Republicans: Rickey Cole is a Democrat / Cole: Duh.

Republicans have a mailer out attacking the qualified, capable, and so far scandal free Rickey Cole because their candidate is vulnerable and generally not well liked.

Here is the Cole campaign's response to the statewide mailer:

he Mississippi Republican Party's only mailout in the race for Commissioner of Agriculture was delivered to voters yesterday and today, and it barely mentions Republican nominee Lester Spell. Spell was elected twelve years ago as a Democrat, and is running his first election as a Republican nominee.

Virtually all of the text on the mail piece comments on Rickey Cole, the Democratic nominee for Agriculture Commissioner. Cole, who served as chairman of the Mississippi Democratic Party from August 2001 until July 2004, is criticized by the Republican-sponsored mailout for having worked for and supported Democratic candidates. Cole responded "It isn't exactly a news flash that I am a Democrat. I am proud to carry the nomination of my party, and plan to carry it to victory on Tuesday."

The mailout mentions the fact that Rickey Cole attended the Democratic National Convention in 2000 as an Al Gore delegate, and in 2004 as a John Kerry delegate. What the Republicans omit is that then-Democrat Lester Spell was also a Gore delegate to the 2000 Democratic National Convention, and that in May of 2004, just months before he switched parties, Spell signed a pledge at the state Democratic convention to support John Kerry for President.

"There's an old saying that if you can't say anything good about someone, you ought not to mention their name. While the Republicans don't generally follow that principle, it looks like they couldn't find anything good to say about Lester Spell. About all they could do was mention his name." said Cole.

"With the potential retirement of Senator Cochran, Mississippi would lose our last influential voice for agriculture in Washington. I have worked with many of the Democratic leaders currently in power in both houses of the congress, and as commissioner I can build upon those connections to benefit Mississippi agriculture. My opponent is a man without a party, with no ties to the Democratic party that put him in office and no confidence from the Republican party he joined after the beef plant failure. Spell has no credibility, no influence and no future."

Strong conservative John Goodman offers his take in these excerpts:

I'm confused by the postcard's statement "Rickey Cole led the charge to kick conservatives out of 'his' Democratic Party." Huh? As I recall, he wanted more conservatives in the Democratic Party. He was afraid the state Democratic Party would become so liberal it would be a constant loser. Actually, the purge started AFTER he stepped down as party chair. I'd like to see evidence Cole led the charge to expel conservatives out of the Democratic Party.

As for the beef plant failure, wasn't there a goat farm failure too? Now maybe Cole is no flaming conservative like Spell. But since when is it "conservative" to waste taxpayer dollars on frivolous and idiotic projects? At least Cole knows SOMETHING about farming. Spell has been a veterinarian until he got into politics. What does HE KNOW about farming?

Let's do the state a great service on November 6th. Let's vote in an honorable man and a knowledgeable farmer for MDAC Commissioner. Let's all vote for Rickey Cole.

Let us hope that we are viewing the last grasps at state power for Lester Spell and that we will see a new day for Mississippi agriculture and consumers when Rickey Cole is elected our next Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce.