||| MIDNIGHT MUTTERINGS by JACKIE BATES |||
Stacey Abrams, that is. And she hasn’t really been away. She has been working tirelessly for voters’ rights since she last ran for governor of Georgia three years ago. In that race she lost to Brian Kemp by fewer than 55,000 votes. It was an interesting race because Brian Kemp, at that time, was Secretary of State of Georgia, and, therefore, in charge of the election. He refused to step down from his post when he was called out for conflict of interest.
Abrams has announced she will be running for Governor of Georgia in the 2022 election. She may or may not be running against Kemp this time as there are several other people who might run for the Republican nomination. Kemp lost some of his shine with Republicans when he refused to join President Trump in his effort to have the 2018 presidential election overturned. Which gives Stacey Abrams an unlikely supporter (sort of) in her bid for the 2022 race for Alabama’s governor. According to CNN:
“At a rally in Perry, Georgia, on September 25, 2021, former President Donald Trump suggested that Democrat Stacey Abrams would make a better governor than Republican Gov. Brian Kemp who defeated Abrams in the state’s 2018 gubernatorial election and refused to interfere in the 2020 presidential election.” You can watch this rally yourself HERE.
That’s only if you have an hour and forty minutes you want to spend waiting for Former President to get around to the quote above. I lasted only long enough to see DJT clap for himself, the American flag and then some more for himself. So I don’t
know exactly where in his speech he got around to semi-endorsing Stacey Abrams. And it was, of course, before she formally announced her intentions about the Georgia governorship.
Clearly, I’m a big Stacey Abrams fan. If she does get elected, she will be the first Black woman governor in the US. One remarkably discouraging note in all this. On one of the news articles I read about Stacey Abrams’ announcement on December 2, 2021. Then I read a few readers’ comments. (I don’t often do that for obvious reasons.) Still, I didn’t get very far along before I had to stop when I came to TWO comments that consisted entirely of disparaging remarks about Abrams’ weight. Both comments, apparently were meant to be funny, I think. I couldn’t help remembering that I never saw anything like that written about Chris Christy, Mike Huckabee or even DJT himself, who are all ‘traditionally-sized’ according to the term used by Alexander McCall Smith in his many books. In my short read of comments. I didn’t see anything about Stacey Abrams’ skin color (which surely would have occurred until recently) but I suppose her body is still fair game. As if it has or had ever had anything to do with her ability, her integrity, her right to hold office. Or even if there is anything about her body that deserves comment at all. I feel awkward about mentioning it myself.
I once read a spoof about a wedding which illustrated some the differences between how women and men are traditionally viewed. The article went something like this: The bride wore a white dress, a white veil, and white shoes. She carried some plants. The groom wore a morning coat with matching pants. His white, well-starched shirt was carefully tucked in his trousers accenting his trim mid-section. He wore his grandfather’s cufflinks which have been his family for over two hundred years. The
fresh white rose in his lapel buttonhole came from his Aunt Frances’ prize-winning garden. His slicked back auburn hair was styled by Ben at About Hair for Men. And last, his highly polished, low heeled black lace up shoes were topped by skin-tight,
calf-length black polyester stockings, accenting his well-toned calves.
Of course I am reminded of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I have a dream” speech in which he says, “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”
If you are living in Georgia next November, consider voting for Stacey Abrams. Or you can wait a while as she plans to run for president one day. You can read about her qualifications and experience anywhere. I don’t know her dress size.
Great write up, as always.