By the time you read this column, we will have elected a new governor (or re-elected the same governor). Now if you’re reading this and asking yourself, “There was an election Tuesday?”, don’t be embarrassed. You’re part of a large group of uninformed, or unmotivated, Mississippians.
This had to be one of the most lackluster gubernatorial campaigns in Mississippi history. There were the usual campaign speeches, televised debates and negative ads that we’re used to seeing. However, no one seemed to care. That, coupled with the fact that not many folks seemed to even know that there was a governor’s election, is not good.
The past, has taught us that apathy always works in favor of the incumbent. Apathy works in favor of the status quo. Apathy works in favor of those who wish to continually keep us in the dark. The less you know, the easier it is for your representatives to screw you over. Even I am guilty of not paying attention until the election was all but over.
Both campaigns grossly overlook the hip hop demographic in this election. That was a faux pas that we shouldn’t let happen again. Regardless of the outcome, it seems that the majority of us hard-working, blue-collar people won’t benefit from what goes on in the capitol or the governor’s mansion. That should send a clear message to all of us that politics in this state only exist for the benefit of those who are in a certain financial bracket.
You can’t mount a credible campaign if you don’t have money. And if you don’t have money, candidates won’t talk to you. They seem sincere enough and the rhetoric always sounds good, but ultimately only those who are deemed “important” get any face time.
When you have one candidate whose stance you don’t like and an opposing candidate who doesn’t have a stance at all, what do you do? It’s the classic dilemma of choosing the lesser of two political evils: Barbour, the self-serving good-ole-boy who caters to special interests; or Eaves, the Democrat playing the part of a religious pseudo-conservative. Quite frankly, I feel like both choices were pretty crappy, but it’s what we were left with when we didn’t strongly practice our power to force change. We were so concerned with the mistakes of the Republican Party that we were not holding Democrats to task.
We don’t hold our candidates accountable. We don’t make them reach for a certain standard to get our vote. Instead of choosing the candidate with the most to offer, we prefer to vote for the guy with the least amount of “dirt.” America loves a school-yard fight, and that’s why Eaves—and even Obama (who claims he’s supposed to be the “new” type of candidate)—resorts to pointing out the deficiencies of his opponents instead of pointing out their own strengths.
Mississippi, regardless of who won this year’s elections, our kids and our hoods are going to suffer for another four years. And it’s our fault.
That’s the truth … sho-nuff.
Previous Comments
Sometimes I wish that the U.S. would just scrap political parties and elect candidates based on merit.
#75525 | Author: LatashaWillis | Date: Nov 8 2007
Sometimes I wish that the U.S. would just scrap political parties and elect candidates based on merit. Absolutely! If there were no political parties, people would then be forced to research each candidate and where they stand on the issues. I think most voters see the D and R behind a candidate’s name and use them to base their decisions on who they vote for. I also think people would be much more informed about who they’re voting for.
#75526 | Author: golden eagle | Date: Nov 8 2007
I think most voters see the D and R behind a candidate’s name and use them to base their decisions on who they vote for. I also think people would be much more informed about who they’re voting for. How true. I think the average voter uses the D and R behind a candidate’s name as shorthand for his/her political beliefs and values without really researching their positions and record.
#75527 | Author: Jeff Lucas | Date: Nov 8 2007
I don’t know what you young folks are talking about. Voting for the lesser of 2 evils has always been the reality. Vote for that, vote for the most evil or simply do nothing but complain like the unnamed third party does. I think some of them call themselves independents. He, he. Kaze, what I want to know is what do you think of the former Duane “Dog” Chapman. I prefer to call him Duane “ole Dog” Chapman, you know, by his real name. He has that show called Dog the Bounty Hunter on A&E. What wrong with calling black folks dogs or niggers for that matter. Hip-hoppers and rappers do it all the time. It seems he feared black/white love (jungle love as Spike Lee once called it) would damage his family’s reputation since he and his family often referrred to blacks as niggers. Gee, what could possibly be wrong with calling niggers niggers? We are niggers, aren’t we?
#75528 | Author: Ray Carter | Date: Nov 8 2007
I the interest of staying on topic with THIS particular column. Ill start another thread where we can discuss the Dog Chapman incident. I also want to touch on this senate invetigation of the mega churches…so look for the blogs in a minute. ..And to add here..If the lesser of two evils is all the choice we will ever have. We’re screwed indeed
#75529 | Author: Kamikaze | Date: Nov 8 2007
Mr. Sho-nuff… Good to see you weighing in on the issues…..; I agree that apathy is a cancer in society today and equally agree that people have grown tired of the same old dog and pony show that is politics. While your call for change is noble, I tend to think that most people who actually read articles such as this are probably not part of problem, unless ofcourse we should all take a personal responsibility to get others involved in the election process. Maybe you could start your own little “call to arms” in building political awareness, and then maybe we won’t have to endure another President raising his guns when the enemy is non-existent. 16NKMI #4
#75530 | Author: Alexander Jones | Date: Nov 14 2007
…”Maybe you could start your own little “call to arms” in building political awareness”… Im trying brother. Im trying 🙂 …”I tend to think that most people who actually read articles such as this are probably not part of problem”.. I agree again
#75531 | Author: Kamikaze | Date: Nov 14 2007
The Mississippi Free Press produced this story through the MFP Solutions Lab, supported by the Solutions Journalism Network. This series digs into Mississippi’s systemic issues and sheds light on responses to them in other communities. Beyond just reporting on problems, these stories interrogate their causes and inspect potential solutions.