As a life-long Republican, proud I am not, especially in the way the Republican primary was conducted. I lost a tremendous amount of respect for Haley Barbour and nephew, Henry, who used “big boss” tactics to affect the outcome of the run-off. Haley’s far reaching influence as former chairman of the Republican National Committee even squashed an effort by some in the RNC to censure the questionable and unethical tactics used in the senatorial primary run-off.
I also detest the Republican leaders of our state using the office they hold to endorse one Republican candidate over another Republican candidate in a primary election. This particular practice has been on the increase in recent elections and it does much to damage the party.
First off, the office holder does not own that office. It has been entrusted to him/her for a time by the vote of the people who elected them and should not be used to damage the candidacy of another candidate of the same party. Do those office holders realize that in using their office to endorse one candidate over another they are alienating those voters who support the other candidate? At some point this practice may come back to bite them.
In the most recent primary, almost every sitting Republican from congressman, to governor, to mayor, to dog catcher (and all those in-between,) publicly endorsed one candidate over the other. If the Party really wants, as Joe Nosef says, “to remain open and welcoming” this is not the way to go.
Dot Ward
Clarion Ledger
11/16/14
