Greg Bluestein Profile picture
Mar 31, 2021 22 tweets 17 min read Read on X
Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian just called the Georgia elections restrictions signed into law last week was “unacceptable” and “based on a lie” of widespread fraud in last November’s election. #gapol ajc.com/news/business/…
The stance could deepen a rift w/ Georgia Republican leaders. Delta in 2018 ended a discount for the NRA, prompting GOP leaders to block a lucrative tax break for the airline. #gapol ajc.com/news/business/…
Some Republicans are already talking about ways to punish Delta, since there are a number of tax measures still pending on the final day of the session. It's akin to "Delta shooting us in the face with a shotgun without telling us it was coming," says a senior GOPer. #gapol
.@GovKemp on Delta’s stance:
“Today's statement by Delta CEO Ed Bastian stands in stark contrast to our conversations with the company, ignores the content of the new law, and unfortunately continues to spread the same false attacks being repeated by partisan activists.” #gapol ImageImage
The chatter among Republicans about retaliating is growing. Rs are amazed Delta didn’t wait until tomorrow - when leg session is over - to issue this statement.
“This is the level of anger that makes people creative,” says one. “That should scare the shit out of them.” #gapol
Georgia Democrats aren’t exactly overjoyed either at a statement that came days after @GovKemp already signed the elections restrictions into law.

“Words would have mattered before... Actions matter now. What are they going to do to fix the mistake of their silence?” #gapol Image
Meanwhile, a group of religious leaders rallied outside the Metro Atlanta Chamber’s headquarters to protest the powerful group, which didn’t stridently oppose the elections law earlier this year. #gapol ImageImage
The start of a corporate revolt? #gapol ajc.com/news/business/…
Says @GovKemp on the corporate pushback: “Well, it would be nice if they pointed to a specific in this bill that they don’t like ...” #gapol

.@RepNikema: “The CEOs of these two companies are absolutely correct in their assertions that SB 202 is unacceptable and would take voting rights in Georgia backwards ... We look forward to engaging with Georgia companies like Coca-Cola and Delta as real partners.” #gapol Image
@RepNikema Microsoft, which is building a major corporate hub in Atlanta, weighs in: "... It’s not only right but essential for the business community to stand together in opposition to the harmful provisions and other similar legislation that may be considered elsewhere." #gapol Image
In a @USATODAY editorial, @staceyabrams says business boycotts are not necessary “yet” and writes that firms can “redeem themselves” if they oppose elections restrictions, fund voting rights expansion efforts and back pending federal overhauls. #gapol usatoday.com/story/opinion/…
@USATODAY @staceyabrams @ajc It seems less likely that Republicans will punish Delta -- at least this year. "We were mad for a while," says one, "but then we got back to business." 2022, the official said, is a different story. Says another senior GOPer: "We'll see." #gapol ajc.com/news/business/…
@USATODAY @staceyabrams @ajc Just in: The Georgia House just narrowly passed an amendment that would repeal a tax break on jet fuel for Delta in response to the airline's criticism of the election measure. Still needs to pass in the Senate. #gapol
@USATODAY @staceyabrams @ajc “It is purely retaliation for the business community speaking out on a bill everyone feels is Jim Crow 2.0,” said said Democratic state Rep. David Wilkerson. #gapol ajc.com/news/business/…
@USATODAY @staceyabrams @ajc Delta can heave a sigh of relief: The Georgia Senate has adjourned without taking up the vote to punish the airline by rescinding a tax break worth $35M+ #gapol
@USATODAY @staceyabrams @ajc House Speaker David Ralston made no effort to hide the fact that the attempt to strip Delta's tax break was payback: “You don’t feed a dog that bites your hand. You got to keep that in mind sometimes.” #gapol ajc.com/news/business/…
Apple’s CEO joins the fray this AM: “The right to vote is fundamental in a democracy ... Apple believes that, thanks in part to the power of technology, it ought to be easier than ever for every eligible citizen to exercise their right to vote.” #gapol axios.com/apple-tim-cook…
Georgia’s House Speaker got a bit heated when he said he will call Delta CEO Ed Bastian to “find out if he’s going to suspend flights into states that have more restrictive voting rights than we do.” #gapol ajc.com/politics/polit…
It wouldn’t be a surprise if both Coke & Delta find themselves left out of the decision-making process in major Georgia policies going forward, senior Republicans say. One spoke of a “seismic” shift in the Capitol away from the twin behemoths. #gapol ajc.com/politics/polit…

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More from @bluestein

Nov 6
Fulton County is now starting to report its totals. Georgia’s most populous county, Biden won 73% of Fulton’s vote in 2020. Harris is on a similar track with half the county’s precincts reporting. #gapol Image
Keep an eye on Forsyth County, an exurban GOP stronghold. In 2020, Trump captured Forsyth with nearly two-thirds of the vote. Democrats are working to shave his margins there - winning by losing less - particularly targeting independent women there. #gapol Image
Clayton County might be the spot that has most spooked Democrats, because of lagging early voting turnout. So far, Clayton is about on pace where it was in 2020. #gapol Image
Read 9 tweets
Oct 24
I’m here at the Kamala Harris rally in DeKalb County. I wandered the crowd of thousands asked voters the same question: What’s going to decide this election in Georgia? I got some intriguing answers. Here’s a thread. #gapol
Ashleigh Ewald is an activist working to drive up young voter turnout. “Republicans are underestimating the power of Gen Z voters. We couldn’t vote in 2016. Now we can – and we are energized.” Image
Jourdan Russell is an Oglethorpe University student who has been urging her friends, neighbors and classmates to vote – not just for president but for down-ticket races.
“Government is local on its most basic level, and these races matter.” #gapol Image
Read 7 tweets
Oct 19
Here at the Kamala Harris rally in Atlanta, I wandered the crowd of thousands and asked voters the same question: How are you feeling about the Democrat’s chances in Georgia in November. The answers I got ran the gamut from confidence to anxiousness. Here’s a thread.
Jed Rich of Atlanta says he’s “hopeful and energized.”
“I view Trump as an existential threat to democracy. My father and both grandfathers are all U.S. military veterans and I think it’s a patriotic duty to vote for Kamala Harris. Trump is anti-democratic and anti-American.” Image
I spotted Mike Diamond’s Georgia hat in the crowd. He’s an East Cobb resident who is blunt about how he feels.
“I’m nervous. We cannot take four more years of Donald Trump. If you believe half the things he says, he will destroy our country. And there’s nowhere to run from it.” Image
Read 6 tweets
Oct 15
A glimpse of the crowd awaiting former President Donald Trump’s rally at Cobb Energy Center just northwest of Atlanta. #gapol
A Georgia Republican rally tradition: Public Service Commissioner Bubba McDonald sings the National Anthem. #gapol
Times have changed in Georgia GOP world … #gapol Image
Read 4 tweets
Aug 19
Three right-wing Republicans behind a series of rules changes praised by Trump face intensifying political pressure as the State Election Board considers new rules for ballot-counting and election certification at its Monday meeting. #gapol ajc.com/politics/trump…
Fulton County’s former elections board chair filed an ethics complaint on Friday alleging a series of conflicts of interests, and asking Gov. Kemp to intervene. #gapol
Over the weekend, dozens of Georgia House Democrats penned a letter to Speaker Jon Burns asking him to replace his appointment to the board, Janelle King, who provided the swing vote for Trump’s “pit bull” bloc.
Image
Image
Read 4 tweets
Aug 16
Just in: Former Fulton County Election Board Chair Cathy Woolard files an ethics complaint against three GOP members of the State Election Board in Georgia, accusing them of maneuvering to “advance their own political preferences.” #gapol

documentcloud.org/documents/2504…
The complaint highlights the ovation for the three when Trump praised them at his Atlanta rally, along with comments from one of the members, Rick Jeffares, who told the Guardian he sought a job with the Trump administration if he wins in November. #gapol
Image
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(Jeffares told me in an interview he never made a formal ask for a Trump administration job, but didn’t deny being open to a gig if the Republican prevails.) #gapol ajc.com/politics/polit…
Read 4 tweets

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