Young People to Pols: Don't Forget Us
Scott Beale writes for Alternet: "Dean's campaign was the first ever to reach out to young Americans, not just as campaign runts, but as participants in a discussion of political …
Barbour Signs First Bill: Private Prisons
(Jackson, Miss.) -- Governor Haley Barbour signed House Bill 544, the Tallahatchie County Correctional Authority Bill, into law today making it his first piece of legislation to sign into law …
UPDATE: CNN to Air Anti-Bush MoveOn.org Ad
From Moveon.org's Eli Pariser: "During this year's Super Bowl, you'll see ads sponsored by beer companies, tobacco companies, and the Bush White House. But you won't see the winning ad …
Monique Guillory
Dr. Monique Guillory has been busy for the last few years. As deputy chief of staff for Jackson State University President Ronald Mason since 2000, the 34-year-old New Orleanian met …
Mississippi GOP Gleeful Over Pickering End Run
Emily Wagster Pettus of AP writes: "Judge Charles Pickering's exhausting journey to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is a cause celebre for the Mississippi Republican Party. People shouldn't …
‘Dean Goes Bust'
Josh Benson writes in Salon: "Can Dean recover? Maybe. Even without Trippi, he has a core of supporters that will never abandon him. And while the other campaigns will be …
[Just In] Barbour's State of the State Address
[verbatim] Lieutenant Governor; Mr. Speaker; Fellow State officials, Members of
It is a humbling honor to come before you tonight for the first time as your Governor. I want to start by saying to my colleagues in the Legislature: many …
Barbour: Outstanding Women ‘Rare'
Read the WAPT report.
"'There are some outstanding women but they're rare,' Barbour said. 'I'm not in the bean-counting business. As we fill out this administration, I feel very comfortable that people are going …
Poll: Bush Vulnerable Against Unnamed Democrat
Latest Zogby poll: "As Democrats Vote in Iowa and New Hampshire, President Bush Looks Vulnerable in Both His Re-Elect and Face-Off with Generic Democrat; Bush's Job Performance 49% Positive, 50% …
Keep Committee Hearings Open!
Common Cause urges in a letter to the Clarion-Ledger that all legislative committees be kept open to the public. Duh. Those men and women report to us. Dick Johnson writes: …
Dean's Midnight Note
Here's an e-mail that went to Dean's e-mail list in the middle of the night after Dean's unimpressive third-placing showing in Iowa (BTW, is anyone else as thrilled as I …
Senate Panel Votes for New Thomas/White Election
Jan. 19, 2004--The Sun-Herald is reporting: "A Senate committee has recommended a new election in the disputed Hinds District 29 race. Democrat Dewayne Thomas was certified the winner of the …
Dean's Grass-roots Team in Overdrive on Iowa Day
Keep an eye on Dean's Blog for America today as the Iowa caucuses take place. Whatever you think of Dean, his *campaign* is pretty damned exciting.
Economist: Bush Wants Stagnant Job Market
Economic James K. Galbraith argues in Salon that Bush wants a stagnant job market to "keep the help from getting uppity." He writes: "The transcendent economic issue this election year …
Tupelo Republican Wants to Block Gay Unions
The Clarion-Ledger is reporting: 'Saying gay marriage 'goes against everything society has ever stood for,' state Sen. Alan Nunnelee has filed a bill to ban the union under the state …
Jackson Moves Up in Creative Class Ranking; Other Southern Cities Fall
Regular JFP blogger Philip brought this to our attention this weekend; great news! Go, Jackson, go.
Americans, Wall Street Shrug Off Mad Cow
Reuters reports:: Investor concerns that consumers would shun beef after last month's discovery of the first U.S. case of mad cow disease appear to have evaporated as shares of steakhouses …
Business lobbyists eye State of the Union
AP reports that lobbyists are campaigning for a Bush mention Tuesday night: "'You tell everybody you can think to tell' in the White House, said Dan Danner, lobbyist for the …
Creative Class War
Creative Class guru Richard Florida has a long, compelling piece on Alternet about political culture wars in the U.S. He writes: "The last 20 years has seen the rise of …
Taking Back Free Enterprise
Kevin Danaher and Jason Mark write on Alternet: "As it turns out, corporations operating in a deregulated environment do what is in the best interest of no one except the …
Mississippi House: Jan. 16, 2003 Weekly Recap
By Rep. Erik Fleming -- Haley Reeves Barbour's inauguration and first address to the citizens as Mississippi's 63rd governor and the announcement of committee assignments in the House of Representatives …
New License Plate Supports the Arts
From the Mississippi Arts Commission: "House Bill 940 (legislative session 2003) authorized distinctive license tags for several organizations, including the Arts Commission. Our tag is now ready for pre-sale and …
Reese: If not Jefferson Davis ... then Dean
In "A Year for Youth," conservative columnist Charley Reese writes: "When the voting age was lowered to 18, there was a great expectation that youth would flock to the polls. …
Blacks unswayed by GOP social agenda
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is reporting: "African-Americans often agree with Republicans on social issues: abortion, prayer in schools and --- most significant in this year's presidential race --- same-sex unions. But …
Will single women swing the ‘04 election?
Women eNews is reporting: "Are single women the soccer moms of 2004? That's what some national Democrats are betting on as they gear up for this year's presidential election. Democratic …
Minor and Stringfellow on Barbour's lack of diversity
Columnist Bill Minor writes: "Looking at the lineup of four white, male, mostly 60-something Barbour Administration appointees named last Friday, several to head socially-sensitive state agencies, two thoughts immediately came …
Actor Martin Sheen, Rep. Bennie Thompson endorse Dean
The AP reports: "Thompson, a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, cited Dean's efforts to develop and help rural America."
Braun Drops Out; Endorses Dean
AP is reporting: "Former Illinois Sen. Carol Moseley Braun dropped out of the presidential race Thursday and endorsed Howard Dean as 'a Democrat we can all be proud to support.'
"I Hear That Train A'Comin'" Scott Miller
Singer/songwriter Scott Miller, formerly of the V-Roys and now a Sugar Hill recording artist, is a true triple threat. He is a great songwriter and singer and fantastic guitar player. …
[Jacktown] Throwbacks and Hot Acts, by Alphonso Mayfield
Another year has passed. While I must admit that 2003 was hotter than a country nightclub on a Delta summer night, 2004 looks to be even more promising—especially for new …
"These Things Take Time," Peabody
I've been a Peabody junkie for years. I first caught this dead-ahead New Orleans rock band more than 10 years ago at an Anne Rice coven party. They've been in …
Barbour Stashes Riches in Blind Trust
[Statement] (Jackson, Miss.)--In one of his first actions after his Inauguration, Governor Haley Barbour created a blind trust and will place all of his investment and income earning assets in …
Salter on Barbour Inauguration
The Clarion-Ledger's Sid Salter writes today: "Coupled with the state's money problems is the political reality that Barbour, Lt. Gov. Amy Tuck, House Speaker Billy McCoy and the vast majority …
[City Buzz] Kenny Said He's Gonna Slap Me
MAMA, KENNY SAID HE'S GONNA SLAP ME: About time you think that Kenneth Stokes has calmed the hell down, someone goes and sets him off again. Even though we can …
Capitol Games: Ayana's Guide
BARBOUR'S APPOINTMENTS
Following is the JFP's primer to need-to-know information about the Legislature and state government. We will be adding information as we go. Send suggested information to: [e-mail missing]
Poll: Alternative news gaining influence over TV, dailies
AP reports: "People are turning increasingly to alternatives such as the Internet for news about the presidential campaign, shifting away from traditional outlets such as the nightly network news and …
Cover
Haley's Choice: Native Son Barbour Comes Home to Run for Governor
The big sign draped between two trees next to the Neshoba County Fair pavilion in August 1982 caused a lot of drama: "Happy Birthday, Senator Stennis."
Dean campaign: ‘Annoy the media'
The corporate media's habit of taking quotes out of context is being discussed on Dean's Blog for America right now. Here's a posting by Matthew Gross that is a very …
‘The Harry Truman of our generation'
In a big endorsement, Sen. Tom Harkin of Iowa has endorsed Howard Dean just days before the primary there, reports the Associated Press, "calling him the 'kind of plain-spoken Democrat …
Bush backed by core supporters; women undecided
AP is reporting: "Men, evangelicals and rural voters are supporting President Bush by big margins at the start of this election year, while traditionally Democratic-leaning groups such as women have …
