Re: MLB Moving the All-Star Game

 It's amazing how blind we can sometimes be to the effects of race and racism. Take Sen. Tim Scott, the only black Republican U.S. senator of the past 40 years and one of only two since Reconstruction (Sen. Edward Brooks, MA, 1967-79 being the other). Here is his tweet, with blinders fully on, yesterday:

Tim Scott

@SenatorTimScott

23h

Georgia: Voter ID, 17 days of early voting. Colorado: Voter ID, 15 days of early voting. Atlanta is 51% Black. Denver is 9.2% Black. The @MLB is moving the #MLBAllStarGame out of ATL which has more day-of voting rights than CO? The Wokes are at it again, folks.

First off, the comparison in days of early voting is misleading, since Colorado allows no-excuse, no i.d. vote by mail, which is how the vast majority vote in that state, and they make plentiful drop boxes available during early voting. Georgia, meanwhile, has clamped down on these freedoms with the recently passed law.

But then look at how he brings up the difference in percent black as an argument against having moved the game. His point, I suppose, is the harm done to black workers and black-owned businesses in Atlanta. But, come on, the Braves aren't even in "Atlanta" since choosing to move their stadium out the of city, where it was near many black neighborhoods, to an unincorporated part of the metro area, where they know longer pay taxes to support those neighborhoods and where it is less convenient for black workers and businesses to be involved.

And--here's the main point, as brought out in my reply to Sen. Scott's tweet:

"Uh, you've kind of missed the point, Senator. Atlanta being 51% black and Denver 9% is a very good indication of why GA is trying to take away the votes of black people, while CO is seeking the widest possible participation of its citizenry in that sacred exercise in democracy."

For him to have totally missed (or intentionally ignored) this connection is mind-boggling. Is he not familiar with the history of the disenfranchisement of black voters in this country, especially in the South? What the ever-loving hell.