Ellington

I don't really follow politics per se; the whole mess bores me. But I have taken note lately. Over the last year, the political scene has been a colorful place from Pennsylvania Avenue to Silas Brown Street, home of Jackson's temporary city hall. As I watch the political ads and listen to the news reports, I wonder: Wouldn't it be great if life were as carefree as the most idyllic childhood? Someone might goof during a game, everyone would chuckle, and then you'd simply yell, "Do over!" and all would be right in play land again.

What? Did I hear you correctly? Well, yeah, I guess you're right: California did just that in last week's recall election. Arnold Schwarzenegger has officially terminated Gov. Gray Davis.

The events in California have set a caustic tone for the coming weeks in the state and months of the national campaign season. Cynics like me say California voters can't accept the responsibility of sticking with a decision once the ballots have been counted. We wonder whether California will start a trend of recalls or, at least, attempts. And politicians across the nation aren't taking the voting public seriously enough to address real issues instead of pandering to the cameras and sharpening their back-stabbing hardware.

In a few short weeks, our state will elect a new governor, lieutenant governor, and sundry other state and local officials. Well, if you're like me, you cringe at the thought of standing before that voting machine and selecting either "fresh baked" or "refried" (i.e. incumbent) leaders from the rather sad menu of candidates. But no matter how you cook it, it's the same tasteless fare served up at the polls last time around.

Candidates are skirting the issues and perpetuating the stereotypes that plague our state and the political institutions they hope to command. Like sharks lurking in blood-tinged waters, these wanna-be politicos hope to ensnare unsuspecting Mississippians with empty rhetoric about family values, moral character, positive change and other non-issues.

I can just see Haley Barbour staunchly proclaiming that a computer in every classroom is a good idea, but discipline in every classroom is a better one (in a quote from his campaign Web site). So now the governor's office oversees disciplinary actions in public schools? Interesting, but I thought that's what parents and teachers are for. All the numbers flying around about jobs are getting a little crazy, too. The exact number of lost or created jobs tallied by either gubernatorial candidate really isn't the point. We're all aware that some manufacturing concerns have closed and some new ones have opened. Most folks simply want to see more concrete action that will boost the economy now and make life a little better for working people in the future.

And when did the lieutenant governor start setting policy on abortion? Maybe I need a refresher course in social studies or political science. Last time I checked, Roe v. Wade was still being upheld. More importantly, abortion is the least of our worries in Mississippi. The economy, crime, education, budget woes and a number of other key concerns are already vying for the top spot.

The sheer volume of these and other non-issues being flung around the airwaves and newsstands are enough to make even the staunchest political enthusiast queasy. Then again, when real problems are pinpointed, the proposed solutions are so heavily veiled in ambiguity as to be indecipherable, if not nonexistent.

Maybe I'll run for office. I'd love to see my name displayed on a sign stuck on the side of the road. My smiling face being battered by rain, splashed in mud, and whipped by winds day in and day out. That's what campaigning is all about, after all. Besides, I have no political experience, I was born in another country, I married into a family with some political clout (at least in their own circles anyway), and have you seen my head shot? It'll be a cinch.

And if you don't like me after a few months, you can cry, "Do over!" and ... POOF! I could be gone.

Jennifer Spann is a regular columnist for the JFP; she works for the Mississippi Development Authority.