The key election for Mississippi Republicans on November 5th is not the race for governor, rather it is the race for lieutenant governor.
Two reasons.
First, as we learned during Tate Reeves' tenure, a strong lieutenant governor can command the agenda of state government.
Second, Republican nominee Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann can turn the party's focus back toward conservative problem solving.
As Mississippi Today wrote, "The lieutenant governor has the sole ability to appoint members, vice-chairmen, and chairmen to the various Senate committees, regardless of which party has control of the chamber. Given that power, it is argued that the office is more powerful than the governorship."
Or, as one wag put it, for a bill to become a law, it needs the governor's signature but for a bill to even get a vote it needs the lieutenant governor's blessing.
That sentiment was echoed when Mississippi Public Radio reporter Jeffery Hess explained to an out-of-state reporter, "The lieutenant governor, as the head of the senate, has far more power than the governor due to his ability to assign which bills will be heard by which committees in the senate."
For these reasons, Democratic challenger, State Rep. Jay Hughes upsetting Hosemann would be far worse for Republicans than Reeves losing to Attorney General Hood.
Reeves used the extraordinary power of the lieutenant governor's office to strangle government spending in order to provide tax cuts, primarily tax cuts to corporations. As a result, the resources needed to address critical problem areas in Mississippi have been scarce. Lack of progress on such problems is a key factor in Reeves' tight race against Hood.
The litany of these problem areas is well known: the highway and bridge funding crisis; the teacher shortage crisis; the growing risk of rural hospital and emergency room closures; the mental health care crisis in the midst of court ordered changes; lack of skilled workers and cuts to community college budgets; and talent brain drain.
Hosemann has put forward an agenda to address such issues from a conservative approach. Oh, he does want government to be more efficient, but he understands that government must function effectively if Republicans are going to maintain their majority over time. Consequently, key policy statements in his campaign include (quotations from a Jackson Free Press questionnaire):
Shoring up rural hospitals by considering and evaluating healthcare reform solutions implemented in other states with no net impact on the state budget. "No Mississippians should be 30 minutes from a facility equipped to provide necessary treatment."
Supporting immediate action to remedy the teacher shortage. "Fully funding our public schools is a goal we will and must move toward."
Committing to the construction and maintenance of our roads and bridges. "Potholes, road closures, and barricaded bridges are still plaguing communities across Mississippi."
Enacting policy to grow a skilled workforce and support for community colleges.
Hughes focused his answers in the Jackson Free Press questionnaire on education, health care, and transparency. So far he has been unable to find a viable wedge issue to use against Hosemann.
A pragmatic conservative with a proven record in applying a business-like approach to government, Hosemann has the skills to move Republicans from a destructive anti-government agenda to a conservative good government agenda. He also would be in position to salvage the party should the unexpected happen and Reeves lose to Hood.
Crawford is a syndicated columnist from Meridian
Sunday, October 27, 2019
Bill Crawford: Lt. Gov. Key Race for GOP
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I see Bill still won’t acknowledge he serves on the board of a hospital
What we need is an article about a fox terrier entering the Greyhound competition. Hughes has about that much chance, so why waste all this effort writing that column...or publishing it?
As long as "support for community colleges" doesn't mean more money for them, I good with it. Football (and likely most JC sports) should be ended immediately. We, being the poorest state, are the only state that fields football programs at most JCs, even rich and football-crazy Texas only has six JC football programs compared to our 14. It makes no sense, JC football costs a ton of money and garners no attention for the JC. EMCC is the "Alabama" of JC football, dominates the entire country, and even had its own mini-series (Last Chance U), but enrollment there continues to decline.
Additionally, JC "districts" need to be rethought. Building a nice modern campus for Holmes in Ridgeland and a nice modern Campus for Hinds 15 miles away in Pearl is idiotic. Build ONE nice campus for the metro.
People continually praise the JC system in MS, but it's pretty much been the same in my 50 plus years and I'm yet to see the payoff. We keep going down in almost every ranking.
JCs should focus on dual credit courses for high school students, commuter students and realistic job training programs (electricians, HVAC, plumbing, mechanics, etc). Get out of sports immediately.
Crawford nailed this one. Tate led Phil around like a toy poodle and dominated state government the past 8 years. Delbert has no love for Tate so it will make for an interesting dynamic (assuming Both are elected) as you can bet Delbert intends to snub Tate and push his own agenda. Much like Tate has done to Phil.
8:48 am You are a broken record. The reason you are being ignored is that serving on a hospital board might actually give you more information on the subject of delivering medical services , not less. And, some of actually know people who are serving or have served on hospital boards whose goals were to have the best and most effective medical treatment.
Just because you may be motivated only by money and partisanship, doesn't mean everyone is equally bereft of a moral compass.
Shut down ALL JC sports IMMEDIATELY!! Total waste of
Money!!
It's long been known and documented that in Mississippi the power lay in the legislature - BOTH the House and the Senate. Except for the eight years of Barbour, this has been true for decades.
But this is nothing more than Bill's constant tirade against Reeves, who has led a strong conservative government policy rather than Bill's love and support of a Ray Mabus spend and spend some more governing model.
But what makes it laughable is his thinking that Hosemann will lead a 'conservative' government, or that he will be less autocratic than Reeves while standing on that dais. The surprise is that Bill even suggests support for a Republican candidate, although with the spending proposals that Hosemann has put forth it's a stretch to consider him a Republican in the conservative governance model. But I guess that why Bill can find support for him - he will feed the trough that Bill feeds from.
And of course he failed to acknowledge that it's more than just the Lt Gov that controls legislation - last time I checked the House Speaker is just as powerful and controls what bills get a vote as well. But that didn't fit Bill's narrative in trying to praise Hosemann's election in his last effort to take another shot at Reeves.
The Governor is the national face of the state and Mississippi will wear a clown's mask as it has so often in the past. But Hoseman does offer the possibility of 21st century hope behind the scenes. It helps.
So the governor is analogous to the UK's king/queen (head of state), and the lt. governor is like the UK's prime minister (head of government).
Also shutdown all violent and physically damaging team sports in every school and college. The next step would be combine all the state universities and save a ton. Put the focus again on academics and vocational careers.
Only Crawford and other highly delusional people think that Hughes has a prayer of winning this race. Won't even be close.
"for a bill to become a law, it needs the governor's signature"
Actually, no.
http://billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/htms/billlaw.htm
What is with the Harrison County Sheriff, Jackson County Sheriff and mayor of both Gulfport and Biloxi doing television ads for Gilbert? Sure seems like they are all sticking their neck out pretty far for Englebert.
Mississippians be not fooled... It's not about spending money, never has been.
It's about WHO the money is spent on. 1865-2019
George Flaggs for Governor! Screw the rest of it.
Polls show that other than Phil, Delbert is the most popular statewide political official in MS. Jay is a nice guy and probably is
as good a choice that the Democrats offer, but he has no real chance of winning. That’s why these local officials are openly
endorsing Delbert. It pays to be with the winner. George Flaggs is highly intelligent and a good politico and he obviously knows this.
Legislation can become law without the Governor’s signature. The 1987 highway bill passed over the veto of Gov Allain. Who
back then would have guessed that that program would be one of the biggest issues of the 2019 election? Also the legislation
creating the concealed carry gun permit passed in 1990 without the signature of Gov Mabus, who refused to sign it or veto
it.
Also don’t forget that the Speaker of the House is not term limited unlike the Gov and Lt Gov. In the eyes of many, that make him
the most powerful official in the state.
Why shut down CC sports? That's plumb ignorant. CC/JC is a bargain in this state and is funded by the counties in each CC district. Sports gives hundreds, thousands of young people a chance to compete and learn teamwork at a post-high school level.
Your suggestion is absurd.
But, anybody with walking around sense knows Holmes in Goodman needs to be closed down and all administration, sports and vocational moved to Ridgeland. Goodman is a bad, bad place. Danger level extremely high. Not an eating place in town. Nothing. Iraq. Nobody wants to send their kids to Goodman. Take a ride through that town and tell me I'm wrong. If your child has a scholarship offer to Goodman/Holmes, you'll ride through there and say, NO WAY IN HELL!
The CC system is not about education but political power and thousands of public jobs. Mississippi depends greatly on public jobs and this is nothing but a very good paying W.P.A program.
The Lt Gov. Race was decided the day Delbert signed up.
11:44, you analogy is close, but not if Dilbert gets elected. We all know that he thinks of himself as the king, if not the dictator. Just ask him and he will quickly tell you that he is the smartest person in the room and that nobody else need apply.
So, while he won't be, he certainly will try to act as if he is the king - and in our system of government, the Senate can quickly take that crown off his head and put it up the other end, where he can enjoy wearing it.
4:40, this is not a website devoted to promoting your mecca of eating places called Ridgeland.
You know its in Goodman because it is named HOLMES Community College, not Rice Road University of Eating Places.
And speaking of "dangerous", I bet the crime stats in Ridgeland are worse than Goodman.
As I said, 9:04, ride through the place. You might also want to visit the really nice HINDS campus over in RANKIN County. Holmes' Goodman campus has become this area's Coahoma Junior College.
Where can we meet and discuss a wager regarding Holmes County crime as opposed to the Ridgeland area stats?
What student would want to attend to a school in a shithole town like Goodman? Similarly, what decent teacher would want to live and teach in many of the shithole communities throughout Mississippi.
This is why I'm relieved that, even with the inevitable conclusion that lil' Tater will be crowned Governor, the real power will lie with Lt. Gov. Hosemann, who will enact practical conservatism solutions that might actually address the problems that lil' Tater ignored for 8 years.
Goodman has only a fraction of the drugs, alcohol, violence and crime you would encounter on Fraternity Row at Ole Miss (Sorority Row as well).
Ride through Goodman, slowly. Then we'll talk.
This is why Reeves needs to loose so Hosemann can run the state without the little prince getting in the way. Hosemann would temper or deny Hood's more liberal wishes and they would probably work fairly well together. Maybe Mississippi could move ahead instead of having the little prince and his narcissistic persona as Governor. This long time GOP member is voting Hood! I encourage everyone to oppose the little tater prince.
This long time GOP member is voting Hood!
Member? So you contribute financially to the national and state parties on an annual basis?
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