As the sun rose on the second day of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland yesterday, so did a day of potentially monumental decisions for the party, and Mississippi delegates were in the thick of it.
Of course, controversy regarding Melania Trump’s speech the previous night swirled about, but there was much more serious things to consider than that seeing as how the day’s theme was “Make America Work Again,” a whole segment of the convention dedicated to explaining how Donald Trump is the “jobs president”.
“There is nothing like a good job to relieve someone’s problems in life. So, whatever you can do to create those jobs is a great thing,” Mississippi Congressman Gregg Harper said.
In addition to serving the state’s third congressional district, Harper is also serving as a delegate to the convention.
“We have loads of opportunities that are going to be there, that are going to open up for us. I think one thing Trump has understood … is how the federal government, especially under this current administration, has ramped up the regulatory burden on businesses.”
Harper feels Trump will take action to abolish many of theses regulatory measures in order to encourage growth in the private sector, something that could be exceptionally effective among small business owners in Mississippi.
Regulation of business is quite a common concern of many of the Mississippi Republicans in attendance of the convention, many of which ultimately feel it is what is necessary to ensure a thriving economy
“So many businesses now — productivity is stifled,” said Bradley White, former chairman of the Mississippi Republican Party and current state office director for U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran. “I think the biggest thing (Trump) could do with his administration as president is come through and get rid of the red tape, make the government function a little better for the consumer and businesses.”
In the opinion of Keith Heard, Sen. Cochran’s chief of staff and a delegate at the national convention, there may be a large amount of direct cooperation between Trump and the state’s congressional representatives when it comes to this issue.
“He will work with Senator Cochran to continue and build policies that will be beneficial to to the workers,” said Heard. “I see him making business an attached structure, making business in such a way that it encourages it to grow, and he will encourage business to stay in this country instead of going overseas. So, I think he will be a very powerful jobs maker.”
Last night’s convention featured speeches from the likes of Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, Governor Chris Christie, Dr. Ben Carson and Donald Trump Jr., all of whom spoke on the matter of employment in the United States.
A roll call vote was held of all states to officially cast their votes for the Republican Nomination. Despite the sizable resistance witnessed yesterday regarding Trump and his nomination, there were no noteworthy attempts to follow this up during the official nomination, and certainly none amongst the Mississippi delegation.
“Mississippians tend to be loyal. When we sign up for a program then we fulfill our obligation,” Heard said. “We are here to support Donald Trump. We are unified. And, that was just a lot of silliness, that was going on by some disaffected people.”
Jim Herring, former chairman of the Mississippi Republican Party and delegate to the convention, also wants to focus on the importance of uniting the party for the upcoming general election.
“If you back a candidate and you don’t win, but you feel like for moral reasons or your moral conscious you can’t vote for the nominee, by all means, don’t vote for them, but also, keep your mouth shut,” Herring said. “Ronald Reagan said, of course, ‘Thou shalt not speak ill of another Republican.’ And, Mississippians take that seriously.”
Stay tuned as The DM features more Mississippi representatives at the convention and looks into their work as a delegation.
