I believe in being honest.
I'm a political junkie. I stay up and stay hooked on the websites of local television stations to follow the influx of election results. With the special Congressional elections in California and New York, respectively, I had several tabs open on Chrome: DailyKos, the Associated Press, and a local television station. I love elections.
So when I watched election results from the Democratic and Republican primaries stream in from Mississippi, I felt as though I was watching something without knowing WHAT I was watching. I mean, clearly, this is not a priority race for Democrats. There was no mention of it here--as far as I could see!--and I doubt that any national party will invest resources in this gubernatorial election, especially with much more exciting races in Kentucky and West Virginia.
So I plead innocence and ignorance. There will be a runoff election between Johnny DuPree, the Mayor of Hattiesburg, and Bill Luckett, a lawyer and businessman from Clarksdale. That is, truly, the extent of my knowledge. I know that the Clarion-Ledger, the largest paper in Jackson, Mississippi, endorsed DuPree for his strong record as Mayor, but also praised Luckett as having made significant progress with the reconstruction of Clarksdale. That's it.
As a political activist and as a liberal/progressive, I like to be able to root for someone. In this race, however, I'm left without anyone to root for. By default, I lean towards DuPree, only because I feel as though the black turnout that he would draw by having his name on the ballot would potentially help the Mississippi Democrats, who are up the creek without a paddle. However, I've heard horror stories about DuPree's record in Hattiesburg. I've heard that he's employed racial tactics, destroyed the downtown region, and has inflicted massive damage on the police force. Admittedly, these claims come from admitted conservatives, so I'm hesitant to believe them.
But Bill Luckett seems no better. He seems, regardless of Morgan Freeman's endorsement--I was amused to note that unlike in the case of the Wisconsin recalls and B.J. Lawson, it was ACTUALLY Morgan Freeman narrating a campaign advertisement--to be a conservative Democrat in the mold of John Arthur Eaves, Jr. And, not to get sidetracked, but I was absolutely disgusted with Eaves. I do not live in Mississippi and I never have, but Eaves being on the ballot absolutely sickened me. A self-proclaimed Democrat who attacks abortion, gun control, gay marriage and support school prayer? Please. But that's what Luckett feels like to me, but I have no proof to back that up.
So, really, I'd like to hear what my fellow Kossacks have to say about what's going on in Mississippi. Frankly, I don't know who to root for in the runoff, and I definitely don't know who to support in the general. In all honesty, Eaves disgusted me enough that--I'm embarrassed to say--I actually supported Haley Barbour.
So please comment! I want opinions.