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About Tom Coburn 2007-12-13 12:50:59 Oklahoma Senator Tom Coburn, a Republican, has received a great deal of attention in news sources around the country, including in the Clarion-Ledger. The CL has made note of Coburn blocking $13.5 million to create a “cold-case unit” to look into unpunished crimes from the civil-rights era. When you hear this; you first inclination is to think he’s either 1) racist and/ or 2) just a mean guy. Since most Mississippians probably don’t know more about the Senator, that may be their initial reaction; but there is more to this than Coburn simply blocking this bill. Tom Coburn, is without question, one of the two or three most principled Senators when it comes to eliminating pork and reducing spending. And Coburn has made himself the lead man in blocking legislation that increases spending. This time of the year, the leadership usually tries to push through bills by unanimous consent. If there are no objections, the bill passes just like that. Many of these bills can go unread. C ...

Senate Race Cracks RealClearPolitics Top 10 List 2007-12-11 17:45:16 RealClearPolitics.com regularly updates a list of the 10 most competitive Senate, and has moved Trent Lott’s soon-to-be-open seat into that list. Here is what they say: 10. Mississippi (R-Open): Resigning Sen. Trent Lott is leaving big shoes to fill, and Republicans might actually have some trouble filling them. As Gov. Haley Barbour looks around for a Republican to hold the seat, Rep. Roger Wicker is seen as the front-runner. Wicker has plenty of cash on hand, giving him a lead over any potential Democratic opponent. Democrats are working on former Attorney General Mike Moore and former Gov. Ronnie Musgrove, both of whom would be top picks to steal the seat. But any Democrat will find it difficult, if not impossible, to win in this most ruby red of states. If someone like Hillary Clinton is at the top of the ticket, subtract five more points from the eventual Democratic nominee. (Last: Not ranked) ...

Speakers Race In The News 2007-12-11 13:12:46 Daily Journal: Speaker outcome will shape agenda The 2008 election for House speaker will determine whether the race is now about issues. The 2008 election pits incumbent Speaker Billy McCoy, D-Rienzi, against Jeff Smith of Columbus, who though he is a Democrat has a large majority of his support from the 47 Republicans in the 122-member House. The outcome of many issues during the 2008-2011 term could be determined by who is elected speaker. Read the entire story here. Clarion-Ledger: Alliances Key In Race For Speaker of the House When it’s time to vote, Democratic state Rep. Jeff Smith of Columbus isn’t shy about siding with the GOP. But Smith was equally unabashed Monday in his criticism of Republicans, including GOP Gov. Haley Barbour, as he continued his push to unseat Speaker of the House Billy McCoy, a Democrat from Rienzi. “I do feel like the Republican party stresses too much business over individual,” Smith told The Clarion-Ledger editorial board. “I like th ...

BreauxLott.com 2007-12-11 13:02:46 It should be LottBreaux.com. The Hill is reporting that Trent Lott’s son registered the domain name http://breauxlott.com earlier this fall. This seems to indicate that the speculation that Lott would team up with John Breaux, the former Louisiana Senator as lobbying partners, has a lot of truth behind it. Read the entire story here. ...

Judge Calls House Race For Wooten 2007-12-11 12:56:43 A week before a revote in certain precincts of the House District 71 seat was set to take place, Hinds County Circuit Judge Winston Kidd has ordered a certification of the vote, making Adrienne Wooten the winner over incumbent John Reeves. Reeves can appeal this decision, as he indicated he would in this story. ...

Bad To Worse For Scruggs 2007-12-10 19:25:09 Two weeks after the feds entered Scruggs office and he was indicted, the offices of his attorney- Joey Langston- were also raided by the feds. More as we learn more. ...

Landrum On The Issues 2007-12-08 19:54:15 David Landrum, a GOP candidate for the 3rd District, had a profile in the Madison County Journal recently where he went over some key issues he wants to focus on. Education: He believes the most important issue facing the Third District is economic development and its relationship to children’s performance in schools. ”Show me any area in our state that has strong economic development that doesn’t have strong education,” he said. While he believes the Madison area represents a model of development in many ways, he wants to see that kind of success in the economy and schools all over the district from Meridian to Natchez. The City of Jackson: As a board member of Transformation Jackson, a group that works to institute a higher quality of life in the metro area, Landrum also believes the city is vital to the success of the surrounding community and must not be left out of the district’s prosperity. ”Who’s to say where the problem is going to be 20 years from ...

Rounsaville Focusing On Illegal Immigration 2007-12-07 17:30:57 In the latest campaign e-mail from John Rounsaville, he focuses in on the immigration debate, calling it the top issue to most voters. From the e-mail: At every stop, people talked to me about the issues that are important in this race, and immigration is always at the top of the list. Mississippians are disgusted that the federal government has ignored this problem for so long that it has become a crisis. Right now, there are millions of illegal aliens in our country, and each day thousands more cross our open borders. In today’s global climate, this is a serious threat to our homeland security. Liberals in Congress clearly misread the mood of the American people this summer when they tried to pass a blanket amnesty bill that would reward illegal aliens whose first act in this country was to break the law. People throughout Mississippi saw it for what it was: one of the worst pieces of legislation in the last decade. Thanks to the public outcry, this misguided bill was defeated. ...

The New Clarion-Ledger Online 2007-12-06 20:57:52 In case you haven’t noticed, the Clarion-Ledger website has a completely new look. Not sure what I think of it yet, guess I’ll just have to get use to it. ...

Charlie Ross Running For Congress 2007-12-05 12:50:29 View his new website here. Charlie Ross e-mail: Several weeks ago when Congressman Chip Pickering announced he would not seek re-election in 2008, I reached out to friends and supporters to get your thoughts on my running for his seat. Sharon and I received responses from many of you and they were overwhelmingly in support of my seeking the Third Congressional District seat. After prayerful consideration, we have decided that I am going to run for Congress. We believe that I will be able to use the experience from my military career, law practice and service in the state legislature to serve the people of Mississippi. The accomplishments of the last four years show what a dramatic difference can be made when we fight for our conservative values. Working alongside Governor Barbour, I am proud to have been a leader in balancing our budget and passing landmark legislation. Our comprehensive tort reform package was hailed by the Wall Street Journal as a “model for the nation” ...

Hayes Dent Will Run For Senate If… 2007-12-04 18:24:25 I got word from a very good source earlier today that Hayes Dent, Chairman of Hayes Dent Public Strategies, will seek Lott’s Senate seat if Chip Pickering or Roger Wicker decline to do so. Some of Dent’s previous work experience includes the Department of Agriculture under George H.W. Bush, serving in various capacities for Governor Fordice, and he was the Republican nominee for the 2nd District in 1993. Read his biography here: Hayes Dent is Chairman of Hayes Dent Public Strategies, LLC, a lobbying and governmental consulting firm. Headquartered in Jackson, Mississippi, Hayes Dent Public Strategies, LLC represents clients before state executive and legislative bodies as well as federal decision-makers on a wide range of issues. Prior to founding Hayes Dent Public Strategies, LLC, Mr. Dent served as Executive Director of the Delta Regional Authority (DRA) from October 2001 through January 2004. The DRA is a newly created Federal-State partnership agency charged with assisting in t ...

Scruggs and Co. Partying It Up 2007-12-04 17:46:02 When I was a kid and got in trouble, I would get sent to my room and couldn’t have friends over. Apparently, Dickie Scruggs takes a different approach. Dickie and (his wife) Diane hosted a Christmas party welcoming around 200 guests. From the Wall Street Journal: On Saturday night, a red-and-green bus built to look like a trolley car ferried guests from a parking lot near the University of Mississippi through a wrought-iron gate to a new white mansion on a wooded hilltop nearby. Inside, one of the most-prominent trial lawyers in the country, Richard “Dickie” Scruggs, welcomed friends and acquaintances to a lavish Christmas party. As about 200 guests filed through the front door of the white-columned house, Mr. Scruggs and his wife, Diane, appeared unruffled by an event that had rocked their world days earlier: the super-lawyer’s indictment for allegedly conspiring to bribe a Mississippi state-court judge, in a dispute over millions of dollars in legal fees from insurance settl ...

Is Mike Moore Supporting Obama or Biden or Someone Else? 2007-12-04 06:47:49 According to FEC reports, former Attorney General and top Democratic Senatorial candidate Mike Moore, has not given out a whole lot of money to Democratic candidates, but has given donations to two different presidential candidates this time around. The first was two separate donations to Joe Biden back on April 24, 2006 (here and here). Then on June 27, 2007, Moore contributed to the Barack Obama campaign. I may be wrong, but I haven’t found any articles on Moore publicly endorsing any candidates. Besides the Scruggs connection, Moore will have to answer who he is supporting in ’08 if he does throw his hat in the ring. ...

Tuck Not Interested In Senate Seat 2007-12-03 17:39:34 According to this WTOK story, Amy Tuck is not interested in being appointed to either Trent Lott’s Senate seat or running for Chip Pickering’s House seat (should he get the appointment and it opens up). Tuck told Newscenter 11 she is not interested in serving in Sen. Trent Lott’s seat until a special election is held Nov. 4, 2008, nor in Rep. Chip Pickering’s seat, should he be appointed to the Senate position. “I have been honored to serve at lieutenant governor of this state and I look forward to working as a special assistant to Dr. Foglesong at Mississippi State University,” Tuck said. I have updated the list of possible Lott successors and crossed her off. ...

David Landrum’s First Ad 2007-12-03 17:30:29 Here is the story from when Landrum entered the race in mid-November: Landrum Enters Race for Pickering’s Seat The race for Chip Pickering’s congressional seat is getting crowded. David Landrum becomes the third candidate to announce his intentions to run for election for the third congressional district office here in Mississippi. Landrum says he plans to fight for lower taxes for families and small business. He wants to supply our military with better equipment. And Landrum says he opposes amnesty for illegal immigrants and favors securing our borders. Introduced by his wife of 29 years, Landrum told family and supporters it was time Mississippi values are represented in Washington. “I do not believe that Nancy Pelosi represents Mississippi’s values,” Landrum said. “With your support I will go to congress and I’ll make sure our values are not compromised or forgotten.” A native of Jones County, Landrum currently lives in Madison County and owns a business. So ...