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Two Large Unions May Support Dean
AP reports: "Two of the nation's largest and politically powerful unions initially overlooked Democrat Howard Dean as a marginal, quirky presidential candidate from a small state. But that changed as he surged in fund raising and state polls in key states such as New Hampshire and Iowa and began attracting large, boisterous crowds."
Bush ‘hatred'; Wilson Carroll Talks Back
Very compelling column by E. J. Dionne Jr. in the Washington Post: "Republicans won in 2002, but Bush lost most Democrats forever. Conservative critics of "Bush hatred" like to argue that opposition to the president is a weird psychological affliction. It is nothing of the sort. It is a rational response to getting burned. They are, as a friend once put it, biting the hand that slapped them in the face. No one understood this sense of betrayal better or earlier than Howard Dean. Dean's candidacy took off because many in the Democratic rank and file were furious that Washington Democrats allowed themselves to be taken to the cleaners. Many of Dean's current loyalists had been just as supportive of Bush after Sept. 11 because they, too, felt that doing so was patriotic. So Dean also spoke to their personal sense of grievance."
Full transcript of Blackmon interview now on JFP Politics Blog
Read Blackmon quotes not included in the cover story: "We can say 'pro-choice' or 'pro-life,' but in the end it is what is about the best interests of those unwanted children who come into the world. What are we going to do to assist those families for those children to have opportunities to become healthy, productive citizens? I do know that the God that I serve says that the only sin that one is not forgiven for is blasphemy. If someone has to make a heart-wrenching decision to terminate a pregnancy, that is a personal decision they must make with prayer and God. As a Christian, I do believe in eternal life, so those individuals who have to make that decision, that soul, that spirit lives forever. If that is not true, then those who profess to be Christians do not believe in a resurrected Christ." (Blackmon)
MoveOn.org Parties in Jackson this weekend
Heard of MoveOn.org, the hip and powerful grass-roots movement that is doing an end-run around party politics and the media? This Sunday, Dec. 7, MoveOn is holding house parties all over the country to screen Robert Greenwald's new documentary, "Uncovered: The Whole Truth About the Iraq War." The Jackson screening and party will be held in Rainbow Plaza, at the corner of Old Canton and Lakeland, at 7 p.m. Steve Rozman, political science professor at Tougaloo College, will lead a discussion after the film. See you there. Read a story about Moveon.org here. And enter your zip code here for other parties around the country.
‘Confederacy of Dunces'
Salon's Joan Walsh reports that Howard Dean's critics have it wrong: "Does anyone really believe that former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean was borrowing a playbook from the GOP and telegraphing coded support for Southern racism when he said, in an interview last week, 'I still want to be the candidate for guys with Confederate flags in their pickup trucks'? Dean explained his unorthodox approach this way: 'We can't beat George Bush unless we appeal to a broad cross section of Democrats.' I'd add this: Democrats can't beat Bush unless they abandon their elitist approach to working-class cultural conservatives, especially in the South -- and the opportunistic, preachy pile-on by Dean's Democratic opponents after his remarks won't help."
Secretary of State Predicts Average Turn-out
STATEMENT TODAY: Secretary of State Eric Clark today predicted that voter turnout in Tuesday's General Election will be up slightly from the last gubernatorial election and anticipates 775,000 ballots will be cast in races from Governor to Supervisor to Coroner. "I encourage every Mississippian to vote in this important election," Clark said. "On Tuesday, voters will decide who will run our state and county governments for the next four years. We will hire the people who write our laws, set our taxes, and pave our roads. In order to choose the best people, it's important that Mississippians get out and vote."
Hattiesburg American Endorses Hood, Anderson, Brown
Gannett's Hattiesburg paper today endorsed Jim Hood for AG and Gary Anderson for treasurer, among others.
Bush backed by core supporters; women undecided
AP is reporting: "Men, evangelicals and rural voters are supporting President Bush by big margins at the start of this election year, while traditionally Democratic-leaning groups such as women have more divided loyalties, an Associated Press poll found. More people say they will definitely vote for Bush's re-election, 41 percent, than say they will definitely vote against him, 33 percent, according to the poll conducted for the AP by Ipsos-Public Affairs. Another 24 percent said they would consider voting for someone else. ... n the question of re-electing Bush or definitely voting for someone else, men were more likely to vote to re-elect Bush by 49 percent to 26 percent. And rural voters leaned toward Bush by an equally lopsided margin. White evangelicals said they would support Bush rather than vote for someone else by an even wider margin. Women were more divided, with 39 percent saying they would definitely vote for someone else and 35 percent saying they would vote to re-elect Bush."
Move Over, Boys
Lakshmi Chaudhr writes: "Whether she is a divorced waitress in Harlem, a welfare mom in Iowa, or that thirty-something singleton sipping a Cosmopolitan at your local bar, the unmarried woman may hold the fate of the 2004 elections in the palm of her hand. 'Unmarried women, given what they think and feel, are the group with the greatest potential to be agents of progressive change in this country because of their size, their desire for change, and their record of under-voting,' says Page Gardner, manager of the 'Women's Voices Women's Vote' project."
Blackmon-Tuck Clash in Debate
Is it just me, or does it seem like a weird question to ask two candidates for a major office to waste time asking candidates if they can say something nice about each other? I wonder if the moderator would ask a man the same question? "Now, Mr. Barbour, don't you have something sweet to say about Mr. Musgrove, now?" Very odd. Seems like that space could have been filled with discussion about some major issue or another.
JUST IN: Dem, GOP Heads Address Voter Intimidation
From Chairman Cole, Democratic Party:
The following letters were sent by Democrat Party Chairman Rickey Cole and Republican Chairman Jim Herring to Secretary of State Eric Clark in response to Secretary Clark's memorandum to Circuit Clerks and Election Commissioners regarding voter intimidation.
Kennedy Derides Howard Dean's NRA Support
The Washington Post reports: "Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy (D-R.I.) scolded Democratic presidential hopeful Howard Dean for his friendly relations with the National Rifle Association during a Capitol Hill rally last week to drum up support for renewal -- and strengthening -- of the federal ban on assault weapons. While other speakers stuck to the subject of assault weapons, Kennedy assailed Dean, saying he was 'saddened' that one of his party's leading presidential candidates is 'pro-NRA.' He suggested that Dean has 'compromised his principles' as a physician by opposing stronger federal gun controls."
Truth in the Hands of Artists
Radiohead's Thom Yorke and author/historian Howard Zinn talk about the artist's role in politics. Yorke: "This goes back to what should be causing extreme alarm. If there are political programs on TV, yet it takes an artist to actually energize political debate, that tells you something really quite frightening about the level of the political debate happening on mainstream channels – right-wing-biased mothers. One of the interesting things here is that the people who should be shaping the future are politicians. But the political framework itself is so dead and closed that people look to other sources, like artists, because art and music allow people a certain freedom. Obviously, the duty of artists is there, but it's more an indictment of the political system that someone like Zinn views artists as the seers, idealizing them as the people responsible for inspiring change. I think that would be great, but the reason people think like that is because there is no other element of participation anywhere."
JFP Endorses Musgrove, Blackmon, Peterson, full slate
To determine our candidate choices, the JFP editorial board looked at the record, watched the campaign (focusing on issues, not rhetoric) and talked to many of the candidates whom our readers will vote for on Nov. 4. We also talked to many Jacksonians about the issues that matter to them. To the best of our ability, we have tried to match the candidates to the concerns of our readers. To that end, we offer you the following slate of endorsements, with several highlighted with explanations.
FOX Works for GOP
MoveOn.org warns: "The wall between objective journalism and partisan politicking at Fox News fell last week when it became clear that Fox News staff contributed to the orchestration of the Republican-led 39-hour Senate talk-a-thon intended to counter the Democrat filibuster against four of President Bush's most radically conservative judicial nominees."
Gannett's Hattiesburg-American Refuses to "Hold Nose" for Lt. Gov
Note that the Hattiesburg-American wrote an entire non-endorsement without a single actual issue mentioned -- the entire column is based on the performance of the two women during the campaign. This must be the WORST example of horse-race logic I've ever seen. Certainly, it's vital that we examine how they ran their campaigns, but issues (jobs, education, health care) are relevant, too. Now I'm waiting to see if the H-A refuses to endorse in the governor's race (especially Barbour) based on the same horse-race logic -- or do such standards just apply to the women in the race? Lordy be.
AG candidate Jim Hood accuses opponent of lying
We received this letter today from attorney general candidate Jim Hood, the Democrat, accusing his challenger Scott Newton of intentionally lying about Hood's record. It is reprinted verbatim:
Bennie Thompson to endorse Howard Dean
AP is reporting that Rep. Bennie Thompson plans to endorse Howard Dean for president: "Dean's campaign had said Thompson would have a conference call on Monday with reporters and former Baltimore Mayor Kurt Schmoke to announce Thompson's endorsement and discuss 'African-American outreach and strategy.' Thompson, a senior member of the Congressional Black Caucus, said he's ready to endorse Dean, but not quite yet. 'I will make an endorsement, probably by the first of the year,' Thompson said. "I've looked at all the candidates. And Dean, in my estimation, has the best chance of beating Bush.' Unlike the other Democratic candidates, Dean is 'willing to discuss controversial issues,' Thompson said."
Dean to Washington Dems: Drop Dead!
Sidney Blumenthal writes in Salon that Dean's gaffes may well be helping him:
Reaching New Political Lows
This whole lt. gov. abortion dust-up is absurd. Finally, we have two women, one black and one white, running for a major office in the state -- and we're arguing over abortion, and whether one had one or not. First of all, it's none of our business. Second of all, Ms. Tuck never should have played the abortion card first. It has nothing to do with this office. It's a wedge issue, stupid! With all that money, you'd think the candidates could figure out how to talk about issues that they actually would be elected to deal with. It's thoroughly disgusting. Y'all, they're playing Mississippians for fools again. Every time you watch another dumb-ass television commercial or hear another personal attack or another sound bite like "school discipline" without any substance behind it, remember you're being played like a fiddle by the political machine. We've got to put an end to this, or it's just going to get worse.