2003: Election Endorsements

Last night I had a weird dream about planning a weekend tryst with Jennifer Aniston.

But enough of that - on to more important things. Election Day is this coming Tuesday, and I'm here to offer my endorsements in the three gubernatorial elections and the Philadelphia mayor's race being held this year. These contests are probably not going to portend a trend for next year - elections in odd-numbered years rarely do - but they could produce some interesting results, such as Philadelphia's first Republican mayor in more than half a century and the first governor of a U.S. state of Indian descent. So without further ado, here are this blog's choices:

For Mayor of Philadelphia: This blog endorses incumbent Democratic mayor John Street. The Philadelphia Daily News has spelled out the reasons or re-electing the mayor in ways Street has been unable to do, given his aloof, standoffish personality. In the four years he's been mayor of Pennsylvania's largest city, Street has reduced crime and drug trafficking in Philadelphia's poorest neighborhoods and checked the decline of the city's school system, building on the achievements of his predecessor, Ed Rendell (now Pennsylvania's governor), who was instrumental in bringing Philly back from the brink of insolvency. Street should be given the benefit of the doubt with regard to the recent FBI probe; as the bureau itself indicated, Street is neither a target of the investigation into city government practices nor a suspect in any kind of scandal. His challenger, Republican Sam Katz, has an ambitious proposal to cut the city's wage tax to stimulate growth and encourage Philadelphians not to move elsewhere, but his proposal on how he'd pay for it - cutting budget expenditures by one percent and floating municipal bonds to pay for the rest - is too risky, especially given the city's current budget problems. Plus, Street, as evidenced by his partnership with Bush to encourage faith-based organizations to provide local aid, knows how to work in a bipartisan manner. For the record, I oppose faith-based organizations replacing or supplementing public social programs for a variety of reasons, but Street's interest in it shows a desire to improve the quality of life in his city. Bottom line - Philly still needs John Street.

For Governor of Kentucky: This blog endorses Democrat Ben Chandler. Both candidates are pretty much in the center on the same basic issues of taxes and education, but Chandler is more forthcoming on the prescription drugs issue. Chandler supports negotiating with drug companies for lower, fairer prices in Kentucky and passing the savings in state health care spending onto Kentucky's public schools. Ernie Fletcher, the Republican, seems to offer little more than GOP bromides about cutting taxes on businesses and encouraging job growth. Yeah, right. Go with Chandler.

For Governor of Mississippi: This blog supports incumbent Democratic governor Ronnie Musgrove. Musgrove is a staunch conservative who opposes gun control and abortion rights. So why am I endorsing him? Because his Republican opponent is the insufferable Haley Barbour, a former Republican National Committee chairman and a powerful Washington lobbyist who has used his influence to help tobacco companies and defense contractors get everything they want and then some. Also, Barbour is using race-baiting tactics in a state that is 35 percent black to scare middle-class whites into voting for him (many of Musgrove's appointments and his lieutenant gubernatorial running mate are black), even though Barbour's record of screwing the middle class as a lobbyist is very much in evidence. (Check out the October 19, 2003, issue of the New York Times Magazine for more details.)

It used to be that Mississippians had only conservative Democrats to pick from in primary elections, with the virtually uncontested general elections (token Republican opposition at best) mere formalities. That has changed, though not for the better. Choosing between an ultraconservative Democrat and a ultraconservative Republican obviously isn't much of an improvement, but Barbour's elitism and racism makes the choice easier. Don't support "Barbour-ism." Vote for the misogynistic gun nut - it's important.

For Governor of Louisiana: I'm not endorsing anyone, for three reasons. One, while I know a thing or two about Louisiana politics, I don't know much about the current dynamics defining this election. Two, Louisiana has an open primary system for statewide office, in which several candidates from both major parties and a couple of minor ones run on Election Day, and the top vote-getter wins - if he/she gets a majority. If no candidate gets a majority, then the top two finishers compete in a runoff eleven days later. Three, I know practically nothing about the candidates.

I do know this much - the leading Republican, a conservative named Puyush Jindal, could become the first American of Indian (as in "from India," not as in "Native American") descent to be elected a state governor. Louisiana's conservative white voters are attracted to his politics and don't care about his ethnic origin, an anomaly in a state where racism against any nonwhite group is still prevalent. While a Jindal victory would be a positive step for Asian-Americans, though, it would not be a positive step for Louisiana, where disregard for issues involving the environment (the stretch of the Mississippi River between Baton Rouge and New Orleans is one of the most polluted areas in the country, thanks to all those oil and gas refineries) and the poor (many of whom in the Baton Rouge-New Orleans corridor have cancer from all that pollution) are a way of life. If there is a runoff, I might endorse someone then.

As for my dream about Jennifer Aniston. . .well, the tryst was still in the planning stage when I woke up. Sorry to disappoint you.