Perplexing (and crafty?) Shad White shows temper
Published 1:01 am Sunday, February 2, 2025
“Shad White is one perplexing politician,” wrote Greenwood Commonwealth Editor and Publisher Tim Kalich on January 17th. “He is smart and capable. He appears to be honest and dedicated to public service. But he sometimes lets his temper get the best of him.”
That temper emerged on Jan. 29, when White, testifying before a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee, exclaimed “you’re a liar” to Sen. John Polk and later threatened to sue Polk for defamation. At other times White has taken to social media to zap those who have dared to criticize him.
“It would appear that White, once a mild-mannered, Ivy League-educated state auditor has become Shad the Irascible,” wrote political writer Geoff Pender in Mississippi Today.
He is perplexing because on the one hand he is smart and competent but on the other – as a self-announced future candidate for governor – he often castigates influential leaders including those in his own party.
Most commenters on White’s state auditor Facebook page seem to like that:
“Stand your ground and don’t back down Shad White!!” wrote one. “We are all standing with you. Keep up the great work and keep the transparency going.”
“Keep fighting for the right way of doing things,” wrote another. “It’s time to end all the corruption in our governments. The honest folks are behind you.”
More often than not, commenters on the Jackson Jambalaya blog see him differently:
“The sad thing is Shad would probably not be a bad governor but he’s too eager and it will bite him in the rear if he doesn’t tone it down,” wrote one. “He is a smart guy and would likely do a decent job but he’s trying too hard. Chill out, focus on your current role, stop picking fights, and just watch things play out.”
“Shadrack made himself a target by incessantly grand-standing and show-boating,” wrote another.
“The worst part of this sham is that Shad had his stooge (employee) sitting in the corner of the (Appropriations Subcommittee) meeting, that you taxpayers are paying the salary of, to FILM HIMSELF,” claimed another.
Evidence of that filming shows up in a video on the auditor’s Facebook page.
White is brilliant but how crafty? Was the film crew there simply to document his proposed $1 million budget cut (actually a budget shift)? Or was a conflagration with Polk anticipated and recorded for future campaign purposes?
Meanwhile, White has also irked Sen. David Parker for what Parker described in his committee as a publicity-driven “race to prosecution.”
The perplexing and temperamental Shad White show has many episodes to come.
Crawford is the author of “A Republican’s Lament: Mississippi Needs Good Government Conservatives.”