>>> I THINK TODAY’S PROFESSIONAL
ATHLETES ARE ACTING INCREDIBLY
RESPONSIBLY.
I WOULD STRONGLY SUPPORT THEM
DOING THAT.
THE MOST ARE THE PEOPLE WHO ARE
THE LEADERS IN THESE VARIOUS
SPORTS, AND IT’S JUST NOT RIGHT.
THIS IS JIM CROW ON STEROIDS,
WHAT THEY’RE DOING IN GEORGIA.
>> PRESIDENT BIDEN YESTERDAY
SAYING THAT HE WOULD BACK A
DECISION TO MOVE THE MLB
ALL-STAR GAME OUT OF ATLANTA IN
RESPONSE TO NEW LEGISLATION THAT
TIGHTENS VOTING LAWS IN GEORGIA.
GEORGIA BUSINESSES FEELING THE
PRESSURE FROM VOTING RIGHTS
ACTIVISTS ARE NOW SPEAKING OUT
AGAINST THE STATE’S NEW VOTING
LAW.
COCA-COLA CEO JAMES QUINCEY
CALLED THE LEGISLATION WRONG AND
UNACCEPTABLE AND A STEP
BACKWARD.
AND DELTA AIRLINES CEO ED
BOSTION WROTE IN A MEMO TO
EMPLOYEES, QUOTE, THE ENTIRE
RATIONALE FOR THIS BILL WAS
BASED ON A LIE THAT THERE WAS
WIDESPREAD VOTER FRAUD IN
GEORGIA IN THE 2020 ELECTIONS.
THIS IS SIMPLY NOT TRUE.
GOVERNOR BRIAN KEMP DEFENDED THE
LAW IN AN INTERVIEW YESTERDAY.
>> I UNDERSTAND THAT THEY HAVE
PUBLIC COMPANIES AND THEY HAVE
BOARDS THAT ARE PRESSURING THEM,
BUT THAT STILL DOESN’T CHANGE
THE TRUTH AND THE FACT THAT THIS
BILL EXPANDS VOTING ACCESS,
ESPECIALLY ON THE WEEKENDS IN
GEORGIA.
IT USES A VOTER I.D., WHICH IS
FREE FOR ABSENTEE BALLOT WITH
MAIL THAT WILL SPEED UP THE
PROCESS.
IT REQUIRES COUNTY ELECTIONS
OFFICIALS TO CONTINUOUSLY
TABULATE --
>> GOVERNOR --
>> -- TO GET EVERY VOTE COUNTED.
AND IT’S A SECURE, ACCESSIBLE,
FAIR WAY TO DO IT.
>> I LOVE THE VOTER I.D., BUT A
LOT OF REPUBLICANS ARE AGAINST
VACCINE PASSPORTS.
YEP, YEP, YEP.
OUR NEXT TWO GUESTS HAVE BEEN
STEPPING UP THE PRESSURE BEFORE
SOME OF THOSE COMPANIES BEGAN TO
SPEAK OUT.
JOINING US NOW, FORMER GENERAL
COUNSEL AND VICE PRESIDENT OF
LABOR RELATIONS COMMUNICATIONS
FOR U.P.S., TERRY PLUMMER
McCLURE.
ALSO WITH US, SENIOR ASSOCIATE
DEAN AT THE YALE SCHOOL OF
MANAGEMENT, JEFFREY SONNENFELD.
THEIR RECENT OPINION PIECE FOR
"NEWSWEEK" IS ENTITLED, "AS
GEORGIA GOES, SO GOES THE
NATION."
IT READS IN PART THIS, "MANY OF
THE CEOs OF THESE ENTERPRISES
ARE OUR PERSONAL FRIENDS.
HOWEVER, EVEN FRIENDS CAN USE
CANDID ADVICE FROM OTHER
FRIENDS.
COULD OUR GEORGIAN BUSINESS
LEADER FRIENDS BECOME TOO
CAUTIOUS IF NOT EVEN
OVERLAWYERED?
AT THE VERY LEAST, U.P.S. SHOULD
HAVE DONE MORE TO SIMPLY EDUCATE
THEIR EMPLOYEES AND ENCOURAGE
THEM AND STAKEHOLDERS TO SPEAK
OUT.
THE RIGHT TO FAIR ELECTIONS IS
SO FUNDAMENTAL TO OUR SOCIETY
AND OUR DEMOCRACY THAT EVERY
COMPANY SHOULD HAVE BEEN WILLING
TO SPEAK UP.
HOW COULD THESE CEOs MUTE THEIR
VOICES AS THE GOP CONTROLLED
LEGISLATURE TO OVERRULE LOCAL
ELECTION BOARDS REDUCED 33
BALLOT DROP BOXES TO 9 AND
DENIED WATER TO PEOPLE IN LONG
LINES?
BOTH GOOGLE AND MICROSOFT
RECENTLY ANNOUNCED NEW REGIONAL
OFFICES IN ATLANTA.
PERHAPS IT’S TIME FOR THEIR
WORKFORCE TO DEMAND
RECONSIDERATION OF SUCH
CORPORATE MOVES."
TERRY, HOW FAR SHOULD THESE
COMPANIES GO, YOU BEING
AFFILIATED WITH ONE OF THESE BIG
COMPANIES.
IT’S ONE THING TO SAY THING, IT
IS MUCH ANOTHER THING TO PUT
YOUR MONEY WHERE YOUR MOUTH IS.
>> ABSOLUTELY, MIKA.
AND THANK YOU FOR INVITING ME TO
PARTICIPATE.
YOU KNOW, I THINK -- I’VE BEEN
IN THE ROOM WHERE THOSE
DECISIONS ARE BEING EVALUATED BY
BUSINESSES, WHETHER OR NOT TO
SPEAK OUT ON THESE ISSUES.
AND IT IS A DIFFICULT DECISION
TO MAKE.
BUT I FIRMLY BELIEVE THAT THIS
IS AN ISSUE OF DEMOCRACY.
THIS IS AN ISSUE THAT GOES TO
THE HEART OF CAPITALISM, AND
THAT’S SO VERY IMPORTANT FOR
BUSINESSES TO MAINTAIN.
IT’S BEEN POLITICIZED, AND
THAT’S UNFORTUNATE, BUT VOTING
RIGHTS IS NOT TRULY A POLITICAL
ISSUE.
IT’S A BIPARTISAN ISSUE.
SO, YES, I THINK IT IS IMPORTANT
FOR COMPANIES TO SPEAK OUT.
AND IT IS IMPORTANT FOR HEM TO
SPEAK OUT NOT JUST ON THEIR OWN
BEHALF, BUT TO HELP EDUCATE
THEIR EMPLOYEES.
U.P.S. WAS INVOLVED, AS ANY
OTHER COMPANIES WERE INVOLVED,
IN EVALUATING THIS LEGISLATION
AND WORKING BEHIND THE SCENES,
AS THEY’VE ALL INDICATED TO
ASSIST.
BUT THERE WAS SO MUCH DONE IN
THE DARK ON THIS LEGISLATION AND
MANY EMPLOYEES, MANY VOTERS IN
GEORGIA DID NOT REALLY
UNDERSTAND THE EXTENT TO WHICH
THESE SUPPRESSION RULES WERE
BEING ASKED.
SOY JUST ASKED, YOU KNOW, COULD
THERE HAVE BEEN MORE DONE.
COULD THEY HELP EDUCATE THEIR
EMPLOYEES, THEIR CONSTITUENTS,
THEIR CONSUMERS, ABOUT WHAT WAS
BEING -- WHAT WAS TAKING PLACE.
AND I DO THINK THAT, YOU KNOW,
NOW WE’RE HEARING THAT MORE
COULD HAVE BEEN DONE.
AND REALLY, OUR PIECE WAS ABOUT
CHALLENGING OTHER BUSINESSES,
OTHER CORPORATE EXECUTIVES TO
LOOK AT WHAT’S TAKING PLACE IN
THE 42 OTHER STATES WHERE
LEGISLATION IS PENDING AND SPEAK
OUT NOW.
YOU KNOW, BE VISIBLE AND VOCAL
ON ISSUE THIS BEFORE THE BILL IS PASSED.
>> MIKE BARNICLE?
>> JEFFREY, ONE OF THE MOST
IMPORTANT THINGS ABOUT THE
ABILITY FOR EVERYONE TO VOTE AND
ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT
ASPECTS IS ACCESS TO VOTING.
CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THE
RESTRICTIONS PLACED IN GEORGIA
ABOUT ACCESS TO VOTING IN THIS
BILL AND THAT POLLING LOCATIONS
HAVE BEEN REDUCED AND ARE VERY
DIFFICULT TO GET TO.
SOMETIMES IT’S A LONG BUS RIDE
TO GET A VOTING BOOTH NOW.
>> MIKE, THAT’S THE REALLY
CRITICAL ISSUE.
AND WHILE GOVERNOR KEMP IS
WAVING AROUND A FEW ELEMENTS
THAT ARE POSITIVE, THEY ARE A
CODIFY INDICATION OF THINGS THAT
WERE JUST UNCLEAR BEFORE, ABOUT
THE ABILITY TO HAVE POLLING
WORKERS CROSS COUNTIES, FOR
EXAMPLE, IN WORK THEY’RE DOING
OR ALLOWING THE WEEKEND, MORE
FORMALIZING WEEKEND VOTING
RIGHTS.
HOWEVER, THE REDUCTION IN
POLLING PLACES IS AN ONBSCENITY.
OF BLACK VOTERS WAIT NINE TIMES
AS LONG AS WHITE VOTERS.
AS KEN FRAZIER MENTIONED
YESTERDAY, WHEN THEY WERE
TALKING ABOUT THE IMPLICATIONS
OF THIS NEW LEGISLATION, THAT
ALREADY BEFORE THIS CHANGE, WE
HAVE THIS GREAT DISCREPANCY.
BUT IN THE LAST 20 YEARS, WE’VE
HAD 2 MILLION MORE VOTERS GO
INTO GEORGIA, HALF ARE IN FULTON
OR DeKALB COUNTY AND HALF OF
THEM ARE BLACK VOTERS.
IS WHAT WE SEE IN THOSE URBAN
COUNTIES, DeKALB AND FULTON
COUNTY ARE THE METRO ATLANTA
AREA, THEY’VE PUT IN THESE
PROCEDURES THAT ARE BASICALLY
HAVING ONE DROP BOX PER 100,000
PEOPLE, WHICH IS GOING FROM
ABOUT 40 DROP BOXES TO FEWER
THAN NINE.
EIGHT OR NINE, AND SOME PRETTY
LONG DISTANCES TO TRAVEL.
SO THIS INACCESSIBILITY IS A
HUGE PROBLEM.
I THINK A LOT OF THE ATTENTION,
AS YOU KNOW, MIKE, HAS GONE TO
THE RIDICULOUSLY CRUEL, BIZARRE
PROVISIONS THAT YOU CAN’T GIVE
WATER TO SOMEBODY STANDING IN A
NINE-HOUR LINE IN SWELTERING
HEAT.
THAT’S JUST CRAZY, THERE ARE SO
MANY OTHER THINGS THAT HAVE TO
DO WITH THE ABSENTEE BALLOTING
THAT’S BEEN RESTRICTED.
AND THE NO EXCUSE AND TO NOT
HAVE AUTOMATIC REGISTRATION WHEN
YOU REGISTER FOR YOUR CAR AND
THINGS LIKE THAT, THERE ARE SO
MANY OTHER ELEMENTS.
PERHAPS THE GREATEST ONE,
THOUGH, THAT TROUBLES ME AND
MANY PEOPLE IN GEORGIA THE MOST
IS THAT THIS WILY GOP-CONTROLLED
LEGISLATURE CAN OVERRULE AND
CONTROL ELECTION OFFICIALS, SO