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Magnolia Political Report #66
YEAR END REPORT
December 15, 2005
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MDOT Letters
The Mississippi Department of Transportation has been under fire in recent months. Before Hurricane Katrina hit, scrutiny was focused on MDOT’s purchase of a helicopter, which they claimed was being used to spot illegal gas shipments on the Mississippi River. Syndicated columnist Sid Salter obviously got under the skin of Commissioners Brown and Minor as well as Director Butch Brown by ridiculing MDOT for the hard-to-believe claim. MDOT also drew heavy criticism for its plans to spend millions renovating office space for commissioners Wayne Brown and Bill Minor. After the hurricane most thought that any talk of renovations would be put on hold until the state could bounce back from the devastation that Katrina left in her wake.

On September 27th, Southern District Transportation Commissioner Wayne Brown sent out a letter addressing the media’s scrutiny of the department. He states in the letter that “Commissioner Bill Minor (Northern District Transportation Commissioner) and I have agreed to share an office to lend more space.” What Brown doesn’t say is that he and Minor have offices in their districts where they primarily work. Brown also says that all future plans have been put on hold. However, Central District Transportation Commissioner Dick Hall has since been moved from his office in the downtown Jackson building to a construction trailer near the state hospital at Whitfield.

It doesn’t seem that Brown and Minor’s plans to rearrange things in the Jackson office building have been put on the back burner just yet. Commissioner Hall is in a construction trailer and now MDOT has several vacant offices in Jackson.

Toss this ordeal on top of the controversy dealing with Highway 90 and every other facet of transportation on the coast and you have one enormous state agency that appears to be run by two commissioners who believe they are unaccountable and a director who thinks he’s untouchable.

The Commission has three heads; the one castaway is Dick Hall who has placed an ad in the Clarion Ledger with a photo of his new office and telephone numbers to let everyone know that he is still serving the citizens of central Mississippi.

Will all of the controversy at MDOT result in placing it under the Governor’s control? All of these events might be the catalyst it will take to change the Department of Transportation to a more responsive, accountable agency.

Mississippi Political Trivia

Click Here to test your knowledge of Mississippi politics for a chance to win a Magnolia Report baseball cap. The winner will be drawn at random from those correctly answering all 8 questions. Please be sure to fill out the form so we know how to contact you if you are the lucky winner.

Sam Begley of Jackson is the first winner of a Magnolia Report baseball cap for correctly answering all of the trivia questions. If you have any suggestions for trivia questions e-mail them to scoop@magnoliareport.com.

Answers

1. How many U.S. Senators from Mississippi have served as President Pro Tempore of the Senate?
4

2. In their 1988 campaign, Rep. Wayne Dowdy ran a TV ad ridiculing Trent Lott for having a “chauffeur.” Lott countered that the “chauffeur” was actually a security guard that Dowdy had voted to fund. What was the security guard’s name?
George Awkward

3. In 1971, Bill Waller defeated which one of the following candidates to win the Democratic Primary and eventually go on to become Governor?
Charlie Sullivan

4. In the Mississippi election for the United States Senate in 1978 which national celebrity went on a bus tour through Mississippi with Independentcandidate Mayor Charles Evers of Fayette, Mississippi?
Muhammad Ali

5. In that same race, eventual winner U.S. Rep. Thad Cochran defeated which of the following (Democratic Nominee) without receiving a majority of the General Election vote?
Maurice Dantin

6. Each state has statues of two famous natives in the U.S. Capitol. Who are Mississippi’s?
Jefferson Davis and J.Z. George

7. What expenditure did Eddie Briggs repeatedly cite to help defeat Brad Dye in the 1991 race for lieutenant governor?
Expensive chair bought for his office

8. Pat Harrison lost the Senate Majority Leader’s race in 1937 to Alban Barkley, who later went on to become Vice President. Harrison’s fellow Senator from Mississippi did not vote for him because Harrison wouldn’t ask for his vote. Who was the Mississippi Senator who voted for Barkley instead of his fellow Mississippian?
Theodore Bilbo (Harrison lost by one vote)

Big Brother Watching?
Tom Hood, the younger brother of Attorney General Jim Hood, will become the Executive Director of the Mississippi Ethics Commission on January 17, 2006. Scott Rankin, who has been Executive Director for four years, has announced that he will resign effective January 16, 2006. Tom Hood became the assistant director at the Ethics commission shortly before the 2003 statewide elections. The commission is responsible for making sure that all elected and appointed officials and employees of state, county, district and municipal governments in Mississippi comply with the laws of the state. The Commission appoints the Executive Director.

The eight member commission is appointed to staggered terms. There are two appointees each from the Governor, Lt. Governor, Speaker of the House, and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. The members are as follows:

Tom Hood supposedly will recuse himself if any complaint is brought against his brother, Jim Hood. The younger Hood has not said if he will remove himself from cases involving political opponents of his older brother. Either way, the credibility of the Ethics Commission has already suffered, and it will take a major blow if Jim Hood or his political allies start using commission reports to club their political adversaries.

Lt. Governor Sweepstakes
Rumors continue to fly surrounding future contenders for the Lt. Governor’s office. Amy Tuck is term limited and will be pursuing other options after 2007.

Two candidates, both Republicans, have already made their intentions clear. The race for the Republican nod has already begun between State Auditor Phil Bryant and State Senator Charlie Ross. Both call primary vote-rich Rankin County home and both have been busy raising money and touring the rubber chicken circuit. Senator Alan Nunelee of Tupelo had shown interest early but has since backed away. Republican insiders speculate another candidate could emerge before qualifying deadline in 2007. Unless they are strong, other candidates will have a hard time catching these two.

The Democratic Party has produced many more possibilities than the GOP. Former Congressman Ronnie Shows has been reported to be fundraising on the premise of running for either Governor or Lt. Governor. Barbara Blackmon has said she will probably take another shot at the office. Sources close to Eric Clark seem to think he is looking seriously at either Lt. Governor or Governor. State Representative Jamie Franks has shown an interest and there has been speculation at the capitol about State Senator Gray Tollison becoming a candidate. Even former Governor Ronnie Musgrove has been mentioned as a possible contender.

No matter who the nominees end up being, it is sure to be an entertaining race with huge implications for the direction of the state.

Special Elections leave the GOP out in the cold
In late summer 2005, Governor Barbour called three special elections to fill vacancies in the House of Representatives. Charlie Capps, Jr. retired in District 28, as did David Green in District 96. Joe Taylor vacated his District 86 position after winning the mayor’s election in Waynesboro. All three representatives were Democrats, opening the door for Republicans to try and gain some traction in the House of Representatives. After the dust settled, Democrats loyal to Speaker McCoy held all three seats.

Hurricane Katrina struck Mississippi the day before the elections were to be held. Governor Barbour postponed the elections in Districts 86 and 96, but the election in District 28 went on as scheduled. Charlie Capps, III, son of Charlie Capps Jr. and the GOP-backed candidate, managed to get in a runoff with David Norquist, but that was as close as he’d get. Norquist, a Cleveland lawyer who was backed by the Mississippi Democratic Party, went on to win the election two weeks later.

Sherra Lane Hillman won the election in District 86 after a runoff with Waynesboro businessman Fred Stanley. Hillman was backed by the Democratic Party apparatus, plaintiffs’ attorneys and allies of Speaker Billy McCoy. Stanley was supported by the business and medical communities. Neither candidate was supported by the GOP, even though the Southeast Mississippi district consistently has good numbers for Presidential and statewide elections.

Angela Cockerham, State Democratic Party Chairman Wayne Dowdy’s law partner, won the special election in District 96. Holmes Sturgeon of Wilkinson County put up a fight in the run-off but fell well short in the end.

Southern Public Service Commissioner Resigns
Southern Public Service Commissioner Michael Callahan resigned on November 21st. He was in his second term. Callahan left the Public Service Commission to become the CEO of the Electric Power Associations of Mississippi. Callahan switched to the Republican Party earlier this year and rumors have been flying that he was interested in several different jobs in and out of the state.

Due to Callahan’s resignation, Governor Haley Barbour will make his first executive branch appointment. A long list of names has surfaced and several are scrambling to position themselves for the appointment. State Senators Stacey Pickering and Tommy Robertson have both been mentioned as well as State Reps. Jim Simpson, Carmel Wells-Smith and Mark Formby. Former State Rep. Les Barnett’s name has also circulated along with that of former Gulfport City Councilman Kim Savant. Barbour is keeping his cards close, and there is no one person who rises to the top of the list at this point. There is certainly a good chance Barbour’s choice will be someone who is from the private sector.

Partnership Update
The $20,000,000 waiting game continues in the lawsuit to stop the alleged illegal funding of the Partnership for a Healthy Mississippi. The primary issue before Judge Jaye Bradley, a Chancellor in Jackson County, is whether Governor Haley Barbour can have his voice heard in court regarding the $20 million in perpetuity funding for the Partnership that Judge Bradley ordered in 2000. In practical terms, the rulings of Judge Bradley have little significance other than with regard to timing since experts agree that this will be decided ultimately by the state Supreme Court. What Judge Bradley does this month will have a big impact however on what happens with the $20 million payment which will soon be paid to the Partnership, which reportedly has over $30 million currently in the bank. In 1997, the court ordered as part of the overall tobacco settlement that $60 million be set aside for anti-smoking programs. In 2000 then AG Mike Moore secured an additional ruling from Judge Bradley which required that the first 20 million of tobacco payments received by the state each year be paid to the Partnership.

Opponents say this money should be appropriated by the legislature like all state funds, and also complain that this court order was obtained by Moore with no written motion in court, no notice to the parties, and no hearing for parties to be heard.  In addition, at the time, Moore was Attorney General, a member of the Heath Care Trust Fund Board, and Chairman of the Board of the Partnership, raising concerns about whether the diversion of state funds to a private entity controlled by Moore was in fact ethical.
 
Proponents of the Partnership point to the success of the program and say that if given the chance the legislature would in fact appropriate this money to the Partnership, even in light of the budget woes and Katrina related needs.

Warr on Katrina
Unlike Louisiana, Mississippi’s public officials have risen to the occasion since Katrina. Governor Barbour’s performance has been well-chronicled. Others, especially coast officials, have received less recognition, though they are no less deserving. Just about every coast official deserves accolades. Gulfport Mayor Brent Warr is near the top of the list.

Warr had only been mayor of Gulfport for a couple of months when Hurricane Katrina smashed into his city. When he was sworn in as mayor he had no idea that anything other than normal city business would be on the agenda. Warr and his new city council were thrown a curve ball when the Hurricane hit on August 29th. The Mayor and his people went to work as soon as the winds died down and the water receded back into the Gulf.

No job has been too big or too small for Warr. From hotwiring trucks and feeding people who were left behind to testifying before Congress and taking a major role in the charrette process, Brent Warr has worked tirelessly. A small incident reported by the Sun Herald sheds light on the kind of leadership Warr has offered. Shortly after the storm, The Sun Herald reported Mayor Warr needed fuel to operate some generators and vehicles. There was a private fuel transport vehicle locked behind a chain-link fence, but not for long. The lock was cut and Warr asked, “Can we hot-wire it?” According to the report, his police chief responded, “I wasn’t cut out to be a crook; that’s why I went into law enforcement.” Warr asked him, “Well, can we get someone from the jail to do it?” Thirty minutes later the vehicle was sitting in the City Hall parking lot.

There have been many heroes in the wake of the hurricane, too many to name, but it is good to know that we still have elected officials who are willing to go beyond the call of duty and be true public servants.

Haley for President?
Hurricane Katrina isn't an event, she's an epoch. Her reordering of Mississippi's landscape will be far reaching. If you can think of it, "it" probably has been or will be affected by Katrina. Mississippi politics is no exception. It's still too early to tell how much of Katrina's aftermath will play out over the coming years, but her consequences will surely be far reaching.

A few things are clear already. The most apparent political ramifications relate to Governor Haley Barbour. Barbour has been roundly praised for his handling of the worst natural disaster in American history. Influential political commentator Stuart Rothenberg compared Barbour's management to Rudolph Giuliani's masterful performance after the 9/11 attacks on his city. Television viewers in Mississippi and nationwide have seen in Barbour a governor who is calm, compassionate, honest and in command of the situation. It's a sharp contrast with what they've seen from state and local leaders in Louisiana.

Even skeptical Mississippians, like journalists Bobby Harrison, Sid Salter and David Hampton, have praised Barbour for his steady leadership. Hampton wrote, "Mississippi's governor is doing an excellent job in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. While federal officials have appeared like deer in the headlights, unsure and defensive, Barbour has shown the state effort is working as well as it can." Salter noted Barbour, "has exuded more calm, more competence and more command over the absolute bedlam of Hurricane Katrina than other officials."

Nationally, Rothenberg and others have commented on Barbour standing out from the pack. Several national articles have concluded that the way Barbour has risen to the occasion has made him a more serious contender should he choose to run for President in 2008 or 2012.

Lott’s Dilemma
The other Mississippi politician most notably affected by Hurricane Katrina is U.S. Senator Trent Lott. Prior to the cataclysm, political hacks wasted a lot of breath speculating whether Lott would run for re-election or not. Lott's decision may end up the same, but his calculations changed immeasurably.

Last week, Lott told the Capitol Hill newspaper Roll Call that, "On a personal basis, it is probably time for me to go," Lott said. "On a constituent and professional basis, maybe I shouldn't. I don't know." The inference is that Lott had probably made up his mind to leave the Senate at the end of his term in 2006. Now, with his home state needing his 34 years of experience in Congress and his 18 years of seniority in the Senate more than ever, Lott is at least thinking about staying. Lott's Pascagoula home, which Lott said was his "nest egg," was completely destroyed. If he runs again, he'll be 70 at the end of his six-year term. Having been in public service since 1972, Lott is not a wealthy man. If he stays on in the Senate until 2012, it will be hard for him to ever make much money. The benefits for Mississippi if Lott stays in the Senate are apparent. He can help the state a lot in the next 17 months, but rebuilding will take years. The Senate is an institution that runs on seniority, and within Thad Cochran and Trent Lott few states enjoy more than Mississippi.

Lott has a tough choice to make balancing his family's needs with those of Mississippi. He told Roll Call, "I hope I can be effective in helping in a lot of different ways. That is the difficult part. Can somebody come in, a new guy, pick up the mantle and do that much?" From the sound of it, whether Trent Lott runs again depends on how he answers that question. Stay tuned. We should find out by the end of the year.

Mississippi vs. Louisiana
In a mid-September USA Today article, Governors Barbour and Blanco were asked how they cope with recovery efforts and criticism. Their responses are revealing of their leadership styles (or lack of in Blanco’s case) and how they have handled their respective jobs in the wake of the worst natural disaster in American history.

When asked about coping with criticism, Blanco said, “I have to tune out the political talking heads. The blame game can get in the way of protective efforts. It can sap your vitality. It’s the vulture mentality. Woulda coulda shoulda, sitting in their clean spaces, not knowing what’s going on in the trenches. They know not of what they speak.”

Barbour's response couldn’t have been more different. It was succinct and optimistic, displaying the can-do attitude he has shown since Katrina. “You just hitch up your britches and do what you gotta do,” said Barbour.

The difference in leadership styles is evident and has been played out on the national scene in the three months since Katrina. Governor Barbour’s connections in Washington will surely help Mississippi. As a veteran of national politics, has had the good judgment not to overplay his hand. Governor Blanco lacks the experience and political clout that the State of Louisiana sorely needs.

Mississippi and Louisiana are on divergent paths since Katrina, largely due to political leaders at the state, local and federal levels. In the days after the hurricane, the major credit rating agencies put both states on “watchlist.” These agencies take a variety of factors into account and have closely monitored the political leaders in each state and the policies they have implemented since the storm. In the past few weeks, Mississippi has been moved off the watchlists. Louisiana has been downgraded. Mississippi officials have made the right decisions while Louisiana has continued to make the wrong ones.

Barksdale Updates Commission's Progress

The Governor’s Commission on Recovery, Rebuilding and Renewal is nearing the December 31 deadline for submission of the Final Report to Governor Barbour. Commissioners, Committee Chairs and Staff are busy compiling the report, which will include the findings and recommendations of all ten Issue Committees, along with various County and Geographic Committees.  This information and these recommendations will serve as tools for local communities as they face tough challenges such as housing, transportation, sewage, roads, education, finance, and many other issues.
 
The Commission continues to work with Coast communities.  Nearly every day, citizen groups meet in all eleven towns and in the surrounding counties.  Some cities are holding seminars to educate their personnel and elected officials on SmartCode and other aspects of zoning, coding and permitting.  Some towns are already moving ahead with implementing the plans produced at the Mississippi Renewal forum.  They have scheduled follow-up sessions with local leaders and officials to figure out how which parts of the plans work best for them, and how they can begin implementing all these ideas.
 
Two publications are available at Town Halls and other places around the Coast.  The Summary Report provides an overview of the eleven town proposals.  “A Pattern Book for Gulf Coast Neighborhoods” is a one-volume resource that gives a homebuilder or homeowner information to build or rebuild in keeping with the Gulf Coast’s rich vernacular architecture.
 
As this devastated region moves forward with their rebuilding efforts, we are inspired by the strength, courage and fortitude of South Mississippi’s residents.  Thank you to everyone for their continued interest and commitment to the work of the Governor’s Commission. - GCRRR Chairman Jim Barksdale

Retzer Update
Ambassador Mike Retzer has now seen an election in Tanzania, Africa. It probably went much smoother than the elections he usually watches in his hometown of Greenville. In a letter to the Delta Business Journal, Retzer reported that Tanzania uses voter identification in their elections. It’s a cause that was near and dear to Retzer when he was chairman of the Mississippi Republican Party. According to Retzer, every Tanzanian voter is given a voter identification card with their photograph on it. Without the card the citizen cannot vote. They also use the ink mark on the finger to keep voters from voting more than once. Democracy is still a relatively new concept in the country, and the Ambassador feels that the democracy movement is one of the most important causes that the United States is supporting.

Dispatch #1
Dispatch #2
Dispatch #3

Values Collide
The future of gaming on the coast caused major consternation at the capitol during the special session Governor Barbour called in late September to address post-Katrina issues.  Gaming is big-business on the coast, employing tens of thousands of residents either directly or indirectly.  Many coast residents believe the return of a strong gaming business is their only chance to rebuild their lives to something close to what they enjoyed prior to Katrina.  On the other hand, social conservatives, led by Rev. Don Wildmon and the Mississippi Baptist Convention, are adamantly opposed to casino gaming.  They feel they never had a voice in the process that led to legalized gaming in Mississippi, and they saw this as their chance to begin to turn the tide against it. 
 
Neither side would budge on their opinion.  For many coast residents, gaming represents their livelihoods.  They’ve got to feed their families.  For religious conservatives, it’s a black and white moral issue upon which there is no compromise.  Something had to give.
 
At the end of the day, Governor Barbour and a majority of the legislature allowed casinos to move up to 800 feet onshore.  Barbour signed the bill on October 17th, saying, “This bill is about more than gaming. By signing this bill, the state is taking the necessary precautions to provide safety for the casinos and, in turn, is providing jobs for thousands of displaced Mississippi workers. We are taking the first few steps to accomplish this by focusing on rebuilding south Mississippi and the Gulf Coast bigger and better than ever."

The Mississippi Senate approved the legislation by a vote of 29-21. A yes vote was a vote for the proposal, a no vote was a vote against it. Voting yes were 14 Democrats and 15 Republicans. Voting no were 12 Democrats and 9 Republicans.

Voting Yes:
Democrats
Cuevas, Pass Christian; Dawkins, Pass Christian; Dearing, Natchez; Harden, Jackson; Horhn, Jackson; R. Jackson, Marks; S. Jackson, DeKalb; Jordan, Greenwood; E. Lee, Picayune; Posey, Union Church; Simmons, Cleveland; Thames, Mize; Walls, Greenville; Williamson, Philadelphia.

Republicans
Albritton, Picayune; Brown, Columbus; Burton, Newton; Chaney, Vicksburg; Clarke, Hollandale; Davis, Southaven; Doxey, Holly Springs; Hewes, Gulfport; Huggins, Greenwood; Kirby, Pearl; Michel, Jackson; Moffatt, Gautier; Morgan, Hattiesburg; Robertson, Moss Point; Ross, Brandon.

Voting No:
Democrats
Browning, Pontotoc; Bryan, Amory; Butler, Magnolia; Frazier, Jackson; Gordon, Okolona; Hyde-Smith, Brookhaven; Mettetal, Sardis; Thomas, Yazoo City; Tollison, Oxford; Turner, West Point; Walley, Leakesville; Wilemon, Belmont.

Republicans
Carmichael, Meridian; Flowers, Southaven; G. Jackson, French Camp; King, Petal; P. Lee, Mendenhall; Little, Corinth; Nunnelee, Tupelo; Pickering, Soso; White, R-Terry.

Voting present:
Democrats
Gollott, Biloxi. (Sen. Tommy Gollott said he voted "present" because he has personal financial interests in casinos and state law prohibits him from voting on such measures).

Absent or not voting:
Democrats
Harvey, Prentiss.

Movers and Shakers

Bret Boyles has become Senator Trent Lott's new Chief of Staff. Boyles, who as a Lott aid advanced quickly from mailroom chores to legislative duties, went on to serve as the Senator's Deputy Chief of Staff before becoming Lott's chief fundraiser and executive director of the Senator's leadership political action committee, the New Republican Majority Fund. Last September Boyles founded the Principles Strategies Group consulting firm. Boyles received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Community Planning and Urban Development from the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg and is a graduate of USM's New South Economic Development School.

Jackson native Brett Loper has moved up to become Rep. Tom Delay’s chief of staff. Loper cut his teeth in Washington as a legislative assistant to Rep. Roger Wicker. From there, he moved over to Delay’s legislative staff on then on to the White House, where he worked on budget issues for President George W. Bush.

Katy Apostle joined the Mississippi Republican Party in November 2005 as communications director. Katy was previously an assistant at Capitol Resources, a governmental affairs and lobbying firm in Jackson. Katy is a graduate of the University of Mississippi.

Southern Strategies has announced that Jackson lobbyist Stan Flint has joined their firm.  The Tallahassee-based group operates offices in 7 Southern States.       

Reed Branson has joined Capitol Resources, one of Mississippi’s largest lobbying firms.  Branson was a familiar face around the capitol for years as the state correspondent for the Memphis Commercial Appeal. In 2003, he left the paper to work for the Enterprise Corporation of the Delta.  

Russell Bennett joined the MMA staff in November 2005 as director of environmental and taxation affairs. Before joining the MMA staff, Russell was communications coordinator for the National Center for Policy Analysis (NCPA) in Dallas. He also previously served as doorkeeper with the Office of the Sergeant at Arms of the U.S. Senate, a position sponsored by Sen. Trent Lott, in which he worked in the public and press galleries of the Senate, the Senate floor and the Republican and Democratic cloakrooms. Russell is a graduate of the University of Mississippi.

	Quinton Howard Dickerson, IV (Price) was born to Quinton and Becca Dickerson on September 29th. Price's dad served as the press secretary of Congressman Chip Pickering and was Governor Haley Barbour's campaign spokesman. Baby Dickerson was born with a full head of hair (unlike his father) and is said to be keeping both of his parents up late into the night.
	Austin and Deidra Barbour had their first baby, Bo Barbour, on October 25th. Austin, the nephew of Governor Haley Barbour, works as a lobbyist at Capitol Resources.
	Brady and Kathryn Stewart also had their first child, Bradford "Ford" Stewart, on October 25th. Kathryn is a former public relations director for Governor Haley Barbour.

Several notable changes are occurring in Senator Thad Cochran’s Jackson office.  Former Richland Mayor Shirley Hall will join Cochran’s staff on January 3rd as a field representative.  Longtime Cochran executive assistant James Davis is retiring at the end of the year.  Avery Forbes is moving down from Cochran’s DC office in January to handle State Department and immigration issues.

State Treasurer Tate Reeves has hired Laura Hawks to serve as his press secretary.  Hawks, an native of Oxford, graduated from Ole Miss in May with a degree in Communications.  Reeves has also hired Rick Hux.  Hux most recently worked for the Department of Public Safety and was a longtime aide to Congressman Mike Parker.

Derek Easley has joined Adams and Reese LLP as Governmental Affairs advisor and as a member of the Govermental Relations team. Prior to joining Adams and Reese, Derek was Director of Environmental and Taxation Affairs of the Mississippi Manufacturers Association. He has worked on legislative and statewide campaigns in the past and spent some time at the Mississippi Republican Party. Derek graduated from Mississippi College in 1999 with a degree in business administration.

New Websites
Mississippi Hurricane Recovery Fund - www.MississippiRecovery.com

Governor's Commission on Recovery, Rebuilding and Renewal - www.GovernorsCommission.com

Helping Americans in Need of Disaster Support - www.HANDS.ms

Mississippi Democrats Blog - www.MSDemocrats.net/blog.htm

Phil Bryant - www.PhilBryant.com

Charlie Ross - www.CharlieRoss.com

Treasurer Tate Reeves - www.TreasurerTateReeves.com

College Savings Mississippi - www.CollegeSavingsMississippi.com

Quotable Quotes

"Unfortunately, Gene Taylor's so ineffective in Congress, he couldn't pass water," Dale said. "If it was probably introduced by someone else, it would have a better chance of getting somewhere." - Insurance Commissioner George Dale

"We were literally fending for ourselves...Sitting in a well complaining because no one will throw you a rope is not going to get you anywhere. Instead, you climb out. You hope someone gives you a hand and pulls you. But either way, we're getting out of the well." - Gulfport Mayor Brent Warr


After sitting out the storm in Hattiesburg, Marsha Barbour was in an initial convoy into Gulfport, with transportation workers and National Guard members cutting trees ahead of her. That night, she went out on a looting patrol with Gulfport police. "I take my hat off to her," says Ocean Springs Mayor Connie Moran. "She's not sitting around sipping tea and serving tomato aspic."


When Senator Trent Lott asked a Harrison County sheriff how they were doing in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, the sheriff said he was concerned FEMA would divert much needed supplies.   Lott replied, "If anyone from FEMA tries to confiscate anything, arrest them."


Among their listeners was Marsha Barbour. She stood at the front of the room and thanked them for their tireless efforts. "I know there are frustrations," she said. "None of ya'll have had a break." She waved a sheaf of papers. "I will facilitate anything I can. I only see Haley late at night. But I do get the last word." Afterward, she remarked that the mayors seem determined to solve their own problems. "There was no whining from these people." But she was also concerned about the overwork and exhaustion she sensed. "I'm worried about breakdowns," she said.

"I ain't got a vote down there.  If I was playing politics, may I be lumped on the head with a hot iron."  -- Speaker Billy McCoy, responding to critics who said he was playing politics by advocating financial assistance for flood victims.