Jackson Jambalaya

When Tate did the front porch debate (maybe at Neshoba?) with the guy from the coast a few terms ago, he got destroyed. He looked mad the whole time and was beet red. It is smart of him to stay away from debates.

7:01 am It is smart of Tate to avoid debates.
It's stupid of us to vote for a politician who does that.
If he can't make a good argument for himself , how can he make one for Mississippi?

Mississippi is not a progressive state. If things are not so bad economically the candidate of the status quo could be bozo the clown and he'll win in a landslide. That's the reality of the matter as far as getting elected is concerned debates are really irrelevant, and getting elected is all that counts. It's pitiful, but it's fact.

Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt.

Forget it Jake, it's Mississippi. The electorate is tribal, moronic, and they are classic System One "thinkers." You think they care? They do not.

Plainly Tate (my candidate), while dumb but not stupid, is afraid of mixing it up with another person even marginally more human than he. Who cares, swear him in, it's a done deal.

Truth be told I don't much care if Jim Hood wins. How much difference is there really between these two morbidly obese bipeds? Short answer: not much. Waller, on the other hand, is obviously too smart for the job . . . all that reading and stuff. Why can't we just have Haley Barbour back again?

What's with these fat bastards? Am I the only guy who ever heard the phrase "low carb?"

I just shows what a pitiful clown Tater Tot is. If he has to run on his record he's toast. We need a governor who will get this state moving forward not the same crap as the last 8 years. Go Bill, Go.

Tate is best off just keeping his mouth shut and letting the machine work. If he lets the people hear his ignorance, he will only hurt his chances. Notice his new commercial is just his wife speaking. Clearly his handlers understand how weak their candidate is and are trying to limit the damage he does do their cause.

12:06 mentions the "handlers". Spot on. There's a handful of firms in this state with a stranglehold on the flow of funds. They are getting very rich and very fat off of running campaigns and once their guy is in, they make even more steering public service ad dollars. They are connected to the established candidates and also connected to the mainline donors. In any other industry, what they do would be considered shady at best, but its the norm in Mississippi politics.

Met a very smart kid while judging a debate contest a few months back.

He said he was going to college in North Carolina, and would probably live there after graduating. No chance he was coming back to Mississippi.

I asked, don't you think if more smart people like you stayed, maybe Mississippi could do better?

He said it was pretty clear Mississippi had no interest in listening to people like him and added: "I mean look at who's running for governor."

Tate is busy with issues that surround the lower Delta and the flooding issues. Wait...that's bullshit. He could not care less. His number one right hand man and piss boy Vendevender has penned letters to every federal official who draws a breath begging them to destroy the delta so he can buy it at rock-bottom salvage prices for his hunting fun.

If we allow Mr. Potato Head to become our next governor it's as with Jackson....We deserve what we get.

The reason Tate is not debating is because he comes across as a thin-skinned and sensitive real-life Dilbert. If Tate believes things are good in Mississippi, he is fooling himself.

This is the dumbest group of comments I’ve seen in awhile on here. Stupid is probably the wrong description - biased and anti-Tate is a better way to describe the same dozen people who say stupid and anti things about Tate.

No one in Tate’s shoes would debate Waller or the guy from DeSoto more than once when they don’t have any money and can’t get any press. I’m shocked he agreed to debate them in late July.

Why do you think Jim Hood isn’t debating his primary opponents, or Michael Guest with Whit Hughes, or Roger Wicker when Chris McDaniel was in his race....same reason. At least Tate is debating once - none of those candidates had a one on one debate.

Every month in Rankin County the Republicans conduct a straw vote. Waller has beaten Tate every time.

Rankin County, go figure.

The reasons that the lt governor’s campaign give for not debating are extremely disheartening—he “won’t be in the area”. Well, Summit, MS just happens to be one short hour from Jackson. Not real sure why he “can’t” be in the area. It’s interesting that he agreed to debate at WJTV, but only with no audience (and pretty sure he set those terms). I definitely don’t want him as my next governor!! Just one college student expressing my views.

I sure hope Chief Justice Waller can get some traction. I sent in my little contribution weeks ago. (I sent as much as I could afford). What could Reeves possibly have to say to the former Chief Justice? Waller is smart, a statesman, a leader, and a man of integrity (IMHO). Unfortunately, he will have a difficult time competing against the Reeves bank account and machine. If Tate wins, it will be Mississippi's loss.

10:01 needs to make a substantive response to the article and the comments and not just call people stupid. Do you dispute the fact that Tate would be a disaster in the debate? Do you believe campaign strategy is a good excuse to deny voters the opportunity to hear a substantive discussion of the issues more than once? Tate has never been able to articulate a strong position on his policies and I am curious if you can articulate a strong defense of the most light-weight Republican candidate for governor i have seen since i cast my first vote for governor in 1987.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: I have to wonder why Tate wants to be Governor when he could almost certainly take out Cindy Lou-Who in a cakewalk. He could even be a hero to some by bowing out and endorsing Waller, who would then stroll into the job. Then, Tate could keep a whole bunch of his campaign warchest and stroll into the Senate. Obviously, not gonna happen, but...

As to Tate not debating, why would any candidate in his position? You might want him to and I'll even accept that he should (in a "perfect world"), but there is simply nothing in a primary debate for any heavily-favored front-runner with a 10-to-1 budget advantage and significant name recognition over his or her closest challenger. Those who think elections like this one are about the candidates' positions and policies don't know much about politics.