Mississippi Business Journal tees off on Phil Bryant

The long-dormant fault line in the Mississippi Republican Party between the social and fiscal conservatives will without doubt erupt during this year's gubernatorial primary between Phil Bryant and Dave Dennis.  Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant of Rankin County has been viewed with upturned noses by the Mississippi Republican Party's financial elite, who are lining up behind Dave Dennis, a wealthy Coast businessman.

The first public crack appeared yesterday, via the Mississippi Business Journal's blog:

Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant could make George W. Bush — often mocked for his verbal foibles — sound like the late wordsmith William F. Buckley Jr.

At the Mississippi Economic Council’s annual Hobnob two years ago, Bryant praised a fellow politician for being “a true phy-si-cal conservative.” He emphasized the word “physical,” which should have been “fiscal.”

 The post, entitled "Phil Bryant makes George W. Bush look like William F. Buckley, Jr.", goes on to quote Lt. Gov. Bryant as saying "We’re not targeting anyone based on their religion or their ethnics (sic)…" when talking about his anti-immigrant legislation.

Going to be an interesting 2011....