David Hampton

Lott's seat

2007-12-05T15:36:00.000-06:00

Sen. Trent Lott's surprise announcement that he was quiting at the end of the year has turned Mississippi politics upside down. The list of potential appointees and the trial balloons being sent up by potential candidates is keeping the political junkies occupied.
Everyone has discussed the usual suspects. The most discussed is 3rd District Rep. Chip Pickering, but I don't see how he could at first say he was coming home to spend time with his family and then run for the Senate. The word is Gov. Haley Barbour is not hot on the idea of Pickering. 1st District Rep. Roger Wicker probably is in the driver's seat. That way, Barbour gets a new representative out of the deal as well.
The most intriguing potential mentioned this week is state Treasurer Tate Reeves. Reeves is a nice guy who has done an admirable job, but Senate would be a big step.
The focus is off of Lott for now, but him stepping down is interesting. I don't think he wanted to run last time, but felt he had to. But, at the same time, I think he intended to quit all along, setting up the potential advantage for Republicans and increasing his influence in who gets the seat. I think the same plan is in place for U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran, who recently wavered about running again, then said he would.
I don't blame Lott for wanting to step down. I don't see how someone stays in that Washington pressure cooker for more than 30 years. He has served well. But, I do have a problem when politicians run for office and are elected and change their minds. I think it breaks the contract with voters. If a official asks for a job, he or she ought to complete it.

Ridgeland building

2007-12-05T15:12:00.000-06:00

As I predicted, Ridgeland rolled over easily and accommodated developer Buster Bailey's plans to build a high-rise building in the new Renaisaance development, even though it initially went against zoning standards and had public opposition to the design.
It was never a question in my mind how this would end. The reports of the meeting Tuesday night showed that at least city officials had to squirm a bit. The Board of Aldermen initially voted 4-3 against the design of the building, which has gotten considerable public opposition to its height. It has been lowered a little and now has a new parking garage. After some disagreement, the Board of Aldermen went into closed session, which is outrageous in iteself. There was no legitimate need for a closed meeting. Then Ward 6 Aderman Linda Davis, an opponent of the plan, abruptly left the meeting. It then was brought back up and Mayor Gene McGee cast a tie-breaking vote allowing the project to proceed.
Davis said she could not vote in good conscience either way. She said she thought it would be good for the city, but did not want to betray the trust of citizens. So, she left. In political terms, it is called taking a walk. Her taking a walk allowed the building design to pass.
This is a quality development. I don't blame Bailey for pushing it and I don't mind Ridgeland allowing the new building. It is up to that city to decide its character. But it is an example and a warning for residents of the suburban cities now undergoing an explosion of growth. You either have standards and stick to them or you don't. Either citizens or developers determine the rules. Ridgeland got run over on this one.

Dickie Scruggs

2007-12-04T16:35:00.000-06:00

The indictment of Oxford trial lawyer Dickie Scruggs has so many political and legal angles, it is like a strange, bad Southern political novel.
John Grisham commented on it in a Wall Street Joural article today. "This doesn't sound like the Dickie Scruggs that I know," Mr. Grisham said yesterday. "When you know Dickie, and how successful he has been, you could
not believe he would be involved in such a boneheaded bribery scam that is
not in the least bit sophisticated."
Grisham knows an unbelievable, bad plot when he sees it.
Boneheaded would be an understatment. It makes no sense. Why would a guy worth a half a billion bucks be involved in a stupid scheme to bribe a judge. Why would he even be arguing over attorneys fees with another firm. How much money is enough?
Of course, the political fallout is more interesting and the conspiracy theories and wild rumors abound involving everybody who has any connection with Scruggs, which is a lot of politicians.
I don't believe the crazy rumors, one of which I heard today even involved presidential pardons.
It gives plenty of fodder to the ongoing attacks on Democratic trial lawyers and attempts to dry up that fundraising base for the party. It is not good for Ole Miss and Oxford, where Scruggs is such a prominent figure. It undermines Scurggs' legitimate efforts to represent the powerless against the powerful on several fronts.
Could Scruggs and all of the accused been so stupid to be involved in a "boneheaded" scheme like this. Is greed and ego that powerful to overwhelm basic reason and logic. I just don't get it. It makes no sense. Couldn't sell it as a bad novel.

I'm back

2007-12-03T15:54:00.000-06:00

Well, I decide to take off for a week in the woods and some of the biggest news stories of the year take place. Trent Lott decides to quit, Ole Miss fires Ed Ogeron, USM fires, uh, accepts the resignation of Jeff Bower and Dickie Scruggs is indicted.
I usually intentionally don't follow news while I am on a hunting vacation, so I would tell wife about the weather or the deer or the biggest event of the week, seeing a squirrel with four white feet, and she would mention "Oh, Dickie Scruggs was indicted," or "who do you think will take Trent Lott's place?" Then I would have to find a computer and log onto clarionledger.com to catch up. Wow. What a week.
So indulge me for some catch-up blogs this week on these events. I am tired of talking to the squirrels.

Split precincts

2007-11-21T16:44:00.000-06:00

When the Legisalture redistricted the last time, it did a grave disservice to voters by creating so-called "split precints." That means legislative district lines, which were drawn using zip codes, cut across voting precincts, making ballots different for different boxes in the same precincts. It's confusing to voters and campaign workers and it makes for terrible mistakes and injustices.

House District 71 is the latest victim. Incumbent Republican John Reeves of Jackson was defeated by Democratic challenger Adrienne Wooten. Wooten ended with 1,524 to Reeves' 1,303. Reeves challenged the outcome because some voters didn't get the right ballots in some of the split precincts, among other reasons. The Election Commission has ordered a revote in those precincts.

Whatever the outcome, the election results will always be questioned. It is hard to say what is right or fair. The will of the voters has been put in question because of the stupid split precincts.

This can easily be avoided in the future if the Legislature will not create split precincts when it redistricts. There is no reason to do it, other than the Legislature's own convenience and gerrymandering. Elections are too important to do anything that so confuses voters and election workers.

Presidential politics

2007-11-21T14:17:00.000-06:00

It has been hard to get very excited about the upcoming presidential contest. My only thought at this point is at least President Bush will be leaving and anything has to be a relief.
The selection of Ole Miss for one of the debate sites next year is a good development for the state. It might even make the debates interesting because, so far, they have been real snoozers.
I know the conventional wisdom and the early polls have Rudy Giuliani for the Repubs and Hillary Clinton for the Dems as leaders. I frankly cannot see either one as president or even electable. I don't think Clinton can win, period, and Giuliani would take some kind of extreme makeover and can only win if Clinton is nominated.
I am more impressed with John Edwards for the Dems. I think he gets the depth of the economic problems facing middle Amercia, something few others get or talk about. And, I like Fred Thompson for the Republicans. He may be an actor, but much deeper than actor-President Ronald Reagan was in many ways. He has many positives.
But, it is still too early to really handicap anything. By next September, when they visit Ole Miss, we will have a little more clarity and it might actually mean something.

Thad Cochran running

2007-11-14T14:07:00.000-06:00

That big sigh you heard this morning was Republicans — and a lot of Democrats — relieved over Sen. Thad Cochran's announcement that he would seek re-election after all.
Rumor have been rampant for the past couple of weeks that he was backing out of the race, after saying earlier this year that he would make the run. He had even suspended fundraising.
Although Cochran is in the minority and no longer chairs the Appropriations Committee, he is the ranking Republican on the committee and maintains considerable power and infuence, much based on the respect others hold for him at the Capitol.
The question now is, if re-elected, will he commit to serving out his term, or if he would retire early. Such a move could set up Gov. Haley Barbour or any number of prominent Republicans wanting the seat.
But, for now, Cochran is in. That means everyone else is out, Republican or Democrat.

Campaign sophistication

2007-11-12T16:55:00.001-06:00

I thought it was just me, but I have heard universal disgust over the recent campaigns for statewide offices. Everyone is just glad they are over. There is very little "I told you so," trash talking or even much excitment about the new administration. I guess there will be, but for now, just campaign fatigue.
It is not just the nastiness of these campaigns. Politics has always been mean and nasty. It think a lot of it was just the lack of sophistication of the media and the campaign approaches. Many, if not most, of the campaigns treated voters like they were stupid. The media was shallow. I know media campaigns are designed to create images rather than provide issue information, but I don't even think most of ads did a good job of that. Some execptions included Gov. Haley Barbour, Highway Commissioner Dick Hall and a few legislative races that actually put out some facts to consider. Candidates now are guided by consultants and media experts. For all the money that was spent, I think the candidates were taken and the voters had to suffer the results. But, at least it is over until next spring.

Gary Anderson thanks supporters

2007-11-12T16:54:00.002-06:00

Gary Anderson sent out this note about his unsuccessful run for insurance commissioner:

Dear Friend,

There is a saying, “The bravest sight in the world is to see a great man struggling against adversity.”

This makes me think about the great men and women and families who have been struggling with adversity of insurance issues…after the hurricane or after storms.

Those great Mississippians are what this campaign has been about…and why I ran.

The escalating cost of insurance was our primary focus because Mississippians pay some of the highest rates in the nation. We sought the opportunity to lower the cost and make insurance more affordable. We advocated for Mississippians.

In this campaign, we have focused on stopping fraud because it increases insurance rates.

In this campaign, we have talked about ensuring we have insurance policies in “plain English” so people understand what they have paid for.

Some have said that this office impacts as many Mississippians as any office... and it does.

From North Mississippi to the Gulf Coast.

Big families and single parent homes.

People of all races.

While we may have many views regarding the future of the direction of our state, we share a common bond – we all want the best Mississippi to shine through .

I also cannot forget so many people who have helped me, prayed for me, encouraged me, supported me and voted for me.

Thank you so much.
Gary Anderson

Thad Cochran

2007-11-12T16:54:00.001-06:00

Thursday, Nov. 8

I was surprised earlier this year when Sen. Thad Cochran said he would seek reelection and started doing a little fund raising. I thought Cochran would be retiring after a long fruitful career. But rumors persist this week that he might have changed his mind and could be retiring after all.
It would be understandable. Since the Senate majority has changed to the Democrats, Cochran lost his chairmanship of Appropriations, a job he felt he should keep as long as he could for the sake of Mississippi. Had he not had that seat after Katrina, Missisisppi would not have gotten the federal aid it received, which was so important to the recovery. It has been invaluable to the state and Cochran understands that.
He maintains power as the ranking minority member, but the role now is greatly diminished.
There have to be personal considerations, too.
The Senate may be the most exclusive club in the world, but life on Capitol Hill is not easy. I don't know how long-serving elected officials deal with the high-pressure lifestyle over the years with everyone pulling from you from all sides. I can understand why he would want to come home.

Posted by David Hampton

Blogging catchup

2007-11-12T16:52:00.000-06:00

Sorry, but my blogs since last Tuesday seem to not get posted. I will repost some of them.

Legislative races

2007-11-06T18:53:00.000-06:00

A couple of the statewide races are in question and interesting, including commissioner of agriculture and auditor, but the real stakes are in the legislative races. Democrats want to make gains in the Senate with Republican Phil Bryant likely to win the lieutenant governor's slot. The big stakes are in the House, where the speaker's race will be decided between Democratic Speaker Billy McCoy and challenger Rep. Jeff Smith, who is "friendly" with Repblicans. McCoy is considered ahead, but several races hold the key. Watch these districts: 1, 2, 13, 15, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 25, 34, 45, 66, 71, 86, 99 and 105.

Metro legislative races

2007-11-06T18:40:00.000-06:00

There are three hot legislative races in the metro area that bear watching. Rep. Cecil Brown, D-Jackson, is opposed by Republican Cory Wilson in House District 66. Rep. John Reeves, R-Jackson, is opposed by Democrat Andrienne Wooten in House District 71. And, Sen. Richard White, R-Terry, is opposed by Democrat David Blount in Senate District 29. White appears in the most trouble from Blount. White barely won the last time. It was close and decided in a challenge. White's opposition to several education issues hurt him in the strong public school district. Blount is smart, committed and has worked hard. This election will say much about this district, whether the "R" behind the name means more than the man, the facts or the record.

Dirtiest ads

2007-11-06T18:29:00.000-06:00

This has been a mean political season, but the meanest and most unfair campaign has to be Democrat Rudy Warnock's attacks on incumbent Republican Transportation Commissioner Dick Hall. Accusing Hall of using the MDOT helicopter, hiring illegal immigrants, wasting money on office rennovations and raising his own pay are all just flat out political lies and misrepresentations. Warnock seems like a bright young man so I don't know why he felt he had to run such a stinker of a campaign. I don't know why any political candidate feels like he or she has to play such games. It is insulting to voters.

Turnout

2007-11-06T16:42:00.000-06:00

Haley Barbour has called my home twice today. Gary Anderson e-mailed me a couple of times. Both want me to go vote. In the final hours, it's all about getting out the vote. Barbour had an extensive 72-hour plan. Such tactics have helped Republicans tremendously in the past and it probably will be even more sophisticated this time, even though Barbour really doesn't need it to win. Anderson's e-mail said turnout was low. Anderson needs significant Democratic turnout, especially black voters. While the lieutenant governor's race and ag commission race may interest voters, there still is nothing getting casual voters that enthused. Secretary of State Eric Clark predicted about 825,000. We'll see.

OK, Here's my prediction

2007-11-05T15:58:00.000-06:00

I’ve tried not to make political predictions, since I predicted Jimmy Carter would beat Ronald Reagan in Mississippi. So many people cut that column out and sent it to me with the HA HA HA note, I think circulation went up. I kept them as a reminder not to do predictions in print. But I can’t help myself. Here goes:
Governor, Haley Barbour; Lt. Gov., Phil Bryant; Attorney General, Jim Hood; Sec. of State, Delbert Hosemann; Auditor, Stacey Pickering; Insurance Commissioner, Mike Chaney; Ag Commissioner, Lester Spell; Treasurer, Tate Reeves.
This is not our endorsement list, but who I think will win. Politics is not fair and the best person does not always win. But those not on the list can console themselves that I have a lousy track record for picking winners.

Consultants

2007-11-02T15:37:00.000-05:00

I respect political consultants. There are a lot of good ones and I think they generally know what they are doing. Some of my best friends are political consultants.
But I am afraid we are a little too overrun with them this year.
One problem is that Mississipp is one of, I think, four states with statewide campaigns. The political PR firms and consultants were clamouring to pick up work here during the off years. Maybe the candidates got some good deals.
I continue to marvel at the sophistication of some of the lower ticket and local races. Those candidates didn't do that on their own. They had some hired guns.
I do miss the days when a candidate just ran on his own good name and used hard work, political instincts and know-how to win a race without spending a fortune on a sophisticated media campaign. It's all about money now and we definitely are not getting what we pay for.

Negative ads

2007-10-30T17:00:00.000-05:00

Everyone, including the candidates, is talking about all of the negative political ads.
Make no mistake, political campaigns always have been nasty. They are no worse today than in years past. We just have better media these days.
But the ads are just sooo bad. I follow politics closely and know that 99 percent of the accusations are wrong, half-truths or just deceptive. But, I think anybody who doesn't follow the details and doesn't know the candidates probably realize that, too, because they are so outlandish.
Politicians these days think they have to hire consultants who tell them they have to do these types of negative campaigns. I respect candidates who run their own campaigns, at least decide the tone and the boundaries, and insist on campaigns that reflect their characters. If the attack ads running now reflect the candidates and the way they would go about governing, Lord help us.

Transportation Commission races

2007-10-29T15:51:00.000-05:00

If it seems like more roads get paved and culverts get put in by county supervisors in an election year, just consider the possibilities in the state Transportation Commission races.
Southern District Commissioner Wayne Brown is in a tough fight to retain his seat agains local supervisor Larry Benefield. Brown and the Mississippi Department of Transportation angered a lot of Coast residents and local officials after Hurricane Katrina over plans to replace the Biloxi and Bay St. Louis bridges, involving design and timetables. Those disputes were expected to impact Brown's reelection bid.
Now, low and behold, a week before the election and guess what? The spanking new Biloxi Bay bridge is opening this week, complete with parties and celebrations. Mr. Brown must be pleased.
Just amazing timing, isn't it?

Delbert and Simon

2007-10-26T09:40:00.001-05:00

Republican Secretary of State candidate Delbert Hosemann, by far, has had the most entertaining political ads. His "Dilbert" ads, in which a little ol' lady keeps confusing his name has effectively dealt with one of his bigger political problems in the past, his name. His image of a stodgy Jackson tax lawyer has been effectively overcome with his self-deprecating humor. If you know Housemann, it is perfect. The humor does reflect his personality.
His new ad features a yellow labrador retreiver named Simon to make a point about protecting voter registration. It plays on a recent news story in which a woman in another state successfully registered her dog to vote. Animal lovers will like it and the message is a good one for the secretary of state's race.
I wonder if Dems will see it as an attack on "yellow dog" Democrats? By the way, I have a yellow lab, but I kinda suspect he might be a Republican. He will not be voting.
Here's the ad.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvsnvHwTjx4

Leslie Southwick

2007-10-24T15:56:00.000-05:00

The U.S. Senate today broke its deadlock and voted to confirm Mississippian Leslie Southwick to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. That is good for Southwick, Mississippi and the federal courts, but it is also good for the Senate.
I know Southwick. He is a competent, honorable person of integrity. Southwick is conservative and and we don't agree on a lot of of things political. But he is a person of integrity and exactly the kind of person we need on the federal bench. I know he will follow the Constitution and do his job regardless of politics.
The fight over federal judges has become a nasty political affair in which nominees are unfairly dragged through the mud for partisan reasons. Senate votes on judges should not be based on politics or a belief litmus test. Nominees should be people of integrity and competence whose only allegience is to the law.
It was a long difficult fight to get a fair up-or-down vote on Southwick. Sens. Trent Lott and Thad Cochran did well on this one as did the Democrats such as Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., who broke ranks to do the right thing.
The Dems and Republs should call a truce on partisan fights involving judgeships. Such fights damage the Senate and the federal bench. It is good this one came out OK. Leslie Southwick is a good guy who has worked hard to get a shot at serving on the 5th Circuit. Good for Southwick — and good for the country.

Lester Spell

2007-10-23T15:41:00.001-05:00

Our editorial board had a very contentious meeting with Agriculture Commissioner Lester Spell on Monday. He basically accused us of drawing the bull's eye on him for the beef plant debacle and defended his role in supporting it. I am sorry he feels that way, but so be it.
We have said repeatedly that there is plenty of blame to spread around for the beef plant. Officials, some of whom had a big role, have basically said they were well intentioned and made mistakes and were sorry. They are not catching near the heat Spell seems to be because he is so defensive and refuses to take blame for his active promotion of the plant.
I don't think Spell intentionally did anything wrong. I think he was taken in by Mississippi Beef Processors President Richard Hall. But I also don't think he, and especially the Land Water & Timber Board, did their jobs very well in checking Hall and this project out. Then again, neither did the Legislature and everyone else involved. Everyone wanted a big agricultural project and the rose-colored glasses and sloppy due diligence cost us $55 million.
The big problem is Spell continues to defend the Land Water and Timber Board, which is about as useless as this beef plant turned out to be. There is no purpose for this board, except to get around the normal economic development processes, as I see it. This should be the Mississippi Development Authority's job. This board should be abolished, lest they beef plant us again.
Spell accused The Clarion-Ledger of a lot of things I won't go into here, except to say we appear to have some disagreements and we stand by our reporting and our editorials. Our reporting has shed light on the beef plan debacle that Spell and a lot of other state officials would just like to go away.
Spell is getting a lot of the political liablity. Voters will have to decide how much.

Jim Hood's campaign

2007-10-22T13:29:00.001-05:00

As a side note, Attorney General Jim Hood says he expects to spend about $1.5 million in his reelection effort. Those numbers are staggaring for a race for attorney general in Mississippi. It is another indication of the ongoing trial lawyer/business fight behind state offices. The Republicans are coming after him hard with his opponent Al Hopkins. Spending $1.5 million for a political race used to be reserved for the governor's office, which now can go more than $10 million. There is nothing good about the big money pouring into these races, win or lose or whatever your political pursuasion.

Hood's campaign

2007-10-22T13:07:00.000-05:00

Our editorial board just met with Attorney General Jim Hood. We spent a lot of time discussing the attacks of his opponent, Al Hopkins, concering Hood's hiring of outside counsel to handle consumer lawsuits on behalf of the state. This is an issue that gets a lot of attention from political insiders and lawyers, but not one that about which I think a lot of the general public is enthused.

Yes, Jim Hood supporter Joey Langston's law firm represented the state in a tax lawsuit against MCI, recovering $100 million for the state. Langston was awarded $14 million by the court in fees, which did not come out of the settlement, but was paid by MCI on top of the settlement. Langston gives big political contributions to Hood, so the obvious political gotcha is there.

But, when you get past all the partisan sniping, the state got $100 million it would not have gotten without this lawsuit, which was brought to the state by the Langston firm as a possibility. He was paid less than standard trial lawyer fees.

I just don't think people are upset that the state got $100 million, just as they are not concerned that Mississippi got $4 billion from the tobacco lawsuit, which also resulted in big attorney fees for supporters of former AG Mike Moore.

Hood says he doesn't like the attacks and his ethics being questioned, but that is just part of politics and he would do the same thing again. He also said he doesn't really know how to change the system, other than to have a standard contract, which he does and be open about everything, which he has. If we are agoing to have an elected attorney general with constitutional authority to conduct the state's legal business, such items can't be micromanaged by the Legislature.

The best thing would be to attack the other end pf this problem with some campaign finance reform to limit and clearly report special interest contributions.

I'm back

2007-10-18T12:22:00.000-05:00

I've been out on vacation out of state for a while and just now catching up Mississippi politics and goings on.
Not much seems to have developed in my abscence, except the ads are getting more numerous and more dirty. Some are pretty funny and some are pathetically bad, as is the out-of-state generated anti-Jamie Franks ads.
Gov. Haley Barbour's ads are generally very good, but I don't understand his negative ads going after Democratic nominee John Arthur Eaves Jr. as hard as he is. Is he that concerned? Interesting.
Also, Barbour had to run out the immigration issue this week. I have been getting letters from the anti-immigrant bunch criticizing Barbour for not being strong enough on the issue and it appears he has fallen for it. Barbour has it about half right in his ad. It is a federal function.There is little the state can do about it and the Congress just hasn't been willing to belly up to this issue. Barbour now says the state should step in when the feds don't. Mississippi can barely enforce speed limits and he wants to get into the immigration deportation business? Not likely.
The immigration issue is driven by xenophobia and bigotry in my opinion. Politicians shouldn't fall for it and exploit what can become a dangerous trend in American politics. Barbour shouldn't let the anti-immigration bunch punch his button.