It's been a while since i've managed to get on for a nice day of blogging. I can assure folks that much has changed and much more has stayed the same in South MS.
We are still Republican as ever. If only Hattiesburg were a Democratic area, then I could brag that the Democrats brought MS it's only college bowl team yet again. But alas, this town is too conservative even though we have an African American Democrat as mayor. Speaking of which, that may be the reason we are getting the shaft from the Feds much the same way as Louisiana. Curiously, no pleas for help, no money requests, no supplies were lost for reliably Republican MS, except for our lovely community. While here and in Louisiana, the feds virtually ignored or just plain forgot everything. And who says there are somethings that rise above politics? What fool said that? Not with this administration. It's so obvious it reeks.
I notice that Kos has put up a post blasting panzy Democrats who run scared of being a Democrat. Good for him. He's absolutely right. I hope his message resonates well throughout the country. Anyone notice that Reps like Gene Taylor (MS) Charlie Melancon (LA) Chet Edwards (TX) Stephanie Herseth (SD) are all successfully elected Democrats (Herseth, Taylor and Edwards repeatedly so) from solid GOP areas? How can one explain this? Could it be that their constituents know that they know what their doing? And that if Democrats actually nominated people with spines and genitals, they can win pretty much anywhere? Not saying they'll win every race, but when you only contest 70% of the seats, and only fund about 5% of them, you're not really giving yourself much are you? Thank God we have a DNC chairman who understands that.
I notice that Sherrod Brown is trouncing Paul Hackett in early numbers in OH. That disappoints me. I personally believe a Sherrod Brown nomination hands re-election to DeWine on a silver platter. Call me pessimistic, but I'm right. I would love to have to eat my words, but I think Hackett is our only shot at sending DeWine home. Brown ran from the race until the numbers changed. Hackett got in without a second glance. That's elementary enough to understand. I know folks like Brown's liberalism, they like that he's in elected office already. I'm telling you now that, for this race, I don't think that matters. I think he's a dead weight nominee and we're killing the political career of an excellent nominee in the process. But that's just my opinion. Let them duke it out. Personally, I hope Hackett forces both Brown and DeWine to find new jobs.
Mitt Romney is retiring. Yet another GOP shill who somehow decides that, even though he can't be re-elected Governor, he somehow has a shot at being elected President, joining NY's Governor Pataki. At least Santorum is staying in his race. When he loses, I'm sure he'll still run for President. Poor Mitt. He's despised enough in his state that he won't win there. No Democrat will vote for him for President. No conservative Republican will give him their nod for the nomination. Hey Mitt, the Libertarian party could use a nominee. What do ya say?
I almost choked the other day I was laughing so hard while reading the USA Today. A big story was printed involving the rise of the Presidents numbers. Ladies and Gentleman, Bush is returning. He's gone from 39% to 41%. My God, he's the true Comeback Kid!! Those bastards really are desperate for good news.
The word from Louisiana where I grew up is that Congressman Richard Baker may be seriously vulnerable in 2006. His district has exploded with Katrina refugees, most of whom from New Orleans, the most Democratic area in the state. The City of Baton Rouge now has more than enough voters to offset the conservative rural areas surrounding the city. What's more, Baker mocked those from New Orleans saying in effect that at least Katrina cleaned up that mess that was public housing in New Orleans. Not real smart Congressman. He can be beat. He's a shill of the banking industry. They want to use Katrina to run Melancon, Landrieu and Blanco right out of town. You know they will. I say we do the same thing to eliminate Baker and perhaps even Rodney Alexander. Tie that political coward to Bush, hang him from the same noose. My ome state will not go GOP without a fight. Not if I can help it. It's bad enough I live in MS which is lost to all that hope. Louisiana is not.
Claire McCaskill and Jim Talent are in a dead eat with 42% even. That bothers me. With the kind of year the GOP is having, Talent has to be relieved that Claire can only run even with him. That's the best evidence yet that he's safer for re-election that probably he even thought. While Claire is a strong nominee and will make Talent sweat, she has to be on offense. Nominees on defense against incumbents do not win. Go Claire! Knock Talent out! Be aggressive, be smart and be right. Talent is only two of those things. You have to be all 3 to beat him. He's vulnerable. Don't make him safe, don't let him escape.
Democrats are actually doing several things that are really smart politically, something that just last year I would not have deemed possible from them. They are staying out of the way, letting the GOP shoot themselves in the foot. We can watch Katherine Harris fight off the GOP, spending all her money and press attention to fight off her "friends." We see Jeanine Pirro sending a fundraising letter to Hillary Clinton at the White House, then lament about her sad fundraising numbers while the NY GOP rolls their eyes and pleads with God to drop someone from heaven that could run a better race against HRC. We see it in PA where Santorum decides that he knows what's best for Terri Schiavo, not her husband, and writes a book lamenting what liberals have done to our country, apparently forgetting that their are far more liberals in PA than there used to be. It's real fun to watch down here.
Ahnold allowed the execution of Stanley "Tookie" Williams to go as planned. It's not like he ticked off anyone knew. Hollywood already hates him, as do liberals and death penalty opponents. It's also not as if any of those groups would have supported him had he granted clemency. So why should he have? How about it was the right thing to do? How about the message he sent to the entire state was "it doesn't matter if you are rehabilitated. It doesn't matter how much good you've done in prison, you're still getting the needle." Boy, that sure motivates inmates and professionals working with them to turn a new leaf doesn't it. Damn, Williams was nominated for Peace Prizes and authored books aimed at discouraging youth from gang violence. What else could he have done? Admitted guilt? Ahnold couldn't do that when it involved groping women, you expect someone to admit to murder after 25 years of denying it? And this man is Governor folks. He's a true Hollywood meathead. The Death Penalty does nothing except tell the world that it's ok to kill bad people b/c they are bad people. A life is a life. No matter who's it is. Williams deserved to be locked up for the rest of his life. He did not deserve to be publicly killed with witnesses watching, the entire world listening and his friends just outside the gates unable to save him. That's torture. We're supposed to be above that.
Those are my thoughts. Comment if you will.