Georgia is known for many things, Jimmy Carter, Martin Luther King Jr., and a ton of pine trees. But it also has a very dark history that’s filled with hatred and racism – today, Marjorie Taylor Greene is here to make sure her state’s grim legacy isn’t forgotten.
Over on X the representative for Georgia’s 14th congressional district promoted the grand opening of Trump Force 47. The ridiculous name might sound like some sort of Power Rangers rip-off but in reality it’s a program which encourages volunteers to give up their free time to go around and convince people to vote Republican. Anyways, if you’re interested in going it’s taking place in Rome, GA.
Meanwhile, we have the presidential debate happening today, June 27 in Atlanta, Georgia. Greene mentions the debate in her post, stating “there’s a reason Atlanta was selected to host the first presidential debate.”
The history of Georgia
So let’s delve into the history of Georgia a little bit shall we? We’re talking about the state where, in 1913, an innocent man by the name of Leo Frank was sentenced to death for a murder he did not commit. The reason he was suspected of the crime seems to be simply because he was Jewish. While in prison he was broken out of his cell and lynched by a mob despite evidence pointing towards his innocence.
Not only this, but after Frank’s death the Ku Klux Klan was reformed in the state by William J Simmons. In November of that year, the preacher and his re-established Klan climbed the stone mountain and burnt a cross marking the return of the KKK after over 40 years.
The truth is, Georgia is inextricably linked to right-wing groups throughout its history, and that mindset is still present today in natives like Marjorie. Back in February she called for the death penalty for Jose Antonia Ibarra, an asylum seeker who had murdered a UGA student. While the individual deserves punishment, Greene’s emphasis on Ibarra’s immigrant status pushes a similar sort of rhetoric that saw Leo Frank persecuted simply because of his religion.
So maybe Marj has a point when she says there’s a reason why Georgia is hosting the presidential debate. After all, it is the state where lynch mobs killed an innocent man, it’s the state where the Ku Klux Klan was re-established, and where the stars and bars of the confederacy were prominently displayed on the state flag until 2001.
So yeah – of course MTG thinks Georgia would be the state to get her idol back into the White House. But let’s not forget, it was Georgia which lost Trump the election back in 2020 with Biden narrowly winning out over Trump by 0.23%, so perhaps the state could still surprise us.