Race Seen As Factor in Miss. Elections

Wednesday November 5, 2003 8:46 PM

By SHELIA HARDWELL BYRD
Associated Press Writer

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - They had all the ingredients to become Mississippi's first black politicians elected to a statewide office since Reconstruction: strong resumes, party backing and money to lure voters.

But state Sen. Barbara Blackmon, a lieutenant governor candidate, and Gary Anderson, a candidate for state treasurer, both lost Tuesday, and some observers say their skin color was at least part of the reason.

Rickey Cole, chairman of the Mississippi Democratic Party, said the GOP's tactics in this election season hearkened back to ``Nixon's Southern Republican strategy to make subtle winks and nods to white racism in the South.''

<snip>

Cole says Barbour and the rest of the GOP played upon race from the beginning of the election season.

Barbour often wore the a state flag lapel pin, with its Confederate battle emblem. In stump speeches, Barbour and Tuck told cheering crowds that they supported the state flag, which voters chose to keep in 2001 over the protests of blacks and whites who found it offensive.

more...http://www.guardian.co.uk/uslatest/story/0,1282,-3353070,00.html

A sizable amount of people granted but not anywhere close to "angry white men." We are the champions of the minorities but they have to pull their own weight also. GOP chose long ago to discard the Black vote and concentrate on unhappy white people. The odds are more in their favor but not right. They have chosen to bed down with the devil and he is mighty.

do not control anything in this country that makes them "unhappy." Every decision to tax or not tax, to fire or not fire, to raise prices or not raise prices, to let your chiled in college or not, to raise wages or not, to lower interest rates or not, ...every decision that affects their unhappy lives is made by WHITE MEN...not blacks. Even their uninformed opinions are formed by white men like Rush, the law-breaking drug addict.

is a tool to disguise that fact. Very simple: divide and conquer the poor and middle classes with racist distractions...keep the REAL issues off the table...

coherent manner but, yes, race was THE factor. Treasury nominee Gary Anderson was highly qualified. He was black. His Republican opponent was 29 and had 5 years exp in 2 banks. He was white. Guess who won.

Going back away now to cry in my beer...

Blackmon made abortion the issue and lost.

nt

bigots in the front door. After all they vote.

Had she not made than an issue she might have had a better chance.

due to felony convictions....MISS makes sure blacks don't vote, one way or the other.

For governor in 2007--that is, if he doesn't challenge Trent Lott instead. That man needs to be in a higher position in that state than A.G.--and Miss. needs him especially now!

Haley Barbour--what a walking TRAVESTY! :puke:

B-)

That sure is a surprise.

180

You can't expect much from a place like that.

Let's hear that story about the "New South"...