Ya'll Politics---U.S. Chamber Thanks Mississippi Rep. Childers for Opposing Health Care Bill

WASHINGTON, D.C.—U.S. Chamber of Commerce Executive Vice President of Government Affairs R. Bruce Josten issued the following statement thanking Congressman Travis Childers (MS-01) for opposing the current health care legislation which will increase taxes and risk employer-sponsored healthcare:

“We thank Congressman Childers for his opposition to the current health care legislation being rammed through the House of Representatives. Congressman Childers has stood up for the working families and small businesses in his district by saying ‘no’ to this health care bill that would raise their taxes and jeopardize employer-sponsored health coverage. We appreciate Congressman Childers standing with Mississippians, many of which are small businesses and members of the U.S. Chamber, and against a health care bill that would wipe out more jobs, raise costs and put employers and employee’s current health benefits at risk.

“The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which represents hundreds of thousands of businesses large and small, has strongly advocated for health care reform and shares the goals of Congress and the Administration to reduce health care costs, while increasing access and quality. From the start of this debate, we have supported comprehensive insurance market reforms and new consumer protections to ensure every American has guaranteed affordable coverage. However, health care reform won't work without comprehensive provisions that will bring costs under control and make health care coverage more affordable. The current legislation before Congress does little to solve the problem of escalating costs for working families and small businesses and includes many provisions that are not consistent with those shared goals.”

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is the world’s largest business federation representing the interests of more than 3 million businesses of all sizes, sectors, and regions, as well as state and local chambers and industry associations.

Yall Politics

You've heard of the Whirling Dervishes? Well, get ready for the Spinning Democrats!

Regardless of how the Health Care Reform vote goes on Sunday--and it will be a close one--Democrats know they have a hell of a fight on their hands come November. TEA Party activist, along with a push by the leftiest of the lefties to take advantage of this once in a lifetime opportunity this year, means the normal shift back to center for Congressional elections during a year when there will be no presidential election will be more of a jolt. The ground has shifted in ways unseen in decades, and the difference between Dems heavy losses and not-so-heavy losses--notwithstanding upcoming liberal legislative possibilities like Immigration Reform--will hinge on voters remembering today's atmosphere come Election Day in the Fall.

Democrats have already begun preparing for the spin. Joe Voter will be inundated with good news from the stimulus, Health Insurance Reform (if it passes), and a variety of other left leaning legislative accomplishments and potential accomplishments.

Stuart Rothenberg's latest Political Report is on how campaigns are already attempting to change the narrative using polling memos.

Rothenberg writes:

Pollsters say that their surveys present only a “snapshot” of a race at a particular moment. That’s true. But often the snapshot presented in a memo is misleading, and the pollster knows it. Memos include numbers intended to build an argument that seems empirically based but isn’t. They don’t present the whole picture, because the whole picture isn’t in their client’s interest.

Even highly regarded, methodologically legit pollsters tell me to call them up privately if I want to get their real assessment about a race — don’t go by the memo they release. I get this from both Republican and Democratic pollsters, and I have received the same advice for years.

Actually, most pollsters hate to write these kinds of memos, but their clients want them to create a more favorable narrative, so they write them, usually using their words very carefully.

Rothenberg concludes his report:

Polling memos sometimes contain useful nuggets of data, but they often leave out other important data and stress the narrative the campaign wants to create. Don’t take them at face value.

How long is your memory?

Madison Co. Supervisor Asks For Audit Of Engineer's Contracts . . . Again.

Current efforts to further examine Madison County's books continue to be embroiled in politics.

Madison County residents turned activists Frank Halford and Billy Redd were on the Gallo Radio Show Thursday morning to discuss the lack of answers coming from the Board of Supervisors. Supervisor DI Smith continues to take his calls for a procedural audit to the airwaves as often as possible. Meanwhile State Auditor Stacy Pickering is trying to steer as clear as possible as he positions himself for a run for higher office.

County Engineer Rudy Warnock, in true Democrat fashion, continues his non-answer answers and to play the "poor me" victim. Back in June he was quoted as saying he is the victim of politics.

"Everything that D.I. is alleging is totally false and slanderous,” Warnock said in June. “Every contract and invoice that I have submitted to Madison County has been reviewed by the administration and then approved by the Madison County Board of Supervisors."

Boo Hoo!

WAPT is reporting that a recent investigation begun by Madison Mayor Mary Hawkins-Butler has only served to bring up more troubling questions about Warnock's practices.

Hawkins-Butler said a six-month investigation has revealed that Warnock has been paying other contractors to perform his projects, which she said is not allowed without county permission. Butler said the subcontracting issue has been raised for months now, and it was most recently talked about at a board of supervisors meeting.

“Two member of the board of supervisors voted for Rudy Warnock to produce those subcontracts,” the mayor said. “Three voted ‘no,’ that he didn't have to produce it. If there's nothing wrong with them, produce the subcontracts and all of this will go away.”

In addition to the issue of subcontracting, Hawkins-Butler said the investigation notes $2 million in tax dollars was spent without question or concern from the board of supervisors.

There was no quote in the story from Warnock. "Why?" you may ask. Because he's in the Bahamas on vacation.

Bad timing Rudy!

The investigation cited a conflict of interest where Warnock, serving as county engineer, designs and approves his own work - something the report says flies in the face of the Mississippi Board of Licensure's code of professional conduct.

Warnock, holding true to form, blamed it all on "political theater" orchestrated by Hawkins-Butler.

In a statement released by his attorney--did I mention Warnock was in the Bahamas--Dorsey R. Carson, Jr., of Jackson and reported by the Madison County Journal,

Warnock railed against Hawkins-Butler, calling McAfee no more than a "hired gun" and questioning the integrity of the report.

The report's author, Richard J. McAfee of Detroit-based PMA Consultants, said with limited documentation he found no illegal acts, but pointed to over $2 million in questionable spending by the county.

"This bears further investigation," McAfee said. "Any government in the business of serving the people need to have better checks and balances. There are so many inconsistencies it would make sense to perform a thorough audit."

When Pickering was running for Auditor he said,

“State and local governments in Mississippi spend billions of dollars in taxpayer money each year. As a fiscal conservative, I want to make sure that our tax dollars are spent with the integrity the taxpayers expect and deserve.”

We're waiting sir.