We Can Do Better...but We Won't: 4th District Taylor's to Lose

We Can Do Better...but We Won't

4th District Taylor's to Lose

2010 is just around the corner and that means federal House of Representative seats are coming up for grabs. Soon, we will be hearing and seeing alot of talk and debate from the potential candidates. Just today, I saw where State Senator Alan Nunnelee (R-Tupelo) has entered the fray to challenge 1st District Congressman Travis Childers (D-Booneville). Reading this news made me ponder my area, the 4th District. I know of a gentleman from Petal, an attorney by the name of Joe Tegerdine, who has decided to throw his name in the ring, but I must admit (and believe me, it is hard for me to say and I don't want to believe it but...) the 4th District is Gene Taylor's to lose once again, just as it's been now for 20 years. Mr. Tegerdine may be nice enough and he may be an astute campaigner; I personally haven't had the chance to meet him just yet. Reality is, however, no matter who you are as a challenger to Taylor, the underlying issues and assumptions must be addressed and brought to light.

Since 1989, Gene Taylor (Democrat-Bay St. Louis) has held the 4th District Congressional seat here in Southeast Mississippi. Taylor, a former city councilman and state senator, is well versed in what it takes to win in this district, which by the way is one of, if not the most conservative Republican districts in the nation (no Democrat Presidential candidate has carried the 4th since 1956). His voting record is a mixed bag; he has walked the tight rope between party and populist for many years and thus far has mastered it with only the occasional wobble which he quickly balances. He is seemingly pro-life and pro-gun (anything else in Mississippi and he would have been out a long time ago), yet he has supported his party and its leaders inconspicuously (voting for Nancy Pelosi as Speaker) knowing that if he carried too much of the party's water he would be on the proverbial hot seat come election time. He knows how to appear as if he is fighting for his constituents while not making too many waves in Washington D.C. His tenure and party connections landed him an important seat on the Armed Services Committee and the Shipbuilding Caucus, making him increasingly valuable to his 4th District constituents. Taylor's good ole boy persona coupled with his staff's superb PR work after Katrina (i.e. lost his home, fought his insurance company, offered insurance changes, etc.) make him a force that only the perfect storm or perhaps some truly informed, inspired, and involved voters could take down.

I believe that we in the 4th District can and should do better than Gene Taylor (hey, that almost rhymed...perhaps there's a campaign slogan in there somewhere). Taylor is deeply entrenched and knows how to work the system, both locally, through ensuring that the proper spin is applied when needed, and nationally, by being content to sit on the sidelines and following the party line as necessary. Gene Taylor is not a bad guy; heck, he's not all that bad of a Congressman if you judge his body of work through a narrow lens and confine it to babies, bullets, and budgets. America and the future of our great nation is about something bigger than such narrow, spin driven, seat ensuring issues. Yes, those things do matter to me and should matter to us all but when our nation's debt is increasing at such a rapid pace, private business is being taken over by government, healthcare is on its way to being rationed in every sense of the word, and on and on I could go we don't need a pacifist Congressman representing our area here in Southeast Mississippi. We need a Congressman that will stand up and fight for the Constitution, for the freedoms we hold dear, to speak against the ills of the day and actively support a different direction than what is being proposed by those now in leadership (leadership supported and encouraged by Taylor himself). We need a change in the 4th District and soon.

It is important for a person who is in political office to clearly outline their party affiliation and to be able to outline why they align themselves with that party. Taylor (whether out of savvy or confusion) chose to be a Democrat. He is quick to add the "conservative" tag to his label. Surprisingly enough (as if you couldn't tell by now) I am a Republican. I am proud to carry the mantle of Lincoln and Reagan. I say this because who one chooses to associate with says much about that person's character and beliefs. Now don't get me wrong, there are many in both parties, Democrats and Republicans, that break from their party at times (Taylor and his Blue Dog buddies would speak to this point well, if nothing more than to attempt to veil their allegiance), but I tell you when it comes down to the core issues and to the heart of a matter, those same people will choose to side with their party 99% of the time (again, think of the Pelosi vote). Don't be fooled by the tag lines added to sway your votes on election day or in election years. I've yet to meet a Conservative Democrat - that's an oxymoron in my book.

The real question, and the most disturbing part of this discussion to me, is this: How does Gene Taylor, a Democrat, keep getting elected in the most conservative Republican district in the nation? For the sake of time and space, I'll cut to the chase - Republicans put him there. There's no other answer. If you live in the 4th District I challenge you to ask your Republican friends that actually vote who they voted for last time for Congress. I would be amazed if you could find more than 3 out of 10 that say someone other than Gene Taylor (if they do, I would almost bet they are fibbing given that Taylor hasn't taken less than 75% of the vote except once since 1998).

So how do we reverse this trend? How can we in the 4th District topple this Goliath? The only way is for conservative Republicans to break out of their self-induced habit and vote Republican. We true conservatives must unite together and take back this country one seat at a time, locally, statewide, and nationally. Twenty years is long enough for Mr. Taylor's trip to Washington. A few years ago this 4th District seat didn't seem all that important. Now, with the make up of Congress, the Speaker, the Senate in full control and the White House locked up, this Southeast Mississippi seat should symbolize and portray how we in this area truly believe to our core. The 4th District seat should be a sign to the rest of the nation that we are fed up with government intrusion, rising debt, unreconciled domestic and foreign affairs, and needless taxation. The truth is, Southeast Mississippi and the nation deserves better than Gene Taylor and his Democrat friends. I believe we can do better...but unless people wake up, get in the fight, and get engaged history tells me we won't.

Shakespeare once said, "We know what we are, but know not what we may be." We've seen what 20 years has given us in the 4th District. I truly desire our nation to be more than it is today; America desperately needs the next generation of leaders to begin to take hold now, not tomorrow. I encourage you all to consider the 2010 Congressional race and help America be more. We can and must do better!

Frank Corder,

Pascagoula City Councilman