Political Punch

Having moved to Mississippi from Houston, TX, I can say that I have never been happier in my life. Yes the state has it's racial moments, but it doesn't even hold a candle to the racism that I and other people have seen in other parts of the country (esp. the Northeast.)
The manners, hospitality (towards every person regardless of gender/color etc.), and sincerity of every person there is unmatched anywhere else in America.

I can't believe some of the things that people say about Mississippi that are absolutely untrue. There are rednecks, racists, and homophobes EVERYWHERE in America. The state is FAR from being one of the ugliest in America (visit Natchez, Oxford, Vicksburg or almost anywhere else in America.)

If you've never been, or you've spent less than 2 weeks in the state, you're no position to talk about it's people or it's culture.

Being a Mississippian, I have to laugh at the numerous comments about Mississippi not being socially progressive. While we have certainly not progressed as far socially as many places, I would contend that very few places have progressed more socially in the last 40 years. And with very little doubt, I can say that those with the most vitrol directed at Mississippi have likely spent very little if any time here. If not please don't comment based on what you might have heard one time or seen at a truck stop on your way to drink in New Orleans. We actually deal with race on a daily basis here, rather than just spouting off about it in trendy, lily-white nightspots in NY and LA.

This is why I don't much care for her in Iowa either.

Go Mississippi!

I am a female from Mississippi, Hillary wasn't caught expressing her true feelings or in a rare moment of honesty, her comments were cold and calculated, and meant to create controversy, as usual. Hillary has risen to her fame on controversy and will continue to do so. As far as the comments themselves, I, even as a backwoods illiterate Mississippian, would vote for Condoleezza if she ran, not because she's a woman but because I believe in what she stands for. I wouldn't vote for Hillary, not because she's a woman but because she stands for nothing.

Well, as a Mississippian who cares about state politics and national politics, she has obviously lost my vote. I was thinking of voting for her only if both Obama and Biden lost the primary to Hillary, now I just don't see a candidate I would vote for in that scenario. It shouldn't matter anyway, according to her our electoral votes won't go to a woman presidential candidate anyway, and she is probably right with what she has to say about us.

What do you think HRC fundraiser John Grisham thinks about this?

Enough with the 'poor me, I'm a woman' nonsense coming from Clinton and her campaign. When anyone else refers to her gender, they're charged with being sexist yet here she is claiming "There has got to be something at work here..." because 2 states haven't elected women governors. Puh-leez!

I'm a woman. I don't vote for or against someone based on their gender but rather whether I think they are the right person for the job. In this case, my choice is not Clinton and my decision has nothing to do with her being a woman.

When you become president it is for all 50 states, even the ones that don't vote for you. If you think the federal response was bad during Katrina can you imagine the support from someone who trashes your state for political brownie points?

Mississippi is certainly not alone in not electing women governors or congressmen. The majority of states in this country have not elected a woman governor. Anyone who does much research will find women in Mississippi have held leadership roles in the state (as lieutenant governor, state supreme court chief justice). And Mississippi is the state with the highest percentage of African Americans in elected offices. Hilary can't win in Mississippi, and she figures most people aren't going to bother to research her comments or do a little critical thinking about what comes out of her mouth.It really is scary to hear these comments come out of the mouth of a potential president. If she can be this offensive and divisive about a STATE, what is she going to be like in diplomatic relations with other countries?

chuck - you are putting the Libs motives as Republican, The libs are the ones that race bait. When did you ever hear a Repub say the things Hilary in her fake southern voice say or Edwards say!

Remember Maryland when a Black Republican ran for Governor (or Senator) Michael Steele did not the libs throw oreo cookies at him? What about the names called at Rice and Powell, So Please!

You know something I get very aggravated when people are so gullible to fall for the libs lies, because they are going to take away our freedoms

james if i am correct Bush received the highest % of black votes for republicans too.

8-9% of African-Americans vote Republican. And there are thousands who are deeply involved in Republican activities. It is these thousands of already active Republicans, who the Republican Party are trying to recruit as candidates. So it is not the message of the Republican Party that prevents them from running for office.

Chuck, if you had children in grade school, elementary school and or high school, would you want your children to be called "Judas," "Uncle Tom" and "Ore-Cookie?" How about your kids constantly hearing from their peers that their father (or mother) is nothing but a "house N-----." What about your kids' friends no longer hanging around them anymore? Would you want to have your kids coming home in tears everyday? Now try to explain to your kids why all of this is now happening when things were just fine before you decided to run for office! Now you have your kids mad at you for screwing up their lives.

Now tell me that "it's not peer pressure."

I think this quote is being twisted for an insanely dumb news story.

Sorry, James: it's not peer pressure that stops the Republicans from attracting more African-American members, it's their socioeconomic pandering to the affluent suburbanites to create an "us (Caucasians)" against "them (all non-Caucasians)" mindset. I find it absolutely hilarious that the Republicans even went as far as the creation of a magazine called "The Black Republican," with the world's smallest magazine circulation numbers--3 copies total! And two of those copies were mailed to our Sec. of State!

Fred - The higher prices has nothing to do with them being women but with being Libs.

Know I live in the NYC suburbs, and I have family in the south, I find it funny that the south it seems like a friendlier place, and more relaxed from people of all colors and backgrounds but yet the libs hate them. Look they even are turning their back on Florida.

Well I hope the South turns their back on the libs.

chris - Your joking right, in her first two terms she ignored the terrorists, she insulted our military then and now. She cut our military in half. She wants to raise taxes to a record high.
She had a cat for political purposes, And shes for Family? she wants late term abortion!! what family values is that! She is against Parental Notification, What Family values is that? She is for taxing Families more! WHAT FAMILY VALUES IS THAT?

Stop Drinking Lib KoolAid!

Dawn, you wrote: "I hold out no such expectation for TODAY'S Republican Party." I tend to agree with this statement, but I'm sure for a different perspective than you may be taking. It's not because the Republican Party does not want or that they aren't trying to recruit African-Americans -- men and women. The fact is the Republican Party is trying very hard to recruit African-Americans. There are some well qualified candidates across the country. The problem is these individuals do not want to submit themselves and, even more importantly, their families to the ridicule and racism that they will receive from within the African-American community. If the attacks were just on ideology and the issues you would see dozens of candidates. But instead the attacks are very personal and vicious. For not being "black." For being an "Uncle Tom" or even an "Oreo-Cookie." As if all African-Americans MUST think and act alike. It takes an extra special person who is willing to give up a successful private career with financial security in order to go into public service and put up with these personal attacks everywhere he or she goes.

As a resident of Mississippi, I'd say Sen. Clinton is letting the state is off easy. Problems in the deep south are rooted in a long tradition of bigotry of all sorts. Just this past weekend a KKK rally in downtown attracted SUPPORTERS as well as counter demonstrators. Also the American Family Association are notorious homophobes. The 'good ole boy' mentality permeates much of Mississippi and fortunately there is a movement to change things for the better. Obtaining a new south is a worthy goal facing a hard climb but progress is being made.

Sen. Clinton actually blamed a vast right-wing conspiracy for charges that her husband had an affair with Monica Lewinsky: a much narrower charge, albeit only partially incorrect. HE had the affair, THEY made sure we found out all about it. However, for the inside story on how a vast right-wing conspiracy, funded by Richard Mellon Scaife and Rupert Murdoch, among others, fed Americans everything we think we know about Whitewater, Troopergate, Cattlegate, Filegate, Vince Foster and ON and ON, see "The Hunting of the President," by Joe Conason & Gene Lyons, "Blinded by the Right," by David Brock, and "Fools for Scandal." If someone actually puts a target on your back, you're not "playing the victim" for pointing it out.

As for the correction: it was technically accurate but irrelevant because Reconstruction in the South was different from any period before or since, except possibly pre-Revolutionary times. There might also have been African-American Senators from the South elected in the day of the Neanderthal, but we're not going to count them either.

A Republican Senator from before the Republican Party went insane with the Southern Strategy? See (immediately) above.

I'm not sure what's interesting about the coincidence of Senators Braun, Obama, and Clinton all being from Illinois.

As for your final point: I agree wholeheartedly. Democrats should do a much better job of recruiting and supporting African-American (and female) candidates for higher office. Some of those African-Americans can even be women and some of those women can be other than white. I hope they will. I hold out no such expectation for TODAY'S Republican Party.

Hillary has a chance to win Iowa's electoral votes, but no chance in the world of winning Mississippi's. Dumping on MS is cost-free. It might aggravate some people there, but they're not even in the ball-game.