Jackson Jambalaya

For the Reeves camp to call Hewes a career politician is a bit much. We all know we'll be watching this same rodeo 4-8 years from now, when Tate runs for guv.

Politics. It's a fun sport to watch. Mostly.

I found Tate Reeve's piece full of unfounded allegations, such as "Hewes is being backed by Democrats". This piece is a dirty attack piece, plan and simple, and it leaves a bad taste in my mouth about Tate Reeves.

Billy Hewes' piece was all pro-Billy, except to note that Tate was 16 in 1992. What makes that an attack piece? The crux of the argument is that experience matters.

Mike Moore was a long-haired hippie in a rock and roll band.

Remember when Dale Danks was running against Mike and he showed the long haired pic of him in a band?
I think the people prefered their Democrat AG to have long hair as oppose to perpetual tan.

Tate lost my vote whe the ad he put out arrived in my mailbox yesterday. If Hewes is doing the same thing, they both lost. Who else is running?

I'm supporting him so my opinion may be tainted to some of you, but Tate's piece is unnecessary. He has the lead and doesn't have to attack to keep it. That said, what allegations in it are false? I wouldn't have played the Career Politician card, nor would I have tried to make as many direct accusations as the piece did, but is it accurate? Bill Billingsley

If Tate has the lead, then he wouldn't have to mail the piece. His polls have been skewed to give him the lead. That's how he hopes to win, by convincing people he is going to win. People have stopped buying that argument. Most political watchers I talk to believe the real numbers are within single digits, and maybe even within the margin of error with a huge number still undecided. I don't know anybody who honestly believed Reeves was ahead by 40 points. Negatively attacking and refusing to debate is unacceptable to most voters. Because it cuts the public out of the process. Tate's handlers had better put him in front of the public and the press to talk soon. His ship is beginning to sink.

I think "No-Debate Tate" is in trouble. BTW, his ambition is the United State Senate, not the Governor's office.

The Hewes camp wants to spread the message that it is a tight race (as seen on here) but the independent polls show differently. I don't blame Billy, I think he is getting bad advice from people that have bet on him winning and are now getting desperate.

Wish somebody actually had an "independent" poll. If your talking about those released by Reeves, they are hardly independent.

Well, I'm afraid it's true that *this* Democrat is voting Hewes; pretty much all my local races are GOP-decided, so I've gotta cross lines in the primary.

From my guest's chair on the sidelines, I don't understand why Reeves is even a contender, much less winning, except for horse-race stuff like having held statewide office and thus being familiar to voters.

It seems to me Hewes underestimated how hard he was going to have to campaign just to get on the radar. I'm completely ignorant of both men's politics, which I'm sure I'd find abhorrent, but at least Hewes appears to be a grown-up with highly relevant experience. Billingley or somebody, feel free to explain why Reeves should be LT GOV and not Hewes.

I'm for Billy, so take it for what it's worth. I thought his 1992 mailer was effective, and not a personal attack at all. Just another way of stating facts.

Tate's did strike me as a little desperate for a guy with an alleged 40-point lead.

Well... funny.
I'll make it shorter.
The Danks/Moore analysis is ridiculous.
Tate's campaign strategy is almost , but not quite as bad as Dank's against Moore. Republican vs Republican requires a FAR different kind of negative than Democrat vs Republican.
Since both political parties use " true believers" for campaign management and strategy rather than professional and objective advice, campaigns that could be won are lost.
Tate needs help but won't find it.

Let remember who started the negative campaign. Billy got his bad advice from the start when he was talked into running. Tate has had a ground swell of support for months now.

Tate the Terrible Treasurer has been calling foul for independent news articles exsposing his corruption. Now he has really looked bad with this blatantly negative add. I received the mail outs on the same day. I wonder whose strategy that might have been. It just looks bad for Tate.

Sun herald....independent? That is populist fodder. Everyone on the inside knows that Tate has managed the treasurers office very well.

I will say this: when columnists like Bill Minor and regular reporters try to write about finance, they usually look like idiots or have no clue what they are writing about. See when Pat Robertson of PERS took Bill Minor to school.

Looks more like a sandbox fight over toys than a food fight.

I am very disappointed with Tate. He WAS way out in front until the negative ads. I know he is responding to his Billy's ads...but the underdog is expected to attack the candidate with a huge lead.
I would have more respect for Tater Tot if he had taken the high road. Attacking the underdog shows his lack of maturity. A good strategy would have been to make a commercial cleaning the windows with his 2 children and wife...while explaining to the girls that their daddy doesn't sling mud...too late for that now.

KF... "managed the treasurers office very well." Come on, it took you to let the people know how in-debt Mississippi is! Remember your post about the combined figures of bond indebtedness and underfunded pension programs... and Mississippi was in the top 5! Why didn't Tater keep us updated with appropriate info, charts and graphs! Looks like he went along to get along with good o'boys!

Here is a reminder of what TATER let go unnoticed...

Long-Term Debt, Pension Liabilities as Percentage of Income

1. Hawaii 27.7%

2. Mississippi 22.8%

3. Connecticut 22.3%

4. New Mexico 21.9%

5. Alaska 21.6%

Long-Term Debt, Pension Liabilities as Percentage of State GDP

1. Hawaii 16.2%

2. Mississippi 15.9%

3. Connecticut 15.2%

4. West Virginia 14.5%

5. Massachusetts 14.2%

Source: Moody's Investors Service

Good question. Truth is, and I wish the T candidates would say so, and they won't, is the Treasurer has not much to do with long term state debt. He gets a vote on the bond commission. You really think any of them are going to go nuts vetoing those projects? Sure, tell every university you are going to veto their construction projects. There is a reason not many rejections occur.

Now having said that, he doesn't run PERS, PERS board members are not appointed by him. He does not appoint anyone to HCTF or MPACT boards. Truth is the Treasurer is more of a technical job but its hard to campaign for it so they all seize on the debt and bond issues.

I'd rather see one of them talk about how they are going to work to prevent local governments from getting in over their heads OR use their office to have experts come in and teach basic or low level finance for county and municipal officials, including elected councilmen, supes, and aldermen, so they have a better understanding of what is brought before them by these so called advisers and bond companies. I've talked to enough of these representatives and they would love it if the DFA, Treasurer, or someone else would have seminars for them so they have a better idea when bond stuff is presented to them.

By the way, Tate stood his ground when Jackson screwed up on the water bonds and you saw what a beating he took in the media and that was just one damn fight. Start vetoing more and it will be much worse.

Why is it these conversations always end up about attacking Tate. Can't the Hewes camp spend any time on the many problems Mississippi has. Billy seems just about winning and not trying to further a dialogue on improving our state.

KF....you are right on the technical job and that is where Tate has excelled. The opinion of the bond markets of Mississippi post Tate and Haley is very high.

Billy Hewes IS a career politician. Maybe he has been a good politician and maybe he has been a conservative politician, but 20 years is certainly a career. Some people don't like it and some people don't care. But I don't think it is negative.

Anderson, both men are friends of mine so it was hard for me to pick one, but I think Tate will make a better Lieutenant Governor because he's coming at the job from outside the Senate. I think there are too many good old boy clubs in the legislature, and fresh leadership gives us an opportunity to let some other people try their ideas. This is especially necessary in the battle for legislative redistricting, and I believe Tate gives us a better chance for fair district lines. Bill Billingsley

" career politician" might not bother a Reeves supporter, but a Hewes supporter will think it's a low blow to a guy who's been carrying the GOP water for a long time. That PO'd Hewes supporter might not put a check in Reeves box against a Democrat.

KF, I agree the treasurer is a technical position. I also agree the treasurer has veto power and should use it when, (in his judgement) it is the best intrest of the State. However, he needs to stand by his decisions. When he runs and hides, then tries to blame Haley and Hood it shows cowardness. If anything, Hoods going to blame Tate and Haley when we start questioning him in the general election. Tate is just acting like a Titty Baby.

Billy's problem is that his handlers aren't concerned with giving him the best chance to win. Instead they're just trying to do as much damage to Tate Reeves as possible, knowing that Tate is going to win anyway. It's a shame that Billy Hewes isn't smart enough to see that and put a stop to it.

Bill: I think Tate will make a better Lieutenant Governor because he's coming at the job from outside the Senate. I think there are too many good old boy clubs in the legislature

I take your point, but it also works the opposite way: how amenable will the Senate be to an outsider's telling them how to run their circus? I have more faith in Hewes's being able to work with the Senate.

Anon, 8:48 Monday, July 18:

That PO'd Hewes supporter might not put a check in Reeves box against a Democrat.

Refresh my memory: Who are the Democrat candidates for Lt. Gov.?

1121 your thoughts are insightful.......a damaged Tate is less of a threat to future governor.

The irony of this whole discussion is that Hewes VOTED FOR almost all of the bond legislation that he now attacks Tate Reeves for supporting (as a member of the Bond Commission).

@ 4:32,

Hewes has always maintained that he supported the bond bills. He just wanted to make sure Tate wasn't dumping all the debt responsibility on the Legislature. Not a dollar can be issued that doesn't go through the bond commission.

Hewes just thinks they should share the blame.

*I don't speak for him, but I've heard him say this on the radio.

Anderson, you asked for a reason to vote for Tate. The flip side of that coin is to put Billy in because of his experience and existing relationships. I believe that the senators will work with whoever is elected. Not only is it what they were elected to do, but it's also in their best self interest to do so. I just think we need some new chairmen and ideas, and Tate is the one coming at the job with a fresh perspective.

By the way, it's been three days and no one has attempted to answer my questions about the validity of the specific points in Tate's mail piece. From that I can take one of two things. Either no one knows one way or the other, meaning that you either believe it on faith or not, or that no one cares about the substance of the piece, just about its emotional tone. Either is sad...Bill Billingsley