The major contenders in the 2018 Class II U.S. Senate nonpartisan special election on Nov. 6 left the state’s premier political stump with very different kinds of momentum.
Neshoba County Fair speeches from Republican U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith of Brookhaven, GOP state Sen. Chris McDaniel of Ellisville, and Democratic former secretary of agriculture Mike Espy of Madison have set the tone for what at this point appears to be a predictable stretch run. Along with former municipal candidate Tobey Bartee of Gautier, the trio is vying for a partial term succeeding retired former U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran that will end in 2021.
Bartee has yet to produce any significant sign of any type of serious campaign and is difficult to take seriously when compared with the active campaigns of his three opponents.
At Neshoba, expectations were high that the Founder’s Square Pavilion would serve as the backdrop for fiery oratory that would deliver a knockout for one candidate or the other in the race. McDaniel, known as an old school political speaker who also previously dabbled in talk radio, the Neshoba County Fair offered a chance to rejuvenate and recharge his campaign after recent disheartening results from his Federal Election Commission campaign finance reports.
The intensity of the McDaniel supporters who traveled to the fairgrounds to support their candidate, should not be underestimated. No candidate at the 2018 Neshoba County Fair had a more visible or vocal band of supporters than did McDaniel. They packed the front rows to cheer McDaniel and to heckle his opponents, particularly Espy and Hyde-Smith.
McDaniel’s speech at Neshoba, however, did not significantly change his circumstances. While delivered at times with the eloquence of a tent revival evangelist, McDaniel focused on specific criticism of Democrats in general and Espy and Class I Senate race Democratic contender state Rep. David Baria in particular far more than of fellow Republican Hyde-Smith.
McDaniel never mentioned Hyde-Smith by name, but aimed his criticism at “establishment” Republicans and those who do not share his definition of constitutional conservatism.
But the retail political narrative of the race between Espy, Hyde-Smith, and McDaniel would suggest that McDaniel’s attack on Espy might have been overkill. Espy is positioned to perform well on Nov. 6. Hyde-Smith represents a far more formidable opponent to McDaniel’s hope of doing what he fell short of doing in 2014 – actually winning a Mississippi U.S. Senate race.
Espy, standing at a venue that has been called “Republican Woodstock” by a national political writer, gave an unflinching speech in support of Democratic positions and countered both GOP political positions and those of the Donald Trump administration. Espy drew applause at several points in his speech and was not without vocal supporters of his own under the tin roof of the pavilion.
He didn’t criticize his Senate race opponents from either party directly. Espy talked about his own beliefs and goals.
Sen. Hyde-Smith was greeted by a large number of supporters for her Neshoba speech. She delivered a humble, heartfelt and simple message – that she was grateful for the opportunity to serve the people of the state, that the seat she filled in the U.S. Senate belonged to them, and that she was particularly honored to follow in the footsteps of former Sen. Cochran.
She talked about the lot of Mississippi farmers, ranchers, and producers in a global economy. She talked about jobs and economic opportunity. She talked about her private visit with Judge Brent Kavanaugh and her inclusion in other key Trump White House initiatives. She thanked Gov. Phil Bryant for appointing her to the Senate vacancy when Cochran stepped down.
The truth is that it’s highly unlikely that any candidate gets a 50 percent plus one majority in the Nov. 6 race. Leaving Neshoba, the momentum question is or at least should be whether any candidate said anything persuasive enough to challenge the seats that Hyde-Smith already holds on the Senate Appropriations and Agriculture committees?
McDaniel’s speech was almost entirely philosophical. Espy talked about partisan realignment. Hyde-Smith talked about governing and serving Mississippians from Senate committees where she can continue to get things done.
Leaving Neshoba, that’s the point from which the stretch run begins.
Sid Salter is a syndicated columnist. Contact him at sidsalter@sidsalter.com.
Wednesday, August 8, 2018
Sid Salter: Senate Hopefuls Leave Neshoba with Very Different Kinds of Campaign Momentum
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22 comments:
Completely useless article, Sid has become like a Mississippi Politician. Publish the same old dry material and expect people to read it just because you are Sid Salter. This provided no real analysis (or insights) on the merits of each candidate's approach at the fair.
The Neshoba County Fair is SO overrated politically. It's on par with the New Hampshire primary as far as relevance to the election. Candidates trek there because they have to and frothy-mouthed media who are in love with the romantic notion of the old timey political stage (like Sidney) cover it as if it's a true make-or-break event.
It's not like the candidates are speaking to the common man. It's a giant frat party with the well-to-do white peoples drinking weed killer and pretending to be "down home folks" for a week.
So basically, YAWN!
Completely useless post @9:33. Instead of your regular anonymous criticism of Salter articles why don't you go ahead and just contact him at sidsalter@sidsalter.com regarding your political insight.
Sid can take the heat. You are free to read elsewhere.
Lets' get off of the badmouthing of Sid and turn this thread into something really worth reading: What are the best political anecdotes, stories or happenings in the history of the NCF? Tell the story and name names. (Hoping to hear, even if anonymously, from some of those with an historical flair -- calling Steve Guyton).
Kingfish, it appears that many of your routine bloggers hate Jackson, Ole Miss, Yeti coolers, condos in Destin or Oxford, Mayor Lamumba, JPS administrators, African Americans, grocery store buffets, gun control, Hillary, Delbert Hoseman, Phil Bryant, Tate Reeves, NFL players who kneel, pot holes, the Jackson Zoo, lawyers, rich people, etc. All of that hating must leave little time to enjoy life and be thankful. Sad.
11:11 = a fish hooked in the gill.
Does anyone know why Lynn Fitch (Mitchell), at the last minute, reneged on her acceptance of an invitation to speak? Why was she a no-show?
11:11
Here's a tissue.
The Yeti Cooler thing is a mockery of people who not only spend $400 on an icebox, but then feel the need to brag about spending $400 on an icebox. It's more about the stickers than the coolers themselves.
You are omitting others who express disdain for Whole Foods, Rankin (aka Niknar) County, Madison (county or city), Mayor Mary, Ben Allen, the Farish Street Project, PFG shirts, Kenny and Laritacooper, Donner and the JFP (is that still a thing?), Ashby Foote, the Two Lakes Project, Fondren hipsters...the list goes on!
What you don't get is that with a few exceptions, the things on that list are debated, discussed, mocked, etc. but not hated. I'd say the NFL kneeling and gun control rise to that, but most of it is old fashioned political chatter. Shame you can't make that distinction.
Still not one comment regarding the topic of this thread - the candidates...
Comment on the Candidates, to 1:22pm, with love.
Hyde-Smith is a puppet of the state GOP
Espy is a relic of the Clinton era
McDaniel is a joke of the highest order
There's only one issue that matters to me...PERTECT OUR FLAG!!!
12:37, I am aware of the distinction. There is some legitimate political debate on this blog. But there also is plenty of hate-filled rhetoric. Don’t be an apologist for the ignorant haters.
P.S. I agree about the Yeti stickers.
Sid has to be paid by the word. He writes the most words in an empty paragraph as I've ever seen.
I think McDaniel and his supporters overplayed their hand. Bus folks in- that is fine. But, to heckle and act like fools during a speech in the way they did isn't going to win you any votes either. It of course rallies his base, but he isn't expanding it.
Heckling, cheering and waving signs at a political jamboree event in 94 degree heat? Say it ain't so!
The NCF was never advertised as a Sunday School Sword Drill. The only ones I feel sorry for are those sitting on porches, under fans, hoping you'll look their way, thinking they're upper crust.
Neshoba County Fair - The Kentucky Derby of Mississippi.
Straw hat instead of fine, fancy headwear.
Wheat-straw between your teeth instead of a $48 dollar cigar.
Cotton britches instead of fine silk.
Jewelry from The Dollar Tree.
A black Tahoe instead of a $535,000 motor coach.
Cooler of PBR in the back of the truck instead of fine bourbon.
Phil Bryant instead of Jack Nicholson.
Cindy Hyde instead of somebody with class.
Corn dogs and pretzels instead of oysters and Chardonnay.
Six year old buggy horses instead of...well, you get it.
2:05 am NCF is not a political rally, it is a fair where politicians who once came simply because many were gathered in one place, were invited to speak formally rather than be continuously bothersome.
Cheering and waving signs are fine, but heckling is simply uncouth and disrespectful to the rest of the audience. Hecklers are at best like drunk, attention seeking teenagers on spring break. At worst, they are mentally unstable people craving attention as a cry for help or symptomatic fanaticism.
Most fair goers are there to see friends and family, to have fun , hear great music , eat great food and have fun. I would remind you there are tree swings and sand piles and children playing near the stage.
And, I hope you have a good reason for being up at 2:05 am and it's not a medical symptom or your conscience keeping you awake.
One of the reasons I don't go to Neshoba. Outdoors at a fair in Mississippi in July? No thanks. It's not as if the speeches are made to crowds of people who have few other means to listen to candidates. Now its just packed with cheerleaders and an excuse to send out Youtube clips and press releases.
Just tossing this out there, but McDaniel most likely has another goal in this. The math simply doesn't work for him in this election - it is literally a jungle out there and Cindy Lou-Who and Mike Milhous Espy ("I am not a crook...") are going to split at least 70% of the first vote, so McDaniel is out. He may be a lunatic, but he isn't a stupid lunatic, so what is he REALLY after?
One thing that comes to mind is him thinking he can get some scraps by supporting whichever of the two looks to be the winner in the run-off. If it's Espy, he can court a swath of the black vote for the future (not as far-fetched as it might sound) and if it's Cindy, he can gain support from white voters who aren't quite as redneck his base (the "well, it is 2018 and the colored gentleman certainly had the right to run...but that was close..." crowd). In either case, he can extract some immediate price for that support. This one isn't for the full 6 year term, so Mississippi is almost certain to see the Chris McDaniel circus/shitshow continue for at least 2 more years unless he gets something to shut him up.
As to McDaniel and the black vote, while McDaniel has been called a racist by just about all the white folks that oppose him, and some of his supporters are racist, what has McDaniel personally said or done to totally foreclose ALL black support? Typical answers from white folks, especially liberals, assuming they can speak for all black Mississippians will likely miss the mark. If one objectively analyses his stated positions, many aren't all that far, if different at all, from religion-and-family black (lower-case "c") conservatives and on issues that matter to them. The Cochran mess can be explained away as his being against election-stealing of any kind, but especially so by conning gullible black voters. Even his "fiscal conservatism" can be addressed: he isn't against all black folks getting "welfare," he is against financially supporting anyone who could but doesn't contribute as much as they can. And in fact, on both issues that is generally what he has said, or at least not emphatically disproved by what he has said. He would be wasting his time and other people's money with Espy (or really, any black candidate) in THIS race, but executed properly over the next two years, it would be possible to cobble together enough black support (or diffuse black opposition) to make an optically- and mathematically-viable challenge, which would bring in real money including some from unexpected sources, which would fund further support-gathering, etc., etc. So, if Espy wins this one, he would then be a GOP challenger in MS who could at least diffuse black opposition even if he didn't have much outright support and if Cindy wins, he would then be the "outsider"/populist challenger with support "across the racial spectrum."
You wasted an awful lot of keystrokes with that impossible scenario, 9:26. No way in hell McDaniel would support or throw support to either of them.
So, it's not a matter of McDaniel 'wasting his time'...It's a matter of YOU wasting YOURS and OURS.
Well, one of us is going to incorrect. While McDaniel is no Trump and this race is not a POTUS election, Trump as GOP nominee, as POTUS, and Hillary losing to him were all widely seen as "impossible scenarios," too. Still are for many.
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