Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Never entrust democracy to any process that requires republicans to act in good faith.

Following reporting rules is only for the little people, apparently.

Our messy unity will be our strength.

Putin must be throwing ketchup at the walls.

Bad people in a position to do bad things will do bad things because they are bad people. End of story.

The worst democrat is better than the best republican.

“Just close your eyes and kiss the girl and go where the tilt-a-whirl takes you.” ~OzarkHillbilly

The words do not have to be perfect.

Giving in to doom is how we fail to fight for ourselves & one another.

Shut up, hissy kitty!

The Giant Orange Man Baby is having a bad day.

There are no moderate republicans – only extremists and cowards.

One way or another, he’s a liar.

Republicans seem to think life begins at the candlelight dinner the night before.

Trump’s cabinet: like a magic 8 ball that only gives wrong answers.

You cannot shame the shameless.

Proof that we need a blogger ethics panel.

Celebrate the fucking wins.

I really should read my own blog.

Michigan is a great lesson for Dems everywhere: when you have power…use it!

Weird. Rome has an American Pope and America has a Russian President.

Not so fun when the rabbit gets the gun, is it?

Perhaps you mistook them for somebody who gives a damn.

Republicans got rid of McCarthy. Democrats chose not to save him.

You are here: Home / Economics / C.R.E.A.M. / Stayed in Mississippi a day too long

Stayed in Mississippi a day too long

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Just when I think I’m out…

During a campaign stop in Tupelo, Mississippi, on Nov. 2, (Republican Senate candidate) Hyde-Smith said, “If he invited me to a public hanging, I’d be on the front row,” referring to a man next to her who was identified as a local rancher.

[….]

“Obviously I’d like to ask the senator about the public hanging comment,” one reporter asked.

“We put out a statement yesterday and we stand by the statement,” Hyde-Smith responded.

This race is getting interesting. You know what to do — give to Democrat Mike Espy. He’s a great candidate.

Goal Thermometer

Maze Dancer has postcards too.

Reader Interactions

91Comments

  4. 4.

    Ocotillo

    Sadly her comments will not change one GOPers mind, feature, not bug and all that. Our best hope is motivated base and low GOP turn out.

  5. 5.

    Felanius Kootea

    It’s Mississippi. I’ll give to Espy of course but Mississippi is majorly fucked up. Still, seeing how close Stacy Abrams got in Georgia and Doug Jones’ win in Alabama, who knows what could happen.

  6. 6.

    Geoduck

    @Mary G: All four of them? But seriously, if the GOPer keeps shooting her mouth off and if any of the people who voted for the other GOP candidate stay away, maybe Espy can scrape out a win.

  8. 8.

    West of the Rockies

    I saw the exchange on TRMS. The woman in question looks so damn pleased with herself and clearly thinks she’s the sharpest cat in the box. I hope she loses.

  11. 11.

    eldorado

    @Mike in NC: that’s because you spend most of the time driving to the one or two good places available in a city that five times the area that it needs to be.

  12. 12.

    trollhattan

    Could not have predicted Alabama, so…perhaps?

    The hell did we whup the confederacy for if they’re still pulling this garbage 1.5 centuries on?

  13. 13.

    Mike J

    Rod Boyce @FDNMeditor
    Latest ballot count puts two Democrats ahead of GOP candidates in Fairbanks legislative races

    Republicans currently hold 21 of 40 seats in the lege. Two dems are now ahead.

  14. 14.

    Zelma

    This is my second contribution to Espy. I got an email from Doug Jones a few weeks ago that told me that he was close and I said, what the hell! Why not1

    I am delighted with how much Balloon Juicers contributed over this election. I wonder how many of our candidates won. Clearly there is power in small contributions. This gave me an idea. You know, Congress critters are expected to raise $1800 a day, or something like that. This is a real burden, especially for new critters.

    What if once a month, we chose one of our candidates who won and put up a thermometer for $1800? We could probably come up with that on a regular basis and it would give said critter one day off from dialing for dollars. I know that I am continuing my contributions to Kim and McAllister and Van Drew here in New Jersey. It’s not much but it’s got to help.

    Just an idea.

  18. 18.

    Lyrebird

    @West of the Rockies: I saw the screenshots above and thought, “waitasec, she looks like a ghost!” Well actually maybe “ghoul” would be more appropriate. And I’m a very pale connoisseur of mayonnaise and adding raisins, I’m not talking race, I’m talking looking ill. Maybe just a bad makeup artist + a bad conscience combined.

    I will send some postcards!

  20. 20.

    guachi

    I don’t believe the race has been called because of how close it is but I believe the outstanding ballots tilt Democratic.

  22. 22.

    Mike in NC

    @Adam L Silverman: Three weeks in August at Fort Hood in a USJFCOM exercise was “memorable”, but I did get a little time off to see the impressive Nimitz Museum (not the current name) in Fredericksburg. Nice town.

  23. 23.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Mike in NC: I was III Corps Cultural Advisor (TACON) in 2012. I was at Hood for three weeks in July of 2012 for the first Warfighter Exercise. I am very, very aware.

  27. 27.

    catclub

    @Mary G: If Obama had gotten 18% or so of the white vote in MS, and the percentage of the black vote he actually got in the elections, he would have won Mississippi. He got more like 12% of the white vote in MS.

    So good luck to Mike Espy. I’m voting for him, and told the phone caller I would.

  32. 32.

    Mike in DC

    Espy winning the runoff would be a bigger earthquake in the “Solid South” than Doug Jones’ win.

  34. 34.

    Platonailedit

    First-time candidate Josh Harder defeated four-term Republican U.S. Rep. Jeff Denham Tuesday in California’s farm belt, giving Democrats their fourth pickup of a GOP House seat in California.

    Harder, 32, a venture capitalist, had anchored his campaign to Denham’s vote against the Affordable Care Act, while arguing that he would push for universal health care in Congress. He also argued that Denham and other Washington Republicans ignored poverty and health care in the agricultural 10th District in California’s Central Valley.

    As ballot-counting continued, Democrats gained ground in two undecided House races in Orange County, California, raising the possibility of a Democratic sweep of four closely contested congressional races in the one-time Republican stronghold.

    In the 45th District in Orange County, Democrat Katie Porter jumped into a 261-vote lead over Republican Rep. Mimi Walters, after trailing the incumbent since Election Day.

    And in the 39th District, anchored in Orange County, Democrat Gil Cisneros tightened the gap with Republican Young Kim.

  40. 40.

    Doug G

    There is so much wrong with this whole cringe-inducing press conference. 1) Hyde-Smith can’t seem to get her head around the fact that her language was deeply offensive. 2) The f*king governor speaks FOR HER, as if she weren’t there – perhaps SHE could have said she wishes she had chosen better words. 3) The deflection about 20M abortions among black people [citation needed] is abhorrent.

    ETA: 4) Chris Cilizza actually makes sense in his CNN piece.

  42. 42.

    Yarrow

    The Vicksburg National Military Park and the USS Cairo Gunboat are pretty interesting to visit if you’re in the area.

  44. 44.

    Mandalay

    Lil’ Marco doubling down this evening:

    Dem lawyers came to Florida to get judges to change Florida elections laws, AFTER the election. That isn’t a strategy to win an election, that is a strategy to steal an election.

    I know he’s not the brightest, but I really don’t understand why he’s peddling this nonsense. He’s been unhinged for the past week.

  45. 45.

    feebog

    @Platonailedit:

    Porter is a real surprise. She was down by over 5k votes on election night. If both Cisneros and Porter win, that will be 7 of 14 Republican seats flipped in California

  46. 46.

    Frankensteinbeck

    @Doug G:

    The deflection about 20M abortions among black people [citation needed] is abhorrent.

    Remember this. Whenever you hear evangelicals talk about abortion, remember that it is tied inextricably in their heads to the belief that most of those abortions are black women because blacks are indiscriminate and irresponsible.

  47. 47.

    Jay

    @Mandalay:

    He’s a moron.

    Election Laws are not being changed,

    They are being upheld.

    All ReThugs and their voters are morons.

    Yatrablinski had a post up recently noting that other than Cleeks Law, the only remaining ReThug value is “winning”, no matter how.

  49. 49.

    TS (the original)

    @E.:

    Trigger warning: Cillizza.

    I read it – was amazed to see no “both sides” and no “bad things democrats do” and not a mention of a Clinton.

  50. 50.

    tobie

    @Mandalay: Rubio’s been peddling conspiracy theories since the get-go based on willful misrepresentation of Florida election law. Among his first lies was to say that FL law required counties to report the results of all mail ballots within 30 minutes of the polls closing, when the law says that counties have to report “all tabulated” mail ballots by then. We desperately need a hand count to figure out what shenanigans the FL GOP may have been up to these past few years. Scott, Rubio and Trump are absolutely panicked about a hand recount. I can only surmise they’re terrified that a little bit of sunshine will expose their trickery before 2020 rolls around.

  54. 54.

    FlipYrWhig

    @Mandalay: Marco Ruboto has been embarrassingly silent for two years, like Cruz. I take it they’re trying to wait out Trump without making any big sudden movements but, still, it’s so _weak_.

  56. 56.

    trollhattan

    @JWR:
    They’re perhaps adding the two known fatalities in southern Cal. And that fire is kicking up tonight and still very dangerous. Very fortunate up here that the Sunday-Monday high winds didn’t appear, or it would have grown much more.

  57. 57.

    Mike in NC

    @feebog: My wife’s cousin was US ambassador to Lebanon in the early 2000s, and one time Darrell Issa showed up and demanded to be given VIP treatment. By all accounts he was a very unpleasant asshole, so we can celebrate he is not returning to Congress.

  58. 58.

    Wapiti

    @trollhattan: I did a Google Map recon of Paradise, checking out the town’s foliage levels before the fire. I’d call it lightly wooded throughout the entire town, and heavily wooded as you go out of town towards the east, where the fire originated.

    The communities like Paradise in the foothills of the Central Valley are sort of screwed. If they were to remove all of the trees, they’d be safer against fires, but the trees provide shade… I’m not sure the place would be livable if the trees were gone.

  59. 59.

    trollhattan

    @Mike in NC:
    Issa and Rohrabacher will no longer (officially) embarrass the state. We apologize for the intervening decades. Sorry we didn’t nuke Nunes but there’s always Mueller.

    Looks like Denham might be gone as well. You’re welcome, America.

  64. 64.

    JWR

    @trollhattan:

    They’re perhaps adding the two known fatalities in southern Cal.

    Yes, they are. From CBS: “In addition, the “Camp Fire” death toll has now reached 48. Statewide there are a total of 50 deaths.”

  66. 66.

    Mandalay

    WSJ has some excellent gossip on White House infighting:

    One source of tension between Mr. Bolton and Ms. Nielsen stemmed from a plan she raised to deal with the migrant caravan heading to the U.S.-Mexico border. Ms. Nielsen raised the possibility of asking the United Nations refugee agency to set up camps on the Mexico side of the border to house the migrants, said to people familiar with the talks.

    Mr. Bolton pointedly dismissed the idea as unworkable and misguided, a response that irked Ms. Nielsen and triggered a forceful defense from Mr. Kelly, these people said. Mr. Kelly asked Mr. Bolton what he thought would be a better approach, and Mr. Bolton said he would discuss it directly with the president, one of these people said.

    In a meeting in the Oval Office, Mr. Trump further aggravated Mr. Kelly by suggesting that Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law and top adviser, use his contacts in the Mexican government to try to resolve the caravan issue. “Let’s get Jared involved; he’s our best guy on this,” Mr. Trump said.

    In recent days, Mr. Trump referred to Mr. Ayers in the present tense as his chief of staff, one White House official said

    I loathe everything Bolton stands for, but I still have a grudging admiration for him. He’s a mega asshole, and he’s been so wrong on everything that he makes Bill Kristol look like Nostradamus, but he never loses his cool and he’s definitely got Kelly’s number.

  67. 67.

    cain

    @Mandalay:

    I know he’s not the brightest, but I really don’t understand why he’s peddling this nonsense. He’s been unhinged for the past week.

    He’s scared shitless. He’ll be up in two years and he’s not wanting a blue/purple Florida. If both Florida and Texas go, the EC calculation is pretty much all Democrats at that point. These fuckers will never get into anything for a long while and they can kiss their entire right wing agenda goodbye.

  68. 68.

    Mandalay

    @Mike in NC:

    Scott, Rubio, and Trump are joined at the hip.

    Not so sure about that. Trump despises Rubio, and Rubio should likewise despise Trump but he doesn’t have the guts. And Rubio wouldn’t even campaign for Scott because Bill Nelson is his only friend in the whole wide world.

  69. 69.

    H.E.Wolf

    @Zelma:

    I am delighted with how much Balloon Juicers contributed over this election. I wonder how many of our candidates won.

    I’ve been keeping a list. Here are the ones I’ve seen as definitive wins:

    [1st Balloon Juice group]
    Colin Allred TX-32
    Cindy Axne IA-03
    Sean Casten IL-06
    Angie Craig MN-02
    Jason Crow CO-06
    Sharice Davids KS-03
    Antonio Delgado NY-19
    Abby Finkenauer IA-01
    Josh Harder CA-10
    Katie Hill CA-25
    Ann Kirkpatrick AZ-02
    Conor Lamb PA-17
    Mike Levin CA-49
    Elaine Luria CA-02
    Tom Malinowski NJ-07
    Lizzie Pannill Fletcher TX-07
    Dean Phillips MN 03
    Harley Rouda CA-48
    Kin Schrier WA-08
    Mikie Sherrill NJ-11
    Elissa Slotkin MI-08
    Abigail Spanberger VA-07
    Haley Stevens MI-11
    Xochitl Torres Small NM-02
    Jennifer Wexton CA-10
    Susan Wild PA-07

    [2nd Balloon Juice group]
    Jahana Hayes CT-05
    Lucy McBath GA-06
    Greg Stanton AZ-09
    Lauren Underwood IL-14
    (Antonio Delgado & Kim Schrier were in both 1st and 2nd group)

    [3rd Balloon Juice group]
    Joe Cunningham SC-01
    Kendra Horn OK-05

    * * * * * *
    If you see any errors, or know of any other BJ-supported House candidates who’ve won, please chime in. Thanks!

  71. 71.

    JWR

    Okay, what’s going on with the blockquote? First it’s the old lines around the quote, and then it’s this kinda groovy bold vertical line just to the left. (And if this has already been discussed, please ignore.)

  72. 72.

    trollhattan

    @Jay:
    Admit I’m petrified about that number. After five days it’s not easy to envision they’re all missed connections.

  74. 74.

    mainmata

    @Ocotillo: That’s exactly right. MS shouldn’t really be a state. In any rational American universe, AL, MS, LA and AR would become one state with all their small numbers of hate voters cancelling out each other and the normal people having a chance to actually have a real positive impact on national politics. But not in this universe.

  76. 76.

    Ruckus

    @trollhattan:
    Looks like all of Topanga Canyon has been evacuated. It’s 2 lane roads, if they hadn’t evacuated and the fire turned on them, a lot of people wouldn’t get out. Lived there for a year, everyone who’d lived there any time always worried in the summer/fall. My friend has been there for about 25 yrs, he’s had to leave before. I wish I had a way to contact him to see if he’s OK.

  78. 78.

    Ruckus

    @trollhattan:
    In any big fire there are always people who are staying with friends and actually haven’t checked in with anyone. I know of people like that in the Santa Rosa fire, that was what, just a year ago. The Camp fire is now worse than that was and is the worst in CA history.

  79. 79.

    H.E.Wolf

    @Redshift:

    @H.E.Wolf: Jennifer Wexton would be VA-10, not CA-10. :-)

    Thank you! Much appreciated.

    (My typing has been @#&*% tonight. I had to fix a typo in my own email address before posting this.)

  80. 80.

    Mnemosyne

    Mr. Bolton pointedly dismissed the idea as unworkable and misguided, a response that irked Ms. Nielsen and triggered a forceful defense from Mr. Kelly, these people said.

    And some people still don’t believe me when I say that I think Nielsen is Kelly’s mistress.

  83. 83.

    West of the Rockies

    @Wapiti:

    Paradise is atop a ridge. Canyon fires roar up the hillside. Previously, firefighters have been fortunate. This time the fire was staggeringly fast and aggressive.

  85. 85.

    Matt McIrvin

    @H.E.Wolf:

    Elaine Luria CA-02

    That’s VA-02. And it’s one of the sweetest wins, since she was not favored in the late polls and looked like a goner.

  86. 86.

    H.E.Wolf

    @Matt McIrvin:

    @H.E.Wolf:

    Elaine Luria CA-02

    That’s VA-02. And it’s one of the sweetest wins, since she was not favored in the late polls and looked like a goner.

    Thank you for spotting the typo! Much appreciated.

    Posting a corrected list down below.

  87. 87.

    H.E.Wolf

    Corrected list of Balloon Juice winning candidates thus far. (I fixed 3 typos – thank you to the proofreading squad!)

    [1st Balloon Juice group]
    Colin Allred TX-32
    Cindy Axne IA-03
    Sean Casten IL-06
    Angie Craig MN-02
    Jason Crow CO-06
    Sharice Davids KS-03
    Antonio Delgado NY-19
    Abby Finkenauer IA-01
    Josh Harder CA-10
    Katie Hill CA-25
    Ann Kirkpatrick AZ-02
    Conor Lamb PA-17
    Mike Levin CA-49
    Elaine Luria VA-02
    Tom Malinowski NJ-07
    Lizzie Pannill Fletcher TX-07
    Dean Phillips MN 03
    Harley Rouda CA-48
    Kim Schrier WA-08
    Mikie Sherrill NJ-11
    Elissa Slotkin MI-08
    Abigail Spanberger VA-07
    Haley Stevens MI-11
    Xochitl Torres Small NM-02
    Jennifer Wexton VA-10
    Susan Wild PA-07

    [2nd Balloon Juice group]
    Jahana Hayes CT-05
    Lucy McBath GA-06
    Greg Stanton AZ-09
    Lauren Underwood IL-14
    (Antonio Delgado & Kim Schrier were in both 1st and 2nd group)

    [3rd Balloon Juice group]
    Joe Cunningham SC-01
    Kendra Horn OK-05

    * * * * * *
    Balloon Juice-supported candidates who might possibly still win, including a couple of very unlikely ones:

    [1st group]
    Gil Cisneros CA-39
    Paul Davis KS-02
    Dan McCready NC-09
    Katie Porter CA-45

    [2nd group]
    Carolyn Bourdeaux GA-07
    Tedra Cobb NY-21
    Dan Feehan MN-01
    Joseph Kopser TX-21
    Ben McAdams UT-04
    Nate McMurray NY-27
    Gina Ortiz Jones TX-23

    [3rd group]
    Kara Eastman NE-02

  88. 88.

    O. Felix Culpa

    @H.E.Wolf: A very gratifying list. Thank you for posting.

    Even those candidates who are unlikely to win at this point gave it a good run and are poised for another try in two years, as is the grassroots infrastructure that we (writ large) built this election.

  89. 89.

    WaterGirl

    This is the year to go all in on every single democrat, and these run-off elections are a great opportunity for a surprise pickup. Especially with the deranged man in the white house.

    Donated.

  90. 90.

    Offal

    (longtime reader – very infrequent poster)

    Love the ActBlue posts Doug. Looking ahead to 2020, is there any organization pushing to get true progressives money for the various Senate primaries? I’m tired of ‘Democrat-Lite’ candidates winning the primaries (often because they are well off and can self-fund their primary campaigns).

    thanks for spending the time to get these posts up

  91. 91.

    mainmata

    Love that Dylan song. I’ve already given to Espy. He might have a chance since his opponent is simply awful. Even before the lynching comment.

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