Now that there are three serious candidates in the Mississippi governor’s race, I wonder what the main campaign issues will be.
Who’s going to come up with a gimmick that catches the imagination of the voting public?
Never mind that it doesn’t have to be of much substance insofar as addressing real needs of the state, such as health care in rural areas where hospitals are failing, low teacher salaries and not enough highway maintenance money.
The latest significant entry in the governor’s race is retired Mississippi Supreme Court Chief Justice Bill Waller Jr., son of a former governor, who has been rumored as a candidate since he left the court.
When his father won the governor’s race in 1971, he defeated then Lt. Gov. Charles L. Sullivan in the Democratic primary, promising to take the office away from “the Capitol Street gang” and return it to the people.
Running against “the Capitol Street gang” probably wasn’t what got him elected, but it didn’t hurt. He also had the support of the then powerful Jim Eastland political network.
Ironically, Waller Jr., who is running as a Republican, faces the current lieutenant governor, Tate Reeves, in the primary just like his father coming up in 2020, so in a burst of creative genius, it occurs to him that the Democrats need a “Green New Deal,” something that is close to what Franklin Roosevelt got Congress to pass in the 1930's.
“How should I begin?” he asks himself. “Oh, I’ve got it. Let’s begin with the “Green New Deal transitioning to 100% green renewable energy ( no nukes or natural gas) by 2030.” He pauses for a moment and asks himself, “is that too strong?” He reflects for just a moment, then says outloud, “No! Just right.”
He leans back in his chair, then thinks about the economy.
“We are almost at full-employment. There are literally thousands of job openings, so what do I need to write? I’ve got it.” Then he writes, “The Green New Deal will guarantee full employment and generate up to 20 million new, living -wage jobs, as well as make the government the employer of last resort with a much-needed major public jobs program.” He knows that the Democrats love socialism.
One of our largest employers is the energy sector. “What do AOC and the radical Democrats think about oil and gas? I’ve got it.”
He puts pen to paper and writes, “...we call for a massive mobilization of our communities, government and the people on the scale of WWII - to transition our energy system and economy to 100% clean, renewable energy by 2030, including a complete phase out of fossil fuels, fracked gas, and nuclear power... this will make wars for oil obsolete, allowing us to cut our bloated, dangerous military budget in half.”
He smiles, then says to himself, “This is great stuff. Chuck and Nancy will love it.”
Then he writes, “Going to 100% clean energy by 2030 means reducing energy demand as much as possible. This will require energy conservation and efficiency: replacing non-essential individual means of transport with high-quality and modern mass transit, and eliminating the use of fossil-based fertilizers and pesticides.”
He understands that the radical Democrats hate cars and airplanes.
“What do the Democrats love more than life itself? Taxes, of course. Well, let’s see, ‘A carbon fee will ensure more realistic fossil fuel prices that include the cost to the environment, and are high enough to tackle climate change effectively by creating the economic incentive to drive efficiency and bring alternative fuels to market.’ ” He knows that the radical Democrats want an economy based on the old Soviet Union model.
By 4:15 A.M., the President has completed his “Green New Deal,” and now all that awaits are the radical Democrats supporting it. Trump strikes again. As Pat Buchanan wrote, the “Green New Deal is the longest suicide note from the Democrat Party I have ever read.”
