Jackson Free Press

Mississippi politicos today predicted big election wins for Republican candidates running against Mississippi conservative Democrats in the congressional elections, but expected few gains from Congress if Republicans took control.

A Stennis Capitol Press Luncheon today featured election predictions from Tougaloo Center for Civic Engagement and Social Responsibility Director Stephen Rozman, Mississippi State University Stennis Institute Director Marty Wiseman and Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal reporter Bobby Harrison. Harrison and Rozman predicted Republican state Sen. Alan Nunnelee would topple Democratic incumbent Travis Childers in the First Congressional District by a slim margin. Harrison suspected Nunnelee would take the spot with less than 50 percent of the vote, while Rozman predicted Nunnelee would walk away with a 52 percent majority win. Wiseman declared the vote would be an even tie.

All three predicted Third Congressional District incumbent Republican Gregg Harper coasting to victory over Democrat candidate Joe Gill, but suspected state Rep. Steve Palazzo, R-Biloxi, would beat Democratic incumbent Gene Taylor with less than 52 percent of the majority vote in the Fourth Congressional District.

"It's hard for Democratic groups to get fired up and get to the polls over Taylor," Harrison said. "The labor vote in Hancock County doesn't care to vote for Taylor since he told them he's not for them."

Taylor was one of 34 Democrat U.S. Representatives who voted against federal health-care legislation in March.

All three believed Second Congressional District Democrat Bennie Thompson would remain safe this year with a 60 to 70 majority win.
None of the three, however, expected any accomplishments from the U.S. House of Representatives if Republicans took control in November.

"With a Democratic president and a Republican Congress, I think it's going to be a stalemate," Rozman said. "There's even a chance we could have a government shutdown like we did in 1994. It's going to be a tough situation. You've got all this demagoguery about balancing the budget and cutting out programs, but no one's going to do that. ... You'll have people there who don't even recognize Obama's right to be president, and they're going to try to pull him down, and there will be an impasse and a stalemate for the next two years. It won't be a pretty picture."

Previous Commentsshow

I like and respect all three of these men -- but why in the world is political punditry in this state nearly always white men!?!

DonnaLadd

Nov 1 2010

Childers and Taylor going down...hmmph. This is what happens when Democrats try to be like Republicans. I'd rather vote for the real thing.

golden eagle

Nov 2 2010

Its amazing how accurate the predictions were.......I agree Golden Eagle sentinel Republicans in disquise like Taylor and Childers frustrate me too. I hope that a progressive charismatic Democrat runs the next term for those seats.

Powerman

Nov 2 2010

So glad Gene "I voted for McCain" Taylor was finally voted out. Twenty-one years in Congress was long enough.

Jeff Lucas

Nov 3 2010

You'll have people there who don't even recognize Obama's right to be president, and they're going to try to pull him down, and there will be an impasse and a stalemate for the next two years. It won't be a pretty picture With people like Rick Rubio and Rand Paul in the Senate now, that statement is ever so true! What really kills me was how Rubio gave this lil' speech about being the son of a Cuban Immigrant, who's father more than likely came over during they Bay of Pigs, but yet wants to question Obama's birth certificate. But I voted and did my part, the only thing we can do now is sit back and watch.

Duan C.

Nov 3 2010

Orly Taitz was born in the USSR and she was questioning Obama's birth certificate.

golden eagle

Nov 3 2010

Duan and golden eagle, you both understand the question over Obama's birth certificate was only relevant because of the natural-born citizenship requirement of the Presidency, right? Pointing out that some of those challenging Obama's citizenship were born outside the U.S. has nothing to do with the issue unless those people also happen to be Presidential candidates.

Mark Geoffriau

Nov 3 2010

So let the TEA Party begin. Some like it HOT; Some like it COLD; and, some like it in the POT, TWO YEARS OLD! This is the time frame that Republicans are setting their kettles to scald, crash and burn everything that President Obama has put together over these past two years. I was saddened to hear pundits say that he hasn't done anything but put the country in debt and "We are here tonight to take our country back." Others said that they are A N G R Y!!!!! Please allow me to use some of the ANGRY material I was reminded of today that the TEA Party folks and Republicans did not get angry about, WHEN: * The Supreme Court stopped a legal recount and appointed a President. * Chaney allowed Energy company officials to dictate Energy policy and push us to invade Iraq. * A Covert CIA OPERATIVE was outed. * The Patriot Act passed. * We illegally invaded a country that posed no threat to the US. * We spent over 800 BILLION (and counting) on said illegal war. * Bush borrowed more money from foreign sources than the previous 42 Presidents conbined. * Over (10) ten BILLION DOLLARS in CASH just disappeared in Iraq. * You found out that we were torturing people. * Bush embraced trade and outsourcing policies that shipped over six (6) Million Amerian JOBS out of the country. * The government was illegally wiretapping Americans. * We didn't catch Bin Laden. * Bush rang up TEN (10) TRILLION DOLLARS in combined budget and current account deficits. * You saw the terrible conditions a Walter Reed. * We let a major US City, New Orleans, DROWN.Over 2000 people died. * We gave people who had more money than they could spend, over a TRILLION DOLLARS in tax breaks. * The worst eight (8) years of job creations in several decades. * Over 200,000 US Citizens lost teir lives becase they had no Health Insurance. * The lack of oversight and regulations from the Bush Administration caused US Citizens to lose TWELVE (12) TRILLION DOLLARS in INVESTMENTS, RETIREMENT AND HOME VALUES. But, You finally got mad when a black man was elected President and decided that people in America deserved the right to see a doctor if they are sick. SO, illegal wars, lies, corruption, torture, job losses by the millions, stealing your tax dollars to make the rich richer, and the worst economic disaster since 1929 are all okay with you, but helping fellow Amrcans who ae sick....Oh, Hell No! Portions were borrowed from Ms. D

justjess

Nov 3 2010

I've seen that make the rounds on my e-mail. I can't argue with any of that. Where were the tea baggers on all this stuff and why didn't anyone in the media besides MSNBC take them to task on this? They're more than happy to tell us when a celebrity gets arrested, but don't want an informed citizenry.

golden eagle

Nov 3 2010

Duan and golden eagle, you both understand the question over Obama's birth certificate was only relevant because of the natural-born citizenship requirement of the Presidency, right? Pointing out that some of those challenging Obama's citizenship were born outside the U.S. has nothing to do with the issue unless those people also happen to be Presidential candidates. I just thought it was rather ironic that foreign-born persons would spearhead the notion that Obama was not born in America. But we all know why this was happening in the first place: that Obama doesn't have an "American-sounding" or "Christian-sounding" name (as well as a tinge of racism). No one asked of any other presidential candidate before now to produce a birth certificate. Obama was born in Hawaii and you can check the Hawaiian newspapers for it. Even World Net Daily--a far-out, right-wing publication--printed an authentic birth certificate (despite their publisher pushing the notion of no birth certificate).

golden eagle

Nov 3 2010