florida , where he 'll continue to lament how unfairly he 's been treated .
He 'll sign fake executive orders condemning actions by the Biden White House .
He 'll hold press conferences , rallies and maybe even State of the Union addresses — cut-rate imitations of all the things he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his supporters will go along with it , while framing Biden as the fake president .
After all , Trump 's Red Hats have been suckered into believing that the world 's most notorious con man is the only leader telling the truth , while literally everyone else , including Fox News anchors , Trump-supporting governors and Trump-appointed judges , is lying .
To deny the presidential authority of Trump is to deny the existence of God .
So of course they 'll ride along with the shadow presidency .
They 'll suck @ @ @ @ @ @ @ way they 've sucked down every horrible deed , every trespass and every crime for the past four interminable years .
Why would n't they ?
It checks all the boxes , including the all-important victimhood box .
No one loves playing the victim more than Trump and his aggrieved , mostly white and mostly male supporters .
That sweet , sweet victim card will keep them sufficiently motivated to remain entrenched in their political Galt 's Gulch — their involuntary exile — waiting for the moment of glorious return , when they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into the White House aboard a gilded palanquin .
Naturally , this vaporizes the American tradition of `` one president at a time , '' but political traditions are meaningless to Trump and his followers .
If it 's not nailed down , he 'll knock it over .
The serious danger intrinsic to this plan is that it may further split the country , normalizing sedition and marching us toward some form of disjointed secession .
Other than charging him with the actual crime sedition under 18 U.S. Code Chapter 115 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can be done , chiefly because we 've never been down this road before .
I honestly do n't know how this will end up , but it wo n't be good for America .
Irrespective of whether Trump follows through on any of this , we live in a nation where upwards of 74 million suckers are cool with fascist tyranny .
Worse yet , they believe in the small , weak , whiny man at the center of it , and buy into his harebrained schemes .
I 've often said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their very own jetpacks made of beef , and they 'd believe him .
After all , they believe he passed Veterans Choice .
They believe his economy was the greatest ever .
They believe Trump is a patriot who loves democracy .
They 'll delude themselves into believing anything , including his self-anointed status as the one true president .
Suffice it to say , this is a worst-case scenario .
My ongoing disclaimer is that I hope I 'm wrong .
But everything we 've observed about Trump surely indicates that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 'll never acknowledge that he lost the election and he 'll never shut the hell up about it either .
So whether he pretends to be a second-term president or whether he simply re-litigates the 2020 election at rallies and on Twitter until ... whenever , he and his fanboys will continue to be disruptive to the functioning of the republic .
It 's now a matter of degree : How disruptive will they be , exactly ?
It would be a mistake to underestimate the extent to which they 'll continue to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ anything to derail the Biden presidency .
Worst of all , as soon as the rest of us let our guard down , they 'll be back .
And if that happens , the sequel will be far worse than the first time around .

On Monday morning's edition of "Fox & Friends," Donald Trump's personal Wormtongue, white supremacist Stephen Miller, announced Trump's latest and most ludicrous attempt to remain president despite the incontrovertible results of the election.
Also on Monday, the Electoral College officially affirmed Joe Biden and Kamala Harris as the winners of the election, 306-232. This, Miller seemed to suggest, is irrelevant.
Miller explained that Republican legislators in the major swing states will send alternate electors to Congress — electors who, unlike the actual electors, have cast their ballots for Trump in defiance of the popular-vote outcome.
"You have an alternate slate of electors in a state like, say, Wisconsin or in a state like Georgia," the lifeless-eyed outgoing White House adviser began. "And we'll make sure that those results are sent up side by side to Congress."
In other words, Miller apparently believes these "alternate" cosplay Trump electors will allow congressional Republicans to take one last stab at certifying the fake Trump electoral vote over the votes of the actual electors.
Sure enough, to this point Republicans are following through with this charade. In Arizona, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin and Georgia, rosters of phony-baloney GOP electors cast their ballots for Trump. Meanwhile, the actual Texas electors even voted 34-4 to support these sham electors.
The Red Hats have gotten desperate enough to fool themselves for another couple of weeks, into halfway believing their slates of fake electors will hand Trump the real presidency. It doesn't work that way, obviously, but it further enables what I believe is Trump's longer-term plan.
For some time now, I've been predicting on my podcast and elsewhere that Trump is setting up a shadow presidency and real-life fifth column. This elector scam augments the framework for it. He's already spent most of November and December insisting that he's the actual winner of the election, "by a lot." Now he has so-called electors to backstop his claim.
It's entirely possible, if not inevitable, that Trump will hold his own swearing-in ceremony on Inauguration Day, probably in the context of another super-spreader rally. That will officially launch his shadow presidency, while conveniently distracting at least some viewers from paying attention to the actual inauguration of President Joe Biden at the U.S. Capitol. During the event, Trump will inevitably yawp his way through a "second inaugural address," laying out his supposed agenda for the next four years. From there, he'll retreat to his alternate-universe "White House" at Mar-a-Lago, where he'll proceed as if he were still the chief executive. Except now, he'll be the president of a diminishing group of loyalists who will acknowledge him as their president-in-exile, awaiting his triumphant return to Washington in 2025.
Sociopathic tyrants like Trump never abandon their power. They must be dragged away from it. Psychologically speaking, pretending to still be president will go a long way toward dampening the pain of Trump's ouster. He's like a child who's told he can't have a dog, so he buys a BB gun instead and shoots pellets at the neighbor's dog.
There's no chance Donald Trump will simply walk away. He can't physically bring himself to do it. A shadow presidency, therefore, will allow him to continue play-acting as a wrongfully deposed leader, forced by a "rigged election" to flee to Florida, where he'll continue to lament how unfairly he's been treated. He'll sign fake executive orders condemning actions by the Biden White House. He'll hold press conferences, rallies and maybe even State of the Union addresses — cut-rate imitations of all the things he'd normally do as president.
And his supporters will go along with it, while framing Biden as the fake president. After all, Trump's Red Hats have been suckered into believing that the world's most notorious con man is the only leader telling the truth, while literally everyone else, including Fox News anchors, Trump-supporting governors and Trump-appointed judges, is lying. To deny the presidential authority of Trump is to deny the existence of God. So of course they'll ride along with the shadow presidency. They'll suck it down like heroin, the same way they've sucked down every horrible deed, every trespass and every crime for the past four interminable years.
Why wouldn't they? It checks all the boxes, including the all-important victimhood box. No one loves playing the victim more than Trump and his aggrieved, mostly white and mostly male supporters. That sweet, sweet victim card will keep them sufficiently motivated to remain entrenched in their political Galt's Gulch — their involuntary exile — waiting for the moment of glorious return, when they can carry Trump's ponderous bulk back into the White House aboard a gilded palanquin.
Naturally, this vaporizes the American tradition of "one president at a time," but political traditions are meaningless to Trump and his followers. If it's not nailed down, he'll knock it over. The serious danger intrinsic to this plan is that it may further split the country, normalizing sedition and marching us toward some form of disjointed secession. Other than charging him with the actual crime sedition under 18 U.S. Code Chapter 115, however, there's not much that can be done, chiefly because we've never been down this road before. I honestly don't know how this will end up, but it won't be good for America.
Irrespective of whether Trump follows through on any of this, we live in a nation where upwards of 74 million suckers are cool with fascist tyranny. Worse yet, they believe in the small, weak, whiny man at the center of it, and buy into his harebrained schemes. I've often said that Trump could promise his Red Hats their very own jetpacks made of beef, and they'd believe him. After all, they believe he passed Veterans Choice. They believe his economy was the greatest ever. They believe Trump is a patriot who loves democracy. They'll delude themselves into believing anything, including his self-anointed status as the one true president.
Suffice it to say, this is a worst-case scenario. My ongoing disclaimer is that I hope I'm wrong. But everything we've observed about Trump surely indicates that, at the very least, he'll never acknowledge that he lost the election and he'll never shut the hell up about it either. So whether he pretends to be a second-term president or whether he simply re-litigates the 2020 election at rallies and on Twitter until ... whenever, he and his fanboys will continue to be disruptive to the functioning of the republic. It's now a matter of degree: How disruptive will they be, exactly? It would be a mistake to underestimate the extent to which they'll continue to prop up their deposed autocrat, trying anything to derail the Biden presidency. Worst of all, as soon as the rest of us let our guard down, they'll be back. And if that happens, the sequel will be far worse than the first time around.


alternet--2020-12-15--New report shows how white supremacy extremism spreads: 'A communication pipeline for hate groups'

A new think tank report , funded by Google , aims to highlight the connection between the internet and how it serves as a driving force for the spread of harmful information on white supremacy extremism .
The report , published by a company called Jigsaw—described as `` a 'tech incubator ' that has operated within Google for the last decade '' according to USA Today—focuses on interviews with former extremists who warned that the Internet has become a communication pipeline for hate groups .
They also explained how it has become a portal to vet more potential extremists and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have also outlined how YouTube has played a dominant role in the circulation of extreme content that contains rhetoric to further influence `` violent ideologies . ''
Bridget Todd , host of the podcast , `` There Are No Girls on the Internet . ''
also weighed in as she scrutinized how internet platforms and technology are being underestimated when it comes to the influence of extremism .
`` They 're underemphasizing the role that their own technology and their own platforms have in pushing people towards extremism , '' Todd said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the responsibility of the viewer to not be drawn into this type of content , she also noted the importance of also holding platforms accountable for allowing such content to circulate on their sites .
`` Individuals certainly have a responsibility to not allow themselves to be engulfed in extremist content , '' Todd said .
`` But if you 're a platform like Google , you ca n't just emphasize the individual 's responsibility and completely obscure the fact that your massive platform has allowed online extremist content to fester and become @ @ @ @ @ @ @ concerns about the circulation of misinformation and harmful content , YouTube , along with many other platforms , have aimed to incorporate practices to monitor and limit the amount of harmful content being uploaded to their sites .
But many argue there 's much more they could do to address the problem .

A new think tank report, funded by Google, aims to highlight the connection between the internet and how it serves as a driving force for the spread of harmful information on white supremacy extremism.
The report, published by a company called Jigsaw—described as "a 'tech incubator' that has operated within Google for the last decade" according to USA Today—focuses on interviews with former extremists who warned that the Internet has become a communication pipeline for hate groups. They also explained how it has become a portal to vet more potential extremists and circulate potentially dangerous content.
Various studies have also outlined how YouTube has played a dominant role in the circulation of extreme content that contains rhetoric to further influence "violent ideologies." Bridget Todd, host of the podcast, "There Are No Girls on the Internet." also weighed in as she scrutinized how internet platforms and technology are being underestimated when it comes to the influence of extremism.
"They're underemphasizing the role that their own technology and their own platforms have in pushing people towards extremism," Todd said.
While she noted that it is partially the responsibility of the viewer to not be drawn into this type of content, she also noted the importance of also holding platforms accountable for allowing such content to circulate on their sites.
"Individuals certainly have a responsibility to not allow themselves to be engulfed in extremist content," Todd said. "But if you're a platform like Google, you can't just emphasize the individual's responsibility and completely obscure the fact that your massive platform has allowed online extremist content to fester and become so popular."
Due to heightened concerns about the circulation of misinformation and harmful content, YouTube, along with many other platforms, have aimed to incorporate practices to monitor and limit the amount of harmful content being uploaded to their sites. But many argue there's much more they could do to address the problem.


alternet--2020-12-15--Mitch McConnell finally recognizes Biden's win — leaving Trump dangling

On Monday , the Electoral College officially secured President-elect Joe Biden 's victory , giving the former vice president the majority he needs to take control of the White House on Jan. 20 .
And Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell finally congratulated Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris publicly on Tuesday morning .
McConnell said on the Senate floor , `` Many of us hoped that the presidential election would yield a different result , but our system of government has processes to determine who will be sworn in on January 20 .
The Electoral College has spoken .
So @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Joe Biden .
The president-elect is no stranger to the Senate .
He 's devoted himself to public service for many years . ''
The Kentucky Republican said of Harris , `` Beyond our differences , all Americans can take pride that our nation has a female vice president-elect for the very first time . ''
Before electors for the Electoral College met on Monday and cast their votes , McConnell stressed that Trump was entitled to vote recounts in key battleground states .
And he made it clear that he was n't @ @ @ @ @ @ @ College cast its votes .
During McConnell 's speech , reporter Nicholas Fandos notes in the New York Times , he spent several minutes praising Trump 's presidency before he got around to congratulating Biden and Harris .
McConnell told senators , `` The outsider who swore he would shake up Washington and lead our country to new accomplishments at home and abroad proceeded to do exactly that . ''
Despite these words , McConnell 's acknowledgment was a clear break with the sitting president .
Even as the senator was recognizing Biden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ attacking the election results on Twitter with lies and misinformation

On Monday, the Electoral College officially secured President-elect Joe Biden's victory, giving the former vice president the majority he needs to take control of the White House on Jan. 20. And Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell finally congratulated Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris publicly on Tuesday morning.
McConnell said on the Senate floor, "Many of us hoped that the presidential election would yield a different result, but our system of government has processes to determine who will be sworn in on January 20. The Electoral College has spoken. So today, I want to congratulate President-elect Joe Biden. The president-elect is no stranger to the Senate. He's devoted himself to public service for many years."
The Kentucky Republican said of Harris, "Beyond our differences, all Americans can take pride that our nation has a female vice president-elect for the very first time."
Before electors for the Electoral College met on Monday and cast their votes, McConnell stressed that Trump was entitled to vote recounts in key battleground states. And he made it clear that he wasn't going to congratulate Biden until the Electoral College cast its votes.
During McConnell's speech, reporter Nicholas Fandos notes in the New York Times, he spent several minutes praising Trump's presidency before he got around to congratulating Biden and Harris.
McConnell told senators, "The outsider who swore he would shake up Washington and lead our country to new accomplishments at home and abroad proceeded to do exactly that."
Despite these words, McConnell's acknowledgment was a clear break with the sitting president. Even as the senator was recognizing Biden's win, Trump was still baselessly attacking the election results on Twitter with lies and misinformation