Wow...even Mississippi?

[Gildor Inglorion]

How cool is that? But am I the only Democrat in the state? :-)

[Melodybe]

1. Not by a long shot, I know plenty of pissed off rednecks that won't vote

for shrub.

Mississippi has plenty of democrats, I will say that with all the black voters and the 30% of white people in Mississippi that are democrat, we may be able to turn this into a blue state.

[Gildor Inglorion]

2. From your mouth to God's ears!

[FleshCartoon]

38. Sorry.

This was meant to be a private mail. Don't know what the hell I did.

[Blue_Roses]

3. would you be interested in helping with some

info from Mississippi? I am entering some info for Mississippi and I need a little help.

[Gildor Inglorion]

7. Anything I can do to help, however humble...

just let me know. I'm a native Georgian, but I've lived in Mississippi for more than five years now, so this is home.

[Blue_Roses]

8. thanks

n/t

[Rowdyboy]

4. Canton, Mississippi checking in...

I know of at least 3 other Mississippi DUers who haven't posted yet so there are more of us than you might think.

devrc, I'd be happy to help you if I can. What do you need to know?

[Blue_Roses]

9. great! I'm just trying to finish compiling the rest of the info

for campaign underground. I'll post some of the info I need this evening. thanks a bunch!

[TacticalPeek]

5. Our state's greatest contribution to political discourse, IMHO.

Whiskey Speech by Judge Noah S. "Soggy" Sweat Jr. in 1952

"My friends,

"I had not intended to discuss this controversial subject at this particular time. However, I want you to know that I do not shun controversy. On the contrary, I will take a stand on any issue at any time, regardless of how fraught with controversy it might be. You have asked me how I feel about whiskey. All right, here is how I feel about whiskey.

"If when you say whiskey you mean the devil's brew, the poison scourge, the bloody monster, that defiles innocence, dethrones reason, destroys the home, creates misery and poverty, yea, literally takes the bread from the mouths of little children; if you mean the evil drink that topples the Christian man and woman from the pinnacle of righteous, gracious living into the bottomless pit of degradation, and despair, and shame and helplessness, and hopelessness, then certainly I am against it.

"But;

"If when you say whiskey you mean the oil of conversation, the philosophic wine, the ale that is consumed when good fellows get together, that puts a song in their hearts and laughter on their lips, and the warm glow of contentment in their eyes; if you mean Christmas cheer; if you mean the stimulating drink that puts the spring in the old gentleman's step on a frosty, crispy morning; if you mean the drink which enables a man to magnify his joy, and his happiness, and to forget, if only for a little while, life's great tragedies, and heartaches, and sorrows; if you mean that drink, the sale of which pours into our treasuries untold millions of dollars, which are used to provide tender care for our little crippled children, our blind, our deaf, our dumb, our pitiful aged and infirm; to build highways and hospitals and schools, then certainly I am for it.

"This is my stand. I will not retreat from it. I will not compromise."

The Clarion Ledger, Saturday, February 24, 1996, Jackson, MS, p. 3B.





There, got that out of the way.

[Rowdyboy]

6. Flawless...

One of the all-time great speeches

[GoBlue]

40. What a load

of pure crap

[ashling]

10. OK, I'm not from the Magnolia state, but

I have known her. Went to school at Millsaps (studied history with Dr. Ross Moore and Poli Sci w/ John Quincy Adams), law school at Miss College School of Law lived in Morton for a while where my wife grew up.

My mother was from MS and I have relatives from Aberdeen to McComb.

Does that qualify me for admittance?

;dem:

[Gildor Inglorion]

11. Why, shore, pardner...

mosey on in and set a spell *sorry, I couldn't resist!* I think Mississippi is this country's best-kept secret. I love the place, and the people. But my Lord! they know how to split their tickets when voting. Here in Stone County and the little town of Wiggins, all but two of the elected officials are Democrats, but the county goes like 75% for the Republican Governor, two Republican senators, and *bush. To complicate things further, the congressman is a Democrat (though a very strange, conservative Democrat). I walk very carefully when politics are brought up....I've only been here five years, after all. Don't want to alienate anyone.

[SalParadise]

12. Madison here...

Don't pledge my allegiance to either party - I'm a socially liberal moderate.

Good to see there's a few more folks from the state on this side of the fence - but is there anything to be done with this state? There is no way this state isn't going to go 70% for bush, or am I wrong?

I can't even talk politics at work anymore - not because I can't have a spirited discussion where I work, but one guy is completely brainwashed, two don't really care & don't think bush is THAT bad, and the other's a nut who argued with me that poverty doesn't exist & absorbs limpbaugh's every word.

I read a story a long time ago about a guy who wakes up in a country of blind people, is the only one who can see, they think he's nuts & either kill him or rip his eyes out. A melodramatic cliche, I know, but these guys just have their head in the sand...

But I digress...there's no hope for this state, no?

[Gildor Inglorion]

13. I'm afraid you're right...

unfortunately. And it's not just Mississippi; it's Georgia (where I come from originally), Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina, Virginia, and other southern states, too. Mississippi is just the saddest case, because we have the most to gain from a progressive agenda. But as I've said elsewhere, the folks vote Democrat locally and Republican at the state and federal level. *sigh* Local Democrats mean well, but they can't do much on their own. I don't talk politics at work, either. My co-workers are rabid Republicans to the hilt, but otherwise we get along just fine.

[jobycom]

14. Won't be 70%

It will be high. The white vote will go largely Repub, but not exclusively, but the black vote goes mostly Democrat.

I swear if the Dems tried a little they could make headway in Mississippi. It is one of the poorest states looking for something to believe in and be proud of. Republicans haven't given it anything they've promised. And its heritage is Democrat.

But they won't try. Not worth the effort or risk, sadly. Not enough money, not enough electoral votes, and too much chance of missing.

[jobycom]

15. My parents still live in Saucier (near Gulfport), where I grew up

Still home in my heart, though I live in Austin and love it here.

My parents are Dems, now (it was a long battle, but I converted them years ago), and they have to call me now and then just for sanity's sake. There are others, just not enough.

[MISSDem]

16. Not as long as I live here

[MISSDem]

17. I guess I should give a little bio

I was born and raised in Mississippi (praise God) and have lived here most of my life. I now live in Hernando. When we go to vote our side of the room is very sparsely populated (you always know where the Democrat registration is - look for the small group). It is sad that most whites are now Republican voting because Mississippi's heritage is Democratic. My Daddy was a yellow dog Democrat. He raised nine children farming and without the help of the Democrats we wouldn't have made it, I believe. Daddy was a very conservative man but still a Democrat. He realized what the whites today do not - that they are hurting themselves when they fall for the demogogues on the right.

[Celeborn Skywalker]

18. I have a question

My dad is from Mississippi and he says that most of the whites who do vote democrat are basically voting on heritage rather than idealogy. Does Anyone know if that's true or not? How many whites in Mississippi would you say are actually liberal?

[Gildor Inglorion]

19. I only know of two, for sure...

My former landlady and I. Most of the rest would replace the Constitution with the Book of Leviticus if given the option. :(

[AverageJoe]

37. And me makes three! n/t

:-)

[Devlzown]

20. There's a little truth to that.

Mostly it's old people he's talking about. My grandparents would never have thought of voting for a Republican. That was mostly bad feeling left over from the Reconstruction Era. Most of them are dying out. Most of the people I know think of themselves as Independents. They'll vote for a Democrat if they like the guy or they know his family -- that kind of thing. Democrats here, however, can resemble Republicans in other parts of the country. About the only difference one can see sometimes is the abscence of Christian-Right rhetoric with the Democrats. As far as liberals go, I think there are very few here. The only politician I would consider liberal here is Bennie Thompson, and he represents the mostly African-American Delta district. Years ago, people here voted for the Democrat because he was a Democrat -- it was just a label, just like they always bought Blue Plate mayonnaise because that's what they always bought. They just aren't as brand-loyal as they were before.

[ashling]

21. A Northerner met a Southerner on a train

"Why do you always vote for Democrats?"

"Well," says the southerner. "I just reckon its the natural thing to do."

"Why do you say that?"

"Well, daddy was a Democrat, and his daddy was a Democrat, and his daddy was a Democrat ... so I'm just naturally a Democrat."

"That's just silly," said the perplexed northerner.

"Why d'you say that?"

"If your father were a horse thief, and your grandfather were a horse thief, and your great grandfather were a horse thief, what would you be then?"

"In that case I 'spect I'd be a Republican."

'nuff said.
.
:dem:

Millsaps '75
.
:dem:

[Gildor Inglorion]

22. It's like the old Democratic gentleman

who was chided by an acquaintance, "Why, I believe you'd vote for the Devil if he ran as a Democrat!"

The old gentleman replied, "Well, not in the primary I wouldn't."

Me, too. :-)

[MISSDem]

23. Gildor, you and your (landlady was it?) and me make three.

But, seriously, I know of lots of liberals here. It is just a matter of degree. In Mississippi we just do things differently, ie, we don't honk at folks but we will kill you over the last piece of dark meat.

[Gildor Inglorion]

27. I'm so glad!

Maybe someday there will be enough of us to make a BIG difference...I love Mississippi as only an "adopted son" can.

[TacticalPeek]

24. Satan, AKA - A. Y. Dogg

:)

[eikichi_onizuka]

25. You are not alone

Another Democrat checking in from Panola county! :)

[harrison]

26. Got to say this. I have traveled a few places, and Mississippi is

may be the most intriguing state in the Union. I know that is hard for outsiders to understand. But like Faulkner said, "Being from Mississippi is like belonging to a big club."

I think Mississippians identify more with their state than any other. When I am traveling and I meet someone from Mississippi, we usually try to make some connection in some way.

We had some folks move to my town from DC. My friend's mother came down for a visit from Maryland. I was talking with her about Mississippi, and she couldn't understand why there were so many poor people. I told her that we hadn't really recovered from the war.

The poor woman looked at me and said, "The War?"

I said, "Yes. The War. The Civil War."

"You mean to tell me that Mississippi hasn't recovered from the Civil War?"

"No ma'am." (I remembered my manners "Before the war, Mississippi was the 5th richest state in the Union. Immediately after the war, a large portion of the state budget was spent on paying for artificial limbs."

"You are kidding."

"No ma'am."

"But the war was a long time ago."

"Yes ma'am. I know."

Anyway, the woman thought I was a little crazy.

[SalParadise]

28. Interesting point

I love this story because it illustrates how clueless the rest of the country is towards the civil war's influence on the people of this state to this day.

Despite those in the state who want to fight that kind of image, the state is quite an anachronism in that regard. I think it hurts us.

[MISSDem]

29. And Natchez was the richest city

in the country (before the war).

[Gildor Inglorion]

30. Natchez has an interesting history....

did you know that area was once Bourbon County, Georgia, before the Great Yazoo and Pine Barren Land Frauds? That's probably stuff that's only taught in Georgia; of very limited interest to the rest of the country. But a quick glance at a map will tell you that Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi were once one great big state. By the way, I LOVE Natchez. I finally got to visit it a couple of years ago, and I wasn't disappointed at all. Thank goodness they surrendered to the damn Yankees and didn't get burned out like other places in the South.

[FleshCartoon]

31. No, you're not the only Democrat in the state.

But I thought I was.

[newyawker99]

32. Hi FleshCartoon!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[mwar]

33. Sayin' hey to my friend...

Just stopped in to greet my friend FleshCartoon. One of Missisippi's real treasures. I'm a bit of a newbie myself, from the Chicago area. I know FleshCartoon from SmirkingChimp. I know you will enjoy her posts.

-cya
-mwar :toast:

[FleshCartoon]

35. Thanks, MWar.

Can you start a thread yet? If so, please do.

[newyawker99]

36. Hi mwar!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[FleshCartoon]

34. Please help.

I'm new and cannot start a thread. But something horrible has happened to and in Mississippi this month. Senate bill #2436 will be cutting Medicaid benefits altogether for 65,000 Mississippians, leaving many elderly and disabled Mississippians without pharmacy coverage and barely adequate health coverage.

If someone would start a thread on this subject, I will contribute what I know about it, which is actually very little about when and how and from whom the bill came, but I can explain how it will affect 65,000 Mississippians in detail.

Thank you,

FC

[merh]

39. you are not alone

There are others in the state, its just that the federal investigation of judges and elections involving wealthy dems has scared the hell out of most and they sit quiet with their eyes closed in the hopes that they won't be noticed.

[Phil214]

41. Fear No More!!! The Jackson Free Press is Here

The Jackson Free Press, Jackson's 2-year-old alternative weekly, is starting to stir up the pot! It's OFFICIAL AAN member! ( http://www.aan.org ). They even have a blog where posters contribute comments about articles. Call it a local version of the DU. In fact, the JFP organized a petition drive to get Fahrenheit 911 to come to Jackson! Here's the site's blog about it http://www.jacksonfreepress.com/comments.php?id=3220_0_27_0_C

It's free to sign up too! Great things are finally starting to happen in Jackson after all these years! Also, PLEEEEASEask DU to put up the Jackson Free Press on their listings of state media!!!!!! It will GREATLY improve the state's image!!!

[Phil214]

42. Fondren & Belhaven

On Thursday, I took a side trip to Jackson on my way home to NE Louisiana to see my folks, since Jackson Free Press :yourock: seemed to say the city's nightlife is reviving somewhat. Mainly I drove around the Fondren and Belhaven Neighborhoods, the area along lower State Street from Fortification Street to Northside Drive (centered on Millsaps College). I saw about six Kerry yard signs, window signs and bumper stickers -- but only ONE Bush one!! Can you believe that?? In MISSISSIPPI!!!

Of course Fondren and Belhaven :thumbsup: have always been more "liberal" than other parts of the state, with the possible exception of the Gulf Coast. Still, it is a refuge for Liberal Central Mississippians to run to if things get too too tense where they live (as this native Northeast Louisianian discovered). Bohemians, hippies, and gays do appear to be carving a niche here, so at least some kind of life is starting to evolve here. We can realistically hope that in another ten years, The City of Jackson will evolve into at least a non-regressive, if not an actually progressive, place (we'll forget about the 'burbs ;-) )