by Scott Thomas -- WYLL Talk Show Host
James Meeks is out of the governor’s race.
James Meeks spent an hour on my radio program several weeks ago talking about running for governor. He had been quoted as going so far as to say that if he ran, and white Christians didn’t vote for him, he’d go to the top of a skyscraper and call them all racists.
While he backed off from that rhetoric while on my show, he did say that he would run a campaign on the issues most important to Christians like me…abortion and same sex marriage.
I asked him, on the air, if those would be the issues he would run on…defending the life of unborn babies and protecting traditional marriage, and he said yes. He said that’s the reason he would deserve the white Christian vote. He, in effect, challenged white Christian voters in the same way I've challenged all Christian voters...to put their faith where their vote is.
I asked him if he was just using the threat of running to leverage the Governor for the education funding he was calling for. He said “no”, and I took him at his word.
Four weeks ago, I asked him what it would take to get him to actually enter the race, and he said he wanted to hear from white Christians. If he was convinced he would get their support, that would help him make the decision to run.
Well, he got that support, in big numbers, from my audience and others. Last week Wednesday, the governor’s announced education budget did not include what Rev. Meeks was looking for. So last Friday, he announced, through a press release, that he was running for Governor with a state fly-around scheduled for tomorrow to unveil his "People First" party slate of candidates.
But, in published reports this morning, when asked about the education funding, he said, "I asked for it. I got it. I’m satisfied...I’m out.”
What conclusion can I possibly come to, other than, it was never about defending the unborn? It was never about protecting marriage. It was all about a bigger government approach to education in this state.
I had a private conversation with Rev. Meeks just before I went on the air this afternoon. I told him I was very disappointed. I asked him why, on my show, he claimed his campaign would be based on conservative Christian issues. I asked him why, when I asked him if he was calling on Christians to support him in order to put pressure on the Governor to include the education funding he was demanding, he answered "No. It's about representing Jesus in government and the issues important to us."
He told me it was a matter of integrity. His initial demand had been met, so he bowed out. I asked, "What about your integrity with those who gave you the support you asked for?" I was unsatisfied by his answer that tried to steer the conversation back to education.
Many political observers have told me the only thing they were surprised about is that I believed Rev. Meeks in the first place. They say he was just pulling a power play from the start. Well, if I was suckered, he got me good.
But, I’m not angry because I got suckered. If I was, it sure isn’t the first time and it won’t be the last. Anyway, it’s not about me. It’s about the issues that now go unsupported by the major candidates in the race for governor.
Yes, Constitution Party candidate, Randy Stufflebeam will champion those causes. And, Randy Stufflebeam will get my vote in November. And, I urged every single listener to give Randy their vote. But, it’s not likely that Randy will even be invited to the gubernatorial debates, and he doesn’t have enough money to buy ads.
So, where will the voice of the unborn be? Where will the voice of traditional marriage be? Now that Rev. Meeks has turned his back on the governors race, they will be nowhere.
To make matters worse, he has done, with the governor, what all too many others have done with this governor…make a deal. Rev. Meeks has paid to play. The play is the education bill. The payment…drop out of the governor’s race. Rev. Meeks paid…now he’ll get to play with the Governor.
He may be an Independent, but he just walked the governor’s party line…and probably insured his re-election…the re-election of the latest, and perhaps most corrupt, of corrupt governors in this state.
Rev. Meeks? I'm very disappointed, my brother.
