The House Republican Conference officially declared war on House Speaker Billy McCoy today. The conference agreed this afternoon that GOP members will vote together as a group to elect a new House speaker to replace McCoy, D-Rienzi, at the next legislative session in 2008. "We're going to have a new speaker next January, and it's not going to be Billy McCoy," said Assistant Republican Leader Greg Snowden, R-Meridian, in a Republican Party press release. "… He cannot be re-elected Speaker without Republican votes, and it is clear he will have none."
"Ours is a conservative state, and our people want a conservative-led Legislature," said Rep. Herb Frierson, R-Poplarville.
With McCoy at the helm, the House led an aggressive progressive agenda in the last session, pushing for more unemployment benefits and a state minimum wage hike. Under McCoy, the House also passed bills advocating an increase in the state's cigarette tax—the lowest in the nation of any state that doesn't depend on tobacco as a cash crop. McCoy also battled for a lower state grocery tax and vehemently opposed the governor's removal of 65,000 elderly and handicapped Mississippians from the state Medicaid rolls.
"It comes as no surprise to me that they would like to play a part in his political demise," Democratic Party Chairman Wayne Dowdy said today.
Republicans do not currently hold a majority in the Democrat-led House, though members of the coalition proclaimed today that their united stance, merged with those of conservative Democrats, could successfully dethrone McCoy and his ghastly progressive ways after the November elections.
McCoy could not be reached for comment, but Rep. Cecil Brown, D-Jackson, said he believed the Republicans were counting their chickens too soon.
"I think they're wrong in their calculations. I don't think they're counting correctly. The speaker's been a good speaker, and he'll be re-elected," Brown said.
Some Democratic seats are open to contest this year, including Reps. Bennett Malone, D-Carthage, and Pat Montgomery, D-Pontotoc. With a few new Republican faces, the House conservative lobby could push hard for a new speaker, though the candidate would stand a better chance if he or she were a Democrat.
Conservative Democrat Rep. Jeffrey Smith, of Columbus, is vying for the speaker's position, though few House members feel his name can stand against McCoy's popularity among the brunt of the House.
Dowdy said the Republicans are reaching too far if they're expecting to bring home any new seats this year to help them in their coup.
"Based on what I'm hearing, we'll do well in November and we're very optimistic that we'll gain a seat or two, and even a few in the Senate," Dowdy said.
Previous Commentsshow
What's this?More like this story
More stories by this author
Support our reporting -- Follow the MFP.
Comments
Use the comment form below to begin a discussion about this content.