Smith: ‘Rogue’ Republicans Targeting Me
Rep. Jeff Smith, a Democrat who has said he is running for Speaker as an independent, recently talked with The Columbus Packet about the 2011 elections, where he will be running for a sixth term in the legislature as well as making a second bid to become Speaker of the House.
Smith, who is currently unchallenged for re-election this November, said he has heard that a group of Republicans are looking for a candidate to challenge the incumbent (who is among the most conservative Democrats left in the House).
Here is how Smith put it: “I keep getting comments from friends and individuals, concerning a group of Rogue Republicans, who seem to be intent on getting me an opponent. I have talked to Phil Bryant, Staffers of the Governor, Staff of Tate Reeves and others and we can’t understand why this going on…I can not understand why anyone, locally, would want a candidate for Speaker to take the time and money running a general campaign election and not concentrate on his chances for Speaker.”
It’s easy for me to understand, but I’m probably a “ROGUE REPUBLICAN” if you are a democrat who chooses to run as an independent you are still not a Republican. If you can’t figure out why a Republican would want to elect a Republican in your district so he or she could help Republicans control the House and elect a “REPUBLICAN SPEAKER” you probably aren’t “savy” enough to hold the job anyway. Just another democrat attacking Republicans. My late father told me to do the right thing and to always tell the truth.
There is nothing “rogue” about Republicans trying to elect a Republican in a House district.
Haha, this is rich. I especially love how he implies that once a Rep decides to run for speaker, his House re-election campaign should be off limits.
Good points, Geoff and Eric! What I like is that it appears Rep. Smith thinks he’s supposed to get a “pass” because he’s talked to Phil Bryant and staffers of Tate Reeves and Governor Barbour!
Is he also inferring that mccoy or moak shouldn’t have any opposition? Surely one of them is going to be running for speaker.
Thanks for the comments, I agree we all need to express our opinions, too many people have kept silent for too long.
I did run for Speaker in 2008 and lost 62-60 and got every Republican vote in the House and it was tied for the first two votes, until some one changed her vote. Most people feel there are good conservatives in this state whether Republican, Democrat or Independent. The most important item is we elect a “Conservative Speaker” Some people believe Conservative is the same as Republican, and they are entitled to that thought. More importantly, we all need to express our opinions, and all learn to agree or disagree without being disagreeable. I served our Country in the Army and hope that service will always mean we can say what we want, when we want to say it, and in any medium. No longer should any one have fear to comment here or in the House of Representatives in any way. I was elected as a Democrat in 1992 and feel my conservative ideals are out of step, with the main stream, of that party.
Bless you for your comments, but if you could leave my father out of the comments, I would be most grateful. I see I have stirred things up, and genuinely hope others will comment, and at the end of the day, we will have a Conservative, as Speaker of the Mississippi House of Representatives.
Thank you for posting, Jeff. But you haven’t addressed the fact that your comments suggest that you should go unchallenged for re-election. In addition, you cast aspersions on Republicans who might dare to challenge you.
Rep. Smith, it says a lot of you to come here and comment. As a Republican, I am certain we would be better off if you had won the Speaker’s race. As of right now, I am on the anybody but McCoy/ Moak band wagon and wish you the best of luck.
Rep. Smith, I applaud your joining this online conversation and your best efforts in 2007/2008 to help Mississippi to achieve a Conservative-led House.
I for one would join Frank in believing/hoping that times have changed dramatically since 2007/2008 (before the Obama/Reid/Pelosi reign of terror and the vicious behavior of the second McCoy term at the helm) and that now a Conservative speaker can and should come from within the ranks of the Conservative party, which is the Republican Party.
I can appreciate an individual’s personal and familial reasons for not joining the Republican Party. I cannot understand or forgive a person’s voting in the House for the House Democrat’s liberal gerrymander redistricting map, as you did, that would systematically disenfranchise Conservative Mississippians and guarantee a liberal House leadership that would be harmful to the state — and supposedly not be in the best efforts of your desire to be elected speaker.
I also cannot fathom how a person could not see that map for just what it is and can’t see how a person could think they would be deserving of support from Conservatives in a speaker race if they supported that map. Surely it caught your attention that all but four of the 53 GOP representatives voted in solidarity against the map for a reason.
And reflexively namecalling (“rogue Republicans”) and blaming Republicans for being unreasonable regarding a legislative resolution to remapping (as opposed to acknowledging an obscene liberal Democrat gerrymander and a Democrat speaker who wouldn’t participate in negotiating a legislative outcome) makes observers wonder just what you think there is about your actions and judgement that they’d want to support for leadership at this point in time.
FWIW, very well stated.
I appreciate your comments. I was like the four republicans and handful of conservative democrats which voted for the House Plan. If you will look closely we voted for the Republican plan and wish it would have prevailed.
Some of us gave our word to Tommy Reynolds, and yes saw most of the plan, not just our districts. We told Tommy if he could keep our area compact and together we would vote for the “Plan”. I was taught to keep my word. In matters of conscience, and, you could be correct in I was perhaps, ignorant and foolish for supporting the original plan, but if you will compare the Plan, as passed the House and the “Republican Plan” which did not pass, you will see very little difference. I am going to suggest People read and study the Plans and not accept rhetoric, without studying. I voted for the Republican plan to replace the House Plan and was in the debate. The Author of the R-Plan stated from the podium there was little difference. I would have preferred the Alternative Plan had prevailed, but it did not, either is better than letting a 3-Judge Panel draw the plan from ‘stratch’ but that is my opinion.
I appreciate your opinions. I note every member of the House Republican Conference voted for me for Speaker on January 8th 2008. Notice my voting record since then, it is every bit as Conservative now as it has been in my 20 years.
You are absolutely right to state your opinion. I am going to say nothing negative about you, but God bless you and keep the comments coming.
Jeff Smith
I compared the plans. The democrat plan was more gerrymandered than what we have now, it appeared to me that more towns or cities were divided into more districts. I believe that the democrat plan also took 5 Republican challengers to incumbent democrats and moved their residence into districts held by Republicans. The democrat plan also “packed” safe Republican Districts with the maximum population while using minimum populations in the safe democrat districts. This violates the principle of “one person One vote” it decreases the value of my vote and increases the value of a democrats vote. This would also make me ask where you stand on the issue of voterID? By using the Minimum for democrats and the maximum for Republicans the (D) plan collapsed a district and created a new safe (D) district.
The Republican plan did a much better job of not dividing communities, of not moving challengers from districts they had lived in and were already invested in offering themselves for public office. The Republican plan did a much better job of keeping the median population number thereby preserving the “one person, one vote” principle.
The democrat plan was meant to preserve the power of a political party that is failing The State of Mississippi and The United States. To subvert the will of the voters and allow the liberal democrats to hold the conservatives of Mississippi hostage.
I respect you, all I can tell you is what the Republicans represented to us all in the House
R’s and D’s. The authors of the plan are dear to
me and discussed the plan before and after approval.
The differences are minimal and as was stated in discussions in the presentation. I leave you to
your opinions since you are more than welcome to
them.
I have never voted against Voter ID and have sponsored and supported it each time. If you
feel voting for the House Plan, which the 3-Judge
Plan just put as the tentative plan for the 2011
elections, disqualifies me from being Speaker,
then you are certainly welcome to believe same.
Jeff, I know that these are trying times for conservative democrats. You are right your party has left you. As a conservative democrat you are now in the minority in your House cacus. One of my real problems with a conservative democrat or even an independent as House Speaker is where would their loyalties would lie on redistricting, committee chair assignments, whose legislation is presented, there are partisan issues before the House every day of the session.
I know that in these times there have been those who have changed parties, there wouldn’t be a Republican Party in Mississippi without those who came to see the light. I would welcome you to the Republican party,you would probably be more comfortable and appreciated more.
I really believe that after this redistricting and or the next election the Republicans won’t have to accept a conservative democrat or an independent as House Speaker.
I will not mention your father again but I am compelled to mention that it would not have happened had you not interjected him into the conversation.
They are Liberal Republicans not Conservatives. They do not even know what the term Conservative means. They bailed out every crooked banker in the country and have destroyed OUR countries economy. They REFUSED to fila-buster Obama Care. They are Republicans not Conservatives. They are equally ignorant as the Democrates that only vote for democrates.
thanks for all the comments, people can be nice when we communicate. I appreciate your nice comments about my father. I can live with a conservative as Speaker whether it is me or not. Thanks again.
Brett, was the above article edited after my original comments?
Mr. Smith, thank you for actually sticking your name on this posting. I know some legislators and operatives around the deep south who roam the political blogs daily but are scared to death to stick their name to a posting. Also your comments regarding your race this year made you sound like a classic insider and that offends a lot of grassroots conservatives to high heaven when they hear pols in both parties say things like that and rightfully so I might add.
Representative Smith, I only speak for myself , I consider myself to be a conservative Republican with Tea Party affilations. My choice would not be for a panel of federal judges to decide redistricting but I would find it preferable to letting the democrats decide it. I read the letter released yesterday by Secretart of State Hosemann and he says according to our constitition we should not be at that point, the newly elected legislature should have a shot at it and if they fail the governor could call a special session and if that fails then a panel consisting of the Chief Justice of our Supreme Court , Secretary of State, Speaker of the House, President of the Senate, and the Attorney General would do the re-districting. Only after that would it go to the panel of federal judges.
If I were in the legislature and faced with a choice of a conservative democrat such as yourself or a liberal democrat such as Rep. McCoy with no other viable alterternative I would have certainly have voted for you but it is my belief that is the reason they voted for you and it is my belief that they don’t want to be in that situation again.
There is a difference in the re-districting plans and I believe that the major difference is that the democrats will control the House under the democrat plan and that we would have a democrat speaker and I would be willing to bet that it wouldn’t be a conservative democrat.
As I have said, I appreciate your comments. I surely, surely prefer The Secretary of State’s Idea to letting us try again next year. Apparently, the Federal Judges do not agree with that, nor did
the Attorneys representing the Republican and Democratic Parties. However, if we were allowed
to follow Mississippi Law that would be allowed. However, remember we are on of the States
under the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and often our election decisions are made by Federal Officials.
Rep. Smith, the Judges did not just jump in nor were they sent in by the DOJ they were invited in via the law suit filed. Under the Voting Rights Act of 1965 the DOJ would have to approve the plan we adopted under our existing laws and constitution before it would go into effect unless they are asked to intervene by a lawsuit, as in this case, or otherwise asked to intervene.
Neither the Republican nor the Democrat party are part of this lawsuit, at this point it is individual entities who are furnishing their own attorneys or attorneys furnished by the state I presume for elected officials. We don’t know who is paying for some of the attorneys or they may be pro bono. Senator Burton filed to becme involved in the lawsuit and we don’t know who is paying for his attorney. I assume the NAACP has their own attorneys.
As an individual I would have preferred to follow the law and state constitution.
I feel I am denigrating to argument and do not mean to. I am
an Attorney and got a copy of the Order of Yesterday. If you
will read the “Caption” of the lawsuit, you will see the
Republican and Democratic Parties are both Parties
to the Action.
Thanks
I stand corrected,the “Caption” does include the Republican Party of Mississippi Executive Comittee and The Democrat Party of Mississippi. Do you happen to know whose paying?
I do not know who is paying. Mike Wallace Represents the R’s and Rob McDuff Represents the
D’s. There is a prohibition against State Funds being used to pay non-public entities(Section 66 of the
Constitution of 1890). Therefore any funds
would have to come from Private Sources.