Mississippi's favorite scourge threatens to afflict politics again this year.
Nowhere is that more obvious than in the City of Jackson vs. State of Mississippi disputes over water and crime in the capital city. One masquerades apparent ineffectiveness as racism while the other masquerades ostensible racism as problem-solving. It began with the mayor vs. the governor. It continues with black legislators vs. white legislators. No doubt it will find its way into courtrooms, as so many political rows do these days. The uprising hot air has reignited negative perspectives of Mississippi tamped down by the historic state flag concordance.
Less obvious will be the role of race in statewide elections. Candidates will likely obfuscate with code words and slogans that appeal to race-oriented groups. In the two major races, governor and lieutenant governor, supporters will be the more obvious advocates.
First up is the Republican Primary for lieutenant governor. Consider these two supporters of state Sen. Chris McDaniel.
Writing on the white nationalist favored “Identity Dixie” web site, Joe Wasp praised McDaniel for taking on the good old boy system (GOBS) in Mississippi. “Despite its power, the GOBS has yet to wholly eradicate the rightwinger from its political ranks; it can only neuter their power and influence. One such rightwing state senator is Chris McDaniel.” He likened McDaniel to others “who love Dixie,” naming “Corey Stewart of Virginia, Marjorie Greene of Georgia, numerous legislators in Texas, as well as the Texas Nationalist Movement, and Ron DeSantis of Florida.” He cited McDaniel’s rhetoric as “legendary and should please anyone who actually cares about and loves the Magnolia State.”
Ryan S. Walters, author of Remember Mississippi: How Chris McDaniel Exposed the GOP Establishment and Inspired a Revolution, is a native of Jones County now living in Texas. He deems himself as an independent historian and preaches a brand of history reminiscent of a 1950s Mississippi history class. A defender of the “War for Southern Independence” and, like McDaniel, an ardent opponent of changing the state flag, Walters sees himself and those like McDaniel as “true Sons of the South.”
Walters recently wrote a column appearing in the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal that championed McDaniel and slammed Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann. “As ‘woke’ culture continues to dominate our institutions of higher learning, Chris McDaniel has vowed to end it; Delbert Hosemann has not,” wrote Walters. “And he will not. Just like he did not stand up for the right of Mississippi voters to choose a new state flag.”
Next up, the governor’s race culminating in the November general election.
PS – Walters also criticized columnist Sid Salter as one who “carries the hose for Hosemann.” One can only wonder what Walters carries for McDaniel.
“Anyone who hates a brother or sister is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness” – John 2:11.
Crawford is a syndicated columnist from Jackson.
37 comments:
Race as an issue has been kept alive by the decades of race baiters and race hustlers who profit from it, either politically, monetarily, or both.
Bill is an excellent political writer. But cherry picking bible verses to support his views is less than honest.
Always going to be about race and nothing but race? Who has injected that completely predictable issue into this problem? Reeves and those Republicans? I think it would be the right thing to focus on the real issue about the mayor in particular and the city council members to an extent. The issue is competence, not race, and the mayor is simply incompetent. The Republicans need to refuse to be drawn into the business of proving negatives (I.e. We are not racists) and keep pointing out what the real problem is, regardless of the press, which only wants a simplistic morality tale to tell about the never, ever ending fable that racism is the cause of all problems. I suppose we can’t be surprised that other black politicians have circled the wagons around the boy mayor, but remember that even they admitted that the water crisis was the consequence of the mayor’s non actions. It is a pity that they prefer to rally round the dear old flag of racism rather than address the true problem.
If you are looking for solutions to the racial divide among politicians you are sadly misinformed. Politicians are opportunists. They play the differences and factions for their own benefit. If there are no factions they will create them so that they can lead them. It's like a fireman who has no fires, he will soon become an arsonist to create work. Mississippi has a natural chasm deeper than any other, it's racial. Politicians on both sides fan the flames so they can lead the mobs. It's nothing new. The solutions must come from people in the BUSINESS and clerical community who will not profit from divisions and hate, not politicians. That's tough for Mississippi which is a plantation state led by worthless politicians, but with large commercial development there is hope.
Well.....duh..... I would say the author mailed this in, but mailing takes a little work.
Bill is not a good writer.
KF, you have built a website that is much better than this drivel. Seriously, columns like this will drag your website down. There are people with great intelligence in this state who have good writing skills. Bill Crawford has neither.
@10:08am - Every good Christian politician has a list of cherry picked Bible verses to shuck and jive actual responsibility.
Race is real. The REAL Inconvenient Truth. Do the Math.
Even LeBron James admitted, "We are our Own Worst Enemy."
Same for us whites, with methheads, potheads, soy boys, and the willfully unemployed wimps. We are our own worst enemy.
So predictable Crawfordisms. I can't STAND McDenial, but he has a POINT.
And our pols ignore reality at their own peril, in both parties and all races.
10:31 Much of what you say is absolutely true, there is incompetence. But the racial problem surfaces when the solutions to problems are different depending on the race of the perpetrators. That's when you get the protests. Black people take notice when the patience and understanding often extended to inept or even crooked whites disappears when blacks cross the line. The "solutions" must at least appear to be applied equally or expect pushback.
With friends like that, it’s obvious that the upcoming McDaniel-Hosemann race is 100% about whether we have moved on from Old South mentality or not. And it might end up as a toss up, if McDaniel can avoid shooting himself in the foot.
“Apparent ineffectiveness” ??
Oh, I get it. The tolerance of Lumumba's gross incompetence in office is 'pushback'.
1:27. i would appreciate your pointing out an instance where crooked or incompetent whites in office have beed coddled after having caused the problems the people in Jackson's government have caused
2:09.....Phil F. Bryant?
There is a divide between conservatives and socialists, which in most states/counties/cities, amounts to Republicans and Democrats, respectively.
In MS, these political differences correspond to race differences also. All over America, conservatives and entitlement seeking socialists hate each others politics and it goes to the bone.
I am glad the chasm is harsh and deep and wide, but regret more blacks won't become individuals more concerned with the evil of socialism and the conservative opportunities for joyful prosperity, than with their accident of color.
@1:28 - no one alive today was present during the "Old South", and all any of us know about the "Old South" is what we have been taught by people who also were not alive during the "Old South". You can find many differences in what we were taught, and what is being taught today by reading what was published during, and after, the "Old South", and even those learned individuals could not agree on what was going on. So it is hard to agree with your statement concerning "Old South" mentality. For all that any of us know, the "Old South" mentality may be better than what we have today - just read the comments to this posting by Crawford, and who is to say Crawford and his ilk are correct - they may be the problem, not the solution.
4:09 It all depends on the economy. Blacks just haven't experienced the same level of prosperity yet. But let things get bad enough and you will see many whites also turn to "evil" socialism. Get another 1929 style depression and those conservative opportunities for joyful prosperity you mention will fade to red. It's happened before. That's no accident.
2:09. What problems did Philbilly cause in managing the State’s duties similar to the problems caused by Jackson’s mayor?
I support Hosemann but the votes are definitely out there for a Chris McDaniel win if he can pour enough gasoline on the fire.
"...the votes are definitely out there for a Chris McDaniel win if he can pour enough gasoline on the fire."
So, to recap your thoughts, exposing woke-democrats posing as conservatives and ringing the bell for a call-to-action, is 'pouring gasoline on a fire"?
Why don't you just say it? You're satisfied with the status quo and are afraid if the boat is rocked, you'll fall out.
“Identity Dixie”? I didn’t know such even existed. Thanks for the tip, Bill.
“A defender of the “War for Southern Independence” and, like McDaniel, an ardent opponent of changing the state flag” . . .
Mein pearls!
6:09 - I assumed in a war of aggression, everybody would support fighting for independence.
I think Bill Crawford still brings race to his writings. Hopefully one day will be able to write without being so fixated on race and able to judge a man based upon the content of his character.
Oh PUHLEEZ people!
You've forgotten how McDaniels embarrassed us all...including "finding" some of the deepest pockets of the GOP to be African Americans voting illegally in the primary!
Crazy is crazy and racism is not all that hard to see here IF you bother to be honest.
I'm white and my folks were with The Army of Virginia. Your folks were probably carpetbaggers or overseers.
How was their voting illegal? I understand you wish it was 1960 and want to make it illegal for blacks to vote but how was it illegal for them to vote in the GOP primary?
Kingfish: It wasn't illegal. It was simply a well-thought ploy that worked, But, as his folks were with the Army of Virginia, he must be listened to and considered relevant. It's tough, but we must try, although he can't distinguish between the First Confederate National and the Bonnie Blue.
Since the State Flag was brought up, I will say that the Flag issue just re-enforces what I say all the time: "That Voting Is NOT a RIGHT, But a PRIVALIGE Granted To Us By Polititions WHEN And IF It Suits Their Particular Purpose".
Remember what Benny Thompson said when asked after the 1st Flag referendom- that the state populace OVERWELMINGLY Voted to Keep- "Mr Thompson will the State Ever Vote the Flag Away?"
"Oh No, You'll NEVER VOTE the Flag Away. You'll Have to LEGISLATE the Flag Away"
If anybody here thinks you live in a Free Country with Equal Representation you belong in Whitfield...
Kingfish, it wasn't illegal for blacks to vote in the GOP runoff. But it was a complete disgrace for the MS-GOP to fund ads on black radio stations claiming that blacks would lose the right to vote if McDaniel won, or that blacks would have to sit in the back of the bus again if McDaniel won.
None of the local media, not even JJ, covered this travesty. It took the London Daily Mail to actually post the disgusting ads.
But it was a complete disgrace for the MS-GOP to fund ads on black radio stations ...
The Cochran camp $$$timulated, er, funded a whole lot more than simply radio ads.
9:32 - That's correct. Haley Barbour ain't no apprentice. He's long been a master-craftsman.
February 19, 2023 at 10:08 AM, nice way of getting your very valid point posted, complimenting the subject first.
Like your subject’s use of scripture in an attempt to validate his always extremely biased message (never any “do unto others” from him), KF censors 100% factual messages, with accurate mathematics, no vulgarity, no hate and no racism. And we all see the posts KF allows. From “knuckleheads” as he, KF himself, has labeled.
While there’s very impressive work here and this site fills a much needed void, KF allows articles and posts that generates clicks, while censoring the responses with accurate points that KF does not want made.
It’s likely a safe bet we will continue to see your subject’s completely agenda based articles that end with scripture posted here on Sunday (click bait for KF) with factual responses censored by KF, followed by KF’s Dr. Frank Pollard’s sermon recommendation. But do not be mistaken. The agenda appears clear.
Be not deceived, God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
Galatians 6:7
While there’s very impressive work here and this site fills a much needed void, KF allows articles and posts that generates clicks, while censoring the responses with accurate points that KF does not want made.
All you do is whine ad nauseam as you obviously lack the stones to start your own gig and compete.
Is that you at 11:11, Kangaroo?
11:48 AM, 11:11 AM is probably more like Captain Narcissist…BWAHAHAHAHAHA
11:11 AM, I thank my personal God I don’t have to make a living censoring/controlling the message like, as the Twitter engineer was recorded as saying “Commie as f—k.”
11:11 AM one more point (if the previous response makes it), we don’t see in your post any complaints against Crawford’s absolute continuous, non-stop race hustling, followed by his beyond hypocritical quoting of Bible verses.
A pic of Bill would be a phenomenal definition of ad nauseam.
Lastly, greed creates confusion. Doing what’s right brings clarity.
To Recap: Yes, race is still at play in Mississippi politics. Were it not for race, Bill Crawford would have no need for a keyboard.
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