TV personality and conservative commentator Eric Bolling abruptly ended his appearance on a BBC News show Wednesday evening after the leftist guest suggested it’s “really rich” for a “white man,” like Bolling, to “claim they care about the economic condition of black communities.”
The inflammatory suggestion that Bolling is disingenuous and racist came from progressive political commentator Aisha Mills, who lampooned the former Fox News host for saying the politically charged decision by corporations to leave Georgia over the state’s election reform bill actually had negative unintended consequences for black communities — a sentiment shared by far-left activist Stacey Abrams.
“Here’s what they did to the African-American community and minority businesses in Atlanta, in Cobb County,” Bolling said. “They took $100 million of revenue. They took 8,000 booked hotel rooms, and they moved them out of the state, and put them in a state [Colorado] and a city with far less diversity than [Atlanta].”
Bolling then encouraged Mills — who was very angered by his comments — to take up her grievances with Abrams.
At that point, Mills unloaded on Bolling, making presumptive declarations about his personal beliefs and concerns based solely on the color of his skin.
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“I think it’s really rich for any Republican, especially a white man, to run around and claim that they care about the economic condition of black communities and black businesses when that’s all a lie,” she charged. “OK? There’s nothing in their policies—.”
Bolling then jumped into the fray, clearly agitated by Mills’ allegations, and said, “That’s not fair. That’s insulting and not fair. You don’t know me. You don’t know who I am.”
She ignored Bolling’s concerns and continued making her argument, telling him that the Georgia legislation is “reminiscent [of] the Jim Crow policies that my family lived under.” Echoing the words of President Joe Biden, she said the bill “is all about racial discrimination.”
“How dare you try to act like you are somehow a proponent of black people and businesses just to make a point and try to create a wedge,” Mills said to Bolling. “It’s ignorant and it’s just disrespectful.”
The “Bolling with Favre” host then decided to walk away.
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“You know what?” Bolling said. “That’s disgusting. I’m done. Put me off. That’s disgusting. I am nowhere near anything you are painting me to be, and the problem with American politics is exactly that. Because I’m white, you think I’m racist? That’s B.S. I’m done.”
Bolling then briefly sat back down as the show’s host, Emily Maitlis, tried to ask him another question. But he then interjected, “I don’t know why I’m staying here. I need an apology.”
Mills made very clear she had no interest in offering any sort of olive branch, telling Bolling, “I’m not going to apologize for being offended.”
“I’m done,” Bolling replied and walked off.
What about the Georgia law?
Biden has repeatedly referred to the law as “Jim Crow on steroids” and falsely claimed the bill ends early voting so working Americans can’t vote.
USA Today editor David Mastio wrote this week that the newly approved bill “is nothing like Jim Crow, let alone the old bird on steroids.”
The law is nothing like Jim Crow, let alone the old bird on steroids. In Georgia, the height of the Jim Crow effort to deny Black voters their rights was a law declaring that primaries would be whites-only affairs, a move the Supreme Court struck down in the 1940s. Beyond that stark example of racist policies, voter suppression efforts in the state included knowledge tests, poll taxes and an informal system of white poll workers, all of which made it so hard for Black citizens to vote that they eventually gave up. There’s nothing even vaguely like that in Georgia’s new law.
And The New York Times’ Nate Cohn explained that the law’s provisions “are unlikely to significantly affect turnout or Democratic chances. It could plausibly even increase turnout.”
“In the final account,” he added, “it will probably be hard to say whether it had any effect on turnout at all.”
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Despite the fact that more than 170 companies have condemned the voting law as discriminatory and “suppressive,” here’s what the law actually does:
- It expands early voting access in most counties
- It extends weekend voting to two Saturdays and potentially two Sundays
- It codifies into law allowances for drop-off balloting
- It bans outside groups from handing out food or water to voters within 150 feet of a polling place, but allows for water stations where voters can help themselves
- It requires a valid photo I.D. to request an absentee ballot
Nevertheless, MLB has pulled its All-Star game from Atlanta — a move the president endorsed. Biden, however, was a tad bit reluctant to urge the Masters Tournament, which is held in Augusta, Georgia, to do the same, though he did repeat his claim that the bill is the equivalent of “new Jim Crow laws.”
Holly Quinlan, president and CEO of Cobb Travel and Tourism, said in a statement this week that the move by the MLB will have devastating economic consequences in Georgia.
“This event,” she said, “would have directly impacted our county and our state, as visitors spend their dollars on local accommodations, transportation, entertainment, and recreation, food as well as retail thought the county.”
“This would have been a big boost to Cobb businesses and help with recovery efforts after the COVID-19 pandemic,” Quinlan added.
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