Jackson Free Press

It appears that Kimberly Campbell, who was forced out of the Jackson City Attorney's office for questioning city policy, has defeated Rep. Erik Fleming for the District 72 Hinds-Madison seat in the Mississippi House of Representatives.

Previous Commentsshow

who was forced out of the Jackson City Attorney's office for questioning city policy I wonder how the city feel about her winning.

LatashaWillis

Aug 7 2007

"feels"

LatashaWillis

Aug 7 2007

WOW. I meet her and was impressed, I just didn't think she could oust Flemming. I am happy to be wrong! Of course I did NOT vote for her. Granted I live in another district and it would be fraud, but GO GIRL! AGamma627

AGamm627

Aug 7 2007

I am so happy for Kim, as I think she will do a great job. I hope Erik has learned a lesson and has another job. I think he was defined by his position as state rep.

blkokc

Aug 8 2007

Wasn't Kimberly the candidat whose dad is a coach? He did a commercial that I thought was so nice.

honey2me

Aug 8 2007

Having voted for Campbell, I certainly hope she does well.

Ex

Aug 8 2007

Wasn't Kimberly the candidat whose dad is a coach? Yes.

golden eagle

Aug 8 2007

This one surprised me. Fleming is a smart guy. Now he knows to choose your issues carefully or your ___ will be grass.

Ray Carter

Aug 8 2007

This one surprised me. Fleming is a smart guy. Now he knows to choose your issues carefully or your ___ will be grass. It's been my impression that he's not chosen issues carefully. To give you an example, he lost me with his support for LaRouche in 2004.

Ex

Aug 8 2007

This one shocked me! Fleming is a smart guy; however, his domestic violence issues with his wife, his position on abortion and his early involvement in e-mailing "dirty" jokes to some White females put him in a position for an unforgiving past. Kimberly had just the temperament to unseat Fleming. I agree that her Dad influenced a lot of voters to support his daughter. Yet, I am still in shock.

justjess

Aug 8 2007

Like I said before, one word: "women." I suspect some female readers of the JFP had something to say in this one. And a few guys, too. ;-) It's too bad. But everyone has an Achille's heel, I guess. It just ought not be treatment of the majority *gender*.

DonnaLadd

Aug 8 2007

Oh, and someone e-mailed me that it was about Cafe Press "thong." I think that person doesn't quite understand what the thong symbolized to some. But let's let that lie.

DonnaLadd

Aug 8 2007

He lost me with his support for Larouche, personally. His stance on women certainly didn't help here.

Ironghost

Aug 8 2007

Oh, and someone e-mailed me that it was about Cafe Press "thong." I think that person doesn't quite understand what the thong symbolized to some. Whoever set that store up for him should have been careful not to just select all products and load them in. He/She should have gone back and saw what was listed, then remove the items that didn't work. That's what I did for mine. (This is under the assumption that selecting the thong was a mistake.)

LatashaWillis

Aug 8 2007

Yep, it was dumb. But it was not the big issue.

DonnaLadd

Aug 8 2007

Y'all lost me there. How does selling a thong disgrace women? Vickie's Secret sells them all day long, even for holy holidays like Christmas. What am I missing??

LambdaRisen

Aug 8 2007

It's not a diss on thongs. They're cool. It's just that a campaign thong was an odd choice for a man with a tricky track record on women's issues.

DonnaLadd

Aug 8 2007

Well I think that's just petty. He used a third party web site that offers an assortment of items in which they print whatever you want on them. I don't think he sat there, picked the thong, and had some kind of evil thought about women while he was picking the thong. I think it was more about economics. Make more campaign money by offering more products. It's nitpicking to go so far as to say he's a womanizer or anti-woman because he had a Re-Elect Fleming thong for sale, based soley on the fact that he smacked his wife around. Granted, smacking his wife around should have landed him in jail, but the thong thing is mind boggling.

LambdaRisen

Aug 8 2007

It's the effect of the whole, really. If you're a murderer, it's not a good idea to have a gun collection for example. It was easy to read "disrespect" into offering a "re-elect me!" thong rather than humor.

Ironghost

Aug 8 2007

Personally, I don't dislike Fleming as a person, and I do think that the thong choice was an honest mistake. CafePress has a lot of products, and it's easy to just choose "All Products", but you have to review your selections. Look at this: http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a47/law6331/cafepress.jpg When you put a check mark in the All Products box and click on the Add These Products button, overr 100 products are added to the list. Do you see where I highlighted "Classic Thong"? All you have to do is select it and click on Remove. If he/she caught this before publishing, that would have saved Fleming a lot of embarrassment.

LatashaWillis

Aug 8 2007

I can only hope that others are listening. Are you, Kaze?

Kacy

Aug 8 2007

Didn't it have some odd copy with it, too?

DonnaLadd

Aug 8 2007

Odd copy?

LatashaWillis

Aug 8 2007

The political copy that was under the thong. Remember that?

DonnaLadd

Aug 8 2007

And if I may reiterate, I don't think the thong mattered a whit. It was just a symbol to a few people.

DonnaLadd

Aug 8 2007

Oh, I didn't see that, Donna.

LatashaWillis

Aug 8 2007

Well it's all pointless now I guess. Now he's got plenty of free time to enjoy thongs. And coffee mugs, mouse pads, greeting cards, t-shirts and 95 other items. And how did you put an image in your post?

LambdaRisen

Aug 8 2007

I hit the Print Screen button on my keyboard, pasted it in Microsoft Paint, saved it as a JPEG file, uploaded it to my Photobucket account, generated the HTML code, copied the code and pasted it here. Easy as pie. :-)

LatashaWillis

Aug 8 2007

Many congratulations to Kimberly Campbell! My only regret was that I didn't live in her district, so I couldn't vote for her.

Deirdra Harris Glover

Aug 8 2007

It is rather exciting, isn't it, Deirdra? ;-)

DonnaLadd

Aug 8 2007

Well of course someone from prochoicemississippi.org would be all excited about Campbell's win. [img]http://www.clicksmilies.com/s1106/aktion/action-smiley-033.gif[/img] I'm pro-choice, but I don't believe it's the only issue one should pay attention to when considering which candidate to vote for. Unfortunately, we've lost a smart, talented and EXPERIENCED state Representative in Fleming. I can only hope Kimberly proves worthy of her 450 vote win, and not fall into the same pattern as most politicians: play for pay.

LambdaRisen

Aug 8 2007

Lambda, you catch on quick, don't cha? Enjoying the smilies. What Web site did you get those from?

LatashaWillis

Aug 8 2007

Took me a while to figure out that this site uses bbcode fully and no html, not just in posting a link. http://www.clicksmilies.com This one should be an official smiley for JFP: [img]http://www.clicksmilies.com/s1106/spezial/Fool/duel.gif[/img]

LambdaRisen

Aug 8 2007

ROTFL!

LatashaWillis

Aug 8 2007

I hate these little animated things—except for that one.

DonnaLadd

Aug 8 2007

So, are they against the rules? Don't want to get in any trouble...

LambdaRisen

Aug 8 2007

To me, this is the JFP: [img]http://www.clicksmilies.com/s1106/cool/cool-smiley-026.gif[/img]

LatashaWillis

Aug 8 2007

Uh oh, am I in trouble now? In case I'm about to be stopped, just one more: [img]http://www.clicksmilies.com/s1106/engel/angel-smiley-006.gif[/img]

LatashaWillis

Aug 8 2007

My response: [img]http://www.smiliegenerator.de/s33/smilies-8434.png[/img]

DonnaLadd

Aug 8 2007

This one on behalf of the JFP blogosphere: [img]http://www.smiliegenerator.de/s33/smilies-8435.png[/img]

DonnaLadd

Aug 8 2007

I just like them because they add a little interaction and visual support to whatever you're saying in your post at the time. Oh well. *sniff huff* [img]http://www.clicksmilies.com/s1106/traurig/sad-smiley-009.gif[/img] My last 1 I guess.

LambdaRisen

Aug 9 2007

Oh well, that's okay. I still like it around here, even if it does look like mayonnaise on white bread. Excuse me, that was the artist side of me talking. LOL Lambda, you can still use bbcode to change the font color: [ color = blue] text [ / color ] (no spaces) becomes [color=blue]text[/color]. Maybe you can do [color=yellow]:-)[/color] or [color=red]:-P[/color]. Okay, back on topic now...

LatashaWillis

Aug 9 2007

Did y'all miss my joke?

DonnaLadd

Aug 9 2007

There was a joke?

LatashaWillis

Aug 9 2007

Well, for the record, I am not anti-woman. I think my past mistakes (domestic violence charge, Neil Armstrong e-mail) give that impression, but my legislative track record outside of the abortion issue said otherwise. I was the sole author of legislation to allow victims of domestic violence to receive unemployment benefits and the Fair Pay Act, which was specifically designed to address the gender pay gap in this state. Also, my ex-wife did a radio spot for this campaign and my campaign staff was all female, and they did an excellent job, despite the results. The ironic thing is that all of my shortcomings were not secrets that someone had to dig up. I have always been publicly accountable for my successes and failures, which I believe should be the standard that all public servants should live up to. If those were the primary reasons that the people in District 72 chose Representative-Elect Campbell, then I at least feel they made a truly educated decision because all the facts were out there. To those who supported me, thank you. It has been a pleasure to have had the opportunity to serve for nine years in the Mississippi House of Representatives. There have been some supporters who are now concerned about who will be their voice on progressive issues. I have told them to open the door for Representative-Elect Campbell and give her a chance. My prayer is that she rises to the occassion and exceeds all expectations. She is after all my representative now. The process works because people have the right to choose their leadership and those who offer themselves for public service respect the decisions the people make. I respect the fact that, at this time, the majority of the people in my district felt it was time to move in a new direction. I am not angry or bitter. I just saw my only son go to school for the first time this morning, so I am in a good place right now. I know that I will continue to push for an agenda of empowerment for all Mississippians, just from a different venue. Some folks in my corner asked me to demand a recount, I told them no. I felt that would disrespect the process and it would continue the division in this metro area that needs to come to an end. It is now a time to rest and heal and I will do my part to contribute to that. My campaign mantra was "I am who I am." This is a response to those who say I should have chosen my stances on issues more carefully. I am not a person who says one thing to get elected and then does a 180 turn once sworn in. I believe what I believe and will fight for it with conviction. I also believe that is what we all must do regardless of which side of the fence we stand on. One of the things I believe in is the people of this state and in my tenure in the Legislature I did my best to fight for them. When you give it your all, you cannot be dismayed at the outcome. I do not know what specifically my future holds politically. Only time will tell that. I just hope that when it is all said and done, people will appreciate what I brought to the public discourse in Mississippi and that on Judgement Day, God will say "Well done." Now if you excuse me, I hear a golf course calling my name. :-) May God continue to bless you, be with you and keep you in His favor always.

Rep. Erik Fleming

Aug 9 2007

Thank you for your response. I enjoyed reading it, and I wish you a successful future. May you have 18 holes-in-one. :-)

LatashaWillis

Aug 9 2007

Did y'all miss my joke? Donna, I just caught on. D'OH! [img]http://www.clicksmilies.com/s1106/aktion/action-smiley-061.gif[/img] That's it - I'm going to start catching up on my sleep. [img]http://www.clicksmilies.com/s1106/schlafen/sleeping-smiley-004.gif[/img] We're free, Lambda! Free as the wind blows, free as the grass grows... [img]http://www.clicksmilies.com/s1106/aktion/action-smiley-046.gif[/img]

LatashaWillis

Aug 9 2007

Excellent response Eric. Not many would have done it.

Ray Carter

Aug 9 2007

Alright, L.W., don't push your luck. Be judcious. ;-) I agree, Ray—that was a powerful post. I don't have to agree with everything Rep. Fleming has said and done to appreciate his willingness to talk publicly about difficult personal issues. And he has always been a really amazing writer. I'll still be happy to publish him. (You.)

DonnaLadd

Aug 9 2007

Oh I see. I thought because of the [img]http://www.smiliegenerator.de/s33/smilies-8434.png[/img], that was our answer but I guess I missed the joke too. lol Erik, thanks for your 9 years of service. [img]http://www.clicksmilies.com/s1106/aktion/action-smiley-033.gif[/img] You will be missed. [img]http://www.clicksmilies.com/s1106/traurig/sad-smiley-009.gif[/img]

LambdaRisen

Aug 9 2007

Eric Flemming, I have followed your career from the good old days of Henry Kirksey, the map man and guru on issues of reapportionment. You served as his Campaign Manager. Your voting record has been excellent and legislature that you either introduced or piggy-backed on has made a difference. It is my sincere hope that "my successes and failures" will be remembered strongly for the positive things and that you will learn from the mistakes. We all make them; however, the Black male faces a tougher challenge for forgiveness on certain issues. You stepped across both of those lines and I'm impressed that YOU recognize this. It is only when we are able to talk about our mistakes and work to change our behaviors that one can truly say, "I have learned from history." Best of life to you and your family and I know that there is much more political energy in your body that will resurface for a new birth.

justjess

Aug 9 2007

Erik, I know your passion for people and I know that we have not heard the last from you. Our challenges, missteps/mistakes, errors in judgement, our sins - these things we learn from. I agree - your post was powerful and you left it all there. You can't change the world, you can't make an impact, if you haven't suffered along the way. You know what, I hear the PTA calling, the Boy Scouts, Big Brother, there's plenty to do out there. "be blessed"

lanier77

Aug 9 2007

Brother Fleming, I have a new level of respect for you after reading your words! I too find it very important to equally publicize our triumphs and failures. To be honest, I couldn’t have voted for you or Ms. Campbell being that I don’t live in that district but I did grow up there and played football under the tutelage of Leon Campbell…so you might I have gotten my vote anyway:-). I applaud you and your efforts in representing the citizens of the district and of this great state. I pray that our Lord and Savoir Jesus Christ continues to bless and cover all of us in these trying times we live.

Big Tee

Aug 10 2007

Did you all read this?

LatashaWillis

Aug 10 2007