Mississippi's 2003 mud fest

By Staff
October 5,2003
Candidate Barbara Blackmon has embarked on a dangerous and slippery slope by injecting overly personal tactics into her race against incumbent Lt. Gov. Amy Tuck. What Blackmon did is a downright dirty stunt and bodes ill for the political process.
From their comments and records on the subject of abortion, Blackmon is pro-choice and Tuck is pro-life. As a state senator from Canton, Blackmon voted against requiring parental consent before 18-year-olds and under could get an abortion. Blackmon also opposed issuance of "Choose Life" car tags. Tuck's position on both subjects was opposite of Blackmon's.
Instead, of answering questions about her position on abortion, Blackmon, a trial lawyer, produced something akin to a legal document certifying she'd never had an abortion; in a clear innuendo, she challenged Tuck to sign the pledge. Last week, Tuck said Blackmon had taken a low road; she also said she would sign the pledge.
By stooping to such a low personal attack, Blackmon may have inadvertently opened up more questions. For example, should we ask these two candidates if they had pre-marital sex? Should we ask if they used drugs in college? Should we ask for detailed medical profiles? Should questions put to female candidates be any different than questions put to male candidates?
We think not.
Blackmon left an old, closed Kmart in Jackson late last week, refusing to answer reporters' questions at a news conference she had called on the issue of jobs. That sort of behavior, that refusal to engage the public on real issues except under her own terms, is directly related to the job of the lieutenant governor and speaks volumes about the type of candidate Blackmon unfortunately is becoming.