Bryant: Voting Rights Act Rigs Elections

Bryant's actions and words demonstrate perfectly why the Voting Rights Act was necessary in the first place and continues to be necessary today. The notion that LBJ signed the Act for political payback is both ignorant of history and deeply offensive. Shame!

These guys are holding onto the past so hard that it's sick. They are trying to use people's lingering racism for political gain. Meantime, their supporters and apologists say that people of all races who actually know the real history and facts and are willing to talk about it, and correct the politicos, are the ones "living in the past" when we're the ones trying to actually move past it and be a new and different and more educated state.

They insult every Mississippian's intelligence when they criticize us for daring to become educated enough to know when they lie to us. It's an outrage, and every Mississippi, regardless of race, should tell Bryant, Barbour, et al., to stop treating us like unreformed racists who haven't changed a bit.

Our state deserves better; we have changed so much; and these guys are keeping us mired in our past, at least to the outside world. It's bad for interpersonal relations; it's bad for economic development; and it runs off the smart young people of our state who didn't grow up in that climate and who want no part of it.

Bryant lost my vote when he openly stated he was against raising the ABV law that Raise Your Pints was lobbying for. Just a lack of logic and common sense. Simply inexcusable.

Donna, any chance JFP throws an investigation towards Luckett's residence situation? I saw CL and a few Jackson blogs mention it. Figured it may be noteworthy for yall's pov.

Mr. Bryant has out-done himself on this one. This is another example of: "It is better to remain silent and be thought a" bigot "than to speak out and remove all doubt."

"They insult every Mississippian's intelligence when they criticize us for daring to become educated enough to know when they lie to us. It's an outrage, and every Mississippi, regardless of race, should tell Bryant, Barbour, et al., to stop treating us like unreformed racists who haven't changed a bit."

Ladd that sounds good and all, but let's get back to reality - their only saying what appeals to THEIR base, whether it's right or wrong is a whole 'nother subject.

I just got finished reading a biography on Blanche Bruce and when I look at the comparisons of the political climate he faced in Mississippi during and after Reconstruction, and now/today - it's scary? The only differenes now are that a majority of blacks vote democrat, whites vote republican, and physical violence/attacks to keep people from voting are almost non-existent.

However, the propaganda, "tax activisim" from certain ethnicities, and the polarizing loyalties to the two major parties by the largest ethnic groups, are quite the same if you look at the period of 1872 - 2011.

I agree with what you said, I think what you said is heartfelt and just, but it's sad to see people play these kinds of political games in this day and age. But who can you blame, the politicians or the voters for allowing this to continue?

The only way you can call them on it, is to vote them out and by the way white democrats are jumping ship in the south into the refuge of the republican party - its time for democrats to come to terms, fight the apathy in their party, find their base again, and starting prepping some young talent.

MS has been so crushed under the weight of the Voting Rights Act that it has 1 Democrat and NO racial minorities holding statewide office and 1 Democrat/racial minority in Congress. All of this talk about Voting Rights Act, Civil Rights Act, White Citizen's Council, NB Forrest, etc is all code and speaks to the lowest common denominator of whites still fighting the battles of the past, which have been settled for 50-150 years. Unfortunately, it tends to work in MS, which shows you how far this state still has to go. No wonder MS is still last in everything. We waste time on this junk instead of figuring out how to fund early childhood development...

"No wonder MS is still last in everything. We waste time on this junk........."

EXACTLY - when will people in Mississippi get tired of the politicians here mocking their intelligence, in regards to moving this state forward - anyone's guess is good as mine? It's too much like right to believe the current elected officials in the most powerful party in the state, has the best interest of the people at heart.

He wasn't tired of the Bush administration justice department telling him what to do.

He’s saying a lot here. One thing I noticed… “while speaking to Republicans”… I understand that to mean that you don’t have anything of substance to say to a diverse audience nor are you necessarily interested in crafting a message that appeals to a broader base but you would rather speak to an audience that is insulated, polarized and looks and thinks just like you. President Johnson may have well have been mad. But fortunately for disenfranchised African Americans, the Voting Rights Act was passed and 43 years later helped elect our first African American president. And we have politicians like Bryant who help us to remember that the battle is not over and racism is alive and kicking.