When Lyndon Johnson signed the 1964 Civil Rights Act, he stated “I have given the Republicans the South for the next 40 years”. Another chapter in this saga is currently being written in the state of Mississippi with the Senatorial race between former Gov. Ronnie Musgrove, a Democrat and recently appointed Roger Wicker, appointed by Gov. Haley Barbour to the seat Trent Lott resigned from. As reported in the New York Times, Republican Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann has moved this race on the ballot from the top to the bottom. “Defying state law, they have decided to hide a hard fought race for the United States Senate at the bottom of the ballot, where they are clearly hoping some voters will overlook it. Their proposed design is not only illegal, it shows a deep contempt for Mississippi voters”.
There is not a state in the union that is redder than Mississippi and its governor, Haley Barbour was “Mr. Republican”, serving as the Republican National Committee Chair from 1993-1997 when the Republicans took over both houses. Barbour helped found the Washington based law firm, Barbour Griffith &Rogers, LLC a lobbying firm for tobacco, and drug companies. In 1997 Fortune magazine named the firm “the most powerful in Washington, making millions from tobacco”.
For many years the chance of winning a major race in a southern state as a Democrat has been almost impossible. The Republicans have cleverly appealed to voters with a racial prejudice, as well as those that feel unions have to be done away with. Consider the number of foreign manufactories that have built plants in the South over the last 10 years; Mercedes, Toyota, Kia, Honda, and VW. The biggest single factor is no unions and the mentality of the average worker, that unions are bad and corrupt. These same hourly workers have consistently voted Republican and the Republican presidential candidates have not had to spend any time in the South with the exception of Florida, which is not really a southern state, other than geographically.
Even though the states attorney generals office has notified Secretary Hosemann that his ballot was illegal, he has refused to change it. Hosemann is also in violation of the Voting Rights Act in that, any changes like Hosemann has made must be approved in advance by the Justice Department. At present, the rest of the national race, including the other senatorial race is at the top of the ballot and the Wicker vs. Musgrove race is below state and local races-----at the bottom. Some people may vote only for the presidential and senatorial race and forget the Musgrove/Wicker contest. A local election official is suing to have the ballot corrected but should the case get to the Mississippi Supreme Court, it will be heard by a Republican leaning court. If the case does go to the high court in Mississippi and loses there, there will be little time to get in Federal court. If the Bush Administration can snub its nose at Congressional subpoenas , then why not Barbour and company.
