JJ asks if Lt. Guv's leadership is now in question following redistricting fiasco

Redistricting: Phil Bryant's albatross or just a small bump?

Negligence? What exactly do you mean, Kingfish? Simple. Mr. Bryant appoints the committee chairman. That is one of the perks of being a Lieutenant Governor. He could have made it real clear to Mr. Burton what was expected of him. He probably could have solved the lame duck problem by obtaining support from Billy Hewes and Tate Reeves to tell him regardless of who succeeded Mr. Bryant, the winner will hold him accountable. If Mr. Bryant was a leader in the mold of say, Buddy Newman, the plan would have already been drawn up and handed to Burton with the orders "Here it is, hold your hearings, make your findings, then produce this map." Mr. Bryant and his represen-tatives could have been involved with the drawing up of the plan from the beginning, thus ensuring a more favorable outcome. A committee chairman ignoring a leader of his chamber in such a manner would have never happened under Newman, Tim Ford, Brad Dye, or even Amy Tuck....... or Sillers.


However, Mr. Bryant did none of these things. He handed the ball off to a bi-partisan committee, ignored its work, then discovered too late the committee drew a map that not only did he not like but one that would also cause problems for him in his own party. Mr. Burton and his committee completely blew off the Lieutenant Governor and did an end run around him as the Burton-Bryan plan passed the Senate. Mr. Bryant is undoubtedly hoping to save face in a conference committee scrum where the whole redistricting mess will eventually land. The defining moment took place during the debate: Democrats praised the plan from the floor of the Senate while only a few Republicans meekly opposed it.

More than a few Republican insiders are questioning Mr. Bryant's ability to lead or even count votes. The most common statement made last week about the redistricting mess was "How can Mr. Bryant deal with the legislature as Governor when he can't even control it as Lieutenant Governor" or "Does he even know what is going on in his own chamber?" Serious questions. The Lieutenant Governor enjoys much more power over the legislature than does the Governor. Barbour's legislative success is due to three things: His ability to use the special session rules in his favor, the use of the Senate to counteract the House, and is ability to count votes (which in turn depends on knowing everything that goes on in the legislature). Governor Musgrove found out how weak the office really is despite being a former Senator, former Lieutenant Governor, and Democrat as the legislature repeatedly ran roughshod over him. Mr. Bryant looked more like Mr. Musgrove last week than he did Mr. Musgrove's successor.

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MBJ: Kirby, Bryant prove to be anti-business; Dennis for personal responsibility

However, when Sen. Dean Kirby, R-Pearl, argues against a microbreweries beer bill, because he doesn’t want to put his committee members in an uncomfortable position during an election year, it is obvious that political gain is more important than business success.

Even Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant, a Republican candidate for governor, took the same position in a story in the Mississippi Business Journal this week. Bryant said he didn’t see a reasonable benefit to increasing the alcohol content in Mississippi.

If that is the case, Bryant and Kirby must be against more jobs and a better tax base for Mississippi.

In a conversation with the Mississippi Business Journal last week, Coast businessman Dave Dennis, a Republican candidate for governor, said he would be for such a bill and that any concerns about alcohol and morality is about personal responsibility, not politics.

So, if Dennis sees the financial and jobs benefit of the bill, why not Bryant and Kirby. I’m assuming they would rather see government impose its will on Mississippians instead of allowing for personal responsibility.

MBJ

Republican Candidate for Governor swings through Flora

A Republican Candidate for Governor, Dave Dennis, stopped into Flora for a discussion of issues he believes the state faces in the upcoming years, and issues he hopes to address during the upcoming campaign for the GOP nomination on Friday morning. Mr. Dennis says that at this point in the states history, Mississippi needs a businessman to be the states CEO and "not a career bureaucrat."

Mr. Dennis discussed a variety of subjects, including budget problems, Oil Spill recovery, Immigration Enforcement, and how federal tax laws are contributing to a prolonged lack of economic recovery.

Dennis discusses his belief in the need for a businessman as the states CEO, his own company, and the ongoing problems related to the Oil Spill on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Mr. Dennis is a resident of Pass Christian.




Dennis discusses the states budget woes, and his belief that when it comes to cuts, everything must remain on the table.



Dennis discusses Immigration in Mississippi




Dave Dennis discusses how the current federal tax laws are harming the economy




Dave Dennis discusses how he hopes to encourage a new type of public service