Mississippi Republican unveils new attack ad on Barack Obama

Mississippi Republicans attacking a black man, come on now, is this a huge surprise to anyone?

I would hope that the politicians from the most improvised state in the union and the poorest system of education, would be addressing those issues rather than playing race politics.D

i lived in Mississippi between 1967 and 1982. pretty much grew up there. you can't expect folks who go to inadequate public schools to know that the republican party couldn't care less about the vast majority of Mississippians. the only thing the republican party is concerned about is big business and cheap labor, with as little regulation as possible. Mississippi will probably always be bass ackwards because the Sheeple will always get the wool pulled over there eyes. so sad.

They're just disappointed that they can't lynch him.

They're just disappointed that they can't lynch him.

Neo, you are so correct, the GOP uses the race card for poor whites, and, is a party that does not have one concern for thier interests, jobs, poor education, lack of health care, all the things that all poor people have in common, other than they both hate blacks equally and the GOP knows this full and well and is why they are running the Deep South. Dead last in every quality of life, and won't deal with it to live in Mississippi, just keep the races apart so the rich get richer. And, just what as the national RNC said on this, not a peep, since, they let it run as long as they can stay in power.

And, Bill, the ones in Mississippi are not too different from many of those who voted in Pennsylvania according to exit polls, so, its not just the Deep South. But, that said, we shall overcome the hate and stupidity, yes we shall.

You people sure do talk the talk. Ever occur to you that the blanket statements regarding lynching, lack of education and the overall paternalistic attitude you've exhibited square rather imperfectly with your moral superiority? By slapping a negative stereotype on an entire populace because some segment voiced an opinion with which you disagreed, you've succumb to the same hateful, personal and blind vices as you claim Southerners suffer. You lived here from '67 to '82? Well, golly gee. You sure are an expert on the current state of things. I'm only 23 and I'm perfectly cognizant of the problems with corruption, the "good ole boy" network and rampant poverty, but you use these facts as an indictment against all Mississippians. Aside from the guy that lived in Mississippi during the throes of reintegration, I'd bet that none of you have set foot in the state. Too bad you can apparently still judge every person that lives there.

You people sure do talk the talk. Ever occur to you that the blanket statements regarding lynching, lack of education and the overall paternalistic attitude you've exhibited square rather imperfectly with your moral superiority? By slapping a negative stereotype on an entire populace because some segment voiced an opinion with which you disagreed, you've succumb to the same hateful, personal and blind vices as you claim Southerners suffer. You lived here from '67 to '82? Well, golly gee. You sure are an expert on the current state of things. I'm only 23 and I'm perfectly cognizant of the problems with corruption, the "good ole boy" network and rampant poverty, but you use these facts as an indictment against all Mississippians. Aside from the guy that lived in Mississippi during the throes of reintegration, I'd bet that none of you have set foot in the state. Too bad you can apparently still judge every person that lives there.

Two things... First, sorry for the double-post. Mozilla crashed on me. Second, sorry if I came off too aggressively, but it is so frustrating to hear this sentiment echoed. There are racists and hateful people everywhere, and Mississippi may even have a disproportionate share there... but there are also good people here. Its frustrating and causes a lot of hurt when people summarily lump good and bad alike, just to give them both a bad label.

And Jared,

You're so right. So now take what you have said and now apply that to the Mississippi GOP and how they are putting everybody with Obama in the same basket.

Strange isn't it?

Well, by the fact that the state is run by the GOP which has done nothing to better the lives of its residents, other than the whites with money, I for one say the state is as racist now as it was in he 1940's, there has been little change in education jobs or anything else for blacks. You have both US Senators who won't even deal with a black related issue as its not in their concern as they know they will continue to be elected. You have Trent Lott longing for the days of Dixie and not ashamed to admit it, so, the people of the state allow it to be this way, and, the rest of the country can judge it from its actions, not alleged stereotypes Poor whites vote for the GOP in Mississippi in hordes, not that its going to make their lives better, but, out of hatred for blacks, its not that hard to figure the state out, just like it wasn't with Ohio or Pennsylvania. The only difference being, in Mississippi they let you know they hate blacks to your face, but, with a smile and that annoying accent.

And, while maybe a few of the Mississippi whites are good people, I sure wouldn't want to meet any of them on a dark road in a car with engine problems just like in Ohio and Pennsylvania.

Chris, I agree. I've been fairly vocal elsewhere about how impossibly attenuated a guilt-by-failure-to-disavow-by-proxy smear campaign is. Both the MS and NC GOP have gone this route, and I disagree vehemently with both tactics. I will admit that I'm a McCain supporter, but I also think that there simply is no room for smear tactics in a campaign as important as the presidential election.

John, I have to disagree with the premise of some of your statements. With respect to local government, MS elected 73 democrats, as opposed to 46 republicans, to our House of Representatives. Likewise, we elected 27 to 25, democrats to republicans, in our Senate. If anything, this is a bipartisan local government, tipped in favor of the democrats. Furthermore, 31 of our past 33 governors were Democrats. Of course, in fairness, that number might not mean that much, as possibly the person who has most embarrassed our state in race-relations, Ross Barnett, was a Democrat. Despite our affinity for going red on nat'l election days, democratic candidates are well represented in local government. Of our four congressional representative seats (one of which Childers is fighting for), the three that are occupied are now occupied by two Democrats and one Republican.

Factually, I simply have to disagree that Mississippi is "run by the GOP." That impression might come off in general presidential elections, but I assure you it is far from accurate. The state leans well right, yes... but it isn't without some balance.

John, I'm a law student at the University of Mississippi. I'd like to honestly and whole-heartedly invite you to my town: Oxford, MS. There are still bullet-holes in the Lyceum's columns, from when a hodge-podge of Mississippi-grown and imported yokels and racists rioted with the admission of James Meredith, our first black student. The above-referenced Barnett refused to provide any protection for Meredith and actively attempted to prevent his admission, necessitating federal intervention.

Now, on the opposite side of the Lyceum, sandwiched in a manicured bit of greenspace, in the middle of a courtyard crated by our nationally ranked business school, lyceum, library and administrative offices, there stands a full-sized statute and pavillion in honor of Mr. Meredith. Minority enrollment is hovering between 15-20 percent; a number that doesn't reflect the demographics of our state, yet, but that is a vast improvement over years past. Perhaps because Mississippians are under the racial-tension microscope, those of us that don't bleed racist are hypersensitive to these matters. There are many, many good people in this state. I would think you'd be pleasantly surprised by a vacation in the area.

Further, while you're quite right in noting that - for some reason- poor whites flock to the republican party. I've made similar observations... it just is without explanation. Unfortunately, so many here vote the way their parents vote, if for no other reason than because that was how their parents voted.

Wrapping up here... I'm sorry our accents are annoying, but you'd probably like mine. My mother was from Rhode Island and, apparently, genetics determine speech patterns. In a recent competition in New York, I was told by New York attorneys that I spoke to quickly. That's pretty bad for a guy from the South, eh?

But really, I think you underestimate the bonds that poverty makes... across race lines. My mom was a high school teacher that quit to raise my sister and myself. My dad lost both his parents while in high school; he barely graduated before deciding to work offshore. The money was relatively good while he was young. As a household, we brought in around 30-35 grand a year. After being run-off as his age passed 50, he's a maintenance worker at a local WalMart distribution center, earning between 20-25 grand.

In my ninth grade, our home was hit by a tornado. We lost everything, and we didn't have the income to replace it. Our insurance hadn't been updated with the reappraised value, so we had to spend contents and the home insurance policy just to rebuild.

THe night of the tornado, there were between 30 and 50 cars parked in our front yard. People we had never met, both black and white, helped us save what wasn't ruined by the rain, as another storm was coming that night. People just left with our things. The weeks that followed saw us receiving phone calls from total strangers, offering apologies for our loss and letting us know they had our stuff whenever we needed it back.

A local church, whose congregation was mostly black, took up a donation for my family and were the first people to respond to our needs, financially. Of course, we'd known many of those people for years. Poor doesn't know color barriers. Unfortunately, poor does leave one susceptible to a propaganda of hate (see Hitler and the Jews following Germany's Post-Weimar depression).

The thing is, and part of why I came off as being so aggressive, is you have no idea how impossibly frustrating it is to live here, be a part of this, try to help straighten things out... and hear comments about how Mississippi is still as racist or as backwards as it was in the 1940s. I just hope that someday you can appreciate that there are many good people down here, not just 'a few.'