There is a great article in Friday's New York Times about the Democratic Party's push to achieve a super-majority in the Senate. Currently the Dem's have a 51-49 advantage in large part to two Independents who caucus with them. We all know one of them is a Republican in waiting with our own Benedict Arnold, Joe Lieberman. If the Democrats can achieve a gain of 10 seats at the minimum, they can reach the magic number of 61, filibuster proof and Lieberman proof.
The article goes on to break down how this is possible and highlights the Mississippi race as a winnable by the Democrats.
Four Republican incumbents are potentially vulnerable because voters in their states increasingly identify with Democrats. They are John E. Sununu of New Hampshire, Norm Coleman of Minnesota, Gordon H. Smith of Oregon and Susan Collins of Maine. To get to 60, the Democrats would need to win the three open seats and these four, protect their incumbents and still pick up two seats in traditionally Republican states like Mississippi and Oklahoma.
In Mississippi, Ronnie Musgrove, a well-known former governor, is the Democratic candidate for the seat vacated by Trent Lott, who retired in December and was replaced by Roger Wicker, a lesser-known United States representative.
For a while this race was ignored by the MSM. Some of us were yelling at the top our lungs that there was a race to be had here. At times it felt like we were yelling into the wind for the sport of hearing the strain of our own vocal cords. Roger Wicker is the king of pork in the House and looks to join fellow Mississippi Republican Thad Chocran in the Senate, where shockingly Thad is the Senate's king of pork. With McCain as the nominee don't look for a lot of help from the presidential canidate. With Obama on the top of the ticket this race is more than winnable. Also don't forget MS-1, which is being vacated by Roger Wicker. Travis Childers and Steve Holland are two fine candidates to challenge for the Democratic nomination, either one would be a MAJOR upgrade.
Laugh as you will, but there is a real movement starting down here. I have heard nothing but politics in everywhere from the grocery store to the waterin' hole. The Dems have a real chance to pick up a Senate seat, a seat in the House, and turn this state blue on the big map in November.
With Barack on the top of a Dem ticket, we can win all of these races. Haley Barbour, a highly popular incumbent, and former chair of the RNC only garnered 58% in his last run, against a third tier challenger. Musgrove is leading the Senate race according to some polls. The Wingnuts down here, along with the bible thumpers, hate McCain. Our state is 37% AA. The excitement level in the AA community, along with the youth vote for Obama is off the charts.
What we don't need is a bunch of short-sighted attacks on Mississippi progressives for the transgressions of our neighbors and ancestors. While this may blow some steam off for you it is counter-productive as all types read these blogs. Punishing those of us fighting the good fight goes against all our party stands for. It is no coincidence that where poverty levels are high an education levels low the GOP is able to maintain control with their laughable lies.
John Grisham made a great point on Bill Moyer that the southern man's politics of today serve the same interests of those of the Civil War era. At that time, the poor southern man died in the fields of Shiloh, Gettysburg, and Antietam for the benefit of the wealthy planters, and a system that treated them economically not much better than the slaves. Today they poor white southern man votes against his own interests economically time after time, always under the thumb of Republican low brow politics and their own education levels.
All day today it was politics with everyone I talked to. We had a group of friends eating crawfish and fresh gulf shrimp at my house. And let me tell you them craws were packing some heat. We sucked some heads and ate some tails, using beer to keep the fire from burning too hot. It was one of those times I was proud to be a Mississippian, with the truly local mix of mudbugs and presidential politics. No basketball or baseball was even talked and that says a lot for my crowd. I for one think we can achieve all of the successes proposed above this year, and in the process turn a lot of heads in the California's and New York's of our great land.
Can we turn Mississippi BLUE in November?
Yes We Can
