Originally posted on theRoot.com
I never thought it would happen, but Georgia has virtually become the first state to elect a black woman as governor. It was one thing for Barack Obama to get elected president. He ran for office while America was in ruins after George W. Bush’s ragged economy and costly financial wars. Sarah Palin’s candidacy for GOP veep proved to be a nightmare, and Michelle Obama was the real-life Clair Huxtable everyone wanted as first lady.
Even the other few black governors in recent history, like Massachusetts’ Deval Patrick, were elected in ultraliberal places. Doug Wilder? His election to governor was 25 years ago by a hair in Virginia.
But Georgia electing Stacey Abrams?
Sure, she is the former head of the Democratic minority in the state Legislature, and a lawyer, author and Spelman grad, but still. Georgia being the first state to elect a black woman as governor, that would seem to be a political miracle.
Now, technically, the election doesn’t happen until November, but that’s just splitting hairs at this point. Thanks to a wonderful jambalaya of National Rifle Association arrogance, gun tragedies and idiotic Georgia Republicans picking a fight with Delta Air Lines—the largest employer in the state—it all may have just paved a way for Abrams to dub-step her way into the governor’s mansion.
Since the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., everyone from parents and schools to state politicians and big businesses has been figuring out what to do about suburban mass shootings in America.
The NRA has kept Republicans tap dancing, and red-state Democrats have been trying out messages like ice cream flavors. Meanwhile, corporate America has essentially said “Deuces” to the entire debate.
Dick’s Sporting Goods and Walmart have stopped selling assault rifles and raised their in-store-gun-purchasing age to 21. Hertz and Enterprise will no longer offer discounts to NRA members.
In other words, big brands want out of the gun business because it’s good for business. However, the biggest Glock blocking occurred when Delta Air Lines, whose main hub is in Atlanta, announced that it would no longer give discounts to NRA members.
Delta made it clear in its statement that it was ending the discount in order to be politically neutral (and also pointed out that it had cut ties with an anti-Trump theater group last year), but that wasn’t good enough for Georgia Lt. Gov. and GOP gubernatorial front-runner Casey Cagle: