Political Rewind

Wednesday on Political Rewind: It was the first opportunity for the public to weigh in on the consequential and likely contentious process of drawing Georgia's new political boundaries. Last night's virtual meeting saw input from many young students' concerns about gerrymandering.

Georgia Tech student Alex Ames told the committee that districts drawn to split up colleges and universities leave students with less of a say over important issues in their communities, such as public safety and development.

“What does it teach our students when we draw their maps so that even when they do vote, their voter efficacy is stifled?" she said. "We're teaching young people to distrust and disengage in our democracy by gerrymandering them.”

Many of the speakers, which included several elected representatives, urged redistricting leaders to draw political districts without regard to partisan gain.

There will be 10 more similar hearings schedules across the state. The next hearing is scheduled for June 28 in Atlanta, with future hearings in Cummings, Dalton, Columbus, Brunswick and other cities.

The chair of the Senate Redistricting Committee, Sen. John Kennedy (R-Macon), joined us today to discuss the process.

In other news, the initial outcome of two special elections for the state House shows the ongoing partisan divide between metro Atlanta and rural Georgia. While a Democrat and Republican won slots in a runoff for a Cobb County House seat, two Republicans will face off in a runoff for a seat in south Georgia.

Panelists:

Sen. John Kennedy — State Senator (R-Macon)

Sen. Kim Jackson — State Senator (D-Stone Mountain)

Margaret Coker — Editor-in-chief, The Current

Greg Bluestein — Political Reporter, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Tuesday on Political Rewind: It has been more than a year since many Americans were shaken into action by the police shootings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Rayshard Brooks and other Black Americans. In response, millions took to the streets to demand an end to systemic racism, police brutality and injustice in American society.

Meanwhile, corporations, universities and other institutions began evaluating internal practices that perpetuate discrimination against people of color in hiring and promotion.

But as the summer of 2021 begins, it is time to ask whether there has been real progress in achieving the promises made by big businesses and other institutions.

Subha Barry, CEO of Seramount, joined us to discuss her organization's recent report tracking employee perception and corporate action on social justice issues. She said a new generation of white-collar workers are looking for a reflection of their values in their workplace.

"Young people are doing something that the generation before them did not do, and they are voting with their feet," Barry said. "They walk out of companies and they go seek other organizations whose values are aligned with theirs."

Kyle Stapleton is a co-founder and board member of The A Pledge, a commitment by Atlanta marketing and advertising agencies to match the makeup of their teams to the diversity of Atlanta by 2030. He said the leaders of corporate America, in Atlanta and elsewhere, have an obligation to address workplace inequity.

"Frankly, any good leader worth their stripes should see a moment, meet the moment and and do the right thing to be a leader in the moment," Stapleton said.

How has the country progressed in the search for equality and justice in the workplace? What role does moral leadership play in creating a more just society?

Panelists:

Subha Barry — CEO, Seramount

Dr. Robert Franklin — Professor of Social Ethics, Candler School of Theology, Emory University and Former President, Interdenominational Theological Center

Kyle Stapleton — Co-Founder of The A Pledge and Senior Manager of Culture & Experience, WarnerMedia Studios

Matt Kempner —  Senior Reporter, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Monday on Political Rewind: Georgia’s new election law could face federal scrutiny after Attorney General Merrick Garland announced plans for the Department of Justice to review state laws across the country that some say limit the right to vote.

Garland announced he would double the number of voter enfranchisement lawyers on staff in his department's Civil Rights Division. During his remarks on June 11, Garland noted that at least 14 states have passed new laws this year to make it harder to vote, including Georgia, Florida and Arizona. He said his staff will also look at post-election audits, such as those being proposed here.

Also: Vice President Kamala Harris is set to visit Atlanta later this week. Her visit is intended to encourage more Georgians to get their COVID-19 vaccinations. Georgia continues to hover near the bottom of states in numbers of fully vaccinated people.

The Southern Baptist Convention is scheduled to hold its national conference this week amid escalating tensions within the prominent organization. A number of Black leaders said they may leave the group over its reluctance to acknowledge systemic racism, among other concerns.

Panelists:

Dr. Charles Bullock — Professor of Political Science, University of Georgia

Dr. Karen Owen —  Professor of Political Science, University of West Georgia

Jim Galloway — Former Political Columnist, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Friday on Political Rewind: The Cobb County School Board waded into the contentious effort to ban the teaching of so-called critical race theory. A divided board yesterday outlawed the concept, an academic framework that analyzes racism as not just individual bias but as embedded in legal systems and policies. 

One Republican board member called the theory a divisive concept. A board member opposed to the ban said he was wary of approving a resolution on a topic the board could not define.

Meanwhile, a federal judge dismissed a call for Major League Baseball to return the All-Star Game to Cobb County. The suit was brought by a conservative business group that accused MLB of causing serious harm to businesses that stood to benefit from having the game at Truist Park.

Panelists:

Jim Galloway — Retired Political Columnist

Maya Prabhu — Reporter, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Chart Riggall — Reporter, Marietta Daily Journal

Amy Steigerwalt — Professor of Political Science, Georgia State University

Thursday on Political Rewind: Leaders in Georgia’s Republican party traveled to Arizona this week to take a look at the controversial GOP-driven recount of presidential ballots in Maricopa County. The probe, which received vocal support from former President Donald Trump, has drawn Republican leaders from states nationwide.

State Sens. Brandon Beach (R-Alpharetta) and Burt Jones (R-Jackson) and state GOP chair David Shafer participated in a walk-through of ballot inspection stations at the Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix on June 8. Election integrity experts and some Arizona Republicans have derided the effort as 'political theater.'

Their visit came as yet another recount of votes in Fulton County awaits a final court ruling on whether it can move forward.

Meanwhile, after weeks of speculation that he was considering a run, Kasim Reed has now taken the first steps to join the race for mayor of Atlanta. Reed filed the paperwork necessary to begin raising campaign cash yesterday.

Tonight, Reed is set to host a fundraising birthday party where he is likely to make official his bid for a third term. We asked our panel what his entry into the race means for the city and the state.

Also, the lawsuit challenging Major League Baseball’s decision to move the All-Star Game from Cobb County to Denver is scheduled to be heard in federal court today. The suit demands that MLB return the game to Truist Park and asks for damages of $1 billion.

Panelists:

Kevin Riley — Editor, Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Dr. Andra Gillespie — Professor of Political Science and Director, James Weldon Johnson Institute for the Study of Race and Difference at Emory University

Edward Lindsey — Former Republican State Representative

Rep. Mary Margaret Oliver — State Representative (D-Decatur)

Wednesday on Political Rewind: Religious leaders representing more than 1,000 churches staged a voting rights rally at the state Capitol yesterday. They said they will use Georgia’s new election laws as proof that congress must pass federal legislation removing barriers they say limit access to the vote for minority communities.

Meanwhile, congressional Democrats are facing resistance from Republicans to pass any election reform measure, including a bill named for the late Georgia U.S. Rep. John Lewis.

Our panel discuss how more restrictive election laws, passed in Georgia and many other GOP-led states, can ultimately affect turnout. Emory University's Dr. Bernard Fraga said it is difficult to detect the influence of individual provisions, such as changes to absentee ballot voting periods or polling station closing times.

"All of these [measures] might interact with each other to depress turnout among certain groups or depress turnout overall, even though a single provision, in isolation, might not have much of a detectable effect," Fraga said.

In other news today, former Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed filed the paperwork necessary to run in his year's mayoral race.

Panelists:

Dr. Bernard Fraga — Professor of Political Science, Emory University

Rep. Sam Park — State Representative (D-Gwinnett County)

Mayor Julie Smith — Mayor of Tifton

Greg Bluestein — Politics Reporter, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Tuesday on Political Rewind: High levels of incidents of gun violence are gripping the nation. Georgia communities are struggling to address the issue. DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond unveiled a sweeping proposal to use federal COVD relief funds to reform his county’s approach to criminal justice.

Also, Atlanta’s new police chief says he is restructuring his department to address the alarming increase in violent gun crime in the city.

Meanwhile, the family of Secoriea Turner has now filed lawsuits against Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and other Atlanta city leaders, accusing them of failing to protect the life of the 8-year-old girl who was struck down last summer.

Panelists:

Michael Thurmond — CEO, DeKalb County

Sam Olens — Former Georgia Attorney General

Tamar Hallerman — Senior Reporter, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Monday on Political Rewind: Gov. Brian Kemp received a raucous welcome at the GOP state convention over the weekend. He heard plenty of booing from Republican activists still angry he did not do more to support President Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election. The jeers were mixed with the cheers of those ready to support him for a second term in 2022.

However, Kemp was not the only state official to receive a negative response for his stance on lies spread by Trump about last November's election. Convention-goers gave Attorney General Chris Carr a rough reception. They also voted to censure Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. Our panel looks at what all of the means for the direction of the Republican Party heading into important 2022 races.

Additionally, new fuel for the fire was added to controversy over the teaching of critical race theory in Georgia classrooms continues, even as few seem able to explain exactly what the theory says.

Panelists:

Rana Cash – Executive Editor, Savannah Morning News

Riley Bunch – State House Reporter, CNHI News

Jim Galloway – Retired Lead Columnist

Mariela Romero – Journalist and Regional Community Empowerment Director, Univision

Thursday on Political Rewind: As businesses across the country begin to reopen with the lifting of COVID-19 public health restrictions, many Americans are looking forward to returning to their local movie theaters.

Going to the movies has long been one of America's favorite pastimes. 2018 saw 1.3 billion movie theater admissions in North America, according to the National Association of Theatre Owners. That was a 5.3% gain in admissions over the previous year.

So it should be no surprise that film plays an influential role in animating our national mythology, and shaping our perceptions of what is fair, just and good.

As New York Times chief film critic A.O. Scott writes in his recent piece, “What I Learned About Democracy From the Movies,” he received as much of his education about American life from what he saw on the big screen as he did from teachers and parents.

But in the past several years, through the 2020 election and its tumultuous aftermath, Scott says he struggled to make sense of the chaos around him.

So Scott turned to the movies and wrote about seven films he believes reveal something about our nation’s intrinsic ideals. The list includes "Thelma & Louise," "Sullivan’s Travels," "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes" and "A Face In The Crowd."

Scott joined us to discuss those films, and what they tell us about the values ingrained in popular culture.

Panelists:

A.O. Scott — Chief Film Critic, The New York Times

Thursday on Political Rewind: Los Angeles in the early 1970s was a glittering confluence of creative genius, which transformed American society as we know it.

Music stars like Joni Mitchell and The Eagles co-existed in the same space as television’s Mary Tyler Moore and movie master Roman Polanski. It was an era that gave us All in the Family, M*A*S*H, and Chinatown.

Journalist and cultural historian Ronald Brownstein documents this lively history in his new book, "Rock Me on the Water: 1974 — The Year Los Angeles Transformed Movies, Music, Television, and Politics."

We speak with Brownstein about how 1974 would change the face of popular culture forever — and create works far ahead of the political status quo of the time.

Panel:

Ronald Brownstein — Author, "Rock Me on the Water: 1974 — The Year Los Angeles Transformed Movies, Music, Television, and Politics"