Tone policing is an ad hominem, anti-debate tactic used to derail discussions of substantive issues by focusing on the tone of the other party.
But when Fox Business correspondent Edward Lawrence tried to use the ploy during a White House press briefing, Press Secretary Jen Psaki steered the discussion back to the issues.
After a lengthy list of the positive points—according to Lawrence—of the new Georgia voter suppression bill aimed at limiting the ability of people of color, poor and low income people to vote, he asked Psaki if the White House would be changing their "tone" going forward.
Press Secretary Psaki asked:
"The tone for a bill that limits voting access and makes it more difficult for people to engage in voting, in Georgia?"
Lawrence responded that Republican Governor Brian Kemp had an alternate take on the bill pushed through by the GOP. However his assertion came on the heels of Kemp admitting in an interview the new bill has nothing to do with voter fraud the selling point the GOP used to try to gain support for it.
Psaki made the administration of President Joe Biden plain when she stated:
"If you are making it harder to vote, we do not support that."
You can see the exchange between Lawrence and Psaki here:
People online expressed gratitude for Psaki's preparedness and professionalism while not indulging in rhetoric or double speak.
The new Georgia law Lawrence wanted the White House to soften their tone on has drawn ire across the country as well as from major corporations with ties to Georgia like Coca-Cola and Delta.
Grass roots voting rights organizers like Stacey Abrams and Georgia state Representative Park Cannon are pushing back against this attempt to disenfranchise voters.
Meanwhile, the GOP is pushing similar legislation nationwide.
The White House made it clear what side they are on—the right of all citizens to vote.
