Clarion Ledger Identifies Some Key Themes

The Clarion Ledger:

.. the primaries did reveal three key themes that voters can expect to hear debated at length over the coming weeks:

The Katrina effect. Particularly in the races for governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general and insurance commissioner, the speed and quality of the state's recovery from Hurricane Katrina will be hotly debated.
Barbour has made clear that he wants to be judged by the voters based on his handling of the killer storm's aftermath and the ongoing recovery. Down-ticket Republicans have echoed that sentiment.

But Democrats continue to point to Mississippians still living in FEMA trailers, to stalled federal spending in recovery efforts and to the region's very real insurance crisis.

The state's economy. Barbour and his Republican down-ticket colleagues recount a litany of economic development success stories on his watch - Toyota, SeverCorr, PACCAR and more - and the fact that the state is currently experiencing record employment.

Democrats point to relatively barren economic regions like the Delta and southwest Mississippi and to the rising costs of energy and health care as economic failures.

The beef plant. In the races for agriculture commissioner, state auditor and others, the stench of the failed $55 million Mississippi Beef Processors Inc. plant isn't going away soon.

I definitely agree that Katrina will be a major issue statewide and THE major issue on the Coast. A lot of money has come to the Coast, but it has come with little accountability and one has to wonder with so much left to do where all the money went. I think the fact that Casinos have shown record number of dollars wagered with a smaller number of customers could give us some indication.

"Record Employment" More people are employeed than ever before, but there are also a lot more people. How many of these jobs are those given to illegal immigrants? How many are to folk who intend to leave after the construction industry slows down again? It's been joked that the relief moneys should be called "The Tijuana Jobs Plan" because so many of the jobs have been taken by illegal immigrants. While small towns continue to die Barbour will tell us everything is grand. It isn't.

The beef plant stinks and Republican Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce Lester Spell had more to do with it than anyone else. He should be retired.