Here’s the skinny on First Lady Michelle Obama’s visit to Jackson next week. She’s coming as part of her Let’s Move campaign to fight obesity. She’ll be appearing with Gov. Haley Barbour.

From the White House:

The First Lady will travel to Jackson and be joined by Governor Haley Barbour and Mississippi First Lady Marsha Barbour at a local school to discuss ways to promote healthy schools as part of the recently launched Let’s Move! Campaign. One prong of the initiative focuses on promoting healthy eating, nutrition education, and physical activity in schools – all elements of the USDA’s Healthier US School Challenge program. The First Lady will visit an elementary school and hear from officials and experts about state and local efforts to combat childhood obesity. Media coverage details will be announced next week.

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Bobby Harrison with the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal has an interesting column on Gov. Barbour’s approach to legislative politics

Here’s the gist of what Harrison is saying:

People should not be upset with Gov. Haley Barbour for exerting his influence in the legislative process.

That is what governors are supposed to do. That is why they run for office. The fact that Barbour probably does it better than any other governor in history is no reason to be mad at him.

People can be mad at him over the positions he takes, his philosophical stands, but not because he uses his influence in the legislative process to get his way.

For years, it has been argued that the Mississippi Constitution sets up a system where the Legislature is strong and the governor is weak. But that certainly has not been the case under Barbour. He has turned that axiom upside down. It will be interesting to see if the dynamics that have existed under Barbour remain in effect for future governors.

A few thoughts come to mind:

1. Bobby is right. Haley Barbour is doing what a governor is supposed to do: Influence the Legislature to further his agenda. That’s the role of just about any governor in any state.
2. Haley Barbour is a political genius. I’ve said that many times. I’ve not met too many people (Democrats, Republicans or Inedependents) who disagree.
3. Haley Barbour has had more legislative success than just about any other governor in our state’s history.

But those observations speak nothing to the real truth about Gov. Barbour and his administration.

Here are a few more thoughts to consider:

1. Gov. Barbour has built his Republican “coalition” out of fear. Stories abound about the consequences of any Republican who dares get in his way.
2. Gov. Barbour has done nothing to try and build a consensus in the Legislature. He has rebuffed just about every Democratic compromise ever offered him.
3. Gov. Barbour has wasted hundreds of thousands of taxpayers dollars to exert his influence through the calling of special sessions. Why? Because he didn’t get his way the first time, and he can brow-beat legislators better in a special session where he controls the agenda rather than in a regular session where each chamber’s leadership controls the agenda.
4. Gov. Barbour’s approach to governance — especially budgetary matters — is to put faith in businesses, corporations and a wealthy few instead of in the people, their needs and their abilities to create a stronger state through their hard work.

The governor’s legacy may well be his work in the days immediately following Hurricane Katrina, but that would be a disservice to any serious historian. Once the initial shock was over, when we went about the hard work of rebuilding, Gov. Barbour focused on rebuilding businesses, not homes. He has helped divert federal money for home rebuilding to economic development projects that existed before Hurricane Katrina. And while the casinos are operating, many of the people who once called the Mississippi Gulf Coast home have been forced to relocated to other places.

And what of the governor’s record on unemployment, job retraining, health care and public education? No governor has worked so stringently to defund these areas. He can wrap it in the cloak of “fiscal responsibility”, but there is nothing responsible about turning down federal stimulus money that would have helped the unemployed train for new jobs, kicking well deserving people off of their health care plan and forcing them to buy more expensive private plans (where they could afford to do so) or taking away money from schools that are already struggling to meet the demands of their area.

Yes, Gov. Barbour is a political mastermind. Yes, he’s been able to lead the Republicans in the Legislature around by their noses. And yes, he’s had more legislative success than just about any governor in our state’s history.

If only he’d set out to do what was best for the State of Mississippi instead of blindly following some outdated political doctrine designed to enrich his supporters, raise his political profile and position him for greater success once he leaves office.

In short, if only he’s used his powers for good instead of wasting them on selfish pursuits.

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Go over to NMissCommentor to learn that even Sen. Thad Cochran will break his word for political gain.

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Over at Majority In Mississippi, a right-wing blog, they are hypothesizing about the change in logo for Bill Luckett’s Progress for Mississippi group.

The first logo had a circular icon in it that was reminiscent of the Obama campaign logo. The new one is a more linear, text-based logo. So, of course, Majority in Mississippi went straight for conspiracy:

Are they now trying to distance themselves from the president?

Could it instead be that as Progress for Mississippi grows and changes that their marketing and branding are doing the same?

Whether this group ends up being Bill Luckett’s gubernatorial campaign operation or not should be less of a focus than the issues it is spotlighting every day.

If you want to know what they are talking about, visit Progress for Mississippi’s Facebook page. It’s filled with good stuff.

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The Hill is reporting not that Congressman Gene Taylor has another Republican opponent but that the NRCC is actually excited about the contender:

The conservative Blue Dog Democrat learned Tuesday that he faces a potential matchup with state Rep. Steven Palazzo, who entered the race and appears to have the NRCC excited about his candidacy.

When it comes to Mississippi, it appears that the NRCC is getting actively involved in the Republican primaries, despite having more than one high-profile candidate in the running. In the Fourth CD, Palazzo will face off against Tea Party activist Joseph Tegerdine.

The same thing is happening in the First Congressional District with the NRCC’s unabashed support of state Sen. Alan Nunnelee over Tea Party activist and former FoxNews anchor Angela McGlowan.

It’s almost as if the Republican Party really doesn’t like the Tea Party crowd, they just pay them lip service and then back more traditional Big Business candidates against them.

That’s a risky strategy for the NRCC. Both of these primaries could be volatile — the Fourth more so than the First, in my opinion. And if that is the case, the NRCC and their “chosen one” candidates run the real risk of alienating voters.

Not that I care. More power to them. So much so that I hope this NRCC strategy continues nationwide. Ugly, bloody primaries mean that Democrats will win more elections.

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Democrat Albert Butler led the field in last night’s special election for the District 36 state Senate seat. He will face Jimmy Strong in the March 9 runoff. Strong is a Republican.

We hope that anyone and everyone who can will help donate time or money to help elect Albert Butler to the state Senate. This is an important race, and we cannot afford to lose this seat.

If you would like to donate to the party for our upcoming efforts in this race, you can do so here:

CONTRIBUTE TO HELP ELECT ALBERT BUTLER

Any contribution — $10, $20, $100, $1,000 — will be greatly appreciated and can help us elect Albert Butler to the state Senate.

If you want to donate your time, please contact us by calling (601) 969-2913 or using this form on our website.

You can volunteer without ever leaving your house, you can come to our office and man a phone bank or we can use your help going door-to-door in the district.

Whatever you can do, we need your help!

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Republicans are continuing to beat up on Attorney General Jim Hood over his use of outside counsel in large cases involving the state. They throw lots of stones and mud and spray lots of smoke, but one fact still remains:

Once again, Hood has complied fully with state law regarding campaign contributions, the reporting of those contributions and with applicable state and federal laws regarding his procurement of legal representation for the state.

Here are two things Republicans and other critics of Hood’s practices should consider:

1. Jim Hood has secured hundreds of millions of dollars for the State of Mississippi from large companies who have either wronged our state or our citizens. He’s done so at a cost well below the average cost for such cases.

2. Jim Hood is not the only one who uses outside counsel. Look at Gov. Haley Barbour and State Auditor Stacey Pickering for starters. Both offices have used outside counsel for various means. Criticize them, why don’t you?

There is nothing about Republican criticism of Attorney General Jim Hood and his use of outside counsel that does not wreak of unabashed political bashing. And everyone knows it.

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We’re watching a special election taking place in Senate District 36, a seat previously held by now Chancery Court Judge Vincent Davis.

Though all special elections are non-partisan in Mississippi, we’re excited about several of the candidates. We feel strongly that the winner will be a good Democratic Senator for that area for years to come.

The complete list of candidates are:

• Albert Butler, Port Gibson
• Jerry L. Cain, Sr., Fayette
• Elvis E. Colenberg, Fayette
• Kenneth H. Ramsey, Hazlehurst
• Jimmy D. Strong, Utica
• Ken Dale Sullivan, Wesson
• Jazma Wheeler, Crystal Springs

The district covers parts of Claiborne, Copiah, Hinds and Jefferson counties. If a runoff is needed, it will take place on Tuesday, March 9.

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Below is the text of DNC Chairman Tim Kaine’s statements on the passing of Congressman John Murtha:

“Today we mourn the loss of a great American figure who dedicated his life to serving his country both in the military and in the halls of Congress. Congressman Murtha had a storied 37-year career in the U.S. Marine Corps and in 1974 he became the first Vietnam War combat veteran elected to Congress.

“Just the other day, Congressman Murtha became the longest serving Pennsylvanian in the history of the House of Representatives. During his career, he worked hard to bring tens of thousands of middle class jobs to western Pennsylvania. His legacy as a fighter for his causes and his constituents will be remembered long after his passing.

“Our thoughts and prayers today are with the Congressman’s wife, his children and his grandchildren.”

Congressman Murtha was a brave voice, and he will be missed.

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We want Toyota to succeed, so one day they will open their Mississippi plant and bring the thousands of jobs with them.

In the meantime, the State of Mississippi is hurting, and we are continuing to pay the debt services on a deal Gov. Barbour struck with Toyota despite the automakers’ failure to fulfill their obligations.

Recalls for Camry’s have dominated the news. Now comes another round of recalls, which is a harbinger of more fiscal woes for the company. These recalls affect the Prius, the model expected to be built in Mississippi.

The longer Toyota struggles financially, the longer it will be before they open the Mississippi plant. And the longer Mississippians will continue to throw their tax dollars at an empty site in North Mississippi.

Gov. Barbour needs to go back to Toyota and tell them that they should pay their own debt services until the time they can open the Mississippi plant.

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