Mississippi State Rep. Bobby Moak, D-Bogue Chitto, asks fellow house members to vote no on a bill reauthorizing Mississippi’s Medicaid program during debate at the Capitol in Jackson on Thursday, January 31, 2013. The bill failed. (AP Photo/The Clarion-Ledger, Joe Ellis)
When it came to both the Republican and Democratic Primary in Mississippi, there was no guessing who the voters of the state fully supported.
On the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton nearly took a staggering 83 percent of the votes, something which the new chairman of the Mississippi Democratic Party, Bobby Moak, feels was a wise and well thought-out decision from the voters.
“They were looking for a stable force,” Moak said. “She has a history as a senator, and former first lady, and as a Secretary of State. (Voters) were not afraid of the stance she took on national and international issues. She has a history there, and she’s not a person who is going to lead us into economic disaster.”
Moak also contends that Clinton would be an invaluable ally to the state, and that her relationship with many Mississippians can only further benefit the cause of both state Democrats and citizens in general.
“Mississippi has quite easily been brushed away from the table for an awful lot of years,” Moak said. “(Clinton) is fully aware of the state, and I don’t think Mississippi will be brushed aside any longer. Obviously there is immense power in the office of the presidency, and I think Mississippi will get more than its fair share of attention.”
This insight comes from many years of experience in state politics on Moak’s part. The Ole Miss alum and former Mississippi state representative has been involved in politics ever since his time at the University in an organization titled the Committee of 82.
“They did a little bit of lobbying on behalf of the University, with the state legislature for the most part,” Moak said. “That sort of got me interested in politics. And, from there, I went back home after graduating, and then three years later I got elected to the House of Representatives for 32 years.”
Moak was later encouraged to run for the Democratic Chairman position this past election cycle and won.
“I was just lucky enough to know a lot of folks who pushed me to do the effort,” he said. “It wasn’t really anything I set out to do.”
With both the Democratic and Republican conventions right around the corner, much talk has been raised regarding what the major parties will attempt to focus on in the national platform.
However, according to Moak, when it comes to the platform, Mississippi delegates can be expected to fight for one thing in particular.
“I don’t expect the platform to be anything different than it being an inclusive platform for everyone who wants to be a part,” Moak said. “I think it will be like — sort of like our founding fathers — all men are created equal. Also, everyone should be treated equal under the constitution and the laws of the land.”
Moak feels that such an inherit right is highly important to introduce at a national level at this point in time, and something that has not been properly enforced within Mississippi over the past couple years.
“We absolutely will be pushing that particular agenda,” Moak said. “We’ve seen a lot of that occurring here in Mississippi with some of the legislation our Republican colleagues have been pushing through the legislature that has kind of hoodwinked some folks. It’s just not constitutional, but it is certainly costing taxpayers a lot to defend them.”
As the general election quickly approaches, Moak encourages all students to get out and vote regardless of their preferred candidate and try and get involved in the political process as much as possible.
“While there will be a lot of interest, while there will be a lot of talk, there will also be a lot of slippage in the polls,” Moak said. “You have no reason to complain about the nature of the government and politics if you don’t vote.”
