Yall Politics

PRESS RELEASE - Angela McGlowan’s Anti-Incumbent Campaign Takes Off

2010-02-08T21:29:00Z

PRESS RELEASE - Angela McGlowan's Anti-Incumbent Campaign Takes Off

Angela McGlowan Kicks Off Campaign for Congress

“Massachusetts was just the beginning, let the rebellion in the House of Representatives start right here in Mississippi”

Oxford, MS – Oxford native, author, and former Fox News Political Analyst, Angela McGlowan kicked off her campaign today in Mississippi’s first congressional district to take back the peoples’ seat in Congress and safeguard it against entrenched, incumbent career politicians. During her 5-city, 5-day tour of the district, McGlowan will visit with Mississippians in Oxford, Corinth, Tupelo, Columbus and Hernando.

McGlowan is the conservative pro-life, pro-gun, pro-small business Mississippi Republican who, at TEA Parties in Tupelo, Hernando and Memphis, has taken a high profile stand for working families against the liberal policies of President Barack Obama, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, that promote big government spending, record national debt and excessive levels of taxation.

“In Massachusetts, the people rose up and reclaimed their seat in the U.S. Senate in an election that’s been compared to “the shot heard around the world,” stated McGlowan. “But that was just the beginning, let the rebellion in the House of Representatives start right here in Mississippi.

“From Oxford to Columbus, Hernando to Tupelo, we will take back the peoples’ seat in Congress and safeguard it against entrenched, incumbent career politicians. Together, we will declare to Barack Obama, and liberal incumbent politicians throughout Washington, D.C.: no more taxpayer funded bailouts of irresponsible banks, insurance companies and automakers that have already added over a trillion dollars to our national debt, no more taxpayer funded ‘stimulus’ bills, chalk-full of wasteful government spending, no more job killing, multi-trillion dollar tax increases.

“Instead, I will fight to balance the budget, significantly cut our national debt, lower taxes on working families, enact policies that reward small businessmen and women for daring to be the economic engine, job creator and backbone of our local communities, and make sure children get the education they deserve because education and economic development go hand in hand.

“And, let me be clear, no one will defend and promote our conservative Mississippi values more vigorously. You can depend on me to protect the precious right to life of the unborn, preserve the sanctity of traditional marriage, defined as the union between one man and one women, defend law-abiding gun owners from of each and every attempt by liberals in government to infringe on their Constitutional right to keep and bear arms, and help make your families secure in the face of radical Islamic terrorists sworn to the destruction of our Judeo Christian values by any means necessary.”

CNN - Barbour stopping by South Carolina … “another key early voting state”

2010-02-08T20:09:00Z

CNN - Barbour stopping by South Carolina ... "another key early voting state"

Washington (CNN) - Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, one of several Republicans thought to be considering a White House bid in 2012, is making another trip to a key early voting state.

Barbour, the chairman of the Republican Governors Association, will visit South Carolina on March 15 to keynote the Spartanburg County GOP's annual President's Day dinner. Spartanburg County GOP Chairwoman LaDonna Ryggs told CNN that the event – which she described as "a very large fundraiser" – was re-scheduled from its original date in February.

Barbour has already made trips in recent months to the presidential proving grounds of Iowa and New Hampshire, but at the time he said those trips were part of his duties as RGA chairman. South Carolina will elect a new governor in November.

One of Barbour's political confidantes said it's understandable the governor's political travels will raise suspicions about a possible 2012 bid, but said Barbour is genuinely focused of winning governor's races this fall.

"It's natural that people will make some assumptions because South Carolina is an early primary state, but if it had been Alabama or Florida or some other state, he would have been just as eager to go," said the person close to Barbour, who was granted anonymity to speak candidly about his thinking. "It is who is he is. He loves going to these things. He calls it political recreation."

CNN
2/8/10

Hot Line - Tea Partier, Angela McGlowan, Set For House Bid

2010-02-08T20:07:00Z

Hot Line - Tea Partier, Angela McGlowan, Set For House Bid

A well-known favorite of the Tea Party movement is planning to announce a House bid Monday, setting up a challenge to an NRCC-favored candidate.

Fox News analyst Angela McGlowan will announce her bid against Rep. Travis Childers (D-MS) today in Oxford. She will face state Sen. Alan Nunnelee (R) and ex-Eupora Mayor Henry Ross (R) in the June 1 primary.

Before announcing her bid, McGlowan addressed the National Tea Party Convention in Nashville this weekend. She strongly hinted at her impending bid and won a quick endorsement from WorldNetDaily editor in chief Joseph Farah, who spoke after her.

McGlowan's candidacy will put the NRCC in an awkward spot. Nunnelee is a highly-touted recruit, and he's already been promoted to the "Contender" tier of the "Young Guns" program. Inclusion among the Young Guns does not denote an endorsement -- several members face each other in primaries -- but the NRCC has long been optimistic about Nunnelee.

"We welcome her to the race. Obviously, Sen. Nunnelee has been in there for a while and has turned out to be one of the best candidates for us this cycle," said NRCC spokesperson Andy Sere. "They'll have a primary, and Northern Mississippi voters will decide."

Privately, GOP sources question how serious McGlowan's candidacy will be. She has been a lobbyist for Steve Wynn's gambling empire -- something that won't be as acceptable to voters in the northern-based 1st district as it would be to voters in the state's gambling-friendly coast.

Plus, she's from the wrong part of the district. Childers represents an area stretching from the Memphis suburbs in the west to Tupelo in the east. McGlowan's base in Oxford is in a less populated area. And GOPers who favor Nunnelee already have opposition research featuring some of McGlowan's past interviews.

Hot Line
2/8/10

MIM - NRCC Goes After Childers For Huckabee Comments; uses Childers’ close ties to Joey Langston

2010-02-08T20:04:00Z

MIM - NRCC Goes After Childers For Huckabee Comments; uses Childers' close ties to Joey Langston

Over the weekend, Brad Morris- chief of staff for Rep. Childers- said this about former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee: “Why would he bring in a guy who lets murderers loose on the street?” During his time as governor, Huckabee granted clemency to an Arkansas inmate who is now accused of killing four Washington state police officers.

Huckabee still maintains a high profile in GOP circles, and will be hosting a fundraiser for Alan Nunnelee next week.

The National Republican Congressional Committee hit back saying this about Childers’ ties (and support) for Joey Langston:

Childers wrote a fawning leniency letter for ex-business partner Joey Langston, a criminal convicted of corruptly influencing a judge on behalf of disgraced trial lawyer Dickie Scruggs:

“Here are some of the comments from the nearly 340 letters to [U.S. District Chief Judge Michael P.] Mills, most asking for leniency for Langston, 51…Travis Childers, U.S. congressman, longtime friend…I only wish that every town and county in American had someone like Joey Langston. I ask you again for leniency to my friend, Joey Langston — a man who may have gotten sidetracked but has never lost his way and never will.” (Patsy Brumfield, “Langston Letters: What do some writers say?” Daily Journal, 12/13/08)

Majority in Mississippi
2/8/10

Hal Neilson update - pleads not guilty, possible media leak explains exclusion from Scruggs case

2010-02-08T19:55:00Z

Neilson update - pleads not guilty, possible media leak explains exclusion

The case surrounding FBI agent Phillip Halbert “Hal” Neilson is shaping up to be a politically charged one, as allegations fly about a troubled relationship between Neilson and recently retired U.S. Attorney Jim Greenlee that had gone on for years in the Northern District of Mississippi.

Neilson pleaded not guilty Monday to a five-count indictment alleging that he concealed his ownership in the FBI building that he supervised and lied on financial disclosure documents he was required to fill out yearly. There wasn't an empty seat in the small courtroom on the second floor of the U.S. District Courthouse.

Days before the arraignment, a story in the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal described e-mails Neilson sent to members of the Mississippi congressional delegation, saying he felt Greenlee was out to get him.

The Oxford Enterprise could not obtain the e-mails. U.S. District 1 Rep. Travis Childers’ press spokeswoman said, “Sorry, I can’t discuss the content of constituent mail.”

The Daily Journal article said the e-mails were not supplied by Neilson. The e-mails were reportedly sent to congressional members only months ago, after Neilson learned he was under investigation for his alleged secret ownership in the FBI building.

Neilson claims, according to The Daily Journal, that he came under attack after seeking whistle-blower protection from Greenlee. Neilson said he believed that Greenlee illegally targeted people with Muslim sounding names in the so-called Convenience Store Initiative, which began as an investigation into possible terrorist activities but became a major drug case instead.

Knowledgeable sources have told The Oxford Enterprise that there were some disagreements between Neilson and the U.S. Attorney’s office, but, when Neilson sought whistle-blower protection, they were “shocked” by his complaints. One veteran prosecutor said there was no merit to Neilson’s claims.

In Neilson’s e-mail to the delegation, he claims it was after he sought whistle-blower protection that he started to be excluded from cases — including the judicial bribery scandal surrounding Dickie Scruggs.

However, multiple people who worked on the Scruggs investigation told The Oxford Enterprise that they were worried Nielson was a leak to the media. They feared Scruggs would catch wind of the investigation before they had all the evidence they needed to get convictions.

At least one lawyer who worked for a Scruggs defendant claimed Neilson leaked information to The Clarion-Ledger about his client after the indictments against Scruggs were unsealed. This lawyer said he doesn’t buy Neilson’s argument that Greenlee is out to get him and that he is simply blowing smoke.

But another attorney who worked for a defendant in a case Neilson raised issues over said he thought there was a political aspect to his client’s prosecution and that Neilson may have been on to something.

All the people who spoke to The Oxford Enterprise asked to remain anonymous.

Sources also say that Neilson’s part ownership of the FBI building was discovered after a local contractor tipped off the U.S. Attorney’s office. U.S. Attorneys thought there was a possible ethical violation and reported the information to the U.S. Inspector General’s Office, which determined it was a criminal matter and assigned the case to the Baton Rouge prosecutors.

The Oxford Enterprise
2/7/10

DCCC cashing in on MS-01 three-way primary

2010-02-08T19:53:00Z

Yet Another Conservative Republican to Challenge Washington’s Choice for Mississippi’s Representative

Democrats responded to today’s announcement by conservative activist Angela McGlowan that she will join the growing field of candidates who are challenging Alan Nunnelee’s conservative credentials in a Republican primary for Congress in Mississippi. Recently, Representative Geoff Davis raised concerns that the National Republican Congressional Committee is mistaken in supporting Nunnelee instead of giving the “situation” time to develop. Last week, conservative former rural mayor Henry Ross also announced his campaign against Nunnelee.

“Given Alan Nunnelee’s record, it’s no surprise that conservative activists in Mississippi are stepping forward to challenge him,” said Jesse Ferguson, Southern Regional Press Secretary at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. “Whether you’re a Republican, an Independent or a Democrat, you don’t want to support someone who broke their word to the people of Mississippi. Nunnelee signed his word that he wouldn’t raise taxes and then worked to raise tobacco tax and hospital taxes. With a record like that, it’s no wonder more candidates aren’t getting into the race to make sure Nunnelee is accountable for his record.”

BACKGROUND

Senator Nunnelee has a decade long history of supporting tax increases, despite his later pledges to fight against them.

HOSPITALS: In 2009, Nunnelee broke from the rest of the State Senate to support Governor Barbour’s proposal for a $90 million hospital tax increase to pay for Medicaid. [Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, 5/18/09]

In 2009, Nunnelee voted for a bill to levy a $60 million bed tax on hospitals for the first year and was to increase over the next three years to $90 million. Revenues from the hospital tax would pay for Medicaid. [Commercial Appeal, 6/30/09; Biloxi Sun Herald, 7/10/09; Clarion Ledger, 7/01/09] The bill passed the Senate, 50-0, and was approved by the Governor. [HB 71, 2009 Second Extraordinary Session, 6/30/09]

GAS SALES: In 1997, Nunnelee voted for a bill to allow the State Oil and Gas Board to levy a tax of up to 6 mils per thousand cubic feet of gas sold in Mississippi, from the previous cap of 4 mils per thousand cubic feet. The bill also allowed the State Oil and Gas Board to increase taxes on a barrel of oil produced in Mississippi from 35 mils to 60 mils, which translates into a 71% increase. [SB 2473, 1997 Mississippi Regular Session, 4/01/97; http://www.mscode.com/free/statutes/53/001/0073.htm]

TOBACCO: Nunnelee voted to increase the state cigarette tax by 50 cents, an increase of 277% and “one of the largest tax increases in the history of Mississippi”. [ATR Press Release, 5/12/09, HB 364]

Signed Pledge to Not Increase Taxes: In both 2008 and 2009, Nunnelee signed the Americans for Tax Reform’s “State Taxpayer Protection” Pledge. By signing the Pledge, Nunnelee swore to “oppose and vote against any and all efforts to increase taxes.” In addition to signing the ATR pledge Nunnelee served as a ATR “Taxpayer Protection Caucus Chair” for Mississippi [atr.org 2009; atr.org 2008, accessed 2/05/10]; However, within months of signing that pledge he had already broken it by raising taxes-- on hospital beds used by sick people. [Commercial Appeal, 6/30/09; Biloxi Sun Herald, 7/10/09; Clarion Ledger, 7/01/09; HB 71, 2009 Second Extraordinary Session, 6/30/09]

Ross Enters Primary: Last Week, Former Eupora mayor Henry Ross became the second candidate to enter the Republican primary in Mississippi’s 1st Congressional District. [Associated Press, 2/03/10]

Marathon Pundit - Miss. guv Haley Barbour speaks at Ill. GOP unity breakfast

2010-02-08T14:17:00Z

Miss. guv Haley Barbour speaks at Ill. GOP unity breakfast

The Illinois Republican Party chose wisely when it selected Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour to speak at Wednesday's post-primary Illinois Republican Unity Breakfast. Not only was Barbour the chairman of the Republican National Committee in that great GOP year in 1994, but Barbour now leads the Republican Governors Association.

Although a Republican nominee for governor has yet to be determined--Bill Brady leads Kirk Dillard by 406 votes--that didn't stop Barbour from declaring, "The Republican Governors Association is committed to this race."

Barbour addressed Republican unity in the Land of Lincoln. "My own view is what the Democrats have done in Illinois in the last eight years," Barbour said, "is what unifies Republicans for this fall."

Read more by Marathon Pundit
2/7/10

Barbour trims $21 million in fourth round of budget cuts

2010-02-08T14:15:01Z

Barbour trims $21 million in fourth round of budget cuts

State senators on Friday took back nearly half the money they voted a day earlier to restore to education, and Gov. Haley Barbour then took some of the money schools are still getting by announcing $21 million in new spending cuts.

Barbour's new cuts include $1.1 million in education spending, mostly from the $2 billion Mississippi Adequate Education Program.

On Thursday, senators voted to restore $45 million Barbour had cut previously from the MAEP to pay for the state's top teachers. However, the Senate held the legislation on a parliamentary move that allowed the action to be reconsidered Friday.

Commercial- Appeal
2/7/10

CL - Legislators fear deer bills - no way to win

2010-02-08T14:05:00Z

Legislators fear deer bills - no way to win

I couldn't help but laugh at the reaction of House members when speaker Billy McCoy called up the controversial deer season bill for debate on Thursday.

Even on the Web cast I could clearly hear catcalls, whistles and even feet shuffling.

I could feel the anxiety over the Internet.

Nothing, not even balancing the budget, is more dreaded in the legislature than taking up hunting bills.

Only wildlife committee members ever want to talk about them, and not many want to publicly.

Few legislators understand the complexities of hunting and fishing issues, but they all know how passionate their constituents are about outdoor sports. And they know that no matter which way a vote goes, there are going to be unhappy voters back home.

A former Senator once told me that the hunting public would be scared to learn how few legislators "know squat" about outdoors.

Makes sense, and isn't meant as a jab at legislators.

In the general public, less than 15 percent hunt and less than 25 percent fish on a regular basis beyond dunking a few crickets or worms with a cane pole in a small pond. I figure the same percentages exist at the Capitol.

Clarion-Ledger
2/7/10

MIM - Angela McGlowan Campaign Flyer - Oxford today at 12:30 in front of Courthouse

2010-02-08T14:00:00Z

MIM - Angela McGlowan Campaign Flyer - Oxford today at 12:30 in front of Courthouse

She will be speaking in Oxford on Monday, Corinth on Tuesday, Tupelo on Wednesday, Columbus on Thursday, and Hernando on Friday.

Last night at the National Tea Party Convention she said she could not make an official announcement on her plans to run for Congress, but will do so next week- starting on Monday.

image

Majority in MS
2/7/10

YP lost a friend - Remembering Maria Becker

2010-02-08T13:54:00Z

There are lots of folks around the Capitol and throughout Jackson that are mourning the loss over the weekend of Maria Becker. Maria fought a courageous struggle against cancer and handled it with the poise and class that she did everything else in her life.

Maria was a Millsaps graduate. I certainly knew her at Millsaps as someone who always had a warm smile and a kind word. She got her start in Mississippi politics working on the Amy Tuck campaign years ago. Since then, she was a fixture in the Capitol and worked with Capitol Resources firm here in Jackson.

Here is her obituary from the Clarion Ledger.

A trust fund for her 3 year old daughter Emma Claire has been established. Memorials, in lieu of flowers, should be directed to the Emma Claire Becker Trust Fund, c/o Miss. State Senate, P. O. Box 1018, The New Capitol, Jackson, MS. 39215.

The YP nation lost a friend. She'll be missed.

AP - Miss. considers allowing ads on school buses

2010-02-08T13:50:00Z

Miss. considers allowing ads on school buses

JACKSON, Miss. -- Those traditional yellow school buses might soon be decorated with advertising, if some Mississippi lawmakers get their way.

Supporters say allowing commercial messages on buses is a way to help school districts increase their local revenues when budgets are tight, while opponents say young children shouldn't exposed to ads in a setting without parental supervision.

The House voted 94-21 last week to pass a bill that would let districts sell advertising space inside and outside school buses, starting July 1. There would be restrictions: No ads for alcohol, tobacco or junk food or for political or religious causes.

The bill is being sent to the other end of the Capitol for more debate, and one Senate Education Committee member said he has some concerns.

AP
2/7/10

Scipps - Mid-South is ground zero for GOP to win seats

2010-02-08T13:40:00Z

Scipps - Mid-South is ground zero for GOP to win seats

The influential Cook Political Report last week said the 8th District seat held by retiring U.S. Rep. John Tanner, D-Tenn., which includes northern parts of Shelby County, is a "toss up," and the First District seat held by retiring Marion Berry, D-Ark., which includes the counties just across the Mississippi River, is "leaning Republican" in November.

Political scientist Charlie Cook also sees the seat held by U.S. Rep. Travis Childers, D-Miss., which includes DeSoto and Marshall counties, a "toss- up."

Sere said the Memphis area is the only place in the country with three seats likely to turn from blue to red in the same media market.

In addition to those three Democrat seats possibly changing hands, Cook places Arkansas' 2nd Congressional District, now held by Democrat Vic Snyder, and Tennessee's 6th District, held by retiring Democrat Bart Gordon, also in the "leaning Republican" column.

Commercial Appeal
2/9/10

AP Analysis: Schools’ money won’t be swiftly restored

2010-02-08T13:35:00Z

Analysis: Schools' money won't be swiftly restored

As Mississippi's legislators continue to wrangle over how much money will be restored to K-12 public education, school district leaders have moved ahead with cost-saving plans.

And that's a good idea, according to the chairmen of the education committees in the House and Senate. It doesn't look as if any money is going to be quickly restored to the public education budget.
Four rounds of budget cuts ordered by Gov. Haley Barbour have reduced K-12 spending by about $205 million. The governor announced the latest round of reductions last week. Barbour said the state's lagging revenue collections have given him little choice in the matter.

Barbour said he "suspects" the state's revenue collections will be $500 million below estimates by the time the fiscal year ends June 30. He has reduced what started as a nearly $6 billion overall spending plan by $458 million.

AP
2/7/10

A new Mississippi blog for you “fashionistas”

2010-02-08T13:27:00Z

A new Mississippi blog for you "fashionistas"

A friend of YallPolitics recently started her own blog, Mississippi Maven, about culture in Oxford MS. She describes her site as: "AN EXAMINATION OF ALL THINGS STYLISH IN THE SPLENDID LITTLE TOWN OF OXFORD: THREADS, GRUB, BOOKS, BLING, TUNES, SOCIALISTAS AND FASHIONISTAS."

http://mississippimaven.blogspot.com/?spref=fb

Good luck!

yallpintern