Joy Reid: Florida A Jim Crow State, DeSantis Doesn’t Want Black People Voting

On Wednesday night’s edition of MSNBC’s The ReidOut, host Joy Reid opened the show by lashing out at Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis for daring to enforce the laws of his state and not allow violent felons to illegally vote in elections. Reid who presumably wants violent felons to be allowed to vote melted down and accused Florida of being a Jim Crow state. 

“We begin tonight with Florida,” Reid said at the beginning of the show. “Which I would argue, even with Texas existing has emerged as the modern state in this country that comes the closest to a modern-day version of Jim Crow,” Reid cried. 

Continuing to lash out, Reid said: “If there’s a state that better exemplifies the rot of MAGA Republican rule than the state of Florida that the governor has named in very Orwellian fashion the free state of Florida, I honestly don’t know what it is.” 

Reid then spouted off a list of lies about Florida: 

Florida has it all. A law banning gay people from declaring their existence at school. Teachers can actually get fired for it. A law against anti-racist policies at work, like you have to let the racism be in the workplace or else. Book bans and requirements for patriotic Christian education propaganda in public schools, and, of course, a concerted effort to make it as hard as possible for anyone who might vote for the out-of-power party, the Democrats, hashtag black people, to vote, or to have representative districts.

Getting to the point of her unhinged rant, Reid claimed “Florida’s Jim Crow redux governor Ron DeSantis even has his own office of election crimes.” 

“Ron DeSantis and his Republican cronies in the state legislature have done everything in their power to reverse the clock back to the 19th century,” Reid vindictively claimed, adding: “In 2018 Florida voters overwhelmingly approved an amendment reversing one of several Jim Crow-era laws in southern states and restoring voting rights for those with a felony conviction.”

“But in 2019, the Republican state legislature stepped in and passed legislation requiring those citizens to pay associated fees or fines before regaining their voting rights. Basically, a big fat poll tax, which of course DeSantis happily signed into law,” Reid said. 

Of course, there’s nothing wrong with DeSantis cracking down on voter fraud. Reid knows the only way her Democrat candidates in Florida can win is if violent criminals are allowed to vote. That’s why she’s melting down over police arresting rapists and murderers for voting illegally. 

This unhinged segment was made possible by Liberty Mutual. Their information is linked so you can contact them. 

To read the relevant transcript click “expand”: 

MSNBC’s The ReidOut
10/19/2022
7:01:33 p.m. Eastern 

JOY REID: We begin tonight with Florida, which I would argue, even with Texas existing has emerged as the modern state in this country that comes the closest to a modern-day version of Jim Crow. Just hear me out. If there’s a state that better exemplifies the rot of MAGA Republican rule than the state of Florida that the governor has named in very Orwellian fashion the free state of Florida, I honestly don’t know what it is. 

I mean, Florida has it all. A law banning gay people from declaring their existence at school. Teachers can actually get fired for it. A law against anti-racist policies at work, like you have to let the racism be in the workplace or else. Book bans and requirements for patriotic Christian education propaganda in public schools, and, of course, a concerted effort to make it as hard as possible for anyone who might vote for the out-of-power party, the Democrats, hashtag black people, to vote, or to have representative districts. Florida’s Jim Crow redux governor Ron DeSantis even has his own office of election crimes. Newly released and frankly disturbing video shows Tampa police back in August arresting people on charges of illegal voting in the 2020 election. 

[…]

REID: To be clear, that is because Ron DeSantis and his Republican cronies in the state legislature have done everything in their power to reverse the clock back to the 19th century. In 2018 Florida voters overwhelmingly approved an amendment reversing one of several Jim Crow-era laws in southern states and restoring voting rights for those with a felony conviction. Except those convicted of murder or of a felony sex offense. More than a million Floridians got their right to vote back. But in 2019, the Republican state legislature stepped in and passed legislation requiring those citizens to pay associated fees or fines before regaining their voting rights. Basically, a big fat poll tax, which of course DeSantis happily signed into law. That law which was upheld by a federal court in 2020 put a price on voting for thousands of disproportionately black, brown, and low-income white Floridians that can run as high as $50,000 in some cases.