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Smith: What Is The Clarion-Ledger’s Agenda? 2007-12-03 07:42:36 Smith for Speaker press release: The Jackson Clarion-Ledger has on the paper’s website today a “Weekly Poll Question” that asks the reader if he were able to vote for the Speaker of the House position would he vote to re-elect Rep. Billy McCoy. The question does not mention that Rep. Jeff Smith (D, Columbus) is challenging Rep. McCoy for this post and that Rep. Smith is the only known opponent for Rep. McCoy. This type of “polling” is very unscientific and reflects only the opinion of persons who happen to read the Clarion-Ledger website and who are interested enough to send in a vote. This morning the vote showed McCoy with about 46% support and “anybody other than McCoy” with 54%. Sometime this afternoon Victory PAC (Rep. McCoy’s Political Action Committee dedicated to his re-election to the Speaker post) officials sent out an e-mail to their supporters to go to the Clarion Ledger website and vote for McCoy. The e-mail pointed out that there was no re ...

One Fine Mess 2007-12-01 22:46:10 Maybe my last football post of the season… Tomorrow night we’ll find out who will play in the BCS championship game; and the only thing that is certain is that some folks won’t be too happy. All Missouri and West Virginia had to do was win, they’d be playing in the national championship and the BCS decision makers would have an easy decision. It makes sense that Big Ten champions Ohio State (11-1), who are the number three team, will be bumped up to number one and get a ticket to New Orleans for the BCS title game. I don’t think they’re the number one team in the country, but they did what they had to do and essentially “beat the system.” They didn’t play a tough non-conference schedule and the Big Ten was having a down year. I can rant all I want, they are in. Who will be the second team in is a little trickier. Number four in the polls is Georgia so it would make sense they move up to number two, right? Well, they didn’t even win the SEC East. The same can be sai ...

BCA “Disappointed” Ole Miss Didn’t Interview Minority Candidate 2007-12-01 15:57:43 Here is part of what was reported in the Associated Press: The head of Black Coaches & Administrators is disappointed Mississippi and Texas A&M did not interview minority candidates before making high-profile hires this week. (Executive Director) Floyd Keith said he sees a disturbing pattern developing this year after both Ole Miss and Texas A&M focused on one candidate and moved swiftly to fill their vacancies. Texas A&M hired Mike Sherman and Ole Miss brought in Houston Nutt. “I’m as disappointed (about Ole Miss) as I was with the situation at Texas A&M,” Keith said. “There’s not much difference. It just concerns me that this practice seems to continue and we’re not seemingly getting any closer to a diverse or an inclusive search for football.” And here is what Pete Boone said in response: Ole Miss athletic director Pete Boone said he regretted not going through the BCA’s suggested interview process, but felt Nutt’s presence on the op ...

LA-Sen: Kennedy Will Challenge Landrieu 2007-12-01 09:07:53 A couple days late on this; but we have had a few stories unfold in Mississippi recently. Our neighbors from Louisiana will get a chance vote for a strong conservative and get rid of Hillary clone Mary Landrieu next year. State Treasurer John Kennedy, who recently switched parties has officially declared his candidacy for the U.S. Senate. Louisiana has certainly been trending Republican, which included Bobby Jindal’s gubernatorial victory in October, and Kennedy stands a strong chance of unseating Landrieu. Here are some Zogby poll numbers (commissioned by Kennedy’s campaign) showing the challenger leading 45-38 early. Check out Kennedy’s website here. And for a Mississippi connection? Kennedy was born in Centerville; in Southwest Mississippi. ...

Will Barbour Appoint A Caretaker? 2007-11-30 17:30:44 Human Events columnists John Gizzi wrote an interesting piece about Trent Lott’s retirement and who may be the next successor. Gizzi seems to be under the impression that Barbour is likely to appoint a “caretaker” for the seat, most notably retired federal judge Charles Pickering. I, for one, don’t think Barbour will make this decision as it will make it easier for a Democrat in November if there is a large field of Republicans and not one consensus candidate. ...

All The Scruggs Info You Need 2007-11-30 12:49:42 Alan at Y’all Politics has set up a new temporary category on all things Dickie Scruggs at the top of his blog. Check it out to see regular updates from numerous media outlets. Insurance Coverage Law Blog has been covering the Scruggs saga for a long time and have some excellent coverage and analysis. Overlawyered also has round-ups on Scruggs including links to a number of good resources. And here is a direct link to a good read from the Oxford Eagle with a lot of information. ...

Acorn The Coach 2007-11-30 05:48:34 Back to football once again… When I reported on the great hire of Houston Nutt three days ago, I jokingly asked about what kind of PR campaign Ole Miss will come up with. With a proven coach like Nutt, I don’t think you need one (like we did with “O The Coach”). However, the possibilities are endless when you’re name is Nutt… Anyways, a new website (not affiliated with Ole Miss) has been launched and they are selling “Nutt The Coach” stickers and t-shirts. Can you say “Acorn The Coach?” At least a portion of the sales goes to St. Jude’s. ...

Clinton Cancels Scruggs Fundraiser 2007-11-29 18:19:11 I imagine it wouldn’t be wise to have Dickie Scruggs host a fundraiser for you at this point. As a result, the Clinton campaign has dropped the December 15th date with Scruggs. Here is what was reported in the Sun-Herald: “In light of new developments we have canceled the event,” said Blake Zeff, a campaign spokesman. Zeff did not elaborate on the announcement. Yea, I’d say there have been some “developments,” in possibly the understatement of the year. Hattip: Y’all Politics ...

More On Scruggs Indictment- The Hood, Moore, Scruggs Love Triangle 2007-11-29 12:46:39 Below is a copy of the indictment. Click on it to read the entire PDF. There is an attempt by some in the liberal blogs (here and here) to portray the Scruggs indictment as Trent Lott’s scandal (and a Republican scandal in general). I understand their in-depth knowledge of Mississippi politics in not there, and I understand the connection between Scruggs and Lott (being his brother-in-law); but the truth is Scruggs is deeply connected to Mississippi Democrats. Just this past year, Scruggs donated $250,000 to a PAC to oust George Dale in the Democratic primary for Insurance Commissioners. After Gary Anderson won, Scruggs continued supporting him over Republican Mike Chaney. Also, this year, Scruggs gave some $33,000 to Jim Hood’s re-election bid. Shortly after that, Jim Hood declared Scruggs a “confidential informant” when indicted in August. And trying to influence the Speaker’s race, Scruggs gave $100,000 to Billy McCoy’s Victory PAC- see page 12 (Hattip: MS Smitt ...

Smith: Scruggs Funding McCoy 2007-11-29 12:25:10 Will the fact that Scruggs gave $100,000 to Billy McCoy’s PAC impact any legislators vote for Speaker? Smith for Speaker press release: According to Jackson Clarion-Ledger reporter Jerry Mitchell, writing at the paper’s website, “Multimillionaire trial lawyer Dickie Scruggs has been indicted on charges of conspiring to bribe a judge in the case involving $26.5 million in attorney fees involving Katrina claims. Others indicted in the alleged scheme include Scruggs’ son, Zach, former State Auditor Steve Patterson and attorneys, Sidney Backstrom and Timothy Balducci.” Integrity Political Action Committee (IPAC) was founded to help elect Rep. Jeff Smith to the post of Speaker of the House of Representatives. Victory Political Action Committee (VPAC) was founded by Rep. Billy McCoy to fund his campaign for re-election to the Speaker of the House post. Campaign finance reports for VPAC reveal that on January 8, 2007, attorneys Dickie and Zach Scruggs, through their law firm, g ...

More Polling on Special Election 2007-11-28 22:17:47 Zata 3 released polling on four more possibilities for Lott’s open seat today. Once again, this poll is not properly weighted for Mississippi demographics; but here it is: Chip Pickering- 64 percent favorable, 14 percent unfavorable, 3 percent no opinion Ray Mabus- 28 percent favorable, 54 percent unfavorable, 20 percent no opinion Amy Tuck- 51 percent favorable, 35 percent unfavorable, 13 percent no opinion Charlie Ross- 26 percent favorable, 27 percent unfavorable, 48 percent no opinion You can see yesterday’s polling here on Wicker, Moore, and Musgrove. According to both polls, Chip Pickering is the most popular politican in the state (at least out of the eight polled). That doesn’t surprise me, although I thought Tuck would have been higher than +16. You can take it for what it is, I guess. Keep in mind this is a Democratic firm doing this polling although their disclaimer says the polling overestimated Republican voters. ...

Senator Mike Espy? 2007-11-28 17:49:38 Although I don’t think it is likely to happen, there are some rumors going around that Mike Espy might be the man Barbour appoints to Lott’s seat. I think this would be brilliant move IMHO. Mike Espy served as a Representative from the 2nd District from 1986-1992 before serving in the Clinton cabinet for two years where he was the first black Secretary of Agriculture. The main “black mark” on Espy’s record is the mid-90s scandal when he was accused of accepting improper gifts. He was later acquitted on all charges. Espy would be the first black Senator in the South since Reconstruction. Here is what was reported about that possibility at WLBT: Asked if he would run for Lott’s seat, Espy said he’s always had a strong interest in service “but whether this is the right time or not, I just don’t know.” And in the Clarion-Ledger: Espy, who last month publicly endorsed Republican Gov. Haley Barbour’s re-election bid, would not say whether he would consider sw ...

Scruggs In Trouble, Deep Trouble 2007-11-28 16:28:52 Usually when the FBI raids your office it’s not a good thing; just ask Democratic Rep. William “The Refrigerator” Jefferson of Louisiana. When you get arrested for allegedly bribing a judge, its really, really not a good thing. Here is part of the original story from the Clarion-Ledger when the feds first knocked on Scruggs’ door: An attorney confirms FBI agents executed a search warrant Tuesday in the Oxford law firm of Dickie Scruggs. Joey Langston - who is representing the Scruggs firm but is not an employee there - said FBI agents and federal prosecutors began searching the office in downtown Oxford about 10:30 a.m. Tuesday and were still there about 3 p.m. Langston told The Associated Press the agents were looking for a single document that “might be ancillary to something pertaining to Katrina litigation” but is not directly involved in any of those cases. More The FBI said in a statement from its Jackson office that a warrant was issued “in furtherance of an ongo ...

Hood Sides With Dowdy, Dems On Election Date 2007-11-28 13:05:08 Not much of a surprise here. While Eric Clark is supporting Haley Barbour’s decision to set the special election for Lott’s open seat in November; and Jim Hood is objecting (I have a feeling we’ll see Hood on the short end of a lot of 2-1 votes over the next four years). From the Daily Journal: Attorney General Jim Hood’s office and Wayne Dowdy, chairman of the Mississippi Democratic Party, say state law requires Barbour to call the special election within 100 days of the resignation, if Lott resigns this year. A spokesperson for Hood, who serves as the state’s chief legal counsel, said staff attorneys in his office also concluded that Barbour had to set the special election within 100 days if Lott resigns this year. Conclusion: But with Secretary of State Eric Clark and Barbour agreeing on the November special election, it most likely will take a court challenge to change that date. Paging Joey Langston; Jim Hood on line one… ...

(Rather Biased) Polling On Lott’s Open Seat 2007-11-27 18:08:12 Sid Salter put this poll done by a Democratic consultant firm, Zata 3, on his blog earlier today. It looks at favorability ratings on four possible candidates for Trent Lott’s seat- Roger Wicker, Mike Moore, James Graves, and Ronnie Musgrove. First, here are the numbers: Roger Wicker- 39 percent favorable, 13 percent unfavorable, 48 percent no opinion Mike Moore- 48 percent favorable, 34 percent unfavorable, 19 percent no opinion Ronnie Musgrove- 39 percent favorable, 46 percent unfavorable, 15 percent no opinion Obviously Wicker has the least name I.D., as he hasn’t run a statewide campaign, but his favorable/ unfavorable spread is also the greatest at +26. Moore’s spread is +14 and Musgrove’s spread is –7. You can read the rest of the poll here, with a breakdown by Congressional district. That said, I don’t think I would take this poll to be worth much. It overestimated women (62 percent) and greatly underestimated African-Americans (14 percent). It also underestimated vo ...