Ellington

"Bullet proof." "Political invulnerability." "Going to win." "Sure loser." The problem with conventional wisdom is that it is usually more self-fulfilling than wise, especially when promulgated by folks who just want to be right.

That is, the status quo tells you something long enough that benefits the status quo and you either believe it, or in the case of politics, you simply disengage from the process in disgust. Thus, nothing of import changes. What that means in this state is that 30 percent of Mississippians control who is elected and what the nation and our own people think about us. And they're failing miserably.

For corporate media types and politicians with all the right answers, it's useful for politics to fit into a predictable little box. Then it's easy to spout truisms—you know, like "Mississippi is a solidly conservative state." "A vote for ______ is a vote for Mississippi's values." Or, as my stepdad used to tell me in the early 1970s: "Mississippi will elect a jackass if it's a Democrat."

That last maxim proves an important point, though: Things can and do change in Mississippi politics. The long-time Democratic stranglehold on the state is giving way to a surging Republican Party, drawing more and more Dem defectors even as the GOP's national reputation tarnished in the weeks following the Trent Lott gaffe. Lt. Gov. Amy Tuck's jump to the GOP two days before Lott stuck his foot in his mouth was terrible timing, or wonderfully fortuitous, depending on where you stand. It's probably easier for Democrats to tell her "not to let the screen door hit your butt on the way out" (after all, her true party change happened at least a year before her coming-out conference) now that the GOP's dirty underbelly has been exposed. However, within that 30 percent in the state that actually turned out to vote in November, way too many will probably be delighted to rally around poor, misunderstood Trent next time.

Many of the same folks who voted (or ran) as Democrats now vote as Republicans, thanks to the success of the Southern Strategy that we're, thankfully, hearing more about since Dec. 5. Way too few African Americans and other people of color typically vote in the state. Too many young people don't vote. And many progressives just don't have anyone to vote for. Ronnie Shows sure ain't going to light a fire or, for that matter, Ronnie Musgrove. And the belief that someone like Chip Pickering or Trent Lott is "bulletproof" doesn't help: Any elected official is safe only until the tide shifts.

The issue now is whether the tide will, indeed, shift. Naïve idealist that I can be, I absolutely believe the political climate can change in Mississippi. The answer is so obvious, yet so elusive. Vote. Read. Study, Talk. Educate. Get involved. Mentor. Build community. I was talking to an African-American Jacksonian the other day who knows a lot about this state and how its people think. People are too divided, he said, and too afraid to admit, much less trumpet, their progressive ideals.

We need candidates who will openly criticize the harmful conservative rhetorical boxes that have made it fashionable to care more about corporations than people. (Note, for instance, how much more press United Airlines' bankrupcy is getting rather than United Airlines' laid-off employees.)

Since the Lott dust-up, I've begun to believe we're at a crossroads in history, especially here in Mississippi. The optimist in me chooses to believe that the brand of Republicanism currently running the federal government, squelching our rights, playing war games and packing the courts with activist right-wing judges is going to reveal its darkest sides in upcoming months, thus leading to more empowered progressive voters.

Here in Mississippi, one could argue that nothing much has changed as the party games continues. More "old" Democrats are following "new" Republicans like Amy Tuck to the party that, quite honestly, they all ought to be in together. The old conservative guard is blaming "the liberals" and the media for Lott's demise—anyone except for the folks at the Family Research Council and the Wall Street Journal who apparently can see a difference between conservatism and racism. Lott, quoted recently saying "I fell into their trap," is busy talking out both sides of his mouth, and pandering to his "small government" conservative base back home as they mourn their loss of federal pork. (If we start keeping our best and brightest people in the state, we won't need so much damned federal welfare.)

But keep your chin up: All those folks are part of that 30 percent that typically vote in the state. Let's work to organize and motivate the other voters instead: the state is about 38 percent African American, and we could probably rustle up a good 20 percent of whites that would vote against the likes of Trent Lott. Do some math, subtract some points for some inevitable gerrymandering, and we could have a new ballgame. It is vital to remember that the Republican Party is one that counts on fewer, rather than more, voters to win.

As Democrats have shamefully demonstrated of late, tying one hand behind your back with corporate interests weakens your ability to fight for your principles. The entire Democratic Party, state to national, is suffering as a result (except, notably, for Louisiana's Mary Landrieu who took her chances on the people). It is time to stop pandering to conservatives, corporations and "undecided" voters who can't see further than the hood of their Suburban. They're not going to vote for progressivism anyway.

In the country and in the state, we need a new political force. Maybe it's rabidly non-racist, truly compassionate, more Lincoln-esque Republicans; maybe it's Democrats who stop whispering the word "progressive" and start saying it with pride; maybe it's an emerging religious left; maybe it's a smart new populist party that hasn't found its footing, yet.

That new force will be formidable if it: 1) appeals to young people; 2) studies and addresses non-white concerns; 3) takes women's issues seriously; 4) rejects unbridled spending, whether domestic or military; 5) renews the American principles of freedom and civil liberties and 6) ignores the conventional wisdom of middle-age guys in the corporate media who say it can't be done.

That's my kind of change.

Donna Ladd is the editor-in-chief of the Jackson Free Press. To join our emerging voter-motivation "think tank," e-mail her at [e-mail unavailable].