"Draft Moore for US Senate" Campaign Begins

We at Cotton Mouth are attempting to "Draft" former Attorney General Mike Moore into the race.

The following is our press release that we just sent to hundreds of blogs and which we will send the dead tree media a little later.

“Draft Moore for US Senate” Campaign Begins

Former Attorney General Being Drafted to Run in 2008 Special Election

Today Democratic Party activists and editors of the state’s leading political blogs are beginning their efforts to draft former Mississippi Attorney General Mike Moore as a candidate for US Senate.

John Leek, editor of Mississippi political blog Cotton Mouth said “ Mike Moore has been a tireless advocate for justice, both in his public capacities as District Attorney and Attorney General, and in his private practice where he represents those denied legitimate insurance claims as a result of Hurricane Katrina. It is this sense of compassion and integrity that our nation so desperately needs today, and Mike Moore will carry those values to the US Senate.”

The campaign is launching a website, http://www.wewantmikemoore.com that will provide a method for supporters to contact Moore. Efforts are underway to begin a media campaign to support the online organizing efforts.

In addition to serving for 16 years as the state’s Attorney General, Moore served as the district attorney in his native Pascagoula. In 1997 he was awarded “Lawyer of the Year” by the National Law Journal and portrayed himself in the Michael Mann film, The Insider, which focused on the tobacco law suit.

Local Democratic activists already involved include Victor Warnsley, Starkville; Jesse Johnson, Oxford; Renick Taylor, Biloxi; Mary Macki, Jackson County; Casey Hughes, Natchez; and Matthew Becker, Hattiesburg.

.....

I'd like to add that the effort is entirely independent of any candidate considering a run for that office. Anyone who thinks otherwise can go pout someplace else. - The Editors

"... a winner is determined and the race is over."

Brandon Jones is still the victor in House District 111.

The Republican Tim Lee released this statement through his attorney:

"... a winner is determined and the race is over."

I'm so proud of Brandon Jones.

Great News in District 111 / Every Vote Counts!

From the Sun Herald:

Jackson County election officials on Wednesday declared Democrat Brandon Jones the winner of the state House District 111 seat, which came open when 15-year veteran Carmel Wells-Smith, a Republican, decided not to run for re-election.

The tally, incomplete Tuesday night, had Republican Tim Lee, a radio station owner and talk-show host, ahead of Jones, a young Pascagoula attorney, by two votes. Once all the absentees were counted, Lee trailed Jones by two votes.

Then Wednesday the county Election Commission, circuit clerk, Lee and his attorneys and attorneys for Jones went through more than 200 affidavit ballots, weeded out those that did not qualify to vote in that race and came up with 106 valid ballots.

They scanned them and found 101 actually voted in the House District 111 race, 46 for Lee and 55 for Jones - putting Jones ahead of Lee by 11 votes.

"Don't let anyone tell you a vote doesn't count," said Circuit Clerk Joe Martin, who, like the others, had spent most of Wednesday completing the vote count in that race.

Brandon Jones is an intelligent, thoughtful, Christian man and I was glad that I was able to assist him in a small way. He will make an excellent representative.

Notice the frame in his ad where he and a student are at a computer. It's a picture of Brandon Jones and I. It's at 18 seconds in.


Though I never intended to be anonymous (using my real name on everything I wrote), it has been interesting to see the Republicans efforts at what I assume was opposition research on me. One of the Republican candidates asked extended family members about me, a Barbour staffer spent some time on my public facebook account (a social networking website) and I'm sure I've missed other instances.

This isn't to say I believe I'm that important; it's just been curious to watch the ever paranoid Republicans.

Giuliani To Visit Mississippi

Big Whoop. I went to see him in 2003 when he came to Pascagoula for Barbour. He spoke for about a minute. I wasn't impressed. Then I got to hear a speech by Haley Barbour which was also unenjoyable. It wasn't a total waste, I got to eat some good barbeque.

Y'all Politics brings us his $1,000 invite

Does anyone want to spot me a ticket? I don't really expect an answer in the affirmative.

How about this? If the Giuliani Campaign or any Republican lets me in I promise to write a post praising Rudy Giuliani for something. :)

Governor's Storm Fund Sits On Funds

Natalie Chandler writing for the Clarion Ledger reports:

"There's a gap in funding," said Michele Wilson, director of Jackson County's long-term recovery committee. "You do wonder, 'Why are there such tight regulations, when in Jackson County alone, there are over 3,000 open cases of people who need help getting back in their homes?' "

Also, the fund's preference of using volunteers for rebuilding "is not always realistic, especially at 22 months (after Katrina)," said Paige Roberts, director of the southeast Mississippi chapter of the American Red Cross. "The volunteers are fewer and harder to find."

A Pascagoula homeowner was rejected for funding because he wasn't living in his home at the time Katrina destroyed it. His niece owns half of it, and he had moved to Georgia to live with his dying father six months earlier, Roberts said. Now, he lives in a Pascagoula FEMA trailer park.

The Clarion Ledger Article

Freedom Chorus at the Sounds by the Sea Memorial Day Weekend Concert

The Freedom Chorus sings before the Gulf Coast Symphony begins. I meant to bring you video of that, but the wind picked up and the audio was no good. Enjoy your evening.