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The Magnolia Political Report for February 27, 2002

Magnolia Report 17

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Magnolia Report February 27, 2002
(Number 17) - Web Version
www.MagnoliaReport.com

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Pickering Confirmation
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The Senate Judiciary Committee vote on the nomination of Judge Charles Pickering to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals scheduled for this Thursday has been postponed until next week. Mississippi Senator Trent Lott (R) asked for the additional time and it was granted by committee chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT). This delay gives Lott additional time to find a Democrat on the committee, if not willing to support Pickering, at least willing to send him to the full Senate for a vote. Pickering is expected to be approved in a full Senate vote due to commitments from two Democrats: Zell Miller (GA) and Ernest Hollings (SC). If the votes are not found, this time would also provide the opportunity for Pickering to withdraw his name if he so feels.

With more judicial nominees from the President George W. Bush's administration now coming under fire, the debate may change its template as well. Republicans may begin to frame Democrats as obstructionists determined to block conservative judges picked by a conservative president. That would remove the discussion from the allegations made against Pickering's character and instead return the focus to partisan arguments. This would enable the White House to fight for Pickering on a general level without becoming engaged in the specifics of the Democrats' allegations. Under the current circumstances, Pickering is seen as Lott's responsibility. This is not a responsibility Lott takes lightly; making it well known that there will be a price to pay if Pickering is not confirmed.

Pickering still receives extensive support from his home state. On February 21, Pickering received the Mississippi State Senate Distinguished Service Award and took the opportunity to urge racial unity, "Unless we reach a point where racial differences can be resolved in a positive and constructive manner, the future of our nation and the welfare of our children and grandchildren will be greatly diminished." Another Mississippian coming to Pickering's aid is Frank Hunger, who headed the Justice Department's Civil Division for the Clinton Administration from 1993 until 1999. Hunger is Al Gore's brother-in-law. Former Mississippi Congressman Sonny Montgomery, the classic conservative Democrat, also sent a letter to the committee in support of Pickering.

In a twist of politics, it could be the Mississippi trial lawyer community who eventually brings the pressure on the Senate Democrats to give Pickering a vote.

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Dickie and Lott
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Senator John Edwards (D-NC) has his own problems coming out of the Pickering Confirmation battle. Roll Call reported on February 18 that Pascagoula trial lawyer Dickie Scruggs "has vowed to never again support Edwards and plans to rally other trial lawyers to his anti-Edwards campaign." Scruggs was furious over Edwards' treatment of Pickering saying, "I'm really mad about it. It wasn't the manly thing to do." Edwards, himself a trial lawyer and receiving substantial support from fellow attorneys in his senate election, has national ambitions and cannot afford to alienate this key constituency. Scruggs and friends supported Edwards during his 1998 campaign. "Not that he owes me a vote, but he owes me a phone call," Scruggs said of not having his calls on behalf of Pickering returned by Edwards. Scruggs said, "I sent a message through another trial lawyer: He can forget my support and that of anybody I have influence with." In the 1998 election cycle Edwards received $905,280 from lawyers and law firms; up for reelection in 2004 he has already collected at least $218,686 from the legal industry. Roll Call reports, "To finance his national ambitions, Edwards opened a leadership political action committee, New American Optimists, last fall, raising $731,850 in November and December. More than $650,000 of that total came from lawyers, their family members or employees of law firms, according to a Roll Call analysis of the PAC's donors. Of that, $167,000 came from Mississippi attorneys, legal employees or their family members - many of whom work at firms, such as Minor & Associates and Langston Law Firm, whose principals are also supporting Pickering."

On February 22, TheAmericanProwler.com followed with a report that Edwards plans a trip to Pascagoula within the next two weeks to try to patch up his relationship with Scruggs. Quoting a staffer of Senator Trent Lott, "He's going to Mississippi like a puppy who missed the newspaper. I don't know what would be better for us, pictures of Edwards getting rejected, or Edwards and Scruggs kissing and making up."

Scruggs is Lott's brother-in-law. These family ties can sometimes get complicated.

TheAmericanProwler.com reported on February 20, "...Lott has angered the White House for refusing to get into the middle of some family business. Lott's brother-in-law is trial lawyer par excellence Dickie Scruggs, who organized many of the state-backed class action lawsuits against tobacco companies, and who is currently doing the same with HMO's. The White House asked Lott for help in determining just how far-reaching the lawsuits were going to be. Lott declined to go along, believing the White House was pumping him for information that would end up in the hands of HMO lobbyists in Washington hoping for some inside information. 'It just wasn't going to be helpful to anyone,' says a Lott staffer about his boss's unwillingness to cooperate. 'You know it would have come out the White House was looking for inside information and then leaking it. Heck, I'm telling you about it now. They may be mad about it now, but they will thank us for it later.'

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Redistricting
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Supreme Court Antonin Scalia ended Mississippi's redistricting confusion on Tuesday by denying a Democratic appeal to halt the implementation of the Federal Panel Map. While the Democrats plan to appeal to the full court, there will not be sufficient time to change the districts for the 2002 campaign, and many observers of the High Court expect the appeal to fail. Mississippi's primary qualifying deadline for congressional races is this Friday.

The map drawn by the Federal Panel keeps the Republican strongholds of Northeast Jackson, Southern Madison County, and Rankin and Lauderdale Counties together in the new Third District. Republican Chip Pickering and Democrat Ronnie Shows, both incumbents, are expected to run against each other in this district. This district has a 30.37% BVAP compared to Pickering's former district with 29.22% and Shows former district of 42.71%. Democrats were advancing a map drawn by Hinds Chancery Court Judge Patricia Wise with a 37.53% BVAP and without high performing Republican precincts.

The Federal Panel ruled that the Judge Wise had no authority to rule in the case and so the Hinds County Map, under review at the Justice Department, has been canceled completely both now and in the future. The Mississippi legislature could redraw the lines for 2004, or empower another authority to do so. But until that time, the Federal Court Plan will be used through 2012.

The Pickering and Shows campaigns will now be shifting from redistricting to campaigning.

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Hits to Magnolia Report Web Page
February 11 to February 25: 17,826
Since Launch (July 6): 220,626
E-mail Report Subscribers: 614
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Quick Notes
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Campaign Finance Reform passed the US House of Representatives on a 240-189 vote. Voting yes were 198 Democrats, 41 Republicans and one independent. Voting no were 12 Democrats, 176 Republicans and one independent. In Mississippi, only Coast Democrat Gene Taylor voted for the bill, with fellow Democrats Ronnie Shows and Bennie Thompson voting no, and both Republicans Chip Pickering and Roger Wicker voting no as well. To the likely dismay of Thompson, the American Conservative Union saluted him and Shows for standing against the "liberal drumbeat" and taking a stand for "principle, free speech and the Constitution."

Senator Mike Chaney (R-Vicksburg) is receiving a lot of traffic to www.senatorchaney.com his new web site. In addition to news, links, and an extensive guest book, he has posted a number of popular polls. Go and vote on Mike Moore's use of the tobacco trust fund, or whether Ronnie Shows should endorse Judge Pickering's nomination, or your pick for the Democratic 2003 nomination for governor.

NewsMax.com reports a tie between Congressman Ronnie Shows (D) and Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY). It seems Clinton has contributed to more than 40 "vulnerable moderate-to-conservative" Democrats through her political action committee, HillPAC. When Representative Brad Carson, the lone Democrat congressman from Oklahoma received his check, he sent it back because of the political lightning rods that are the Clintons. Shows received a $5000 check, and apparently, plans to keep it.

State Representative Joey Grist (D-Bruce) rear-ended a school bus on Mississippi 9 north of Bruce and was charged by the Mississippi Highway Safety Patrol with no driver's license, no insurance and following too closely. Grist told the Clarion Ledger he plans to provide proof of insurance and a valid driver's license to have two of those charges dropped. No students were on the school bus, damaged to a tune of $2148.39. Grist said the information was published in his hometown press because his political enemies are out to get him. "They're trying to ruin me, and that's the way they're going about it." In a bit of irony, Grist cosponsored HB621 that was signed into law by Governor Musgrove in 2000. This legislation created compulsory car insurance and requires drivers to maintain proof of insurance in their vehicles.

The Mississippi Republican Party is hosting the First Annual Mississippi Republican Party Minority Leadership Summit entitled New Faces, New Voices. It will take place March 2, 2002 at Eagle Ridge Conference Center in Raymond. Featured Speakers include Lt. Gov. Joe Rogers of Colorado, Haley Barbour, State Auditor Phil Bryant, Congressman Chip Pickering, Mayor Yvonne Brown, Hector Barreta, Carrie Dominguez and many others. All are invited to attend, registration begins at 8:00am and the summit will end around 3:00pm. There is no cost of attendance.

This month, the National Campaign for Jobs and Income Support, a liberal labor-backed organization, named Mississippi as one of the "Ten Worst Welfare States." Meanwhile, a Harris Interactive Survey of senior corporate lawyers across the nation gives Mississippi the worst ratings based on the state's liability systems - the judges, juries, processes, timeliness, and their treatment of tort and contract litigation and class action suits.

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Scuttlebutt
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In what proves to be an interesting and expensive race, Tony Mozingo has begun sharing his intentions to challenge Supreme Court Justice Chuck McRae for his Southern District seat. Mozingo was narrowly defeated twice for district attorney and currently serves as a city judge in Lumberton. He is a member of the Lamar County Republican Executive Committee and practices law in Hattiesburg. While judicial races are nonpartisan, Mozingo voters will certainly draw from Republican and conservative circles. McRae, recognized by friends and foes alike as one of the top intellects on the court, has been a lightning rod of controversy over the years following charges of DUI, which he overcame in court. A former president of the Mississippi Trial Lawyers Association, McRae will not hurt for campaign finances. Other candidates may yet surface for this race, which could send a close race into a run-off two weeks after the general election.

The campaign status of recent Musgrove appointees to the judiciary may yet still be in question. Legislation working its way through the capital may restructure the election process to enable the appointees to serve out the terms of their predecessors rather than run for election in November.

Circuit Judge James W. Backstrom will not seek reelection to a third term in the 19th Circuit Court District (Jackson, Greene and George Counties). Backstrom was appointed by Governor Kirk Fordice in 1993 and was subsequently elected to two terms without opposition. Pascagoula attorney Robert Krebs has announced and qualified as a candidate for this seat. Krebs has practiced on the Coast since 1974 and has served as an assistant district attorney and is past president of the Jackson County Bar Association.

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Magnolia Report Notes
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MagnoliaReport.com has two new page sections for your surfing pleasure. "National Links" has a few choice links in the following categories: The Elites, The Elected, The Left, The Right, The Insiders, and The Rest. "News Feeds" provides links to the news pages of the Associated Press, Reuters, and UPI as well as a means to search their national wires. Thanks to Moreover.com and Agape.com there are real time updated news feeds as well. News feed subjects include: Mississippi News, US Politics, Offbeat News, Business and Finance, Internet and Technology, US Top Stories, Agape News, Media Stories, and Sports. Enjoy while you can, if we go commercial, we may lose these feeds. Until then, enjoy the surf.

A new picture has been uploaded to the Magnolia Report Images page in the Features Section. The picture, taken on Tuesday, February 26, shows several members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) from Mississippi meeting with Third District Congressman Chip Pickering in Congressman Pickering's Washington, D.C. office. Pictured with Congressman Pickering are: Donnie Verucchi of Natchez, Mike Jones of Long Beach, John Duncan of Hattiesburg, and VFW State Commander James Gordon of Water Valley.

MagnoliaReport.com Editor Brian Perry was quoted in the Washington Times on February 22 regarding Mississippi's redistricting situation.

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Movers and Shakers
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Clarksdale has been chosen as the headquarters of the Delta Regional Authority. Former Mississippi State Auditor Pete Johnson serves as Federal Co-Chairman of the DRA and Yazoo City native Hayes Dent has been chosen by the board as DRA Executive Director.

Larry Wagster of Oxford and Nehemiah Flowers Jr of Brandon have been confirmed and sworn in as Mississippi's two US Marshalls.

John Robert Smith, a member of the Amtrak Board since 1998, has been selected unanimously to serve as chairman of the seven-person board. He succeeds Tommy Thompson, who led it while serving as governor of Wisconsin. Thompson vacated the chairmanship last May after becoming Secretary of Health and Human Services. Former Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis has been acting chairman since then and will resume serving as vice chairman. Smith, a Republican, was elected mayor of Meridian in 1993.

Matt Friedeman has released a new book: "In the Fight: A Mississippi Conservative Swings Back." This collection of commentary features a selection of over ninety columns from 1992 to 2001. Bernie Ebbers insults Friedeman. Mike Moore's son cries because of Friedeman. Kenny Stokes predicts Friedeman will start a war in Jackson. Democrats call him a Republican instrument. Republicans accuse him of losing the 1995 lieutenant governor's race for the GOP. If you read every column Friedeman has ever written, then you have read most of this book - but not all of it. Each chapter begins with a question and answer session, and an author's note of explanation leads every column. With chapters titled Mississippi, The Culture Fight, Race, Personalities, The Prolife Cause, Media, Education, Religion, and Personal, readers are able to search through subjects to see if that column they remember so vividly is included. Lemuria at Banner Hall in Jackson will host Matt Friedeman for a Book Signing on Saturday, March 2 at 1:00 p.m.

Roll Call reported on February 14 that it is still unclear if Senator Don Nickles (Oklahoma) will challenge Senator Trent Lott for the Senate Republican leadership position. The leadership vote will not come up until after November's elections, so it may come down to Lott again being Majority Leader or Nickles becoming Minority Leader. The article quotes two unnamed Republican senators: one says Nickles is seriously considering a challenge; the other saying there is no groundswell for unseating Lott. "Nickles continues to be the most generous Republican Senator in terms of supporting fellow Republicans, handing out $235,996 to candidates and committees from his Republican Majority Fund, following up on the 2000 cycle, when he dished out more than $554,000 through his leadership PAC. Lott, as he always has in the past, raised more money for his leadership PAC than any other GOP Senator, but he burned through his money on very expensive direct-mail pitches promoting himself and GOP candidates. He took in more than $2.4 million last year, but also spent more than $2.3 million. In all, he gave out $192,000 to GOP Congressional candidates."

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E-Bytes: Double Takes
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POLITICAL REDISTRICTING

"Democrats, who favor the state court plan, are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene. 'We think politics has [crept] its ugly head into what heretofore has been a nonpartisan ... matter,' said Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), an African-American." -Roll Call: February 25, 2002

"Anyone who thinks partisan politics doesn't play a role in congressional redistricting needs to go back to government 101." - MS State Senator Hob Bryan (D), Quoted in the Sun Herald: November 2, 2001

JUDICIAL RESPECT

"After the hearing, attorney Robert McDuff, representing Democrat voters, said he hopes the federal panel will respect a Hinds County chancery judge's Dec. 21 decision adopting a redistricting plan favored by Democrats." - Clarion Ledger: January 30, 2002

"We're not going to sit there and let three appointed federal judges sit there and say what the district is going to be." - Congressman Ronnie Shows (D), Quoted by the Associated Press: February 25, 2002

HYUNDAI NO WAY

"U.S. Sen. Trent Lott said Friday that if Hyundai selects Mississippi as the site for its first North American plant, the South Korean automaker will locate in Rankin County. 'The site that has been selected, I don't think it's any secret, is the Pelahatchie area outside of Jackson,' Lott, R-Miss., told the Hattiesburg American Friday." - Hattiesburg American: February 23, 2002

" Korean automaker Hyundai Motor Co. on Monday said it had decided to build its first U.S. automobile assembly plant in either Montgomery, Alabama or Glendale, Kentucky." - Reuters Lead: February 25, 2002

TEDDY TERROR

"The Mississippi House of Representatives recently voted to make the teddy bear the state's official toy, and such a decision is said to boost tourism for Cleveland and the entire Delta." - Greenwood Commonwealth: February 12, 2002

"The FBI has issued an alert to 350 law enforcement agencies in the southwest and Salt Lake City for potential Valentine teddy bear bombs after a suspicious transaction at a Wal-Mart last month." -CNN.com: February 14, 2002

TORT AND RETORT

"Musgrove said he hasn't heard of any company not coming to the state because of a lack of tort reform. He said industries are considering the state more than ever because of the Advantage Mississippi Initiative incentive plan and the aggressive pursuit of jobs." - Clarion Ledger: February 16, 2002

"For now, Mounger is mulling his next move. 'I'm starting to look around at different ideas with some people from the Tritel management team,' said Mounger, who founded Jackson-based Tritel Inc., a wireless phone company that merged with Telecorp last year. 'If we can get some meaningful tort reform, we would like to do something else in Mississippi,' he said." - Mississippi Business Journal: February 25, 2002

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Upcoming Events
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==February 27 (Wednesday)==
Mississippi Federation of Republican Women Legislative Day
and No Child Left Behind Program
State Capitol at 9AM - Lunch at Clarion Hotel, Jackson at Noon

==March 1 (Friday)==
Congressional Campaign Filing Deadline

Liberty Chamber of Commerce Annual Banquet
Amite County Vo-Tech Building: 7PM
Speaker: State Auditor Phil Bryant
Tickets: $12.50; Details: 601-657-8932

==March 2 (Saturday)==
First Annual MSGOP Minority Leadership Summit
"New Faces, New Voices"
Eagle Ridge Conference Center: Raymond, MS
Registration at 8AM; Conference ends 3PM
Featured Speakers Include: Lt. Gov. Joe Rogers of Colorado, Haley Barbour, State Auditor Phil Bryant, Congressman Chip Pickering, Mayor Yvonne Brown, Hector Barreta, Carrie Dominguez and many others
No Cost to Attend; Details: Sarah Hemleben (601) 948-5191

Lindsey Graham Fundraiser
***To Be Rescheduled***

Matt Friedeman Book Signing
"In The Fight: A Mississippi Conservative Swings Back"
Lemuria, Banner Hall: Jackson, MS
1PM; Book Cost: $14.95

==March 5 (Tuesday)==
Great Fox Hunt - Bentonia

==March 9 (Saturday)==
"The Soiree" Gala Democratic Fundraiser
Hilton Hotel: Jackson, Mississippi

Mississippi Young Democrats State Convention
Jackson, Mississippi

==March 22-24==
Mississippi Republican Women Federation State Convention
Grand Casino Oasis Hotel - Gulfport, Mississippi
Convention Registration Early $100.00 - After March 7, 2002 Late $120.00

==April 12 (Friday)==
TeenAge Republicans of Mississippi State Conference
Ramada Inn - Laurel: 9am till 2pm
$10 Per Participant
Details: Amy Gonzales barnett@c-gate.net

==May 10 (Friday)==
Deadline to Qualify for 2002 Judicial Races

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Final Words - Talking Points
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"Due to redistricting, Rep. Shows will likely face GOP Rep. Chip Pickering, a Trent Lott prot�g�." -Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Update: January 16, 2002

"Pickering, 38, is a conservative third-term lawmaker and prot�g� of Senate Republican Leader Trent Lott." -David Espo, AP Special Correspondent: February 21, 2002

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Magnolia Political Report, 2002
Brian Perry, Editor
www.magnoliareport.com
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© Magnolia Political Report 2002 • PO Box 24233 Jackson, Mississippi 39225
FAX 601.355.7885 • scoop@magnoliareport.com
Brian Perry, Editor