Jackson Free Press

Orley Hood at the Ledger writes:

As in, "Frank, the water's backin' up in my yard. C'mon over here and do something about it."

Or, "Frank, I got a son who needs a job. Whatcha got over there with the city?"

Maybe it's a media kind of thing, this easy familiarity, this we're-all-in-it-together thing, this newsroom model of egalitarian foxhole let's-go-get-'em togetherness.

In my place of business, it's Ronnie. If you're a 22-year-old clueless rookie fresh out of school, it's still Ronnie. You have to do what he says, but it's still ...

At Channel 3, it was Frank. In the general election on June 7, it's Frank and Rick, ex-WLBT honcho vs. ex-WAPT sportscaster, with Frank the overwhelming favorite.

I think the world of Rick Whitlow, former colleague on the sweat beat. But last Tuesday night was a coronation. It was a throwback to the old Yellow Dog Democrat days. What general election? Republican? Never seen one o' them in person. Do they have spots?

June 7 will be the baccalaureate service to May 3's graduation, more of a blessing than a decision, more of an exclamation point than an election.

Full article here.

Previous Comments

ID

137444

Comment

Hearing Hood wax lyrical on Melton makes me squirm. He's the Roman Emperor burning Carthage (strange choice of imagery), the sunshine in winter, Ali and Frazier, a tornado (great), the leader of a band, and also a parade. I know Hood writes a humor column, I guess, but all the folksifying of Melton seems vaguely disingenuous.

Author

Walker Sampson

Date

2005-05-09T18:35:06-06:00

ID

137445

Comment

... and it's kinda creepy. Can any person live up to the accolades bestowed on Mr. Melton by so many of the folks who live in the Northside Sun's gerrymandered space? That's the part that's plain weird to me. I thought Johnson was a good mayor, but I just don't think heóor anybody elseóis above reproach and worthy of such god-like worship. But that's the way so many Melton supporters act. Sometimes I worry about some sort of Stepford water running through their pipes. I don't tend to hear the same overblown devotion from black supporters of Melton; they just think he's going to help black folks and like what he has said and done. But no Roman Emperors that I've heard of. I will say, a lot of folks, and media outlets, are stacking up a whole lot of extremely hyperbolic words to chomp on should Melton not work out exactly as they have proclaimed from the mountaintop. Of course, the Ledge does have that memory hole to shred those words intoóit seems to be working overtime lately.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2005-05-09T18:59:58-06:00

ID

137446

Comment

I'm not sure Hood means to write a humor column, w, but it is usually hilarious. To be all pop culture-esque, all the proclamations feel very "Empire Strikes Back" to meóoverblown, vengeful, single-minded, filled with tunnel vision. (Cue the Darth Vader death march.) Of course, you will recall that Lord Vader didn't work out exactly how the Empire thought he would. (Sorry, just trying to crib Mr. Hood's inimitable hyperbolic style. He's my idol, you know. )

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2005-05-09T19:05:52-06:00

ID

137447

Comment

You know, I knock the C-L sometimes, but I think the world of Hood, McElvaine, Ramsey, and Lucas. I don't always agree with them, but that isn't a prerequisite; fact remains that the C-L really has some good people. Wish there was a better daily in the area for them to work with. Hood and Stringfellow basically summed up the appeal for Melton as far as I'm concerned: Many of us as Jacksonians feel like we know/like/trust the guy, and some of us (including many outside of Wyatt's district) have wanted to see him mayor for a good 15 years. I wouldn't vote for him over a known quantity like Johnson, but when he's running against another challenger it's very hard for me not to vote for him. I think your mistake is that Melton's victory represents a triumph of any particular ideas. Melton didn't run an idea-driven campaign (he didn't really have any new ideas to speak of); he ran a personality-driven campaign. "You know me." Yeah, Frank, we do, or at least we feel like we do. That's why you won. Yes, it's dangerous to vote out Johnson in favor of Melton, and yet, and yet... Gosh, now it's done. It's kind of like being on a strict diet and then showing up at somebody's house where they're serving some decadent homemade dessert just for you. You know it's bad for you, but as long as you have to eat it, you're kind of glad you've got the excuse. Melton said in his victory speech that he's really touched, after 22 years, to see how Jackson feels about him. Feels. Important word there. If I voted based on how I felt about the candidates, then for all his bumbling, his incoherent policy, his bizarre campaign moves, his tendency to shoot off his mouth, I would have voted for Melton. But I voted based on what I thought would be best for the city. Donna, I voted for Kerry, I supported Kerry, I argued for Kerry every chance I got, I thought he was a wonderful candidate, and if I lived in a state where it would have stood even a tiny chance of swinging some electoral votes his way, I'm sure I would have campaigned for Kerry. My family, made up of a mix of Republicans and Dean supporters, did not like Kerry; I did, and I said so often enough that I probably convinced a few people who wouldn't have otherwise voted for him to do so. But when Bush won that second term, while most of me was not having a very good time, part of me thought "That's wonderful! He's been a screwup all his life, trying so hard to live up to his father's expectations, then came the alcoholism, the goofy religious conversion, the failed careers, the silver spoon image, the contested 2000 election... And now he got the second term his father wasn't able to get. And what a wonderful symbol, to have sunk as low as he sunk early in his life and to rise up to a two-term presidency." All this while I dreaded the next four years. Weird? Of course. I'm what you might call an organic thinker--I take after my great-grandfather, a Methodist country preacher who hated politics because (I'm guessing) as much as he liked the whole pro- idea, the anti- part gave him pause. So as long as we're stuck with a challenger, I'm more than happy to give Frank Melton the chance I've wanted to see him get since I was a kid and see what he does with things. I'm sure I'll find things not to like about him, but if he does end up being the greatest damn mayor we've ever had, I won't be surprised. Well, at least I won't feel surprised. Cheers, TH

Author

Tom Head

Date

2005-05-10T03:53:01-06:00