Cindy Hyde-Smith Can Run, But She Can't Hide
In her response to our recent video of Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith encouraging voter suppression, her campaign proves the only thing that has been “selectively edited” is their ability to tell the truth.
In 1989, President George H.W. Bush and former President Ronald Reagan broke the 11th Commandment: They decided to speak ill of a fellow Republican. It was an unusual decision for a few reasons, particularly because the Republican wasn’t running for a national or even a statewide election. He was campaigning for District 81’s seat in Louisiana’s state House of Representatives, a majority conservative district in suburban New Orleans.
Bush and Reagan recorded robocalls urging the good people of District 81 to reject that candidate and vote instead for his opponent, a fellow Republican, John Treen, the brother of former Louisiana Gov. Dave Treen.
But the gambit didn’t work. Voters ignored Presidents Bush and Reagan, and David Duke narrowly won the election; the former grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan suddenly became one of the most powerful Republicans in Louisiana. The next year, Duke ran for the U.S. Senate, and although he lost, he managed to capture 60% of the white vote.
The year after that, in what is arguably the most important statewide election in Louisiana history, he ran for governor. The entire world paid attention. His runoff opponent was former Gov. Edwin Edwards, who had long been beleaguered by allegations of corruption. Supporters of Edwards printed out bumperstickers: “Vote for the Crook. It’s Important.”
https://www.bayoubrief.com/2018/11/16/cindy-hyde-smith-can-run-but-she-cant-hide/
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After Coleman’s repudiation, Sen. Hyde-Smith deleted the tweet, but the internet, of course, is written in ink.
It is up for Mississippians to decide who should best represent them in the United States Senate, but just as many Republicans reluctantly pulled the lever for Edwin Edwards over David Duke in 1991, they should seriously consider the message they’re sending to the rest of the world.
Racism is morally and ultimately financially bankrupt; it’s bad for business.
