Haley Barber has done a marvelous job in Mississippi. He didn't mind sharing his thoughts about what a great organization the Citizens Councils was back in the day and he said that growing up there during the civil rights revolution wasn't all that bad. MLK came to town and it was like a country picnic.
So, are you surprised by the PPP's latest polling on Mississippi, which produced a pretty revealing portrait of Mississippians' views on interracial marriage?
The PPP polled Mississippi and found a very interesting response about marriage.
46% of these hardcore Republican voters believe interracial marriage should be illegal,
while 40% think it should be legal.PPP surveyed 400 usual Mississippi Republican primary voters from March 24th to 27th
The poll also found that voters who thought interracial marriage should be banned liked Barbour, Palin, and Huckabee the most among the slate of potential GOP presidential candidates. Seventy-nine percent of those voters said they approved of Gov. Barbour's job performance, while 74% said they had a favorable opinion of Sarah Palin, and 73% viewed Huckabee favorably.
Jon Perr wrote a detailed post about Haley's town on C&L called: The GOP Has Seen America's Future - in Mississippi
Here's some of what ot said:
Mississippi is one of the poorest states in the Union and has been for some time. According to the 2011 Statistical Abstract compiled by the U.S. Census Bureau, Mississippi ranks first in the number of people living below the poverty line. Unsurprisingly, its 50th ranking median household income of $37,790 is the lowest in America, and over $14,000 below the national figure. Per capita income is similarly dismal. It's with good reason that in 2007, Mississippi ranked fourth in per capital federal aid.
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Using data from the Census Bureau and the Legal Community Against Violence's state-by-state comparison of firearm laws, the Daily Beast in January concluded Mississippi was the deadliest gun state in the nation. Its divorce rate is among America's highest; the teen birth rate is at the very top.
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UPDATE: Almost on cue, White House hopeful Haley Barbour attacked President Obama's handling of the economy, claiming his own state serves as a shining example. ""We still have more to do in Mississippi," Barbour said, adding, "But we have made great progress and are laying a foundation for the future.
Palin and Huckabee would do pretty well there. I'm sure Donald Trump would poll OK there too, since he's been pushing the Birther nonsense. Mississippi, the state of conservative values and miscegenation-law nostalgia. For a minute I thought about the justice of the peace who refused to marry an interracial couple, but that was in Louisiana.
A Louisiana justice of the peace said he refused to issue a marriage license to an interracial couple out of concern for any children the couple might have.
Keith Bardwell, justice of the peace in Tangipahoa Parish, says it is his experience that most interracial marriages do not last long.
