&uot;I don’t get into politics.&uot; &uot;I haven’t had time to even keep up with the election.&uot; &uot;I don’t really have too much of an opinion on that.&uot; Those are typical answers you’ll hear from Miss-Lou residents if you ask what matters most to them in this election. Is it voter apathy, or are people simply not keeping up with campaign news? Those are concerns the candidates vying for the nation’s highest office — George W. Bush and Al Gore — face.

&uot;I don’t watch T.V. that much, so I&160;haven’t really been keeping up with the election,&uot; said Arlean Brown, 45, who works as a cashier in Ferriday.

Virginia Mullins, a young mother from Franklin County, said the same.

&uot;I’ve got two small children, so we usually end up watching ‘Blue’s Clues,’&uot; she said.

While that may come as a surprise to some — especially in a race predicted to be so close in November — Dr. Joseph Parker, a political science professor at the University of Southern Mississippi, isn’t surprised in the least.

&uot;The Cold War has been over for almost a decade. National issues are about surpluses rather than deficits,&uot; Parker said. &uot;Recession was a big issue in 1992, but we have had months of economic growth, perhaps for the longest period in recent history.

&uot;There’s a certain level of ‘fat, dumb and happy,’ if you will. So I’m not surprised that there is a sort of casual, detached view, even seven weeks away from the election.&uot;

Mike Henry, an investment advisor in Natchez, said, historically, when the economy is good, people are not concerned about politics. &uot;There’s no sense of urgency,&uot; Henry said. &uot;Most people are better off today than they were eight years ago.&uot;

Perhaps the most comparable period of national economic prosperity — current local economic woes not withstanding — and tranquil politics was in the 1950s, Parker said.

&uot;But even back then, you had the Cold War and beginning of the civil rights movement to contend with,&uot; he added. &uot;Now, you don’t even have that.&uot;

In such a year, strong Republican issues — lower taxes, national security and crime — don’t resonate with voters. The top issues — Medicaid, Social Security — are ones that have traditionally been strong for Democratic candidates.

For example, &uot;1980 was the year of Reagan’s tax cuts, but that message doesn’t apply in a period of economic prosperity, of cell phones and SUV’s,&uot; Parker said.

But perhaps one turn-off of this campaign for voters is that so many of candidates’ messages are based on issues polls say are important that the candidates’ messages sound very much alike.

&uot;There are some nuances, … but they sound much the same,&uot;&160;Parker said.

Debbie Sullivan of Natchez said she doesn’t like what she’s hearing from either of the two major candidates.

&uot;I don’t agree with most of the platforms,&uot; Sullivan said. &uot;When election time does come around, who am I going to vote for? I don’t know.&uot;

Messages aside, Malrea Pullins said the campaigns have not yet caught her interest.

&uot;It’s a little too far away just yet,&uot; she said.

Others, like Robert Blair of Natchez, said they have already cast their vote, and no amount of campaign coverage will change their decision.

&uot;My mind is already made up,&uot; Blair said.

Darryl Grennell, Adams County supervisor, represented the area at the National Democratic Convention in August.

Grennell said he does not agree with the generalization that Miss-Lou residents are apathetic toward the presidential race.

&uot;In my community, at least, a lot of people are talking about it,&uot; said Grennell, referring to the black community.

&uot;Maybe it’s a difference in communities,&uot; he said.

The size of the community might also play a role in interest.

Pat Dickens, chairman of the Adams County Democratic Executive Committee, said people in larger cities seem to be more concerned with the race.

More media choices, including local television, morning and evening papers and radio, may contribute to that interest, Dickens said.

&uot;It may just be the area we’re in,&uot; she said.

&uot;I don’t think its apathy,&uot; Dickens said. &uot;It’s lack of information and no local conflict.&uot;

Many Mississippians believe the state’s electoral votes will go to Republican nominee George W. Bush and their vote won’t matter, which Dickens said is a &uot;mistake.&uot;

National polls show a tight race, with Democratic nominee Al Gore leading by only a few points.

But, those Miss-Lou residents who are unconcerned by the national race may not be alone, national analysts say.

The excuse that &uot;my vote doesn’t count&uot; is more untrue than ever in an election that holds so many critical offices in the balance.

The presidency, of course, is at stake, but perhaps more significant is control of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Republicans’ narrow majority could be lost by only six or seven seats out of 435 on the ballot.

The Senate is in similar circumstances. Democrats are aggressively competing for 19 seats this fall, many of which are held by first-time Republican incumbents.

In the judicial branch, all eyes are on the U.S. Supreme Court. The next president will conceivably have the opportunity to appoint two, three or even more to the nine-member bench.