http://yallpolitics.com/index.php/yp/post/ Yall Politics - The Definitive Guide to Politics in Mississippi en mspolitics@gmail.com Copyright 2008 2008-05-13T21:29:00-06:00 http://yallpolitics.com/index.php/yp/post/desoto_voting_strong_early/ http://yallpolitics.com/index.php/yp/post/desoto_voting_strong_early/#When:20:29:00Z DeSoto voting strong early DeSoto County election officials reported a strong turnout as of early afternoon in the runoff today between Greg Davis and Travis Childers for the First District congressional seat A strong turnout in populous DeSoto County is seen as crucial to the bid by Davis, the Southaven mayor, to keep the seat in Republican hands. Thunderstorms were forecast for late afternoon in the county, which could slow the turnout as the polls approach their 7 p.m. closing time. But voting early in the day was brisk, according to Dale Kelly Thompson, Circuit Court clerk and elections coordinator. She said there had been no serious problems at any of the county’s 38 precincts. DeSoto County, which is heavily Republican, has 71,840 registered voters but only 12,499 cast ballots in the April 22 special election between Davis, Childers and four other candidates. Commercial Appeal 5/13/8 DC 2008-05-13T20:29:00-06:00 http://yallpolitics.com/index.php/yp/post/childers_votes_4_burgers/ http://yallpolitics.com/index.php/yp/post/childers_votes_4_burgers/#When:19:33:00Z This you gotta see. DC 2008-05-13T19:33:00-06:00 http://yallpolitics.com/index.php/yp/post/dccc_defends/ http://yallpolitics.com/index.php/yp/post/dccc_defends/#When:18:45:00Z DCCC links Davis to KKK founder’s statue The DCCC stood by the flier. “The flier is factual, a part of the public record, and has been in the press many times -— voters deserve to know Davis's record,” DCCC spokeswoman Jennifer Crider said in a statement. Republicans, however, blasted the campaign strategy. “This is a despicable move even for the DCCC,” said Ken Spain, a spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC). “False accusations and race-baiting politics have no place in our public discourse, and if Democrats want to continue to pursue this line of attack, then it will backfire in November.” Childers spokesman Terry R. Cassreino distanced the campaign from the mailer: “It’s not from our campaign, and we know nothing about it. We are totally focused today on reminding as many voters as possible to get out and vote.” The Hill.com 5/13/8 DC 2008-05-13T18:45:00-06:00 http://yallpolitics.com/index.php/yp/post/ag_hood_in_default_for_failure_to_defend_the_state_against_plaintiffs_claim/ http://yallpolitics.com/index.php/yp/post/ag_hood_in_default_for_failure_to_defend_the_state_against_plaintiffs_claim/#When:18:17:00Z Hood asks federal judge to lift default order The state of Mississippi argues in federal court papers that its preoccupation with appeals by condemned inmate Earl Wesley Berry led to its failure to respond to lethal injection challenges filed by four other death row inmates. In documents filed recently in U.S. District Court in Greenville, Attorney General Jim Hood admits to the error but argues it was an honest mistake and did no harm. The state’s inaction prompted the federal court on May 5 to find Hood and his office in default for failure to defend the state against a plaintiff’s claim. In his May 6 motion, Hood asks the court set aside the judgment of default. On Monday, the attorneys for Berry and the four other death row inmates said in court documents that the state was seeking “to be rescued” from its failure to respond to the complaint originally filed in October 2007. Clarion Ledger 5/13/8 ElectedOfficials 2008-05-13T18:17:00-06:00 http://yallpolitics.com/index.php/yp/post/michellemalkin_dirty_race_card_tricks_in_mississippi_the_kkk_ploy/ http://yallpolitics.com/index.php/yp/post/michellemalkin_dirty_race_card_tricks_in_mississippi_the_kkk_ploy/#When:17:05:01Z Dirty race-card tricks in Mississippi: The KKK ploy Michelle Malkin 5/13/8 DC 2008-05-13T17:05:01-06:00 http://yallpolitics.com/index.php/yp/post/childers_tours_district_with_state_lawmakers/ http://yallpolitics.com/index.php/yp/post/childers_tours_district_with_state_lawmakers/#When:15:51:00Z Childers tours district with state lawmakers Speaker of the House Billy McCoy of Rienzi, state Sen. Hob Bryan of Amory and state Rep. Steve Holland of Plantersville, all Democrats like Childers, were part of the Tupelo visit, while former Gov. Ronnie Musgrove joined them at other stops. While in Tupelo on Monday, Childers criticized his rival's appearance with Gov. Haley Barbour and Vice President Dick Cheney in Davis' hometown of Southaven. Despite apparent voter fatigue, Holland - who lost to Childers in the Democratic primary - urged 1st District residents to take part in "the most important of all these elections." Daily Journal 5/13/8 DC 2008-05-13T15:51:00-06:00 http://yallpolitics.com/index.php/yp/post/davis_pushes_message_of_unity_on_eve_of_vote/ http://yallpolitics.com/index.php/yp/post/davis_pushes_message_of_unity_on_eve_of_vote/#When:15:48:00Z Davis pushes message of unity on eve of vote His election eve "get out the vote" tour took him from Tupelo to Oxford and back to Southaven, where Cheney was the featured guest. In Tupelo, Davis was accompanied by Republican Party leaders Gov. Haley Barbour and Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant. Also in the crowd were Republican regulars Sen. Alan Nunnelee of Tupelo, ARC Director Mike Armour, Tupelo Councilwoman Carolyn Mauldin and unsuccessful Public Service Commission candidate Mable Murphree. Davis and Barbour emphasized that the race for Congress is not about one part of the district against another. "The other side wants to make this about geography - east versus west," Barbour said. Politics is a team sport, "and we need a congressman in the 1st District who will vote like Thad and Roger, not against them," Barbour noted. He was referring to Republican Sens. Cochran and Wicker. "We also need him on the same team with John McCain," the presumptive GOP presidential nominee from Arizona. Davis said, if elected, he will not try to divide the district, noting he wants to be like Wicker, who "stood up for all of us," even though he lives in Tupelo. Daily Journal 5/13/8 DC 2008-05-13T15:48:00-06:00 http://yallpolitics.com/index.php/yp/post/low_interest_debris_loan_accepted_by_city/ http://yallpolitics.com/index.php/yp/post/low_interest_debris_loan_accepted_by_city/#When:15:13:00Z The Clarion-Ledger, 5/13/8 Jackson officials crowed Monday over the low interest rate the city will receive on a $6 million loan to pay the cost of clearing debris from last month's damaging tornado. But City Administrator Rick Hill said the city will have to cut spending in an already tight budget if hoped-for federal reimbursement does not come through. "That would be real difficult to fit into the budget," he said. The City Council unanimously approved Regions Bank as the winning bidder for the debris loan. Regions beat out Trustmark National Bank and BancorpSouth with a 3.73 percent interest rate on the five-year loan. The loan will act as a line of credit, with the city drawing down only what it needs to complete the cleanup from the April 4 storm. Metro 2008-05-13T15:13:00-06:00 http://yallpolitics.com/index.php/yp/post/mississippi_governor_not_worried_about_toyota_delay/ http://yallpolitics.com/index.php/yp/post/mississippi_governor_not_worried_about_toyota_delay/#When:15:11:00Z The Houston Chronicle, 5/12/8 Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour is putting an optimistic spin on Toyota's decision to wait a few extra months to open its auto manufacturing plant in Blue Springs. Barbour said Monday that the delay until mid-2010 could mean there is a "higher likelihood" Toyota will train the plant's first assembly line workers in Mississippi since the plant would be fully built, rather than sending them to another of the company's sites out of state. "For our community college instructors to learn how to teach that, to learn it on the newest, most sophisticated equipment, will be a boon for Mississippi," Barbour said in response to questions during a news conference at the state Capitol. Toyota officials announced in early 2007 that the company had chosen a 1,700-acre site in northeast Mississippi to build the company's eighth North American auto manufacturing plant. The Highlander sport utility vehicle will be built there. Headlines 2008-05-13T15:11:00-06:00 http://yallpolitics.com/index.php/yp/post/melton_kicks_off_sleepover_tour/ http://yallpolitics.com/index.php/yp/post/melton_kicks_off_sleepover_tour/#When:15:08:00Z The Clarion-Ledger, 5/13/8 Jackson Mayor Frank Melton is spending the week with citizens and the homeless to get a better feel for the problems they face. His overnight stays started Monday night at the Holiday Motel on U.S. 80 and will end Friday, when he plans to spend a night on the street with the homeless. "I'm hearing a lot about young kids being homeless," Melton said. "That's what we are going to deal with immediately." The mayor made similar overnight stays more than a year ago at Christian Brotherhood Apartments and at a home in Virden Addition. Metro 2008-05-13T15:08:00-06:00