I had a big, glossy card from Stop Lawsuit Abuse in Mississippi, Inc. in my mailbox this morning, urging me to vote for incumbent Insurance Commissioner George Dale. I thought it was peculiar that the back of the card would have a photograph not only of Commissioner Dale, but of his opponent, Gary Anderson. And it occurred to me that the photo of Mr. Anderson, who is black, looked unusually dark. My scan may appear darker still, but it does seem unnaturally dark on the original.
On his campaign site I found what seems to be the same photo (high-resolution available here).
I found an .mp3 of Commissioner Dale on the radio, discussing his participation in the selection of a figure in the Democratic Party in Mississippi. His says that one of the things they were looking for is a white candidate. He says it awkwardly at first, like it might have slipped out, but then is very candid. Nothing against blacks, apparently. But the Democratic Party needs to win back the conservative whites in this state, he says, or it’s got no future here. I guess that’s how you do it.
awesome. this will be perfect for a crcl meeting. i spent the end of my montgomery/birmingham trip knee-deep in what seemed to be sympathy for clarence thomas’s post-race utopia, and it’s a welcome reminder that yes – of course – we’re far from it.