Former Gov. Ronnie Musgrove, who is campaigning against incumbent U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker in the November congressional election, stopped Friday in McComb as he campaigned across southwest Mississippi, telling reporters he is intent on cutting federal spending and developing a cohesive national energy policy.
Musgrove, who also focused on what he called “mismanaged private Wall Street institutions,” said Wicker, a longtime member of the U.S. House of Representatives, has already had 14 years in Washington to fix a number of problems that have impacted Mississippi. And he accused Wicker of representing corporate interests ahead of Mississippians.
He said Wicker had toed the Republican party line and said those criticizing Democratic policy alternatives are ignoring the results of Republican rule, blasting “utter incompetence in Washington, which gave the special interests anything and everything they asked for.”
“We have trade agreements that were written for the special interests,” Wicker said. “As a result, our people get the short end of the stick. … Surely we can negotiate treaties that treat our farmers right and our workers right.”
Musgrove tied woes on Wall Street to changes in 2002 in regulatory laws that altered the ratio of debt to equity banks were required to hold.
“Unbridled greed took over,” Musgrove said. “I’m outraged that we’re talking about a $700 billion bailout of these institutions when CEOs have run off like bandits.
“We didn’t learn from the savings and loan collapse 10 years earlier … and that policy was led by Phil Grimm and Roger Wicker and his cronies inside of Washington.”
Musgrove said Wicker had voted against subprime mortgage reform, crackdowns on oil speculators and wasn’t paying attention to his constituents. He asked how Republicans could be “pro-business” if the country was continuing to lose jobs.
“Roger Wicker has a 97 percent voting record with President George W. Bush,” Musgrove said. “You’re not offering leadership. You’re asking, ‘How do I vote?’ He is blindly following the marching orders of the party. If the Republicans are right, I’ll vote for the Republicans — if it’s right for Mississippi.”
Musgrove called immigration reform an example of that, saying both Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) and Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) were wrong on amnesty.
But Musgrove also said that reaching across party lines has to do with changing how Washington works.
“People don’t feel like Washington is making an effort to put people first,” he said.
Musgrove also said he would prioritize investment in coal, nuclear, wind and solar power and vote against items that would continue to balloon a national debt that he said has doubled under President Bush. And he also blasted earmark spending as a vital problem to corral.
“Our payment on the national debt is a sixth of our budget, and it has devalued our dollar,” Musgrove said. “Then, a prisoner’s museum in Kansas? A mule and pack museum in California? A bridge to nowhere in Alaska? … It’s Democrats and Republicans alike saying yes to these earmarks. … Washington has failed. Roger Wicker and the insiders have failed.”
Meanwhile, he defended his record as governor, saying 30 states rose taxes during his term to economic difficulties after Sept. 11, and that he’d prevented that from happening in Mississippi.
“The day I left office the unemployment rate was almost three full points less than it is today,” Musgrove said. “My boss will be 2.9 million Mississippians.”
