The announcement of Chris McDaniel’s campaign to unseat Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann is welcome news. I have to admit that his cutie-pie little “It’s Delbert, ma’am” TV ads led me to believe that Mr. Hosemann is just a down-home Mississippi boy with the same goals and dreams for Mississippi as most of us. I am a bit embarrassed to admit that those TV ads worked on me more than once. I was even impressed enough with the image portrayed that I suggested to my good friend Phil Dickerson, in his run for Jones County supervisor, that he should build his entire campaign around referring to himself as “Philbert.”
It should be noted that he chose to ignore my advice. But I digress …
Closer observation in recent years has exposed the error of my thinking, as it has many others who had been fooled by the Hosemann advertising campaign. It is now time to break with tradition and bring an end to the pattern of cruising through the ranks just because that’s how it’s been done for so long.
I am not well acquainted with Chris McDaniel on a personal level. He has entirely too much class to spend a lot of time in the same social circles that I typically occupy. And yet, I feel sure that, should the opportunity present itself, he would be perfectly at home out riding dirt bikes with my associates and me — considerably more comfortable than we would be were we to be socializing with the white-collar crowd with whom he fits so seamlessly. I thank God that he is here to cover that task while I content myself with the off-road riding demographic I’ve come to know and love.
I also thank God that Chris McDaniel is willing to subject himself to the personal attacks that are sure to accompany another endeavor to put our ship back on course. The gentleman possesses a Trump-like drive that seems to turn personal attacks into raw horsepower. Having not been there to see it, I can only theorize that the same characteristic was in abundance among the leaders of the movement that led to the formation of America. Too bad it seems to be in such short supply today when it is so sorely needed.
