It's Ronnie time

Let's see if Cotton Mouth can come through like it did this spring for Travis Childers. Let's raise $1,000 for Ronnie Musgrove here in crunch-time. Roger Wicker is well financed by his big money special interests. Times are tough, but they could be worse with more failed Republican leadership. Vote Democrat and donate some loot to Ronnie Musgrove.

Last 5 hours to donate for 3Q tally

The deadline for third quarter contributions is at midnight tonight. Childers needs a strong showing to show the 527's on the right that he has plenty of support. Musgrove needs every dollar he can get his hands on against PAC-Man Wicker.

Cotton Mouth for Childers




Cotton Mouth for Musgrove

Who is giving to Roger Wicker?

Saturday's Sun Herald article on the state of the fundraising race between Ronnie Musgrove and Roger Wicker contained some valuable information. Campaign fundraising reports are filed regularly which makes all of this information available to the public. Digging through these reports can be tiresome, but also very revealing. Previously, we have looked at Roger Wicker's monetary advantage by focusing on the different industry sectors that are his top contributors, namely medical, legal, insurance, banking and oil.

I was going to post all of the PAC's that have contributed to the Roger Wicker campaign. I was at least until I realized that the list took up 28 pages in Microsoft Word. My computer was locked up for about a minute trying to format all of the content into Word. Maybe it would just be better to point out some of my personal favorites out of the mountain of data.

AT&T INC. FEDERAL POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE (AT&T FEDERAL PAC) - $7,000
(you know the guys who wanted immunity for illegally wiretapping our phones, which Wicker supported)

EXXON MOBIL CORPORATION POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE (EXXONMOBIL PAC) - $3,500
(Drill, drill, drill)

HALLIBURTON COMPANY PAC - $1,500
(another no bid contract please)

FEDERAL NATIONAL MORTGAGE ASSOCIATION POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE (FANNIE MAE PAC) - $5,000
(please don't regulate us, we won't screw up again...)

JPMORGAN CHASE & CO. FEDERAL POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE - $4,556
(what fannie mae said...)

COUNCIL OF INSURANCE AGENTS & BROKERS POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE; THE - $5,000
(We are getting nervous about not being able to rip off Americans for health care anymore, along with our friends at the AMA and Big Pharma)

MARATHON OIL COMPANY EMPLOYEES POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE (MEPAC) - $5,000
(drill baby drill)

MERCK & CO., INC., EMPLOYEES POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE (MERCK PAC) - $3,500
(We are more scared than the insurance companies. Where else can you can get a six figure job for being a C student in college?)

GOLDMAN SACHS GROUP, INC. POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE, THE - $2,000
(Can we have that back? We just lost our shirts in worthless paper and need a bailout.)

PFIZER INC. PAC - $1,500
(please save us from cheap drugs and affordable health care, we are making a killing...)

I could go on for days, and probably will. I am having the best time looking up all of these committees to see who they give money to and how much money they raise. I saved the best for last.

Rove, Karl - $2,300
(sleazeball/hitman political consultant)

Nag, nag, nag...

Cotton Mouth for Ronnie Musgrove


Cotton Mouth for Travis Childers

Obama hauls in $66 million for August

From TPM.

An Obama aide this morning sent over his fundraising number for August: More than $66 million, topping his previous best month of $55 million by $11 million or more.

The astonishing haul means Obama is more than on track to raise the $300 million or more that the campaign had intended to raise for the general election -- a total that required him to raise over $50 million a month, which he's succeeded in doing.

It looks like the Obama is doing alright after all.

Help Jeff Buy His Plane Ticket To Denver: Chipin towards $520.

Jeff joined us a while back and has since been a more prolific writer than myself and has kept Cotton Mouth running during my regular absences.

He is our representative to go to Denver as a credentialed blogger and will cover the event from a different perspective as a citizen journalist.

He, like myself, is not independently wealthy and could use our help in getting there. He's too modest to ask himself so I'm asking for him.



Go ahead and donate $20. If 26 people do his ticket will be paid for. You'll help us provide top rate Convention coverage that you won't get anywhere else.

More Special Interest Numbers Updated

I keep looking at the fundraising numbers for the Wicker Musgrove campaign with amazement. Roger Wicker has raised an absurd amount of cash in his bid to win Trent Lott's Senate seat. Of course he does not enjoy the luxury of being labeled as an incumbent, since he was appointed by Haley Barbour, not elected by the people.

Using the publicly available data courtesy of The Center for Responsive Politics I was able to compile this staggering set of numbers.

Total Raised for the 2008 cycle:
Ronnie Musgrove -- $1,269,605
Roger Wicker ------ $3,853,335

From the page that list contributions by special interests groups I had to break out my calculator and come up with these numbers.

Total Special Interest Money from Top Special Interest Sectors
Ronnie Musgrove -- $296,383
Roger Wicker ------ $1,582,555

Does Mississippi really want a Senator known for pork barrel projects, special interests, and political payoffs via pork to his special interest contributors?

Donate to Ronnie Musgrove now. If you donate for $25 or more I will send you a pair of Obama '08 buttons and Obama '08 bumper stickers courtesy of Cotton Mouth.

My contribution: $

Cotton Mouth Offer

Starting today, anyone who contributes $25 or more to Ronnie Musgrove or Travis Childers will receive an Obama spirit pack courtesy of Cotton Mouth. The Obama spirit pack will contain 2 blue Obama '08 buttons and 2 blue Obama '08 bumper stickers. By donating I will have access to your address, so no need to post your details. By donating you will be helping Ronnie and Travis join Barack Obama in bringing change to Mississippi.

Currently we are at $2000 and $400 in our fundraising campaigns. Anything donated past that will be counted, until I run out. I have 40 buttons and 40 bumper stickers.

We are quickly approaching the July 31 reporting deadline. As of June Roger Wicker is up nearly 3-1 in fundraising over Musgrove. Travis Childers has less cash on hand than Greg Davis. Do not sit on your hands and wait on good things to happen. Make it happen.

Special Interest Money in the Mississippi Senate Race

The Center for Responsive Politics, a nonpartisan, non-profit, independent watchdog group, has an informative website call Open Secrets. Open Secrets is your source for campaign finance information for politician, individuals, PAC's, as well as donors. There is a wealth of information on just about any candidate you can think of.

They have a page or a series of pages on the Mississippi Senate race. One of these pages lists how much each industry has donated to the candidates. Several items are definitely worth mentioning upon initial review.

Lawyers and Lawfirms
Roger Wicker ------ $163,800
Ronnie Musgrove -- $72,433

Insurance
Roger Wicker ------ $90,400
Ronnie Musgrove -- $11,100

Lobbyists
Roger Wicker ------ $74,075
Ronnie Musgrove -- $12,250

Oil & Gas
Roger Wicker ------ $87,825
Ronnie Musgrove -- $5,600

Health Professionals
Roger Wicker ------ $131,325
Ronnie Musgrove -- $11,600


My thoughts:

I would have never guessed that Roger Wicker would have a 2-1 advantage over a Democrat in raising money from lawyers.

That is a lot of bread to take from Insurance companies, considering their recent history along the coastal region.

I am actually surprised that the lobbyist figure came in at only $74,075 for Roger Wicker. If I were gambiling, I would have bet the over.

When you hear Roger Wicker calling for more drilling, remember these numbers.

When you hear Roger Wicker talk negatively about health care reform, remember these numbers.

Ronnie Musgrove needs your support, give now

Folks this race is getting serious. We are now less than four months away from election day. Former Governor Ronnie Musgrove has an opportunity to break preconceived beltway notions regarding the political leanings of this state. Poll after poll has Musgrove tied with replacement Senator Roger Wicker. Roger Wicker was appointed by our politically fading governor. North Mississippi thought so much of Wicker and the GOP they gave us Travis Childers in the special election to replace the seat vacated by Wicker.

This is not the time to sit on your hands and wait on others to save the day. There is no doubt the DSCC will be here with sacks of loot for political ads. That alone will not be sufficient. We have to show not only Roger Wicker, but our national party that we stand for change alongside Ronnie Musgrove.

Here are the latest Cash on Hand totals for the two contestants per Swing State Project:

Roger Wicker - - $2,953,000
Ronnie Musgrove - - $716,000

You can thank George W. Bush for $500,000 of that total according to reports. This is truly sad folks. We have a viable Democratic candidate for Senate that should win. Match these two up with even funding numbers and Roger Wicker is moving back to Lee County.

If you can spare a few bucks, please donate to the Musgrove for Senate campaign. With your help we will be celebrating President Obama and Senator Musgrove in November. Please give now while this race is still in our favor.

My contribution: $

Musgrove Nearly Bests Wicker In 2nd Quarter Fundraising

Daily Journal:

His Democratic opponent, former Gov. Ronnie Musgrove, whose fundraising lagged earlier this year, came close to matching Wicker's quarterly total - Musgrove raised $813,708 compared to Wicker's $822,476.

Musgrove actually outraised Wicker with $607,803 from individuals compared with $475,444.88 for his opponent.

This includes $200,000 from Wicker's President Bush Fundraiser. Apparently he needed the help.

That's good news. Donate to Musgrove in the right column; after all he came out for Net Neutrality today. A couple dollars goes a long way in Mississippi.

MS-SEN: Roger Wicker's dirty fundraising

Roger Wicker has a nice edge in fundraising over Democratic challenger, former Governor Ronnie Musgrove. The race is tied according to last two polls. Musgrove is not going to be the most progressive Senate candidate ever, but he is a H*LL of a lot better than Rubber Stamp Roger Wicker.

We have blogged about Roger Wicker's abysmal voting record to the point we are blue in the face at Cotton Mouth. Today we find out that his fundraising is not only backed by special interests (Wicker is a king of pork, with a revolving door), but that Wicker is playing dirty pool.

The Musgrove for Senate campaign today filed a complaint with the Federal Elections Commission (FEC) against Roger Wicker for accepting illegal campaign contributions. Wicker accepted contributions from individual donors and PACS in excess of the limit set by federal law by "double dipping" from two 2008 campaign accounts to fund his race for Senate.

Wicker violated federal election law by having contributors donate to his 2008 House reelection committee and his 2008 Senate election committee then combining the funds to exceed the limit allowed by law. This "double dipping" is illegal under federal elections law.

Following Wicker's transfer of $550,000 from his House Committee to his Senate Committee the FEC inquired about the funding. In response, Wicker said the transfers consisted solely of contributions from a previous election cycle. As the facts demonstrate, this was a false statement.

Wicker did not have adequate funding in his House account prior to the 2008 cycle to transfer the funds. Some of the contributions from the $550,000 transfer were matched in the senate account to exceed legal limits. The illegal contributions are listed below.

"Roger Wicker and his allies have proven that they will not let the law stand in their way in a desperate attempt to save a failing campaign. This type of Washington politics needs to change," Tim Phillips, Musgrove for Senate campaign manager said. "Rather than wait for the FEC to fine him, Wicker should return the illegal contributions."

The contributions received in excess of the contribution limits are listed below:
· $5,600 from Roy Anderson III: Wicker for Senate accepted contributions from Roy Anderson III totaling $4,600 during the 2008 election cycle. Friends of Roger Wicker accepted contributions from Roy Anderson III totaling $1,000 during the 2008 election cycle.
· $4,700 from Larry Homan: Wicker for Senate accepted contributions from Larry Homan totaling $2,700 during the 2008 election cycle. Friends of Roger Wicker accepted contributions from Larry Homan totaling $2,000 during the 2008 election cycle.
· $6,900 from W.D. Mounger: Wicker for Senate accepted contributions from W.D. Mounger totaling $4,600 during the 2008 election cycle. Friends of Roger Wicker accepted contributions from W.D. Mounger totaling $2,300 during the 2008 election cycle.
· Wicker Accepted $6,900 From Joe Sanderson: Wicker accepted $4,600 from Joe Sanderson on January 25 for his Senate campaign. He previously accepted $2,300 from Joe Sanderson for his House campaign bringing Sanderson's total contributions to $6,900.
· $5,500 from Todd Threadgill: Wicker for Senate accepted contributions from Todd Threadgill totaling $4,500 during the 2008 election cycle. Friends of Roger Wicker accepted contributions from Todd Threadgill totaling $1,000 during the 2008 election cycle.
· $15,000 from BanCorp South Bank PAC: Wicker for Senate accepted contributions from BanCorp South Bank PAC totaling $10,000 during the 2008 election cycle. Friends of Roger Wicker accepted contributions from BanCorp South Bank PAC totaling $5,000 during the 2008 election cycle.
· $13,800 from EADS North America: Americans for Competition in Aerospace PAC: Wicker for Senate accepted contributions from EADS North America: Americans for Competition in Aerospace PAC totaling $10,000 during the 2008 election cycle. Friends of Roger Wicker accepted contributions from EADS North America: Americans for Competition in Aerospace PAC totaling $3,800 during the 2008 election cycle.

Marshall Ramsey Comments On George Bush - Roger Wicker Fundraiser

Roger Wicker had President George Bush in Jackson today to raise megabucks for him.

Marshall Ramsey thinks his money may have better places to go than there.

Less than eight hours left to help Musgrove's June and quarterly totals

I am going to pass the virtual hat around for Ronnie Musgrove. Being the end of a quarter, this is a very important fundraising time for Musgrove.

Give $100, or give $5, anything helps. We are trying to reach an overall goal of 100 donors for Ronnie Musgrove. John Leek and I decided that we liked a goal centered around the number of donors more than the amount raised. This is one of those special times when I feel the need to nag for money.

Cotton Mouth for Ronnie Musgrove

Obama donation link

https://donate.barackobama.com/page/contribute/pf?outreach_page_id=40231

No different than in the Ronnie Musgrove race, Barack Obama is staring down a fundraising deadline. The last month reported was the worst month for the good guys yet. If you get the urge to empty your bank account for Barack, do it here. Follow the link above to the donation page for our new Cotton Mouth for Obama setup.

Two days left in quarter, give to Musgrove now!

The crucial quarterly campaign finance reports are due Tuesday. Now through Monday is the last chance to have an impact on Ronnie Musgrove's quarterly total. Please dig deep and support Ronnie Musgrove and support change in November!

Put what you got in the pot:

My contribution: $

George W. Bush and Roger Wicker in Jackson Tuesday

Jackson gets the privilege of hosting none other than Mr. 29% himself, George W. Bush. On top of that madness, Roger Wicker will be here too! Actually Bush is coming to fund raise for Wicker in Jackson on Tuesday. As would be expected for an elitest Bush-Republican event tickets are $1,000. That is the GOP for you, Gas & Oil Party.

Sun Herald:

"Senator Roger Wicker is honored to have President Bush to Mississippi to support his campaign," Wicker for Senate campaign manager Austin Barbour said in the release. "President Bush has offered America strong leadership in a unique moment of danger in our history."

There you go. Roger Wicker thinks George W. Bush has been a strong leader. I am sorry but George W. Bush has been anything but strong, much less a leader. Roger Wicker supports the President who has brought us the worst recession in 20 years, torture, war for profit, and lie after lie to justify his empirical rule.


A vote for Rubber Stamp Roger Wicker is another ballot cast for the failed policies of George W. Bush. Bush will go down as the worst President of our time. John McCain and the rest of the Gas & Oil Party members who want to stay in Washington for 2009 are running as fast as they can from George W. Bush. Not our man, Rubber Stamp Roger is standing by his man, thick or thin. So every time you hear of Wicker think about our King, I mean President.

Donate to Ronnie Musgrove

Here we are on June 24, one week before the end of the fiscal quarter. In the world of political campaigns the end of the quarter is a big deal. Campaign finance reports are due for the last three months. The more money Musgrove raises in Mississippi, the more support he will be able to get out of the Democratic establishment. Ronnie is making a push this week to raise the most money he can before the deadline. Let's help him out all we can.

Roger Wicker is raising money by the truckload. A large portion of Wicker's money is coming from all the special interests he represents. As we noted in this article, Roger has a way of rewarding those donors with fat government contracts.

Please take time and donate a few bucks to Ronnie Musgrove. Anything we can provide will help.

My contribution: $

McCain on his ideal vision of campaign finance in 2004

Barack Obama has built his grassroots campaign on the foundation laid by now DNC Chairman Howard Dean. Dean made his mark with his grassroots fundraising, most notably via the internet. Howard Dean has always been a man of vision. Dean may be dismissed by many as a wild eyed presidential hopeful who could not get his party to rally around him in 2004. However most Democrats who understand what is going on nationally will credit Dean for both his internet fundraising ideas and the vision to implement a 50 state strategy that has proven to be more than successful.

In 2004 John McCain had this to say on Fox News, mind you he was NOT and I repeat NOT running for President at the time.

I think it's wonderful that Howard Dean was able to use the Internet, $50, $75, $100 contributions. That's what we want it to be all about. We want average citizens to contribute small amounts of money, and that's a commitment to a campaign. So I'm for that. I think it's a great thing. I think the Internet is going to change American politics for the better.

Glad to have you in agreement Senator McCain!

George W. Bush to lead "Rubber Stamp" Roger fundraiser

The Republicans ran ads on Travis Childers attempting to link him to Jeremiah Wright. That was a tough sell for a man who went to work at the age of 16 as a convenience store clerk to help his mother pay the mortgage after his father passed away. However, linking Roger Wicker with Mr. 29% just went from "undeniable" to "are you kidding?" He voted more in line with Bush than just about anyone in Congress, hence my nickname of "Rubber Stamp" Roger. The record does not lie folks. As they say, birds of a feather flock together.

Since Darth Cheney worked out so well in the Greg Davis campaign, the recently all thumbs political brain trust of the GOP has decided to bring George W. Bush to Mississippi to help fund raise for Roger Wicker. When you think of the failures of this administration remember that a chief enabler of those failures is running for Senate against former Governor Ronnie Musgrove.

Sid Salter in Wednesday's Clarion Ledger gives the details.

President George W. Bush will headline a fundraiser in Jackson on July 1 for Republican interim U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker of Tupelo, the senator's campaign staff confirmed Tuesday