Corder – Is Gene Taylor’s latest choice for House speaker good Mississippi?
Eleven-term Democrat U.S. Representative Gene Taylor made headlines this weekend by trying to distance himself from his previous two votes for House Speaker. Taylor has been under fire from his constituency in Mississippi’s 4th Congressional District and challenger, state Republican Rep. Steven Palazzo, for voting for Rep. Nancy Pelosi for Speaker, whom many believe to be one of the most liberal Speakers in American history. Steven Palazzo’s campaign has been using the “Fire Pelosi” slogan for some time now, as have many others around the country who are running in traditionally conservative districts against vulnerable Democrat opponents that voted for the current House Speaker.
In a SunHerald article, Taylor said that he would not vote for Pelosi again and that the only reason he voted for her was because of her opponent, Rep. John Boehner. This contradicts what the Congressman said in a town hall meeting in Ocean Springs, Mississippi earlier this year. When asked about his vote for Pelosi at that meeting, Taylor responded by saying, “I voted for me.” By that Taylor meant that his vote for Pelosi put him in a better position within his party and within the House. Clearly, his vote for Pelosi was not in the best interest of the people he represents here in the 4th District.
Then comes the article from The Hill where Taylor is quoted as saying, “My ideal candidate for Speaker would be Ike Skelton.” He goes on to say, “What I would want is a Democratic nominee for Speaker that is much more in tune with what I believe.” He still beats the Democratic drum mind you.
So who is Ike Skelton? Ike Skelton is a Democrat Congressman from Missouri. At 78, he is running for reelection and is in a heavily contested race with a strong GOP challenger. He is in his 17th term and while he is more conservative than Nancy Pelosi, I wonder if Mr. Skelton would be your ideal candidate for House Speaker if you were Gene Taylor and you represented the people in Mississippi’s conservative 4th District.
Here’s a few of Skelton’s more debatable and questionable votes as reported by www.ontheissues.org:
Read more By Frank Corder
9/27
Magnolia Tribune
