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Ashton Pittman

10 Apr, 10 tweets, 5 min read

NEW: After nationwide backlash for warning against registering "woke" and "uninformed" college students to vote, Mississippi Secretary of State Michael Watson is saying he regrets not wording his remarks better.

But he hasn't walked the sentiment back. 1/
mississippifreepress.org/11168/mississi…

WLOX Anchor Dave Elliot: “It sounds to me like the little red states like Mississippi, if (#HR1 passes), are going to be powerless."

Secretary of State Michael Watson: “I don’t know that a Republican could ever win another national election." 2/ mississippifreepress.org/11168/mississi…

@MSVotes

“It does all Mississippians a disservice to discount the intelligence of our young people,” @MSVotes said after Secretary of State Michael Watson warned against too many “woke” and “uninformed” college students registering to vote. 3/ mississippifreepress.org/11009/mississi…

@DonLemon

On his April 7 show, CNN anchor @DonLemon said Mississippi’s secretary of state was “saying the quiet part out loud.”

“You talk about woke people—woke people have a right to vote. Sadly, even racists in this country have a right to vote." 4/
mississippifreepress.org/11168/mississi…

“So think about all those woke college and university students now who will automatically be registered to vote whether they wanted to or not. … You’ve got an uninformed citizen who may not be prepared and ready to vote," Secretary Watson said March 26.
mississippifreepress.org/11168/mississi…

@WashingtonPost

The @WashingtonPost Editorial Board today, citing Watson's words:

“It takes no great power of analysis to understand the anti-democratic motives behind Republicans’ late fervor to restrict voting. One need only listen to what Republicans themselves say." mississippifreepress.org/11168/mississi…

After quoting Watson, the Washington Post Editorial Board wrote: “A party confident in its policies would attempt to win new voters to its side. Republicans in many states, including Georgia, have adopted a different strategy: Make it harder to vote.” 7/
mississippifreepress.org/11168/mississi…

“Our top election official should be a trusted source for voters, not one who spreads misinformation and pushes partisan charged talking points on TV. … We encourage him to visit ... to see the quality of students our state has to offer." 8/ mississippifreepress.org/11168/mississi…

“People say (voter fraud) is not widespread. Well, I don’t care if it’s widespread or not. If it affects one election, that’s one too many," Secretary Michael Watson said. 9/
mississippifreepress.org/11168/mississi…

@MSFreePress

Watson's comments flew-under-the-radar until we reported them earlier this week at @MSFreePress (after@jallen1985 flagged them). Since, major publications and networks have highlighted them.

Help us do more important reporting with a non-profit donation:
mfp.ms/donate

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More from @ashtonpittman

Ashton Pittman

@ashtonpittman

9 Apr

Taylor Swift's "The Man" song and music video is such a beautiful middle finger to the sexist establishment.

But I particularly what she says to her male alter-ego at the end: “Pretty good. Could you try to be sexier, maybe more likable this time?” 😏

For those who complain about how many guys she's dated:
"I would be complex
I would be cool
They'd say I played the ﬁeld before I found someone to commit to
And that would be ok
For me to do
Every conquest I had made would make me more of a boss to you."

For those who never question a man's inflated claims:

"I'd be a fearless leader
I'd be an alpha type
When everyone believes ya
What's that like?
I'm so sick of running as fast I can
Wondering if I'd get there quicker
If I was a man"

Read 6 tweets

Ashton Pittman

@ashtonpittman

9 Apr

NEW: Cindy Hyde-Smith, Mississippi's first woman senator, claims the ERA is "divisive" & threatens women's rights.

The ERA says: “Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.” mississippifreepress.org/11099/sen-cind…

“Democrats need a new reason to defend their radical efforts to destroy innocent lives—& they are hiding that cause under the guise of women’s rights,” Sen. Hyde-Smith wrote.

She thinks Dems will use it to expand abortion rights & trans rights. mississippifreepress.org/11099/sen-cind…

"Enacting the ERA could actually harm the protections that celebrate the differences between men & women in law–threatening women-only prisons, locker rooms, & Title IX protections for women’s sports, just to name a few," MS's first woman senator says. mississippifreepress.org/11099/sen-cind…

Read 7 tweets

Ashton Pittman

@ashtonpittman

8 Apr

@echndc

@echndc The biggest issue for MS generally when it comes to politics isn't primarily who is in office. The biggest problem is the people don't have enough power.

5x as many are disenfranchised due to Jim Crow-era felony voters laws as made the difference in the 2019 governor's race.

@echndc

@echndc And the majority of those disenfranchised for that one reason (not even including all the others) are mostly Black.

Folks need to invest in the people of this state to empower more to choose leaders & ensure that leaders know the people have power & to take the people seriously.

@echndc

@echndc Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith won the 2018 U.S. Senate election in Mississippi by about 66,000 votes.

There are about 230,000 Mississippians, including 130,000 Black Mississippians, who can't vote bc of past felony convictions due to our Jim Crow-era felony disenfranchisement law.

Read 6 tweets

Ashton Pittman

@ashtonpittman

8 Apr

@KFC

I just went to @KFC and placed an order.

Her: Ok sir, with that order, we don't have chicken right now.

Me: You don't have chicken?

Her: No sir.

Me: I'm at Kentucky Fried Chicken?

Her: Yes sir.

Me: And you have no chicken. At all. Of any kind?

Her: No sir.

Me: 🥴🥴🥴

I wasn't trying to make her job difficult, btw. I was just...perplexed and thought I must be misunderstanding something. 😂

Oh my God, I just pulled up at Popeyes and 🥴🥴🥴

Read 7 tweets

Ashton Pittman

@ashtonpittman

7 Apr

Mississippi voters may amend the state constitution to expand Medicaid after years of inaction by #MSLeg.

Since 2014, state leaders have rejected $8 billion+ that could've expanded Medicaid to 200k-300k people & saved several now-closed rural hospitals. mississippifreepress.org/11024/a-genera…

@TateReeves

Even amid #COVID19, Gov. @TateReeves continues to say he will not "expand Obamacare" (as he misleadingly refers to Medicaid expansion) and House Speaker Philip Gunn says he's "not interested."

But Mississippians could bypass them with a ballot initiative.
mississippifreepress.org/11024/a-genera…

@NickJudin

A January 2020 Millsaps/Chism survey found that 60% of Mississippians support expanding Medicaid (29% against). State leaders have ignored that.

Read @NickJudin's report on the effort to bring Medicaid expansion to Mississippi with a ballot initiative. mississippifreepress.org/11024/a-genera…

Read 5 tweets

Ashton Pittman

@ashtonpittman

7 Apr

THREAD: Mississippi's elections chief is warning that "woke" & "uninformed" college students could become registered voters if President Biden gets his way.

"You’ve got an uninformed citizen who may not be prepared and ready to vote," he says. 1/ mississippifreepress.org/11009/mississi…

Watson: “Think about all those woke college and university students... You’ve got an uninformed citizen who may not be prepared and ready to vote...Automatically it's forced on them: Hey, go make a choice. Our country’s going to pay for those choices.” 2/ mississippifreepress.org/11009/mississi…

@SECNAV75

Former Mississippi Gov. Ray Mabus compared Watson's remarks to the Jim Crow era.

“His talking points are from (the) 1950s. Slightly updated. Literacy tests anyone?” wrote Mabus (@SECNAV75), who served as Secretary of the Navy under President Obama. 3/ mississippifreepress.org/11009/mississi…

Read 12 tweets

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