Analysis: Stacey Abrams Took off Her Mask in More Ways Than One in Georgia

So now that Georgia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams has “apologized” for not wearing a mask while taking a photo Friday with masked children at an elementary school in Decatur, Georgia, we should all move on, right?

Though the media and Democrats clearly want to, the answer to that question is “nope.”

For starters, in Abrams’ interview Tuesday with CNN “OutFront” anchor Erin Burnett, the failed 2018 Democratic gubernatorial nominee made a major false claim.

“In the excitement after I finished, because it was so much fun working with those kids, I took a picture. And that was a mistake.” She went on to say that “Protocols matter, and protecting our kids is the most important thing. And anything perceived as undermining that is a mistake, and I apologize.”

For those who missed it, watch:

.@staceyabrams on maskless photo with school children: “Protocols matter and protecting our kids is the most important thing, and anything that can be perceived as undermining that is a mistake, and I apologize.” https://t.co/gEtQ1buN6m pic.twitter.com/WakaoFZYNX

— The Hill (@thehill) February 9, 2022

Except the problem here is that wasn’t just “a picture.” It was multiple pictures with masked kids and masked adults, as we previously documented:

“OutKick has obtained more photos from Stacey Abrams’s visit to Glennwood Elementary School last week.”https://t.co/7IkJoEtYEi pic.twitter.com/4OHZLbEIKQ

— Jerry Dunleavy (@JerryDunleavy) February 8, 2022

So even in apologizing for getting caught operating based on the “rules for thee and not for me” approach Democrats have been taking for two years on CDC guidelines and government mandates regarding the coronavirus pandemic, she lied.

Even worse than what she said on CNN was the tactic Abrams and her campaign took in the immediate aftermath of the reports about her maskless photos. Instead of addressing the issue directly, they engaged in pathetic “whataboutism” while trotting out the race card, bizarrely using the fact that it was Black History Month to allege that there was some type of correlation between the criticism she faced from conservatives over her appearance at the school and the month that has been designated to showcase black history on a national stage.

There were multiple problems with that approach, obviously. For instance, conservatives have been calling out Democrat hypocrisy on mask mandates and social distancing recommendations going back to the early days of the pandemic, and the objects of their criticisms have been Democrats no matter their race, including President Joe Biden, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and others.

Plus, the backlash against what Abrams did didn’t just come from the right. Even the far-left co-hosts of “The View” slammed Abrams, with Sunny Hostin seeming particularly miffed that Abrams tried to bring Black History Month into the mix.

The criticism of Abrams literally had nothing to do with her race, and yet they tried to make it about that, demonstrating a thin-skinned nature that is not well-suited for someone seeking to be the leader of a state.

In fact, “thin-skinned” describes Abrams to a “t” and we’ve known that since 2018, when she refused to concede that she lost the gubernatorial election to Brian Kemp. She’s spent over three years maintaining her stance, claiming her election was “stolen,” and has been propped up by the same mainstream media types who are now telling us that it’s an affront to democracy to question election results and who call any such attempts “the Big Lie.”

Now that she’s running for governor again, Abrams and her defenders are conveniently trying to rewrite history by suggesting she’s never engaged in “Big Lie” behavior, even though aside from Hillary Clinton, Abrams was one of the originators of such tactics which make both look like sore losers.

Further, Abrams deliberately helped sabotage her state and its residents with her shameful behavior during the election reform bill debate in 2021, which led to Major League Baseball pulling the All-Star Game out of the state and along with it millions in potential revenue for small businesses – many minority-owned – who had struggled to make ends meet during the pandemic.

Stacey Abrams’ mask has been off for a long time, but her actions Friday reminded us all over again of that. Over and over again, she’s proven that she’s not the person to lead anything, much less the state of Georgia. Hopefully, a majority of voters agree and send her packing in November (assuming she’s the nominee) once and for all, and so resoundingly that this time around she’ll have no choice but to officially concede.