MISSISSIPPI: THE 2012 ELECTIONS AND BEYOND from page 20
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for which the outcome was obvious.) PERCENTAGE OF American CrossTOTAL ELECTORATE DEMOCRATS REPUBLICANS roads, for example, spent MS - 28% 12% 88% White Men $104.7 million withU.S. - 34% 35% 62% out a single candidate MS - 31% 11% 89% it backed pulling out a White Women U.S. - 38% 42% 56% win. It put 1.29 percent of its funds toward opMS - 15% 95% 5% Black Men posing two candidates U.S. - 5% 87% 13% who lost, putting their MS - 21% 96% 6% Black Women return on investment at U.S. - 8% 96% 6% 1.29 percent. PAC winSOURCE: CNN EXIT POLLS ners included unions and Planned Parenthood’s its goal of putting a Democratic team in each two groups: Planned Parenthood Votes’ ROI of the state’s 1,876 voting precincts. was 98.59 percent; it spent $5.1 million to “We’re trying to end the old joke from back seven winning candidates and opposed Will Rogers, who said very famously that he seven candidates who lost. was not a member of any organized party— Cole believes that the political “800he was a Democrat,â€? he said. “We think that pound gorillaâ€? is the cost of health care and organizing is an effective counter to the strat- expansion of Medicaid. egy of throwing money at an election.â€? “Phil Bryant’s rhetoric to the contrary, Turns out, though, that the Republican I believe it would be irresponsible to the Super PAC strategy of drowning candidates extreme for Mississippi not to participate in a flood of cash didn’t turn out particularly in the Affordable Care Act, not to leverage well this year. The Sunlight Foundation, every federal dollar we can into our healtha Washington, D.C.-based nonpartisan care system. ‌ I believe the right policy and nonprofit group, tracked the Super PAC’s the right politics is going to be on the side investments into the 2012 Congressional of expanding the program to make sure that elections. (For that analysis, it did not look health care and wellness is provided to many at groups focused on presidential candidates, more Mississippians—working Mississippi-
ans.â€? Issue No. 2, Cole says, will be for-profit charter schools. The next national election for Mississippi is in 2014, with Sen. Thad Cochran up for re-election that year. The NAACP is suing over current redistricting boundaries, which could push some statewide legislative elections up from the scheduled 2015 timeframe. Regardless, Cole intends that the party is ready to field a solid slate of Democratic candidates to counter the swing to majority Republican in the U.S. House of Representatives, and the statewide offices and state Legislature. He also has an eye on municipal and county seats. “Our problems in Mississippi are not unique,â€? he said. “Most of the states in the South have had similar losses or greater losses. ‌ We are in the transition to a truly competitive two-party system in Mississippi.â€? Forward When it comes to prioritizing issues, one thing seems clear: The state of gridlock inside the beltway is a big part of the problem, and the president and Congress need to get it resolved quickly. The economy and the federal debt is the nation’s No. 1 priority in the opinion of voters and political experts. “Somehow, the very concept of compromise has got to be re-injected into the
legislative process,â€? Wiseman said. “When we walked out of convention hall in 1787 in Philadelphia, we had spent several sweaty months working through compromises to even write a Constitution. And the whole darn thing, the way this unique government with three branches and three levels works is through compromise. It will not work any other way.â€? Wiseman said working together was imperative in the face of the looming “fiscal cliff,â€? which will make cuts without any considerations and end the Bush-era tax cuts. “We better figure out how to compromise in a hurry, because as compared to a lot of elections where you have a lame duck to do a little bit of cleanup work and so forth, that isn’t the case this time,â€? he said. The voter’s are also concerned about health care, and that means figuring out how and where to get on board with Obamacare, which means accepting $9 billion in federal dollars for Mississippi. “Now that we’re past all the election rhetoric, hopefully, everybody will sit down and figure out a way to get it done,â€? Wiseman said. And getting it done is exactly what the voters have asked for in this election. “Now it’s all about performance in office,â€? Nash said. â€œâ€Ś Now we’ll see if they’re up to the task.â€?
Full And Half Marathon Saturday Feb 9, 2013 • Boston Marathon Qualifier
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• Cross the famous Mississippi River on the new ) ! ! ' 82 bridge ) ! " # ! $
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• Start in Arkansas and finish in Mississippi
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• Circle North America’s largest ox-bow lake
November 14 - 20, 2012
• Visit “the most southern place on Earthâ€?Run the Inaugural Race Supporting Teach For America
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REGISTER NOW: www.msrivermarathon.com
REGISTER NOW: www.msrivermarathon.com