HARDBALL CLASH
Rep. Omar breaks with Abrams on MLB boycott
Rep. Ilhan Omar said Sunday she supports boycotts in Georgia over the state’s new voting laws — breaking with activist Stacey Abrams on the issue.
Speaking to CNN’s “State of the Union,” Omar (D-Minn.) was asked if she agreed with Major League Baseball’s decision to pull its All-Star Game from Atlanta in protest of the law.
“We know that boycotts have allowed for justice to be delivered in many spaces. The civil rights movement was rooted in boycotts. We know that, you know, apartheid ended in South Africa because of boycotts,” the progressive Minnesota congresswoman said.
“So our hope is that, you know, this boycott will result in changes in the law because we understand that when you restrict people’s ability to vote, you create a democracy that isn’t fully functioning for all of us, and if we are to continue to be a beacon of hope for all democracies around the world, we must stand our ground,” she continued.
Abrams, the state’s failed 2018 Democratic gubernatorial candidate, made her case against a boycott in an op-ed published Wednesday by USA Today, following weeks of public outrage, including from Hollywood and numerous corporations.
“Boycotts are complicated affairs that require a long-term commitment to action,” she wrote in the piece. “I have no doubt that voters of color, particularly Black voters, are willing to endure the hardships of boycotts. But I don’t think that’s necessary — yet.”
The legislation in question, signed by Gov. Brian Kemp late last month, overhauls election protocols in the Peach State, placing new restrictions on voting by mail and increasing legislative control over the voting process.
President Biden referred to the bill as “Jim Crow on steroids” the day after its signing, but went even further last Wednesday, saying he would “strongly support” moving the MLB’s mid-summer classic in protest.
“I think today’s professional athletes are acting incredibly responsibly,” Biden said in an interview with ESPN. “I would strongly support them doing that. People look to them. They are leaders.”