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Don’t You Mean Ex-Governor, Ex-Governor Musgrove? 2008-01-09 06:14:53 A quick look by an uninformed voter at the front page of the MusgroveForSenate website and they would think he is currently governor. Why would they have that impression- because he keeps referring to himself as Governor Musgrove? Nice try EX-governor… ...

McCoy Holds On, What’s Next? 2008-01-08 17:38:53 Well, Billy McCoy held on, 62-60 was the vote and he wins another four-year term as Speaker of the House. It took three votes before a 61-61 tie was broken when Rep. Linda Coleman (D-Mound Bayou) defected to McCoy’s camp. She is also a member of the Black Caucus. (I would have loved to been a fly on the wall when McCoy’s supporters were courting Coleman). As for the future, I wish McCoy the best this term. I hope he goes into this session humbled (realizing more than 49 percent of his colleagues voted against him, down from unanimous support four years ago) and with an open mind. I will just leave with this point- McCoy can decide he is going to go on a tyrannical rule as a result of the attempted overtaking by Smith and his supporters and hope he doesn’t lose one supporter along the way. Or he can properly read the rules, not try to change them to fit his needs, fairly distribute chairmanships and let popular legislation see the light of day (even if McCoy and his cronies disa ...

Today’s The Day 2008-01-08 06:15:27 Legislatures will make the single most important vote of this four-year session today when they choose between Billy McCoy and Jeff Smith for the powerful Speaker’s post. From the Columbus Dispatch endorsement of Smith: Smith says he wants to bring more harmony in the Legislature and to its relations with GOP Gov. Haley Barbour. With caustic political disputes and legislative gridlock occurring too often the past four years, Smith would be a welcome change for a more efficient lawmaking process in funding Mississippi government and setting the public policies of our state. McCoy has predicted his challenger would be a Barbour flunky who would surrender the Democrat-majority House to Republicans, but that’s not Smith’s inclination. He’s an even-keeled, moderate leader who works well with politicians of all stripes. Unlike McCoy, he’ll be balanced in appointing Democrats and Republicans to the committee chairs that control the flow of bills in the House. That would br ...

Upon Further Review… 2008-01-07 18:04:00 Ronnie Musgrove made it obvious what type of campaign he plans on running with this press release today. Not only is it a bad idea to go negative in the second hour of your campaign, it’s a worse idea when its full of make-believe illusions from your one term as governor. Citing his experience as a governor who balanced every budget and cut state spending rather than raise taxes… Referring to his years as governor, Musgrove said “Our spending was smart, our economy was growing, we were investing in education and we were attracting jobs and investment. We did it by working across political lines and watching the bottom line. That’s the kind of federal government this country needs and this state deserves. And that leadership and example has to start in Washington.” Care to go into details about that balanced budget? When Haley Barbour took the oath of office, Mississippi had a $700 million deficit. Unless there was some governor in between Musgrove and Barbour; it is hardly ...

Musgrove Strikes, Wicker Strikes Back 2008-01-07 17:25:43 In declaring his candidacy for the Senate, Ronnie Musgrove decided to attack Roger Wicker in this press release (I will do some analysis on this soon). Here is the response from Wicker: “It is disappointing that Ronnie Musgrove waited until only his sixth or seventh breath to get down in the mud and start negative campaigning by criticizing Senator Wicker. This may be a new record for Mississippi campaigns. The people of Mississippi are tired of politicians like Mr. Musgrove and their negative attacks, and I don’t think they are going to stand for his brand of politics. They said so once, and they will say so again.” “But if he wants to make this campaign about the success and achievements of Senator Wicker in responding to the needs of Mississippians by delivering for them in Washington, I say that’s a campaign we welcome.” ...

Two Ronnie’s For The Price Of One 2008-01-07 06:04:28 You try to spend a couple days in a deer stand, and you are almost certain to miss something in Mississippi politics these days. The big news over the weekend- former governor (and one of my former Political Science professors at Ole Miss) Ronnie Musgrove and former Congressman Ronnie Shows have thrown their hats in the ring on the Democratic side for the open Senate seat. There is no primary, but the winner must receive a majority vote- sort of like the Louisiana system. If no candidate receives 50 percent, then the top two will be in a run-off following the election. About Musgrove, we know the baggage he comes with. Here is the story about “toe-gate” from the Nashville Post where we learned about the ex-governor’s toe fetish. Also, here are a couple oldies on the flag referendum. This first story gives some background, this piece goes into more detail, and here is a follow-up after the vote. ...

Club For Growth Endorses Ross In MS-3 2008-01-07 05:47:29 A national anti-tax PAC got involved in the Third District open seat over the weekend when they endorsed former State Senator Charlie Ross to succeed Chip Pickering as the district’s next rep. Press release: Today, the Club for Growth PAC endorsed Republican State Senator Charlie Ross in Mississippi’s Third Congressional District, left open by Rep. Chip Pickering’s retirement. Over the eleven years that Charlie Ross has served in the Mississippi Legislature, he has been a champion of pro-growth legislation and economic freedom, serving as a key leader in passing meaningful tort reform. He even won three national awards for his efforts on this important issue. Ross has been a vocal defender of private property, opposing eminent domain powers and an eager supporter of tax cuts, urging the governor to call a special legislative session in 1999 for the sole purpose of cutting income taxes. Ross also has a history of voting against tax increases and supporting decreased government s ...

Barbour Unveils Health Insurance Plan, Tax Study 2008-01-03 17:30:44 From the Sun-Herald: Gov. Haley Barbour said Thursday he will propose a Mississippi health insurance exchange for small businesses during the upcoming legislative session. Meeting with reporters, the governor also called for a comprehensive study of Mississippi’s tax system and said Leland Speed, former director of the Mississippi Development Authority, would lead the study group. Barbour said the insurance exchange is needed because an estimated 500,000 people in Mississippi do not have medical coverage and a fourth of those work at small businesses. He said the money that small businesses spend on the insurance plan wouldn’t be subject to taxation. The same would apply to company employees who have to make a contribution to the insurance plan. Creating the voluntary program would require a “small” state investment and a law to authorize it, the governor said. Barbour said the biggest impediment to health care is cost. “By a number of small businesses coming together an ... Health

Smith Claims Victory- Has Support From Robert Johnson 2008-01-02 18:02:08 For those of you who are not aware, Rep. Johnson is African-American, a member of the LBC and was on Billy McCoy’s initial list of 62- meaning McCoy only has 61 at best (assuming he didn’t claim more support he doesn’t have). Despite the LBC’s best effort to vote in a bloc, there is at least one if not more members supporting Smith. Alan at Y’all Politics has some good analysis on this. This is going to be very interesting… Smith for Speaker press release: The election for Speaker of the House of Representatives will be held in six days. Our campaign team has worked diligently for many weeks and we would like to now announce our success in achieving a majority number of votes committed to Rep. Jeff Smith for this position. We now have commitments from over 62 members of the House and this is enough to win this election. Over the next few days our leadership team will be working to organize the administration of the House and begin work on committee assignments. Rep. Jeff S ...

Travis Childers, Glenn McCullough Running For First District Seat 2008-01-02 17:39:34 A Republican and Democrat throw their hat in the ring… From the Daily Journal: Former mayor Glenn McCullough Jr. chose his first political stomping grounds here Wednesday to launch a regional tour announcing his bid for the U.S. House of Representatives. Speaking to nearly 100 people gathered at City Hall, McCullough cited his strong conservative values and experience in local, regional and national government as proof he can fill the shoes of new Sen. Roger Wicker, who resigned the 1st District post when he was appointed to the Senate by Gov. Haley Barbour on Monday. McCullough also made announcements in Columbus, Olive Branch and Oxford. “This race is not about local problems,” the Republican candidate said, “it’s about local possibilities. It’s not about regional obstacles, it’s about regional opportunities.” Travis Childers press release: Travis Childers of Booneville announced today that he is running for the Congressional seat that is being vacated by Firs ...

2008: Who I’m Supporting 2008-01-02 06:12:00 Iowa is just a day away, New Hampshire shortly after that and before we blink we will have each party’s nominee for president. While I am not sure what things will look like come March 11, here is who I like and will support. Check out this post to see who I don’t necessarily like. In that post, I talked about all the candidates except three- Rudy Giuliani, Mike Huckabee, and John McCain. Let me first talk about Rudy. For most folks, their first impression of Giuliani was formed on and shortly after September 11th. But, his record goes further back than that. In the 1980s, he was a prosecutor and made a name for himself by going after the mob and helping to minimize their presence in New York City. He lost his first run at mayor in 1989, but came back to win his first of two terms in 1993. You can either give credit to Giuliani or not, but under his eight years NYC experienced a great turnaround and revitalization if you will. Crime went down, the number of people working went up, ...

WickerForSenate.com Goes Live 2007-12-31 16:00:06 That didn’t take to long. Check out Senator Wicker’s new campaign website here and click here to make a donation to his campaign. ...

Southaven Mayor Greg Davis Running 2007-12-31 15:59:46 Let the games begin…According to the Clarion-Ledger, Davis has filed the appropriate papers to run for the First District House seat that Wicker vacated earlier today when he took Lott’s seat. Read his bio here. This is just the beginning of what may be a long list of candidates. ...

Another Open Seat For The GOP 2007-12-31 14:58:04 The appointment of Roger Wicker did not surprise too many people, but it does set up an open seat in the 1st district. The governor does not appoint a replacement. He must call a special election within 60 days of the vacancy and it must be held at least 40 days after that. So, the election to fill the remainder of Wicker’s term will most likely take place on March 11 to go along with the primaries. The winner will then have to run again in November for the full two-year term. SEC. 23-15-853. Special elections to fill vacancies in representation in Congress; notice; qualification by candidates: If a vacancy happens in the representation in Congress, the vacancy shall be filled for the unexpired term by a special election, to be ordered by the Governor, within sixty (60) days after such vacancy occurs, and to be held at a time fixed by his order, and which time shall be not less than forty (40) days after the issuance of the order of the Governor, which shall be directed to the comm ...

Wicker’s Statement 2007-12-31 14:24:20 It’s a little long, but it gives some background on Wicker and goes over some key issues. Upon Appointment of Roger F. Wicker to the US Senate Jackson, Mississippi, December 31, 2007 Thank you, Governor Barbour, for having the confidence and trust to ask me to assume this tremendous responsibility. I share this special moment with my family. They are with me here today. My wife Gayle has been my steady partner now through 32 years of marriage, including four years in the Air Force and 20 years of elective service. Along the way, she has been a small businesswoman, an educator, and most importantly mother to our three wonderful children – Margaret Wicker McPhillips, who is joined today by her husband, Manning McPhillips; Caroline Wicker, who is courageously accompanied this morning by my son-in-law to-be, Kirk Sims; and my son and future Air Force officer McDaniel Wicker. My Father and hero, Fred Wicker, is a retired Circuit Judge, who also served in the State Senate and as County A ...