As we all know, Mississippi is not a hotbed of liberal Democrats. Yet, two of the four congressional seats there are held by Democrats and the other two have no incumbents. I looked to see what kind of Democrats won the primaries to compete in Mississippi’s 1st and 3rd Districts. Hoo Boy!!
In the 3rd District, the primary was won by a guy named Joel Gill. Here are some highlights from his website:
“Whether or not we should have gone to Iraq doesn’t matter now. We are there. We must let the Generals and military strategists formulate an effective exit plan to bring the troops home as soon as possible without wasting the sacrifices of our brave women and men who have served as well as those who gave the ultimate sacrifice, their lives, in this struggle.”
That’s not too bad, but I don’t think he should be emphasizing that it doesn’t matter whether or not we should have gone into Iraq.
“Illegal immigration is now the greatest threat to our nation draining our economy of the precious resources our fellow citizens need to have quality health care and top notch education for their families. You shouldn’t use the services if you don’t pay into the system.”
Okay, he lost me with that one. The biggest threat to our nation is illegal immigration? That’s ludicrous.
“We must rein in these free trade agreements that may be good for the bottom line of muli-national corporations, but cause job losses here at home as well as abroad. These FTA’s are a major reason we are experiencing a record influx of illegal immigrants.”
This guy has been watching too much Lou Dobbs. I don’t mind some good old-fashioned Southern populism, but can we keep the Latino bashing out of it?
The vast majority of wealth in our country is in the hands of the middle class. It will be through all sectors paying a fair share that our budget needs can be met. A fair tax will help all. I remind those of lower incomes, that a Soak the Rich strategy is doomed to failure.
Okay. I guess we can chuck the Southern populism.
“The brutal barbaric procedure known as partial birth abortion should be outlawed forever at the Federal level”
This procedure doesn’t really exist as an elective surgery. It’s pretty depressing to see a Democrat pushing this load of garbage.
“I will oppose any effort to limit our 2nd amendment right to own a firearm. I fully support your right to own not only hunting weapons, but hand guns for personal protection as well.”
I actually support gun rights, so this last one doesn’t bother me at all, but I’m still left wondering where the Democratic values are with this guy that distinguish him from a Republican? He’s for protecting Social Security and for reviewing Free Trade Agreements. He opposes No Child Left Behind. Other than that? He’s a Republican…and not a very pleasant one, either.
In Mississippi’s 1st District (the district that Clinton won last night) there will be a run-off between Travis Childers and Steve Holland. Neither candidate has much in the way of an issues page. Childers wants a balanced budget amendment and fair ‘not-free’ trade deals. Holland has a distinguished record as a state representative. As for his priorities, I found this:
Holland said his philosophies won’t change with the transition and that he’d be a mainstream Democrat in the U.S. House. If elected, the current chair of the House Committee on Public Health and Human Services said he’ll push for health-care reform to insure all children and make it affordable for adults, too.
He said he’d work to bring more money to the 1st District for transportation and would collaborate with other representatives to find a solution to illegal immigration, which he said is the most cited concern raised by residents in north Mississippi.
North Mississippi voted for Clinton in the 70%-80% range, so it doesn’t surprise me to learn that they are obsessed with illegal immigrants. The more things change, the more they stay the same. Eh?
