These are perilous times not only for the elderly and the unhealthy. COVID-19 has lowered America’s tolerance for politicians who say one thing and do another.
JACKSON — Forty-three years ago when I first began writing a weekly political column, several focused on the new Republicanism emerging in Mississippi as portrayed by party leaders. They described a surging party intent on building a strong two-party system in Mississippi.
It was a big week for pardons at the White House. A day after Donald Trump performed the traditional annual pardoning of the national Thanksgiving turkey, the outgoing president offered a less humorous reprieve.
Amy Coney Barrett, the newest member of the U.S. Supreme Court, did not personally explain her vote to reverse a previous court opinion that had given states great leeway in limiting attendance at worship services as a way to combat the pandemic.
RIDGELAND — Donald Trump’s loss in his reelection bid marks only the second time in 124 years that a political party could hold the White House for no more than a single term.
Generally, a Mississippi governor’s budget proposal only gets attention when he presents it — several weeks before a legislative session starts — and then it gets figurately thrown into the dustbin as lawmakers chart their own course in deciding how the state’s revenue is generated and spent.
Emmerich column
JACKSON — Just in time for Thanksgiving, several highly effective COVID vaccines have been announced. They will be here within months, and this horrible plague will soon be over. Now that’s something to be thankful for!
Tate Reeves obviously believes in the efficacy of facial masks to slow the spread of COVID-19.
Editor, Commonwealth:
OXFORD — A couple of months ago an acquaintance asked me if I thought Joe Biden had a chance to win the presidency.
Brad Raffensperger may never become a household name. But the Georgia secretary of state deserves to be on the “Profiles in Courage” list for his refusal to bow to pressure within his own Republican Party to thwart Joe Biden’s narrow victory in that state.
The pandemic has taken some of the joy out of the upcoming holiday season. It could be a real downer for some 12 million Americans if Congress does not work out its differences over another coronavirus relief package.
Editor, Commonwealth:
Editor, Commonwealth:
Clint Guenther letter
My conversion as a mask wearer has been gradual.
Although we are no fan of Amazon’s destructive effect on Main Street retailing, we are happy to see that the company will be generating 1,000 news jobs in Mississippi with a new distribution center in Madison County.
The story of a theater seat manufacturer in North Mississippi says a lot about how both corporate finance and consumer tastes are changing rapidly.
Editor, Commonwealth:
Alex Haley once stated, “Either you deal with what is the reality, or you can be sure that the reality is going to deal with you ... .”
Coronavirus
JACKSON — I was OK with the idea of mail in voting until I learned what ballot harvesting was.
Although it is true that the coronavirus has been spreading more rapidly in the last few weeks, a little context would be helpful as the Thanksgiving holiday approaches and families must decide how or whether to celebrate.
Editor, Commonwealth:
Editor, Commonwealth:
Good Samaritan
JACKSON — “Stories shape the way we look at and perceive the world and help us to gain a shared perspective. That is especially true in Mississippi.”
When he was running for governor last year, Tate Reeves said he wanted to see an additional reduction in the individual income tax, which was already in the process of being cut.
Carroll Academy has a chance to complete an awesome season Friday night when its football team plays for the 3A title for Mississippi’s private schools.
Editor, Commonwealth:
Democrats
JACKSON — Mississippi Democrats must be looking for a Plan C after their disappointing election results this year.
An edition of “The Point,” a daily email of political analysis from CNN, included an astute observation last week: President Trump, for all his faults, deserves all the credit for the higher-than-usual turnout in this year’s election.
OXFORD — During my days as a newspaper publisher, I came to the conclusion that there were only three things that infuriated readers:
Donald Trump and his diehard supporters are clinging to the faint hope that the incumbent Republican can still win re-election.
Mass shooting
There are big thinkers in this world, and there are big doers. In rare cases, you find people who are able to not only think grandly but also to carry those grand visions out.
Members of a Mississippi Senate committee got information this past week about school districts that use a year-round calendar instead of the traditional almost three-month summer vacation.
There was a half-page ad in the Jackson newspaper Friday encouraging people to “Discover DeSoto.” It consisted of mostly a picture of what looks like a serene riverfront park, nary a soul to be seen.
Voter rolls
JACKSON — Legendary country western singer Jerry Jeff Walker died a few weeks ago at age 78. Somehow a column I wrote on Walker began circulating on the internet in the wake of his death. A friend of mine sent me the link. I had forgotten I had even written it 43 years ago as a sophomore edi…
We’ll see whether Joe Biden’s razor-thin victory in Georgia holds up, as that state begins the painstaking process of conducting a hand tally of almost 5 million votes.
STARKVILLE — Republican Mississippi U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith is no stranger to getting her hands dirty. How else could a woman work her way from tending livestock and mucking stockyard stalls to earning a chairmanship in the Mississippi Legislature, later serving as the state’s first femal…
We commend U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker for spearheading Big Tech reform. Last week the Mississippi Republican subpoenaed the heads of Facebook, Google and Twitter for a hearing looking into reform of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996.
Leflore County Election Commissioner Preston Ratliff says the county’s notoriously bloated voting rolls are actually in better shape than they were a decade ago.
I could probably say a lot of things about Alex Trebek.
OXFORD — Former football coach Tommy Tuberville, who was elected a United States senator in Alabama last week, told a pre-election gathering of Republicans that “I do believe God sent us, and elected, Donald Trump.”
It seems as if last week’s elections included something for everybody. Most prominently, the nation’s executive branch political pendulum swung to the left, but the overall results are sending several warning signals for both Democrats and Republicans:
Crime fighting
Leave it to Tate Reeves to draw the wrong conclusion from the likely outcome in this year’s presidential race.
Given the way the coronavirus has upended just about everything this year, it would not be a surprise if a significant number of college students decided to delay their education until things returned closer to normal.
Speaking of enrollment, the public schools in Leflore and Carroll counties should be concerned. Both saw significant drops in student numbers, which means they’ll also probably see future drops in state funding.
JACKSON — During an election season, you are bound to hear politicians make a lot of promises. One of the most common — largely because it polls very well — is free, or at least cheaper, health insurance. Regardless of the costs and practicality of such claims, there are reforms that would a…
When the coronavirus arrived in Mississippi almost eight months ago, one of the most notable subplots was that Black patients accounted for a large percentage of infections and deaths.
The results in the candidate races Tuesday in Mississippi were predictable. The Republican domination plus the state’s longstanding tradition for reelecting incumbents were both reaffirmed in the federal contests.
Going into Tuesday’s election, we thought that Mississippi voters would approve the new state flag. But the nearly 3-to-1 margin by which they did so was a pleasant development.
Editor, Commonwealth:
Editor, Commonwealth:
People often dog Mississippi for being a “poor” state, but everything is relative. Mississippi may have one of the lowest per capita GDPs in the nation, but the U.S. is a very rich nation.
STARKVILLE — American voters occupied themselves during the 2020 presidential and congressional campaign cycle talking about COVID-19, the Amy Coney Barrett nomination to the Supreme Court, national social justice strife and an uncertain economy.
As we write this, the outcome of the presidential election is unknown. Whoever wins, and whenever that result is certain, we would urge the losing candidate and his supporters to respect it.
Besides the results, one of the big takeaways from the 2020 election is this: Voters want more options to register their preferences rather than just 12 hours on Election Day.
Commented