Author: rob

For the past several months we have been getting our new Southern netroots site http://bluesunbelt.com up and running. We are in need of front pagers who can contribute diaries on politics and issues of the Southern and Sunbelt states that are our demographic focus area.

We need front pagers who can submit diaries on:

-Coverage of local, state, and federal races.
-Coverage of the presidential race.
-Coverage of progressive policy and issues.
-Diaries supporting candidates are welcome
-Diaries to organize local grassroots for candidates and causes.
-General diaries that are of interest to the progressive community.
-Cross posts from other sites are welcome

Our goal is to be a community for progressive netroots and political analysis for some of the fastest growing population areas of the United States. Our geographic focus includes the states and territories of the Old South, Border States, and Southwest that are a part of or are adjacent to the Sunbelt. That includes an area that is generally the southern half of the United States from California on the west, to Missouri on the north, to the Gulf Of Mexico and Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands on the south, and the DC-MD-DE area on the east. Many of these states are in the demographic areas where the Democratic Party has great potential for the future. This includes these states (and major cities in these states such as Atlanta, Memphis, Miami, Los Angeles, Houston, etc.):

California
Nevada
Arizona
New Mexico
Texas
Oklahoma
Missouri
Arkansas
Louisiana
Mississippi
Tennessee
Kentucky
Alabama
Georgia
West Virginia
Florida
South Carolina
North Carolina
Virginia
Maryland
Deleware
District of Columbia
Virgin Island (U.S. Territory)
Puerto Rico (U.S. Territory)

All registered users can submit diaries and the best diaries are promoted to the front page. Regular quality contributors are promoted to front page status.

We do not have a lot of rules and we do welcome diverse opinions regardless of which candidate you may support. We want to have a friendly and productive environment but not one that has constant bickering and attacks or counterproductive social clicks.

 

Ronnie Musgrove, who served as Governor and Lt. Governor of Mississippi, has been reported in the past week to be considering a return to politics by running for Lt. Governor. Musgrove would have been the strongest Democratic nominee for the office which is being vacated by GOP Lt. Gov. Amy Tuck.

Key Democrats tell the Magnolia Report that former Gov. Ronnie Musgrove is saying he’s running for lieutenant governor. 2/21
http://magnoliarepor…

In an radio interview with Paul Gallo of SuperTalk Mississippi
on Friday he said his inclination was “not to run”.

BREAKING – Musgrove’s ‘inclination not to run’
http://www.mississip…

In neighboring former Alabama Gov. Jim Folsom, Jr. returned to office by being elected Lt. Governor.

Democrats hoping for an open U.S. Senate seat in Mississippi will apparently have to wait a few more election cycles. Incumbent GOP Sen. Thad Cochran started a major fundraising drive with a fundraiser in Jackson Tuesday night and is expected to raise some $650,000.00 this week.

While not yet committing to a 2008 race Cochran indicated he was leaning heavily toward a race despite reports in recent months that he would like to retire. If Cochran had retired the Mississippi Democratic Party had a number of strong candidates who would have a good chance to return the seat to Democratic hands. They included former Gov. Ray Mabus, former Gov. Ronnie Musgrove, Cong. Gene Taylor, former Cong. Ronnie Shows, former Sec. of Agriculture and Cong. Mike Espy, and others.

http://bluesunbelt.c…

Crossposted to BlueSunbelt.Com, DailyKos, and Swing State Project

The Mississippi election for governor has finally attracted a well financed Democratic candidate. Trial lawyer John Arthur Eaves, Jr. has filed to challenge incumbent GOP Gov. Haley Barbour. Eaves will face an uphill challenge against the popular Barbour who received high marks after Hurricane Katrina. His father John Arthur Eaves, Sr. ran strong races for governor in 1975 (Eaves did not make the runoff between William Winter and Cliff Finch) and 1979 (won by William Winter).

Barbour is expected to be a heavy favorite for re-election. Thus far, Democrats with statewide campaign experience, such as former Attorney General Mike Moore, have opted not to challenge Barbour. Eaves, a well known Jackson attorney whose father ran unsuccessful campaigns for governor in the 1980s, might be the best funded and best known Democrat to get in the race.

Eaves’ only other political experience is that he was the Democratic nominee for the 3rd District U.S. House seat in 1996. He lost to Republican Chip Pickering.

Bill Renick of Ashland, who has served in various government capacities, including chief of staff to former Gov. Ronnie Musgrove, also has qualified as a Democrat to run for governor.

http://www.djournal….

Louisiana Public Service Commissioner Foster Campbell has indicated he plans to challenge Gov. Kathleen Blanco for the Democratic nomination for governor. Campbell is a farmer and businessman who served 27 years in the Louisiana Senate before being elected Public Service Commission in 2002 to represent the North Louisiana district of 24 parishes with over 1 million people. He has been a frequent critic of corporate power, corruption, and special interests and will run a populist style campaign in a state that has a long tradition of electing populist politicians.

http://bluesunbelt.c…

Former President Bill Clinton, former HUD Secretary Henry Cisneros, and and Rep. Charlie Gonzalez campaigned Sunday for TX-23 nominee Ciro Rodriguez. Clinton’s appearance at the GOTV rally for Tuesday’s special election attracted a large crowd of screaming supporters.

http://bluesunbelt.c…

[Links to videos on YouTube of Clinton and Cisneros speeches]

In a front page story in Sunday’s Clarion Ledger incumbent U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran indicated he is undecided on whether he will run for another term in 2008. In an interview with the state’s largest newspaper Cochran, who is outgoing Chairman of the Appropriations Committee, indicated disappointment in being able to get only 2 bills passed in the current session because Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist of Tennessee was “slow to move them to the Senate floor”. Cochran described the GOP decision to shift the burden of approving the budget to Democrats in January as “baseless” and indicated that he has a good working relationship with the incoming Appropriations Chairman Sen. Robert C. Byrd.

http://bluesunbelt.c…

Congressman William Jefferson of LA-2 won a near landslide victory over his runoff opponent state Rep.Karen Carter on Saturday. He carried Jefferson Parish with 71% of the vote and won significant pluralities in the African-American precincts in Orleans Parish.

The New Orleans Times-Picayune attributed Jefferson’s victory
to a well organized grassroots campaign. Ironically it was Carter who had attracted substantial support from netroots online activists in her well financed campaign that included a number of high profile endorsements. Carter outspent Jefferson 5 to 1 but the incumbent congressman had the support of some powerful political leaders including Mayor Ray Nagin and Jefferson Parish Sheriff Harry Lee and ran a grassroots campaign that took him to churches and bars throughout the district.

http://bluesunbelt.c…

Chris Cillizza and Jeffrey H. Birnbaum have a piece in the Washington Post today on the 2007 race for Governor of Kentucky. The announcement this week by Congressman Ben Chandler that he will not seek to become the Democratic nominee against troubled GOP incumbent Ernie Fletcher opens the field to a number of possible Democratic candidates.

http://bluesunbelt.c…

We did the beta launch on December 1 of a new progressive netroots site BlueSunbelt.Com for the South and Sunbelt states. We are aiming for a formal launch on January 1. We have the site up and running and are in the process of working out any kinks before the formal launch. We need some testers who would like to post diaries and comments during the beta period.

http://bluesunbelt.c… 

BlueSunbelt.Com will be a progressive netroots community for some of the fastest growing population areas of the United States including the Old South, Border, and Sunbelt states. We will especially be seeking users in those states who can write on local and state races in 2007 and we need users who do national coverage pieces on political issues and the 2008 House, Senate, and Presidential races. Quality user diaries will be bumped to the front page and we will be adding regular front page posters as well as the site becomes established.