BAY ST. LOUIS, Miss. -- Don’t accuse Gene Taylor of not understanding the needs and concerns of his constituents, especially not this election season.
Hurricane Katrina didn’t really give a rip who you were when she struck her deadly blow on Aug. 29 last year, didn’t care if you were a hairdresser or a Realtor or a plumber or even, as is the case with Taylor, a 17-year member of the U.S. House of Representatives. The storm demolished the Bay St. Louis Democrat’s Cedar Point home of 28 years right along with those of his neighbors.
A wild boat ride into the disaster area with his teenage son gave Taylor his first shocking glimpses of the devastation and a perspective on the storm wider than the view from any congressional hearing chamber. It’s an outlook that has led Taylor into pitched battle with insurance companies and ex-FEMA director Michael Brown, and has kept him constantly hustling for federal assistance for his state and district ever since the storm waters receded.
As a result, the former Bay St. Louis councilman and state senator, already popular with local voters to a degree that most politicians can only dream of, has become even more revered. “Hometown hero,” the Sun-Herald newspaper labeled him in an adoring front-page spread last spring. Taylor faces a Republican opponent, but when the votes are counted Tuesday, “We’re looking to do in the low 80s,” says aide Beau Gex nonchalantly, meaning percent.
That’s a pretty heady number in a time when a neighboring congressman, William Jefferson of Louisiana, faces nagging questions over $90,000 found in his freezer, House members seem to be resigning regularly in the face of scandals and only 16 percent of U.S. voters approve of the job their federal lawmakers are doing. Dozens of interviews around Taylor's district did not turn up a single voter, Republican or Democrat, who had a bone to pick with the incumbent. Waveland cop Theresa Beeson summed up the sentiment: "Gene Taylor is the man."
'He's yummy'
In addition to his hurricane heroics, Robert Redford good looks -- “He’s yummy,” says another female admirer -- and solid constituent services, the 53-year-old Taylor’s immense popularity can be laid to his personal lifestyle, plain-speaking ways and conservative stands on the issues that matter most to the voters of a district that supported President Bush in 2004 by 66 percent.
A tae kwon do karate black belt for years, he practices the self-reliance he preaches. He’s rebuilding his own hurricane-ravaged house, setting 3,000-pound concrete pillars with the help of buddies and hefting dozens of 16-foot-long rough 2X12s into place by himself. He often drives himself around the district in an aging diesel Mercedes wearing a leather jacket, khakis and well-scuffed Topsiders.
Taylor’s suggestion that insurance agents should be registered like sex offenders drew widespread local appreciation and national media play. After Taylor took Brown to task at a congressional hearing for the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s response to Katrina, the former FEMA director struck back in a recent Playboy magazine interview by calling the congressman a “little twerp” and saying “he can just bite me.” Taylor quickly issued a statement calling Brown an “incompetent fool” and saying Brown was lucky that Taylor had not done more than “just verbally kick his butt.”
A devout Catholic and a regular at area Masses, Taylor is a staunch abortion foe. While in the state Senate, he authored one of the toughest sentencing laws in the nation for drug pushers. He’s pro-gun and pro-death penalty. He has voted against gay marriage and gay adoption, against affirmative action, for random drug tests for federal employees and for school prayer. While he votes with Republicans on many issues, the card-carrying Blue Dog Democrat is harshly critical of Bush’s fiscal policy and a stern balanced-budget advocate; he voted against the president’s tax cuts.
Even his token Republican opponent, arch-conservative Biloxi accountant Randy McDonnell, finds it difficult to criticize Taylor’s record in Congress, choosing instead to blast the incumbent’s membership in what McDonnell describes as the anti-gun, pro-abortion, pro-gay, soft-on-crime, woodpecker-loving Democratic Party.
A Democrat in GOP territory
Which brings up the pretty good question of why someone with Taylor’s views on so many things is a Democrat in a district that hasn’t voted for his party’s nominee for president since Taylor was a toddler back in 1956.
“I think of it as the party that represents the average Joe,” Taylor says as he leads a couple of journalists on a quick tour of the 4th District. “The Republican Party represents Bechtel.”
He sees the San Francisco-based construction behemoth as a prime example of special interests that have made billions with the help of Republican allies in the Bush administration and Congress. In Mississippi, Taylor says, Bechtel got $16,000 each to deliver FEMA trailers about 75 miles in a “cost-plus, no-bid contract given to a major contributor to the president’s campaign.”
Taylor believes that Bechtel stood to make more money by extending the delivery of the trailers “with what appeared to be eye-droppers,” one reason it took so long to get them to Katrina victims. That made him wonder about how efficiently Bechtel was operating under its billions of dollars in deals to help rebuild Iraq. “I called (CEO and Chairman) Riley Bechtel” and told him to expect Congress to investigate. “If you’re doing this badly in Southern Mississippi, what are you doing in Iraq? And I keep my promises.”
Having served under most possible combinations of Democratic and Republican presidents and Houses, Taylor says the current situation with Republican control at all levels has been the worst. If Democrats retake Congress, voters can expect “a lot more scrutiny at every level of how our nation is run.”
“It really has been a rubber-stamp Congress,” he says. “That’s when you get corruption, when nobody’s watching.”
New view of insurance industry
Taylor says Katrina also taught him that the insurance industry is in need of some serious watching. “As a state senator and a congressman, I voted for almost every tort reform issue that came up, which means I voted with the insurance industry. I have come to look upon these guys in an entirely different light since the storm, based on what they did to people in my neighborhood and what they did to me.”
He believes Congress must remove the antitrust exemption now enjoyed only by insurers and Major League Baseball, establish federal regulation and mandate all-perils coverage, policies that will end after-the-fact arguments between companies and customers like the one along the Gulf Coast about whether Katrina’s wind or water caused the damage.
In a Democrat-controlled House, Taylor would expect to get the chairmanship of the Armed Services Subcommittee on Projection Forces. The panel’s focus on shipyards plays to the 13 years he spent in the Coast Guard. And the full committee is an apt assignment for a member with Naval Station Pascagoula, Keesler Air Force Base, Camp Shelby, and Seabees and Air National Guard units in his district.
Taylor, who voted against the 1991 U.S. invasion of Iraq but for the 2003 war, is among those questioning the current situation. “It probably makes me angrier than most when they say ‘stay the course,’” he says. “They need to do a better job of steering the ship if they’re going to stay the course.”
In his five visits to the war-torn nation, he has seen Iraqi sentiment turn from 80 percent support of U.S. troops to 80 percent against. “I don’t see how you turn that around.” He suspects that the U.S. presence may have done more to encourage terrorists than discourage them.
Discussing Iraq at town hall meeting
“There is no link between 9/11 and the Iraqis, other than what Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity say,” Taylor told his audience at a town hall meeting in Long Beach last week. Asked if leaving would only do more to embolden terrorists, he replied, “I’m not convinced. … You didn’t see the Afghanistanis follow the Russians to Russia. The Vietnamese didn’t follow us to San Francisco. They just wanted us out of there.”
Taylor himself doesn’t want to go anywhere. He relishes the local-boy-makes-good role that lets him help his friends and neighbors. He’s eager to get his own house rebuilt and looks forward to spending holidays there with his wife, Margaret, who is in advertising, and kids Sarah, 27, in the financial sector; Emily 24, who works for her dad’s campaign; and Gary, 18, who just started attending the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. He thinks it will be at least five years before the area returns to something like normal.
If he were to leave Congress, he thinks he might like to teach. And it’s clear from watching him speak to a group of sixth-graders at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Elementary School in Long Beach that he would do well. He patiently explains everything from the federal deficit to the Bosnian conflict.
When one of the kids asks why local political leaders are pressing so hard to rebuild when chances are that another hurricane will someday knock it all down again, he tells them it’s simple: “We think it’s the best place on Earth.”
Waveland mayor in tight re-election battle
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I had voted a straight Republican ticket for the last 30 years, UNTIL Gene Taylor came along. He is a man of good character who believes in what he says and acts on what he believes. Several years ago, my son's high school band went to DC for a performance. Mr. Taylor not only came out to meet us, he stayed and talked to several of our young people. He shook hands with them, talked to them and made a very good impression with the parents who were there. So, there is no problem with me deciding how to vote - it's Gene Taylor all the way. I wish the best for him and his family in their re-building efforts.
Sue H - Petal
Sue H. , Petal MS (Sent Nov 6, 2006 9:23:14 AM)
It sounds like Rep. Gene Taylor has been doing a stellar job for his constituents post-Katrina and it's not surprising how popular he is in light of that. If I lived in his district, even though I don't agree 100% with him on some of the issues mentioned, I imagine I'd vote for him, too. He just sounds like a good man.
I wish him every bit of luck hustling in Congress and standing up to FEMA and to the Bush Administration for the assistance Katrina survivors still need. Because while it was inspiring to read about his being able to rebuild his own home with the help of buddies, not everybody would be able to do that either physically, ability-wise, or financially. For example, elderly people on fixed incomes and others who would have no way to pay back a loan--which is what Americans have to do after disasters. This is truly a disaster when the Bush Administration gives rebuilding money away overseas. I hope Taylor hangs in there and gets Congress and the Bush Administration to make Gulf Coast recovery the high priority it should be.
Olivia Elizabeth Burdon, Peoria, Ill. (Sent Nov 6, 2006 9:34:32 AM)
Reading how close this man is with his constituents is very nice. I just wish the rest of the potential Congressmen and women were this close and this dedicated to their community.
Rafeal, St. Louis, Mo (Sent Nov 6, 2006 9:40:11 AM)
I AM A KATRINA EVACUEE AND SUPPORT CONGRESSMAN TAYLOR ALL THE WAY.
I FAVOR ALL PERILS INSURANCE. LOOK AT IT THIS WAY IF THE WIND PICKS UP A TWO BY FOUR AND HURLS IT THROUGH A PLATE GLASS WINDOW THE INSURANCE COVERS IT. IF IT PICKS UP WATER AND KNOCKS DOWN YOUR HOUSE IT IS NOT COVERED. WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE?
WHEN HURRICANE ANDREW STRUCK FLORIDA IT WAS THE FIRST MAJOR STORM IN 20 YEARS AND ALLSTATE INSURANCE SAID THEY WERE GOING TO DROP THOUSANDS OF FLORIDA CUSTOMERS BUT GOVERNER CHILES BLOCKED THEM. WHEN JEB BUSH WAS ELECTED I WAS DROPPED BY ALLSTATE GO FIGURE.
MY ABSENTEE BALLOT WAS MAILED IN 2 WEEKS AGO.
Rufus Gibbons, Kennett Mo. (Sent Nov 6, 2006 9:56:30 AM)
Well I will express my dissatisfaction with the congressman's efforts to gain re-election; I am of the opinion that his efforsts are for only some of the constituents of the district. First and foremost, his efforts to get tax dollars for the UNINSURED might be highlighted as his best effort, but the fact was that many residents who indeed had flood insurance for many years were grossly UNDERINSURED, due to the escalating values of real estate. For example, I have spoken with residents who were insured for $65,000 but are faced with $300,000 cost to replace what they had. Yet because of the FLOOD policy they had, although inadequate, they are disqualified from the programs to assist them. Mr. Taylor failed the constituents of Waveland for not getting a program that assisted ALL the people. Mr. Taylor will not be getting my vote.
Surviving on Seabrook, Waveland MS (Sent Nov 6, 2006 10:42:14 AM)
I am so glad to you wrote this article...I saw Gene out for diner at with his family days before the storm that changed all our lives...he never stopped working for us folks and as my house nears completion I will continue to live in Waveland....I miss it everyday...thank you Gene for everything
ronnie knowles cochrane alberta canada (Sent Nov 6, 2006 11:01:19 AM)
Congressman Taylor is, indeed, "the man." As a former resident of Gulfport (while telecommuting to Washington, DC), I followed Mr. Taylor's actions in DC and at home very closely. I can honestly say, I respect him more than any other political representative in the country. He not only talks the talk...he honestly walks the walk. Southern Mississippians are very fortunate to have him working for them. I hope that after the Coast is WELL on its way to recovery, he will seriously run for higher office. Our country needs him.
Kathleen Terry-Sharp, Memphis, TN (formerly Gulfport, MS) (Sent Nov 6, 2006 11:15:16 AM)
Too bad I moved out of this county or I would have been hot on the campaign trail promoting you!! We need more people minded like you working for our great state!
J. Ashcraft - Boston, MA / Greenwood, MS (Sent Nov 6, 2006 11:26:09 AM)
As a former longtime Mississippi resident, I have met Gene Taylor and wish everyone could meet Gene Taylor. He was the first person to ever blow me off of my straight Republican ticket vote. When I voted for him, I voted for the man and his values, not the party. When he decides to teach, he could teach a few things to the career politicians in Washington.
Loretta Leischner (Sent Nov 6, 2006 11:57:57 AM)
The real problem with Taylor is he still believes that Washington D.C. is the answer to our problems.
As I watched him in the Katrina hearings I was shocked that he thought the U.S. government should be providing all the care and needs of the residents of his state. HE IS DEAD WRONG. It is self responsibility first and foremost. Then it is State and local govenment roles. This is not a country that was founded on the belief that the federal government should take care of us. Shamefully. people like Gene Taylor just will never get it.
Gerald McMillan (Sent Nov 6, 2006 12:09:21 PM)
It is amazing that a Democrat can hold the Mississippi seat held for many years by Trent Lott - and be so popular. Though Gene's voting record is too conservative for my taste, he is a true Democrat in that he is always on the side of working families who are constantly struggling to make ends meet. There are few people in congress that truly vote their conscience, regardless of consequences. Gene is one of them. When I lived in southern Mississippi I voted for him enthusiastically. And when I saw him on C-Span talking about Katrina, he made me proud to be a former Mississippian.
Larry Gates, Portal, AZ (Sent Nov 6, 2006 12:11:12 PM)
I wish this guy was my rep in Congress. When is he running for president? He sounds exactly like the common sense candidate that we need.
Jane Smith, MO (Sent Nov 6, 2006 12:20:36 PM)
will he run for president?
scott, lithonia, ga. (Sent Nov 6, 2006 12:44:27 PM)
I had the pleasure of knowing Gene Taylor and his family for more than 26 years now and back when Gene was peddling cardboard boxes to my company in the early 80's. I have since come to know "Congressman" Gene Taylor and although I thought that he was a tad unseasoned and therefore unprepared to take on the tasks of being our Congressman in his 30's, he has since proven me wrong about his abilities and especially the skills that he has since developed during his tenure as our Congressman over the past 17 years. Katrina has probably proven to be Gene's greatest challenge to date. Congressman Taylor has shown us all that he has the right stuff and will do whatever it takes to do right by his constituents and he as certainly earned our respect. Gene has not disappointed me and I expect that his growing list of great accomplishments are now only beginning!
Hank Renken (Sent Nov 6, 2006 1:37:06 PM)
Larry Gates, you answered your own question. Gene holds on to his seat because he votes like a Republican. I often wish he would vote like a Democrat more often, but I suppose if he did he'd be thrown out in the next election. The best thing one can say about him is that he represents his constituency very well. Unfortunately his votes and my interests are often diametrically opposed.
David E. Sallis, Bay St. Louis, MS (Sent Nov 6, 2006 3:34:24 PM)
We need more congress people like Gene Taylor. Having lived on the coast for year I have followed Mr. Taylors progress. He will continue to serve the people.
Gary Mitchell, Las Vegas, NV (Sent Nov 6, 2006 3:36:24 PM)
Ok. so Rep. Taylor got to belittle Brownie as he appeared before congress. Now tell me, what did all
the congressmen do BEFORE Katrina to have us prepared
and ready. Reactive politicians are a dime a dozen. Would someone please show me a proactive politician.
This man, like all the rest in Washington, are good at putting on a show. Now I say, show me what you have done to help America be better. What have you done to improve this country. I see very littel of that here.
Jack Snow, Atlanta, Georgia (Sent Nov 6, 2006 3:42:04 PM)
I lived in Gulfport Mississippi when Gene started his political career and I have followed him ever since. I still vote Republican the majority of the time but I will always give Gene my support and my vote. I have seen the difference he has made in South Mississippi. Good Luck Gene and God Bless.
Richard Cruthirds (Sent Nov 6, 2006 3:50:59 PM)
Representative Taylor is a straight forward public servant. He recently was instrumental in putting together a memorial service for the family of one of his constituency who has lost a loved one as a MIA/KIA in the Korean War. As a member of Rolling Thunder, I watched him interact with the family and he could not be any more caring. He is a true Southern Gentleman. He certainly supports the Military and the Vets. Party affiliation does not seem to matter with him. Thumbs up. We can use more like him.
Brian W. Pray, Oxford, MS (Sent Nov 6, 2006 4:57:12 PM)
Gene Taylor is for the common man and for America. He certainly GETS IT, and doesn't back down when he knows he is standing up for the right thing and for the people. We need someone like him for president.
Jane, Southern Mississippi (Sent Nov 8, 2006 1:49:59 AM)
When I first moved to Bay St. Louis after living in Dallas and Miami I was having a hard time getting use to the small town life. I met Gene and his beautiful wife Margaret and they made me feel at home. I talked to Gene about an issue with homeless animals and as much as he had to do he checked into this. I will never forget his concern and kindness. If you care about how things are going now with the animal abuse issue please check out mesbeth.com/animals.html.
mary, pass christian (Sent Nov 8, 2006 10:42:44 PM)
Regarding Gerald who said, "The real problem with Taylor is he still believes that Washington D.C. is the answer to our problems":
Katrina was a huge storm that left so much damage in her wake that the clean-up and rebuilding are a monumental task. While it's great to hear about how Mississippians in Waveland, Bay St. Louis, and other communities have been working together and helping themselves and others rebuild, sometimes with the aid of volunteers, and how proud they have been of doing this themselves, this just isn't enough. There are certain things such as infrastructure repair that are too big, complicated, and costly for people to handle by themselves without government help. Then there are schools, the court system....
Of course state and local governments should be the first to do everything they can to accomplish such repairs and rebuilding, but what if they're cash-strapped? Even the ablest leadership won't be able to get much done if sufficient funds are lacking. I understand that Mississippi is the poorest state in the union and this was true even BEFORE Katrina.
So you need lots of help and Rep. Taylor wisely sees the need to ask Washington for help. While it's admirable to be able to rebuild by yourself with the help of others in your community, sometimes it's just too big and costly a job and outside help is necessary. There's nothing shameful about asking for such help, which isn't "whining" or another sign of weakness, because there are times when it just has to be done in order to get work done. Don't be ashamed that you have a first-rate Congressman who recognizes this fact and is doing all he can to get the help your area needs.
And speaking of being ashamed, here's a member of Congress who is a real jerk who SHOULD be ashamed of himself: New York's Charlie Rangel, who the other day complained of the federal help Mississippi has been getting, and said something to the effect of: "Who the h*** would want to live in Mississippi?"
Olivia Elizabeth Burdon, Peoria, Ill. (Sent Nov 12, 2006 2:51:45 PM)
Gotta love Gene =))
Vanessa, Waveland, MS (Sent Nov 29, 2006 6:50:19 PM)
Put the shoe on the other foot!...Who would live in NY?
andy,booneville ms. (Sent Dec 6, 2006 3:21:25 PM)
I'm with andy...I've been to New York City 3 times. Nice to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there:)
Olivia, Peoria, Ill. (Sent Dec 10, 2006 3:02:04 PM)
I'd live in NYC. I love it. Any day I can get to work in something other than my car is a good day. Can't do that here.
Gene Taylor is a great guy. Probably oine of the least wealth members of Congress, is beholden to no one, and is an approachable guy.
R., BSL (Sent Mar 1, 2007 9:55:45 PM)
Hi! I thought you and your readers might be interested in some post-Easter news about Pope Benedict XVI...
The Pope's car is being auctioned off to raise money for Habitat for Humanity:
www.buyacarvideos.com/popecar.htm
The bidding is already more than $200,000! Personally, I think this is a really fun and creative way to raise
money. The auction goes until April 14th if you and your readers want to check it out.
BJ (Sent Apr 12, 2007 1:12:33 AM)
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