Ellington

Beginning Friday, Nov. 17, Jackson hosts the three-day Young Democrats National Fall Conference. Kate Jacobson, 22, is the Mississippi chapter's vice president. Jacobson, born in Washington, D.C., came to Mississippi at age 5 when her parents moved to Tupelo. "None of my family is Southern, but I'm Southern now," Jacobson said proudly. She moved to Jackson in 2002 to attend Millsaps College, where she received her bachelor's in political science last May. I caught up with Jacobson at her office last Friday.

I bet you're excited about the Democrats having won both houses of Congress.

Yeah, it's really exciting. Young Democrats across the country really got out there and did a lot of GOTV (Get Out The Vote) campaigns. We actually had a large group from Mississippi that traveled to Ohio (for) "Paint Ohio Blue." The MUW (Mississippi University for Women) spearheaded that campaign from this state.

Were you personally involved in any of that?

Irene Miller headed it all up. … As vice president, it's my job to know what's going on with elections and try to help candidates coordinate with students to get volunteers. … People would be surprised to know how many Young Democrats … are volunteering at different events. … There are a lot of young people getting more and more involved.

What is the criteria for being a Young Democrat?

Anybody from the ages of 15 to 35. People over 35 are made honorary members. We have a lot of people who have "aged out" but still help us when we need to make money and things like that.

How would you say the Democratic Party sees the Young Democrats? Do they understand the impact that you make?

As far as the national party goes, Howard Dean has always been a big supporter of the Young Democrats of America. He understands that this is the future of the Democratic Party. He also understands that these are the people who put yards signs out, they're the ones who go door to door and spend their weekends doing this. Not to say that people who aren't Young Democrats aren't doing this, but oftentimes, we do the grunt work, and we don't complain. We love it. This is what we want to do … and this is how we can best make an impact. A lot of Young Democrats go on to be campaign managers. … DeMiktric Biggs (DNC organizer), and Keelan Sanders (executive director of the Mississippi Democratic Party) were both Young Democrats. Wendy Hooks (campaign manager) is a Young Democrat; her husband is a former president of the Young Democrats of Mississippi. … We're the youth arm of the Democratic Party.

You have the national convention coming to Jackson.

This is the equivalent of the DNC bringing a national meeting here. It's the fall national meeting. Last we heard, this is the biggest meeting the current YDA president has ever had in the fall. We'll see, that's just the rumor mill, but it's going to be huge. We're expecting about 200 … Some of those are in-state, but most of them are out of state. People come from all over the country for this meeting.

Can you tell me about the agenda?

The schedule (includes) caucus meetings (and) political training. There's going to be a huge opening-night party, welcoming everybody to our great state of Mississippi. There's going to be a Southern Strategy panel session about reclaiming the South. You know, "We're Democrats, and It's OK." There's also going to be a Religious Left panel discussion. That's going to be really interesting. … It's almost like the Republicans are trying to make it bad to be a Christian and a Democrat. It's not bad. You can have your party and your religion, too. … Democrats are into legislating for the benefit of Americans: We need health care, we need education, we need to get out of Iraq. Whether or not two men want to adopt a baby is not for legislators to decide. It's not up to legislators to decide what a woman can and cannot do with her body. That's a personal decision that people need to make on their own. It's not a decision for somebody in Congress to make for you. I think that's a key difference between Democrats and Republicans.

We're also going to be doing some Katrina service projects (during the convention). The plan is … to have a bus go down to the Coast on Sunday, and they're going to work on a school. For those who can't go (to the Coast) … they're going to make school-supply bags.

Now that the elections for this year are over, what are you planning for the coming year?

The Young Democrats in Mississippi are working with some other groups to do some campaign training and get people ready for the 2007 state-wide elections. All the state legislators and all the state-wide offices are up for re-election. We're going to have young people all over the state, working in state-wide capacities, working for their home town legislators and really making an impact. The individual chapters … usually do voter registration drives; they do a lot of candidate education. … At a lot of YDMS meetings, we'll have candidates coming by to talk to us (because they) know that we're the future of the party.

If somebody wants to become a Young Democrats and get into the fight with y'all, how do they get in touch with you?

We have a Web site: youngdemocrats.ms. All the information is (there). They can contact Kenneth Grigsby, our president, they can contact me … or they can contact Molly Tomlinson, who is our membership director. … Kenneth's phone number is 601-360-9747, and mine is 601-948-8631.

Anything else you'd like to say that you think is important?

We are a volunteer organization. The people that work with us, who do so much, do it because they believe in the Democratic Party, and they believe in Mississippi. They believe that we can do better in this state. I hope that people don't look at us just as young idealists, but as people who want to make a difference, although a little idealism never hurt anybody. We really do believe in this state, and that's why the members do what they do.

Previous Comments

ID

84702

Comment

Great article! Kate is fantastic! She is energetic, full of life and really motivates you to do more.

Author

Will Jemison

Date

2006-11-15T23:20:48-06:00

ID

84703

Comment

What a great interview. Kate Jacobson seems to be the kind of person who excels at this sort of thing--I had some questions about the Mississippi Democratic Party and YDA not long ago, and asked them in a way that (unintentionally) resembled an interrogation more than what it was intended to be, which was a series of honest but good-natured questions about the agenda of the state party. What was remarkable wasn't that her answers were good--although they were--but that she did a really good job of refocusing the overall tone of the discussion in the way only a really good politician can. You can see little hints of that here--"Howard Dean ... understands that this is the future of the Democratic Party," "Democrats are into legislating for the benefit of Americans: We need health care, we need education, we need to get out of Iraq," "...a little idealism never hurt anybody." Relate those to the questions that are already asked and you realize that, in her head, she had already figured out exactly what she wanted to convey, and she conveyed it with a natural beginning, middle, and end, just as much as if it were an essay or op-ed that she had written herself. That's not a talent that I, or most other people, have. Cheers, TH

Author

Tom Head

Date

2006-11-16T04:20:09-06:00

ID

84704

Comment

Yes, Kate has become a real Young Influential in Jackson. And allow me to say proudly that she is a former JFP intern. She was also Casey Parks' No. 2 editor at the Millsaps student paper, and then I then took the top position her senior year. ;-)

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2006-11-16T11:27:05-06:00

ID

84705

Comment

Good story and interview. With the young democrats rightfully taking over I may yet remain here instead of moving to the Hamptons.

Author

Ray Carter

Date

2006-11-16T11:49:05-06:00

ID

84706

Comment

It was a real pleasure interviewing Kate. She's sharp, articulate and open, an interviewer's dream. If you're between 15 and 35 and aren't already signed up to go to the convention, do it now!

Author

Ronni_Mott

Date

2006-11-16T12:47:25-06:00

ID

84707

Comment

Donna or somebody is this the same Kate whose nerves I get on so regularly?

Author

Ray Carter

Date

2006-11-16T13:13:02-06:00

ID

84708

Comment

No, different Kate. Both cool and smart, though. ;-)

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2006-11-16T13:18:35-06:00

ID

84709

Comment

Ronni, you're doing a pretty doggone good job with these interviews yourself, I have to add. What a wonderful addition you've made to the Free Press! Cheers, TH

Author

Tom Head

Date

2006-11-16T13:56:27-06:00

ID

84710

Comment

I want to meet the Kate I unnerve so much.

Author

Ray Carter

Date

2006-11-16T14:45:59-06:00

ID

84711

Comment

I wish we could have a JFP lunch every now and then. would be interesting. Plus its an excuse to grab some chocolate silk pie at hal and mals.

Author

Kingfish

Date

2006-11-16T14:59:54-06:00

ID

84712

Comment

See, this is why we need the feminist revolution to begin with. Nobody ever says James Carville has nice cleavage, but bring a young woman into the picture and she gets objectified right away. Shades of another local blog, where liberal activist women were dismissed as "homely" by the standards of the regulars, who boast "white trophy wives with TMJ"--like all women are basically sophisticated blow-up dolls, to be rated on a quantified "fuckability" scale. Read Naomi Wolf's The Beauty Myth, Kingfish. That's your assignment. Disagree with it all you want to after you've read it, but at least read the thing. Cheers, TH

Author

Tom Head

Date

2006-11-16T15:45:13-06:00

ID

84713

Comment

Er, Donna, I posted this before you deleted the problem post, so please delete my response as well or people will wonder what the heck I was talking about... ;o) Cheers, TH

Author

Tom Head

Date

2006-11-16T15:45:51-06:00

ID

84714

Comment

Tom, how do we even know if Kate is a "young woman". Women get objectified whether we are 15 or 60, we still get the same kind of crap - the main thrust of which is derogatory and dismissive, not funny. but enough said, i'm happy the post was deleted.

Author

Izzy

Date

2006-11-16T15:50:33-06:00

ID

84715

Comment

feel free to delete that one, too and clear the slate for more conversation.

Author

Izzy

Date

2006-11-16T15:51:07-06:00

ID

84716

Comment

Laurel writes: Tom, how do we even know if Kate is a "young woman". Because it says she's 22 in the article...? Cheers, TH

Author

Tom Head

Date

2006-11-16T15:51:44-06:00

ID

84717

Comment

Oooo, it's such a great post, though. Can't we all just stipulate that Fishy posted something misogynist (and then asked me in e-mail to take it down, apologetically) and leave your post? ;-) I actually love that some of our meanest critics have so few arguments, or ability to articulate themselves, that they resort to personal attacks on women's appearances (and others') out of desperation. It immediately discredits anything else they say. I mean, my life has gone steadily uphill since the day that neo-con Wilson Carroll said he was being browbeaten by a liberal woman (me, of course, because I dared challenge him). Reminded me of the Darren Stevens days when girlies were there to conjure up martinis for their hard-working husbands after a long day of concocting advertising jingles (and drinking martinis at work). In other words, these caveman tactics tickle the hell out of me.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2006-11-16T15:51:52-06:00

ID

84718

Comment

I think that might be part of the problem--I assumed Kingfish was talking about the Kate discussed in the article, and not the other Kate, who I've never met in person. They're two different Kates, as far as I know. Cheers, TH

Author

Tom Head

Date

2006-11-16T15:52:39-06:00

ID

84719

Comment

This isn't a bad conversation. I doubt the Young Dems would mind. ;-)

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2006-11-16T15:53:01-06:00

ID

84720

Comment

Oh, and Tom, I'm sure those "white trophy wives" are extremely happy and content and would never express concern about their cavehusbands in public. No, never.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2006-11-16T15:54:52-06:00

ID

84721

Comment

Donna writes: Oooo, it's such a great post, though. Can't we all just stipulate that Fishy posted something misogynist (and then asked me in e-mail to take it down, apologetically) and leave your post? ;-) Okay, I'm cool with that. :o) I mean, my life has gone steadily uphill since the day that neo-con Wilson Carroll said he was being browbeaten by a liberal woman (me, of course, because I dared challenge him) ... In other words, these caveman tactics tickle the hell out of me. Oh, yeah. I particularly love the way they challenge me on my virility by saying I'm your lapdog--not realizing that there are women in my life who I treat as respected friends and mentors, a concept that's completely alien to most of them. Cheers, TH

Author

Tom Head

Date

2006-11-16T15:56:00-06:00

ID

84722

Comment

Donna writes: Oh, and Tom, I'm sure those "white trophy wives" are extremely happy and content and would never express concern about their cavehusbands in public. No, never. *giggle* But I really feel bad about the folks stuck in marriages with these guys, to be honest. I can't even imagine what that must be like. Cheers, TH

Author

Tom Head

Date

2006-11-16T15:56:54-06:00

ID

84723

Comment

So, which is worse: Being my "lapdog"—or obsessing over me daily in nasty, sexist ways? You be the judge. (Giggle)

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2006-11-16T16:00:27-06:00

ID

84724

Comment

thanks for keeping the blog on the up and up, Donna. No wonder you get great bloggers and bunches of 'em.

Author

Izzy

Date

2006-11-16T16:06:10-06:00

ID

84725

Comment

No problem, babydoll. ;-) (smile)

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2006-11-16T16:07:17-06:00

ID

84726

Comment

I think they'd say being your lapdog is worse, which is a little bit depressing in and of itself! You know, the trouble with being these guys is that they write off 51 percent of their people-I-respect folks for being female, another 15 percent for being non-white males, another 5 percent for being gay white males, another 10 percent for being white males who aren't white male-ish enough, and another 10 percent for being too sincere in their religiosity. Who does that leave? No wonder they're lonely. Cheers, TH

Author

Tom Head

Date

2006-11-16T16:08:21-06:00

ID

84727

Comment

My math was screwy--they write off 40 percent for being non-white males, and then you end up, I guess, with them writing off 116% of the population. Which is probably the case, actually... Cheers, TH

Author

Tom Head

Date

2006-11-16T16:09:57-06:00

ID

84728

Comment

And Laurel, to cycle back around to your original post, I definitely agree that women get objectified whether they're 15 or 60. I suppose I said "young woman" because I felt like that was the demographic Kingfish's particular variety of comment was most usually used against, but you're right that this is the sort of thing men say about women of all ages. Cheers, TH

Author

Tom Head

Date

2006-11-16T16:11:19-06:00

ID

84729

Comment

Right. It's a gender thing, no matter the age, certain people feel your private parts are "public" property and that it's hilarious to make jokes. What bunk.

Author

Izzy

Date

2006-11-16T16:20:44-06:00

ID

84730

Comment

I'm happy to report that I'm innocent this time. I guess Donna deleted the objectifying part and my innocent eyes didn't get to see it. Now, I'm worried that we men can't any longer tell our mates they're the "object of our affection."

Author

Ray Carter

Date

2006-11-16T16:26:54-06:00

ID

84731

Comment

Agreed. And they do this to make a joke out of the targets, which makes it that much worse. It's like the old "tits and Fritz" line they used to have about the Mondale/Ferraro ticket--never mind that Rep. Geraldine Ferraro (D-NY) was chair of the House Democratic Caucus. That joke reduced her to "tits." And as much as I dislike Hillary Rodham Clinton as a candidate, some of the attacks on her are definitely low blows. Cheers, TH

Author

Tom Head

Date

2006-11-16T16:27:15-06:00

ID

84732

Comment

Damn Ms ladd, it was a COMPLIMENT!!!!!! as for the rest of it, I thought you people knew when I was pushing buttons by now. ;-) Some of you are so predictable. ;-) Tom: I'll read it after I finish up this book by Camille Paglia. Now there is a woman after my own heart.

Author

Kingfish

Date

2006-11-16T16:29:07-06:00

ID

84733

Comment

Ray, I tell friends they're beautiful all the time--and I would have been much less offended if all Kingfish said was that he thought Kate J. was attractive. It would have been irrelevant to the discussion, but not really a harmful thing to say, in my estimation. I'd argue that what we say to folks after we've built friendships/relationships is and should be different from what we would say about strangers. The question I ask myself is "What's the effect of what I'm saying?" If it objectifies or dehumanizes somebody, it's always wrong. If you're just being sweet or clever, that's a different story entirely. What it basically boils down to is: What are the parameters of the relationship? Where are the boundaries? I doubt Kingfish would say what he said about his mother or aunt (and I don't mean to single out Kingfish here, because he's doing something that is, sadly, all too normal), so why say it about a total stranger if not to recontextualize her as an object? And that's where the problem lies. Cheers, TH

Author

Tom Head

Date

2006-11-16T16:34:22-06:00

ID

84734

Comment

I did say that to my mother once Tom. I remember somethingg about a heavy dose of cayenne pepper afterwards. Don't remember much else.

Author

Kingfish

Date

2006-11-16T16:36:18-06:00

ID

84735

Comment

Kingfish, does not a repub know how to respect and treat women? Y'all are going to have to change your policies and tactics toward others in order to compete for the decisive women vote. I won't even mention companionship. Did you know that more republicans lose their women than democrats? Do you need to come to some democrat meetings to learn better?

Author

Ray Carter

Date

2006-11-16T16:42:02-06:00

ID

84736

Comment

Re saying stuff to people, Ray, I think there are times when people get offended if you don't say something kind about them. I remember a young feminist from out of state who had an obviously sexy photo on her MySpace page. I posted a hello without mentioning the pic. A male wanderer-by posted "sexy pic! you're hot." Since my post was the last in the queue, and my photo was on it, I thanked him. The young feminist deleted my post (but not his), and has ignored me ever since. The male wanderer-by was presumably someone she wanted to hear "sexy pic! you're hot." from, and I ruined it for her. Moral of the story? Don't confuse what people say in their private language, in their private relationships, with public objectification. Totally different dynamics. Cheers, TH

Author

Tom Head

Date

2006-11-16T16:42:58-06:00

ID

84737

Comment

In other words: What Kingfish said in this thread is inappropriate. What you say to your significant other is none of my damn business! Cheers, TH

Author

Tom Head

Date

2006-11-16T16:44:06-06:00

ID

84738

Comment

(And when I say "obviously sexy," I mean posed in a traditional cheesecake-y way, e.g. obviously with the intent to be sexy. I never commented, and still wouldn't, on whether or not I found the photo "sexy.")

Author

Tom Head

Date

2006-11-16T16:45:50-06:00

ID

84739

Comment

its ok Tom. According to MS Politics.com Donna is now my g/f.

Author

Kingfish

Date

2006-11-16T16:51:21-06:00

ID

84740

Comment

Thanks Tom. I undestand. I was just trying to mess with Laurel. Smile. She has learned too well to ignore me though. Your last email reminded me of a woman many of us knew well who later became a judge. Once she got to be a judge she wouldn't allow us to call her anything but judge even if we were in a private one-on-one setting. A friend wondered if you had to call her judge also if romantically entangled. My apologies ahead of time to any woman offended by this question. Women are wonderful leaders. I've always known it. I prefer them most of the time. Almost all of the women leaders I've met and encountered have made great efforts to do the right thing. I haven't them to be any less talented or capable. This is my honest opinion on the matter.

Author

Ray Carter

Date

2006-11-16T16:54:55-06:00

ID

84741

Comment

(No, seriously, it involved underwear and silk sheets. I'm not being piggish here; it was an obvious cheesecake photo. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but I probably should have seen what she was going for and not interfered. She took my attempt to defuse what I had seen as an objectifying remark as a MAJOR insult, and has refused to reply to anything I've written since then. It was a depressing thing. None of that is relevant to what Kingfish said; I was just trying to reassure Ray that complimenting his significant other doesn't make him a bad feminist.)

Author

Tom Head

Date

2006-11-16T16:57:34-06:00

ID

84742

Comment

I meant I haven't found them to be any less talented or capable....

Author

Ray Carter

Date

2006-11-16T16:57:40-06:00

ID

84743

Comment

Tom: You are a guy. Its ok. Its ok to look at a picture of a scantily clad woman who has put it out there herself for the whole world to see and enjoy looking at it. and you don't need 22 books to do that. ;-)

Author

Kingfish

Date

2006-11-16T16:58:56-06:00

ID

84744

Comment

Fishy, for God's sake, don't reveal that in public, honeybunch.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2006-11-16T16:59:14-06:00

ID

84745

Comment

Sorry dear, they outed us. I guess they were following Bill maher's lead.

Author

Kingfish

Date

2006-11-16T17:02:20-06:00

ID

84746

Comment

Kingfish, I don't think it's ever wrong to enjoy looking at a photo. My great-grandfather used to have a portrait of Mamie Eisenhower on his wall because he thought she was the most beautiful woman alive. Commenting on a photo...well, that obviously depends on the context, but there are very, very few situations where it's appropriate to compliment a stranger on her curves. Cheers, TH

Author

Tom Head

Date

2006-11-16T17:02:25-06:00

ID

84747

Comment

Also Tom, as I've always said, if a woman is going to go through all the trouble of fixing herself up to look sexy, beautiful, or to grab attention; I don't want to disrespect her by not looking. The least I can do is take a long unblinking look until she's out of sight. I'm often scared to say anything but I surely will look.

Author

Ray Carter

Date

2006-11-16T17:04:33-06:00

ID

84748

Comment

I see nothing wrong with looking; the problem is with gazing. The issue, again, is not what you see; it's how it affects women. Feminism is not about pretending that bodies aren't beautiful. Feminism is about not reducing women to their bodies, about not entitling men to have power over women's bodies. Cheers, TH

Author

Tom Head

Date

2006-11-16T17:11:40-06:00

ID

84749

Comment

(And the gaze is a form of male power. I think the argument can be made that staring at a woman who doesn't want to be stared at is a kind of assault.)

Author

Tom Head

Date

2006-11-16T17:14:09-06:00

ID

84750

Comment

(And conveying that gaze through unwanted remarks about a woman's anatomy can definitely be a mild form of assault.)

Author

Tom Head

Date

2006-11-16T17:15:47-06:00

ID

84751

Comment

I call bullshit on the "can't help it" plea that guys have with obviously oogling women. Yes, you can say in a respectful way, "You look beautiful." But a NOT nice way to say it would be, "Hey! Hey! Let me see your hooters!" (as yelled at me in PEARL one day as if I'm a circus dog trained to react to the word hooter....I mean, my God, can you believe that I found that offensive?) It's about context and delivery. And when, as Julia Sugarbaker said, we have men like Iacoca, spread eagled with a staple between his legs, in a spread of "Powerful Businessmen" THEN WE'LL TALK! I miss Julia. That was also the one when she yelled, "I don't suck pearls. In fact, I don't know any woman who SUCKS PEARLS. I find the idea disgusting..." something like that. Great episode of the "Women of Atlanta." You also have to know that *some* men use hitting on women as a power play. The only time I've reported a case of sexual harrassment involved one of my superiors introducing me to a client as the "babe of the office." In some contexts, that might have been funny. But in THIS one, he was using me to get a sale. I would have much preferred, "This is our marketing assistant and she can help you with advertising and promotions." You know, like so he'd know what WORK I do in a WORK setting. Wasn't just getting paid to be the babe!

Author

emilyb

Date

2006-11-16T17:19:09-06:00

ID

84752

Comment

AMEN! Emily, you rock--you said something very much like what I was trying to say, but in a way that actually, you know, MAKES SENSE. Cheers, TH

Author

Tom Head

Date

2006-11-16T17:23:07-06:00

ID

84753

Comment

I second Emily's bullsh!t call. Obviously, talking about the subject's tits under a political interview is a way to try to detract from her potential power. I suspect some nimble-headed men don't even know they're doing it. They've watched other men react in such a way to powerful women that they don't know how to act any better—or how incredibly stupid and backward it makes them look.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2006-11-16T17:24:15-06:00

ID

84754

Comment

Well, she is a woman, Tom. ;-P

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2006-11-16T17:24:38-06:00

ID

84755

Comment

Well, now, I was trying to be a little funny without saying it. I don't gaze although a woman called me goo goo eyes one time as she smiles approvingly and joked with me. I usually have that stalking look in my eyes. Just kidding! Actually, I pretend I don't notice the beauty of the women so as to bait her into engaging me somehow. I rarely look when they're looking at me too. It's a trick I learned in college. It will have them wondering how in the hell can he not notice me.

Author

Ray Carter

Date

2006-11-16T17:28:41-06:00

ID

84756

Comment

Donna writes: Obviously, talking about the subject's t*** under a political interview is a way to try to detract from her potential power. I suspect some nimble-headed men don't even know they're doing it. They've watched other men react in such a way to powerful women that they don't know how to act any better—or how incredibly stupid and backward it makes them look. Well put. One of my favorite bloggers, Jessica Valenti, actually got this treatment from another woman--a conservative "feminist" blogger who was just trying to score points, and presumably wouldn't have otherwise been interested in the subject. And it is harmful, I think. For my part, I hope that when I slip up and impose male privilege on a discussion without meaning to (because I will and do, period--there's no way to completely eradicate privilege), somebody calls me on it. Cheers, TH

Author

Tom Head

Date

2006-11-16T17:48:18-06:00

ID

84757

Comment

Here's the thread where Valenti responded, by the way. Very relevant to this conversation. Cheers, TH

Author

Tom Head

Date

2006-11-16T17:50:09-06:00

ID

84758

Comment

I hope Kingfish wasn't trying to detract anything from Kate's accomplishment. And I hope I didn't do or say anything wrong this time. According to the wife, merely opening my mouth is often an offensive beginning.

Author

Ray Carter

Date

2006-11-16T17:59:40-06:00

ID

84759

Comment

Kingfish, you tell them that Donna is MY girlfriend. We are both strong, opinionated women so we must be lesbians. DUH!

Author

emilyb

Date

2006-11-16T18:13:44-06:00

ID

84760

Comment

GOOD GRIEF—can I keep ANY secrets today!?!

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2006-11-16T18:16:40-06:00

ID

84761

Comment

I like Lespians. GEAUX TO HELL OLE MISS GEAUX TO HELL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Author

Kingfish

Date

2006-11-16T20:07:00-06:00

ID

84762

Comment

dorks [smile]

Author

Izzy

Date

2006-11-17T10:15:00-06:00

ID

84763

Comment

and Ray I have learned when to hold my tongue (a la "ignore stuff that doesn't merit a response) and you are funny

Author

Izzy

Date

2006-11-17T10:16:05-06:00

ID

84764

Comment

Thanks Laurel. Pike told me about 2 weeks ago I wasn't really that funny. What does he know? I trust your opinion instead.

Author

Ray Carter

Date

2006-11-17T10:23:34-06:00

ID

84765

Comment

well, I should say, almost always funny

Author

Izzy

Date

2006-11-17T10:27:31-06:00

ID

84766

Comment

Just got back from the women and minority rights caucus. The panelists--most notably my friend Shannan Reaze--did an amazing job, but I have a hard time feeling enthusiastic about the Mississippi Democratic Party itself right now. The vast majority of people at the YDA conference seemed to be from out of state, which should come as no surprise given that the national YDA and the MDP did almost nothing to promote the event in Jackson, a city that is 73% African-American and surrounded by colleges, and then held the event at the Marriott with a $45 registration fee for folks who didn't know about the event until Thursday or later (I lucked into a lower registration fee only because Mom happened to catch a C-L profile on the event). I am not saying that I think local folks were deliberately excluded, but it's clear that the national organizers were not particularly eager to bring in more young people from this very blue city to participate in the event, and that makes me sad, and it speaks to why Democrats are not doing better down here in national elections. That said, I learned some great stuff at the caucus and am very glad I went. Shannan's response to the guy who said we should be "practical," that we shouldn't "tie ourselves to trees," made me glad I showed up--she said something to the effect of "I think we should be ready to tie ourselves to trees for women's rights, for LGBT rights, for universal health care. That's what activism is." You had to be there, as Shannan put it much better than I did, but at that moment I was very, very glad that I know this person and that she is part of the local activist community. God bless her. I showed up to hear Shannan Reaze speak on that panel, and that was more than worth getting up early for. Cheers, TH

Author

Tom Head

Date

2006-11-18T16:07:02-06:00

ID

84767

Comment

I can only assume Kingfish likes being beat up by women. :)

Author

Ironghost

Date

2006-11-18T18:37:15-06:00

ID

84768

Comment

Tom, keep us old fogies posted on this. My age has betrayed me again, so I cannot attend. And I believe this is an exciting thing for our area. But, and I hate to say this, my first thought upon reading your post was, "Tie ourselves to trees? Wouldn't the trees feel cheap and used? We must think about the TREES!" And James Carville has nice cleavage. :)

Author

Lady Havoc

Date

2006-11-18T18:42:00-06:00

ID

84769

Comment

It sounds like Kingfish should thank the moderator his post got deleted before Laurel or I saw it... :o) And LH, I have the hardest time believing that you and the Major are much over 35! Time flies, I guess, but I still picture him at exactly that age showing up at Cups and Ruth asking "Hey, [secret identity deleted], who's the chick?" ;o) Cheers, TH

Author

Tom Head

Date

2006-11-18T19:08:19-06:00

ID

84770

Comment

just back from game. still inebriated. F everyone. F everything. I love nothing. Clint Eastwood in a Fistful of Dollars when he blows up the town still kickass after 30 years. I dont' care. We beat Ole Miss. that is lall gtaht counts. duuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuude

Author

Kingfish

Date

2006-11-19T03:33:51-06:00