Mea culpa…
This post was made to the wrong blog. It has been moved to here.
MississippiPerspective.com is no longer an active blog.
{ 0 comments }
Let me point out Republican hypocrisy…
Year after year, Republicans rail against House Democrats who generally kill Voter ID in committee. They go to the talk radio airwaves and campaign stumps (and now blogs) chanting, “Let us vote!”
(Now, I know. The easy hypocrisy here is to talk about how after being allowed to vote Senate Republicans killed voter ID. But that’s just old hypocrisy. I want to talk about the newest hypocrisy…)
That would be the fact that From Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant is unlikely to let the Senate vote on reversing the governor’s decision not to accept all of the federal stimulus money.
From the Clarion-Ledger:
Eleven Democrats encouraged Senate leaders today to allow consideration of Senate Resolution 615. The resolution has stalled in a Senate committee.
Barbour is one of a handful of governors, mostly Republican, who have voiced reluctance to accept all of the money.
At issue in Mississippi is about $50 million to expand unemployment pay to part-time workers.
Barbour has said it would require the state to tweak current laws and raise taxes on businesses once the federal money runs out. Democrats counter Mississippi needs all of the $2.8 billion expected to come to the state and that changes to the law could be repealed after the funding ends.
Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant, a Republican who presides over the Senate, has said he agrees with the governor. A Bryant spokesman said today he has not changed his mind.
The truth is that Bryant doesn’t want to expose his fellow Republicans from having to vote on turning down part of the stimulus money. He knows that will not play well among rural voters who are hurting.
But Bryant doesn’t care about the rural voters who are hurting. He cares about the voters who are on his side and will try to elect him governor in 2011.
{ 3 comments }
Today we begin with Jere Nash’s observations on Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant and Voter ID:
Bryant was quoted as saying, “I favor putting the issue on the ballot, and I will assure you it will pass overwhelmingly.” Well, duh. I suspect it will pass by the same margin that the 1894 state flag was approved in the 2001 special election. I don’t guess it matters that we could have had voter ID this year and we could have saved all the money it will take to hold a statewide referendum on the issue, if only the Lt. Gov. would have supported his own committee chairman.
—
The Jackson Free Press brings us word of AG Jim Hood warning of stimulus scams:
Attorney General Jim Hood, along with the Federal Trade Commission, is warning consumers about bogus web sites and emails promising to help them qualify for a payment from President Obama’s economic stimulus package. The scammers tell consumers they can help with only a little information or for a small payment from the consumer.
—
The city of Jackson is expecting $13M in stimulus funds:
The city of Jackson is expected to get at least $13.2 million in federal stimulus money, city officials told the Jackson City Council today.
The money will be dedicated to programs throughout the city, from road repairs to public buses to law enforcement. It is part of the $787 billion federal stimulus bill signed into law last month.
Marcus Ward, the chief of staff for Mayor Frank Melton, said the $13.2 million was set aside in federal formulas. He said the city is also applying for competitive grant money.
{ 0 comments }
Let’s begin our linkage today with the story of a crowded mayoral field. No, not Jackson. This time we’ll head to Moss Point where 12 candidates have qualified to run:
It could be a free-for-all to replace one-term incumbent Mayor Xavier Bishop, who decided not to run for re-election.
A dozen candidates qualified, 10 as Democrats and two independent.
Among them are those who have held public office — the city’s Alderwoman-at-large, Aneice Liddell; former county Supervisor Robert Norvel; former state Rep. Mitch Ellerby;and former Mayor Ira Polk; others are first-time candidates — Richard Jones, Elizabeth Irby, Randy Anderson, Grady Bryant and Sam Craft.
Cathy Keeton and Archie Alford have run for the job before, but didn’t win. Jerry Redmond ran for alderman in the 1970s.
At least three waited until the last qualifying day, Friday, to toss their hat in the ring.
—
Next we go to one more way the stimulus package will help Mississippi. From The Clarion-Ledger:
A $1.3 million federal health-care grant issued last week to Pearl-based Family Health Care Clinic makes it one of the first organizations in the state to benefit from the recently signed stimulus bill.
The money will help open three health-care clinics in southwest Mississippi, creating an estimated 70 jobs, including about 30 full-time positions.
Margaret Gray, chief executive for Family Health Care Clinic in Pearl, said the money should roll in within a matter of days, and once in hand, the clinics should be open within 90 to 120 days. The new clinics will be in Lincoln, Franklin and Wilkinson counties.
—
It appears that the next mayor of Jackson will have a big hand in shaping the Jackson Public Schools board of education:
The next mayor of Jackson will have a hand in keeping or replacing all five Jackson school board members.
One board member’s term ended last week. Two other members’ terms ended more than a year ago. The remaining two board members’ terms will end during the next mayor’s four years in office.
Mayor Frank Melton said nominations probably will be on the agenda when the City Council meets Tuesday.
But Melton, who is running for re-election, likely won’t see his nominees confirmed.
“Quite frankly, I am not sure whether we would seriously entertain any appointments between now and June 30,” City Council President Leslie McLemore said.
—
This next bit of news comes as no surprise to me. From The Clarion-Ledger:
Negotiations between lawmakers on a proposed cigarette tax increase has stalled at the state Capitol, and a key House leader says it’s possible an agreement won’t be reached this year.
Formal negotiations between the House and Senate have not begun with four weeks left in the legislative session. House Ways and Means Chairman Percy Watson said informal talks indicate the sides are still far apart.
Watson said although he is optimistic about the legislation’s chances this year, House leaders “would rather wait till next year than go with a very small increase.”
I still say that as long as Haley Barbour is governor, we’ll see no cigarette tax increase.
—
Andy Taggart at Red/Blue Blog brings us this little tidbit on Voter I.D.:
Perhaps the most telling comment of all also came from Flowers on the subject of why he didn’t try to work with Republican Senate Elections Committee Chairman Sen. Terry Burton to craft language that would keep Voter ID alive but remove the language on early voting that Flowers found offensiive. Flowers’ response, which he also made on the air during Paul Gallo’s radio program last week: “We didn’t stab [Burton] in the back; we stabbed him in the stomach.”
—
Finally, I’ll head to folo for some personal news…:
I’ve just had great news: Sam Hall has been hired as the new executive director of the Mississippi Democratic Party.
This gives me hope that the state party finally has a chance to get something worthwhile brewing.
I’ll write about it myself in a day or so. There are a few details to be ironed out (like start date), and I’ll wait until that is done.
Past that, I can’t wait to get started. And no, MississippiPerspective.org will not be going away. It will only continue to grow.
{ 0 comments }
After a year of complaining about a case assignment plan instituted by Judge Swan Yerger, it appears that African American judges are now being treated as equals to their white counterparts.
Highlights of the change come from a Clarion-Ledger article:
Judges Tomie Green and Winston Kidd, both African American, had complained they were excluded from hearing major criminal cases under the assignment plan that began Jan. 1, 2008.
Senior Judge Swan Yerger, who had instituted the plan, said last week that cases are now being rotated among the full-time, regular circuit judges. Therefore, Green and Kidd will preside over violent crime and other criminal cases.
“We all met and agreed upon it,” Yerger said. “We worked it out. We had a good meeting. All the judges agreed to rotate it.”
As senior judge, Yerger is responsible for assigning cases to himself and the other full-time circuit judges.
Under the previous plan, Yerger and Judge Bobby DeLaughter, prior to being suspended, would handle the major crime, or category one, cases.
Green and Kidd handled category two cases, which include sex crimes, drug cases, aggravated DUI and white-collar crimes.
The plan was blatantly racist, whether that was Yerger’s intention or not only he can answer.
Thankfully, the plan is no more. This is how it should have been in the beginning.
{ 0 comments }
Christmas came early this week as Senate Republicans pulled back the curtain on Voter ID to reveal … wait for it … A POLITICAL PLOY!
That’s right, folks. Republicans Sen. Merle Flowers and Sen. Joey Filligane — now my favorite two state senators in the whole wide world — decided they would take their political crusade to the people during an election year instead of passing a bill that was close to compromise.
In short: Instead of passing a bill that was sure to see some sort of compromise Voter ID passed, these two wiz-bangs killed the bill in favor of a statewide referendum.
Why? Perhaps because one or both is looking to run for statewide office. Hey, that’s not just my idea. Paul Gallo of SuperTalkMS cornered the two on Thursday and asked point-blank: Are either of you running for statewide office.
Neither would give a straight answer to the question, most certainly not a denial.
But don’t take my word for it. I’ve only been saying it forever. Instead, just read what Rep. Greg Snowden, R-Meridian, has to say.
First, let’s start with the whole Voter ID being a political ploy:
House elections chairman Rep. Tommy Reynolds (D–Charleston) said Tuesday ‘‘I think there are some folks who don’t want an agreement . . . they want an issue.’’ I’d like to argue with Tommy, but how can you? Ironically, though, Voter I.D. is no longer any issue at all in the House. Just about every Democrat who may have been vulnerable on Voter I.D. supported the GOP-written bill killed Tuesday by the four senate amigos. Most McCoy Democrats are now bullet-proof on the Voter I.D. issue and their re-election prospects have been substantially strengthened, all courtesy of our Senate GOP friends.
Next, what about how easy it is to win a statewide initiative and how it could effect a GOP primary:
Some folks at the Capitol apparently have become enamoured of the initiative and referendum process whereby Voter I.D. supposedly will be placed on the general election ballot in 2010 or 2011. The four senators better hope and pray that this (initiative) succeeds, because that is now the only game in town. Frankly, at least four political careers are now tied inextricably to the success or failure of the initiative. If there is any glitch in the (very complicated) process of getting a Voter I.D. initiative passed, these four guys stand to be remembered as the Republicans who killed Voter I.D. How do you think that will play in a GOP primary?
And finally, what about the claim that Republicans don’t want Voter ID passed because then they couldn’t use it as a wedge issue:
The ostensible reason for killing the bill is that it contained provisions for early voting as well as for photo Voter I.D. But the early voting provisions were crafted by House Republicans (and revised by Sen. Burton) with the active input of both the Secretary of State and the Governor. Had aversion to early voting been the real reason for Senate opposition, the language easily could have been stripped before passing the bill out of committee. The failure of the four senators to even attempt to do that implies there is something else at play. Clearly, these senators didn’t want the bill improved; they wanted it dead.
I’ll give credit to Snowden. It takes guts to stand up and say what he did. (BTW, Jere Nash thinks so, too.)
But in the end, Flowers and Filligane are the brave (or stupid) ones: They have finally shown Mississippians that Voter ID is nothing but a political ploy to win over rural white voters to the Republican cause.
Thanks, guys. On behalf of Democrats everywhere, we appreciate it. Even Snowden can’t disagree with that sentiment, expressed a bit differently by one of his Democratic colleagues:
The ever-quotable Rep. George Flaggs (D–Vicksburg) said of Tuesday’s Senate vote: “I never thought the day would come that Republicans would go to work for the Black Caucus.”
I can’t argue with George either.
{ 0 comments }
On the heals of news that Melton is running for re-election comes news from his supporters that the controversial Jackson mayor is the target of persecution:
Charles Evers, a civil rights activist and one of Melton’s advisers, said the Justice Department’s decision to pursue a new trial is “a damn shame.”
“It’s a double standard. Enough is enough,” he said. “Who is behind it, pushing it? We have murderers, robbers and rapists walking around, and they want to retry the mayor. I think citizens should come to defend him.”
Speaking of wanting to retry the mayor, federal authorities will do so on May 11:
In a teleconference with attorneys on Thursday, U.S. District Court Judge Dan Jordan set May 11 as the date for a retrial of Melton, 59, and his former police bodyguard, Michael Recio, 39, on federal civil rights charges. A jury deadlocked on those same charges in a trial that ended last week.
“The government is going to pursue the indictment one more time,” prosecutor Mark Blumberg said.
That should be right in the middle of the election. The primary is scheduled for May 5, but with a field of more than 10 candidates, a runoff is all but assured. The runoff is scheduled for May 19.
Of course, Melton and his supporters might should take heed of news from a jurist that says they came close to convicting Melton:
But the group came close to convicting the pair of violating federal search and seizure law, said Lashander Johnson, 32, of Magnolia. She also said the jury was closer to convicting former police bodyguard Michael Recio than Melton but was uncertain of the exact vote tally on each count.
“We took a couple of votes to see where we all were, even actually stating why we felt it should be guilty or not guilty,” she said. Still, after days of deliberations, the jury realized it could not break the deadlock.
“We were actively discussing each count. We wanted to understand what they were charged with and how to apply the law to each count,” Johnson said, explaining the lengthy deliberations for the nine women and three men. “A lot of people have been asking me why we couldn’t reach a verdict. To me, it gives meaning to that old saying that two people can see the same thing and interpret it entirely different.”
This is going to be a wild couple of months. I don’t envy having to run a campaign amidst a federal trial.
{ 1 comment }
This week was a bit off because of a lot of travel, so we’re working a short week here.
First, we’ll start with folo’s coverage of Laura Pendergest-Holt and the SEC. Instead of linking to all four posts, I’ll send you to the third one, which will guide you to their other coverage.
—
Over at the Red/Blue Blog, Jere Nash discusses Sen. Thad Cochran and earmarks:
Yesterday on the floor Sen. McCain made a loud speech against all of the earmarks, though Sen. Cochran went about his business quietly gathering support for the bill. No one should doubt how strong Thad Cochran is in the Senate, how much he knows about how the appropriation system works, and the good he does for our state.
Some day other Republicans might realize that “earmarks” are what enable Mississippi to survive…
—
Republican operative and columnist Brian Perry looks inside the Ike Brown controversy with his weekly piece in the Madison County Journal:
Imagine a majority white county in Mississippi where the local party boss flagrantly suppresses black voter activity. He issues statements listing the names of local black activists who he will challenge if they attempt to vote. When blacks vote by absentee, he flags their ballots the night before the election to be discarded. He is public about his determination, proclaiming every elected official in the county should be white, and urges voters to “Vote Right, Vote White.” When black voters want to participate in organizing election mechanics, he hides the public meetings in the homes of his white supporters. Finally, when exposed by federal officials, he ignores them saying the court can’t tell him what to do. It sounds like Mississippi fifty years ago.
In fact, it is present day Mississippi. Except I’m speaking of majority black Noxubee County and Democratic Party boss Ike Brown (who is black) violating the voting rights of white Democrats.
Last week, a three judge panel of the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a 2007 decision by U.S. District Court Judge Tom Lee who ruled then Noxubee County Democratic Party Chairman Ike Brown had violated the Voting Rights Act by engaging “in improper, and in some instances fraudulent conduct, and committed blatant violations of state election laws for the purpose of diluting white voting strength.”
—
In the Legislature, the proposed hospital tax may be DOA, on federal aid arrival, that is:
Lawmakers in the Mississippi Senate agreed Thursday not to raise hospital taxes to pay for Medicaid if the health care program’s costs can be covered instead by federal stimulus dollars.
In an attempt to receive bonus payments, House Bill 105 also seeks to make it easier for children and teenagers to re-enroll in the Children’s Health Insurance Program. The bill could be debated again before heading to the House for more work.
{ 3 comments }
I met Gregg Harper many years ago when I was working at a newspaper in Rankin County. Despite obvious differences of political opinions, I’ve always thought highly of Harper.
That said, I thought I’d pass along a PSA Congressman Harper did about Fragile X Syndrome, with which his son is afflicted.
H/T: Yall Politics
{ 0 comments }
