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Wicker’s The Man 2007-12-31 14:15:35 Earlier today, Haley Barbour tapped Roger Wicker to fill Trent Lott’s Senate seat. From the Clarion-Ledger: First District U.S. Rep. Roger Wicker was appointed by Gov. Haley Barbour to fill the Senate seat vacated by Trent Lott at a news conference in Jackson this morning. Wicker, a Republican originally from Pontotoc, has been mentioned among insiders as a possible successor since Lott officially resigned Dec. 18, the day the U.S. Senate session closed. Barbour said he chose Wicker because he shared Trent Lott’s mainstream conservative philosophy. ...

2008 Presidential Race: Who I’m Not Voting For 2007-12-29 13:22:21 On to national politics for a minute, here is who I don’t particularly like in advance of the Iowa caucus: The first part of this question is easy- any Democrat. No candidate on the Democratic side understands the necessity of a strong military and winning the war on terror. The only thing they seem to understand is Daily Kos. Moving on… The Republicans: In the back of the pack you mainly have Duncan Hunter now that Brownback, Tommy Thompson, Gilmore and Tancredo have dropped out. I don’t even consider Alan Keyes a candidate and am not sure he is on any ballots. But, back to Hunter, I personally like him, agree with him on most issues except trade, but he never made any traction in the race. I think the main reason he is still around is to try to gain a cabinet position should a Republican win in 2008. I will put Ron Paul in a class by himself. Because of the money he has raised he isn’t in the back, but his poll numbers have not moved up. I obviously don’t agree with Paul ...

Who Will It Be? 2007-12-28 17:51:21 According to the Clarion-Ledger, Haley Barbour will hold two press conferences on Monday and announce who his choice to replace Trent Lott will be. One will be held in Jackson, the other in Gulfport. No word yet if Jim Hood is threatening suit challenging the timing of the press conference. ...

Pickering Not Interested In Senate 2007-12-28 17:46:28 You can scratch Chip Pickering off the list of possible replacements for Trent Lott’s seat. From the Clarion-Ledger: U.S. Rep. Chip Pickering said today in a statement that he would not seek the U.S. senate seat recently vacated by Trent Lott. He also said he asked Gov. Haley Barbour to remove his name from consideration as the appointee to hold the senate seat in the interim. Here is his official statement: “It has been a privilege to serve Mississippi in Congress for these past 11 years. I am extremely honored to be considered as a potential appointee to the U.S. Senate, and I am very grateful to those who encouraged me to consider this opportunity.” “In August, after much prayer, thought and consideration for what I believe is best for my family, I made a very difficult decision not to seek re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2008. I continue to stand by that decision in relation to this Senate vacancy. I believe public service is an honorable calling. But ...

Top 10 Stories Of 2007 (IMHO) 2007-12-27 18:57:12 Here is my list of the 10 biggest stories in Mississippi politics for 2007, plus one bonus… 1. Lott Resigns I think its fair to say the biggest story of the year in Mississippi politics is what is probably the biggest story in sometime- the resignation of Trent Lott. In November, the junior Senator made his intentions known and just this past week tendered his official resignation. Barbour has the right to appoint an interim Senator and there will then be an election in November to fill the remainder of the seat. This will be the first time since 1988 that there is not a true incumbent in the race. Senate seats are generally lifetime appoints and with only four Senators over the past 60 years, the winner stands a great chance of building seniority and power as Lott and Cochran did; and John Stennis and James Eastland before them. 2. Scruggs Indicted Internationally known trial lawyer Dickie Scruggs was indicted the day after Trent Lott announced his retirement plans. Scruggs was i ...

Merry Christmas 2007-12-22 10:27:41 Unless Haley appoints a replacement to Trent Lott’s seat over the next few days (which I wouldn’t expect him to), I will take a break from posting until after Christmas. Here are some of the Christmas commercials from presidential campaign that I was able to find on YouTube. Here is the Mike Huckabee commercial that caused a stir with some who thought the bookshelf in the background closely resembled a cross. From Rudy Giuliani From John McCain From Ron Paul Anyone I’m missing? P.S. I will do some posts on who I am supporting, who I like and who I don’t like in the presidential race after Christmas. Instead of waiting until the Mississippi primary when we may know who the candidates are, I will try to get the posts up before Iowa. ...

Liberal Senate Poll: Eaves Within Two Points Of Wicker (Are You Serious?) 2007-12-21 18:22:14 Yes, that John Arthur Eaves… A national liberal polling group- Greenberg Quinlan Research- has released a 2008 Mississippi Senate poll. They are a Democratic firm and here is how they describe their philosophy: Committed to progressive goals, ideas, and leaders. More from their website: From the solutions page: For Democrats who need research and advice that shows them how to win, Greenberg Quinlan Rosner has the answer. We give campaigns an edge over their opponents, finding innovative ways to break through and win the toughest races in the United States. You can see their clients here. It includes Bill Clinton, Al Gore, Walter Mondale, the DSCC, the DCCC and none other than Harvey Johnson (former Jackson, MS mayor). The poll seems to be commissioned by John Arthur Eaves (I thought I would never have to say that name again) as you can see from the header on the release. For the lover of humanity, I hope he doesn’t run. I might have taken the rest of the numbers seriously ...

The Black Caucus and the Speakers Race 2007-12-20 18:11:02 The Black Caucus held a press conference declaring their support for Billy McCoy, which they have already done before. As a caucus they are supporting McCoy, but they did not say that every member would be supporting McCoy. This was shortly after Jeff Smith released this statement claiming to have the support from some members of the caucus. From the release: Smith stated today, “I have met with both black and white members of the House this week and have received from them signed cards pledging support for me in the election for House Speaker that will be held in January. I am most gratified that these members have told me that they look forward to a House of Representatives that will be administered with both fairness and decorum under my leadership.” Conclusion: We don’t really know anything we didn’t know earlier this week. The Black Caucus will overwhelmingly support McCoy. There may be one or two defection to Smith. We shall see. ...

Barbour Sets Election Date 2007-12-20 18:02:38 The election for Trent Lott’s unexpired Senate seat will take place on November 4th, the next general election date, according to a press release sent out by the governor’s office. Jim Hood has threatened a lawsuit over the date, saying it should be within 100 days, but he is having trouble trying to find one of his campaign donors who has not been indicted to back him up in court. ...

Thank You Senator Lott 2007-12-19 17:25:09 For your 35 years of service on behalf of the state. Read about his last day here. ...

Hood Issues Opinion- Big Deal, He’s Not Relevant 2007-12-18 18:22:55 Big shocker here. After Trent Lott resigned, Jim Hood echoed the Democrats demand that the special election be held within 100 days of the announcement. Haley Barbour and Democratic Secretary of State Eric Clark said that the election should be in November along with the presidential elections, etc. Well, Jim Hood- the man who has nothing to say about his good buddy Dickie Scruggs getting indicted- issued an opinion saying the election needs to be held sometime around March, or else! From the Daily Journal: In an official opinion released Monday, Hood’s office said under state law if Lott resigns this year as he has said he will, the election must be held within 100 days. If he postpones his resignation until 2008, then under state law the election would be on the date of the regularly scheduled November general election, the opinion of the Attorney General’s office said. The official opinion said any postponement of the election “is repugnant to our representative democracy a ...

Is This What You Call Racial Pandering For Votes? 2007-12-17 18:01:40 During the Insurance Commissioner’s race, we heard much in the media about how Mike Chaney was hoping some white voters wouldn’t vote for a black candidate, Gary Anderson. Sure enough, David Hampton, etc. chalked Anderson’s defeat to his race. I now call your attention to this picture (above) that appeared in the Clarion-Ledger as some voters in House District 71 go back to the polls for a revote. Former Jackson city councilman Credell Calhoun is holding an Adrienne Wooten campaign sign along with a large picture of her. Wooten as you can see, is black. District 71 is one that is dramatically changing demographically and simply put, has a lot less white voters then it did just four years ago. In the end, I don’t care if Wooten is getting votes by black voters because she is black; but how about some consistency in the media and acknowledgment that racial pandering is a two-way street. ...

Daily Kos MS Senate Poll 2007-12-15 13:35:03 Daily Kos commissioned a Research 2000 poll on the open Senate seat. We can eliminate Mike Moore from the poll. Both Pickering and Wicker beat Musgrove, but are under 50 percent. Favorable vs. Unfavorable: Wicker- 49 percent favorable, 17 percent unfavorable, 34 percent no opinion Pickering- 46 percent favorable, 19 percent unfavorable, 35 percent no opinion Musgrove- 41 percent favorable, 28 percent unfavorable, 31 percent no opinion Head to Head: Wicker 47, Musgrove 39 Pickering 45, Musgrove 39 Like previous polls, the racial breakdown does not resemble Mississippi’s demographics. They had 87 percent white, 9 black, and 4 percent other. But, the partisan breakdown is fairly accurate- 46 percent R, 39 percent D, 15 percent Indy. Guess they must have been doing a lot of polling in Belhaven… Added 5:00 p.m.: Here are some numbers from the 2004 CNN Exit Survey. Party ID: Democrat- 38 percent Republican- 47 percent Independent- 15 percent Race: White- 65 Black- 34 Latino/ Asian/ Other ...

District 71 Revote On 2007-12-13 22:07:56 From the Clarion-Ledger: The state Supreme Court has ordered that a revote scheduled Tuesday in four precincts proceed in the state House District 71 race. The ruling overturns an order issued by Hinds County Circuit Judge Winston Kidd Dec. 11 telling the Hinds County Election Commission to certify results, which would have named political newcomer Adrienne Wooten the winner. ...

Moore Not Running For Lott’s Seat 2007-12-13 21:45:53 This race goes from Toss-up/ Leans Republican to Safe Republican with that news alone. From the Clarion-Ledger: Former Democratic state Attorney General Mike Moore said he would not seek U.S. Sen. Trent Lott’s seat in the special election scheduled Nov. 4. I am happy doing what I am doing, my family is happy, and I look forward to making a big difference in my state and nation, Moore said in a statement. I have seriously considered the U.S. Senate vacancy as my friends urged me to do, but I have always known that what I am doing now is good enough for me. Is Moore the first casualty of the Scruggs scandal? ...