The misery of devils

We are drawing close to the end of business on this Veteran's Day, and some Democrats may be drawing close to the end of their allegiance to their party. So be it.

Tuesday did not go as we had hoped in terms of legislative races. We lost some we did not expect to lose, and control of the House of Representatives seems likely to shift to the Republican Party for the first time in 140 years. So be it.

I write this to remind you of what is truly coming to an end should Republicans take the Speaker's gavel in January. We would most certainly not be seeing a historic shift of control from 140 years of liberal ideologues. In reality, we would be witnessing a change from a brief period of moderate leadership back to the retrogressive, elitist "conservative" leadership that controlled the Mississippi House of Representatives for most of the post-Reconstruction era. You know, the type of people who pass laws to plunder the economically challenged for the betterment of the wealthy and well-connected. The people who devise ways to disenfranchise voters. The people who want to purposefully underfund public education so they can save their tax dollars for things like private school tuition. The folks who have so little regard for the sacrifices and service of our state troopers, judges, and prosecutors that they would shred PERS to help line the pockets of their Wall Street fund manager friends.

But even should the end of moderate leadership be at hand, all is not lost. In fact, far from it. The message of the Mississippi Democratic Party remains viable and attractive. If you doubt that, ask Jim Ellington, Russ Nowell, and Sid Bondurant.

In a time when the weaker amongst us are looking for safe harbor, those of us with steely spines and iron hearts will stand firm against the wind. Those of us with integrity will carry the fight forward tomorrow, next week, and next year. It may not be comfortable at times. But as Thomas Paine said, "Let them call me a rebel, and welcome; I feel no concern from it. For I should suffer the misery of devils, were I to make a whore of my soul."

Onward and upward, friends.