Games begin in special session

By By Sid Salter / syndicated columnist
Aug. 28, 2002
Let's all join in that new and exciting Mississippi governmental game called: Gomer Says.
Okay, let's begin. After some of the most contentious political debate in state history and a summer of joint legislative hearings on the matter, call the Legislature into special session to deal with the vexing question of tort reform.
Wait. Stop! Not so fast there, Bucko.
GOMER didn't say to deal with tort reform. Lose a turn.
Okay, Gomer Says call the Legislature into session to deal with tort reform BUT they can't deal with tort reform unless they first pass Gomer's $48.6 million private prison bill.
Already lost one game
Gomer Says forget that the Legislature already played this game in the last special session just weeks ago and essentially told the governor to go jump in the lake, private prisons and all and may again.
Gomer Says no private prison bill, no medical malpractice tort reform. No medical malpractice tort reform, no general civil justice system reform.
And that, boys and girls, it how the game is being played these days at the state Capitol building Gomer Says.
Pardon me, fellow residents of Mayberry, but does this sound like Our Boy Gomer has any kind of real interest in getting tort reform legislation adopted? Why not simply tie tort reform to another of Musgrove's failed initiatives like, say, changing the state flag? That would chain another few pounds of political concrete to the feet of meaningful tort reform legislation.
What does the state's prison system have to do with tort reform? Nothing.
Why does legislative action on tort reform hinge on the Legislature's passage of Gov. Musgrove's revised private prison plan? Because he can't get it passed by the lawmakers any other way.
Why is Musgrove tying tort reform to the passage of his prison bill? To make the state's business and medical community tote his political water for him on the prison bill in hope of getting the tort reforms they want and need.
And what, pray tell, happens if the Legislature decides not to be blackmailed into passing the Musgrove private prison bill?
Well, it appears that unless Gov. Musgrove is prepared to do some fast back pedaling, tort reform becomes a moot point for the time being.
Gov. Musgrove might have found a way to take a more politically convoluted stand on tort reform, but for the life of me I can't conceive of it. In reality, the governor has put general civil justice reform for the state's business community at the very bottom of the heap.
Games make sense?
Considering that he was the darling of the trial lawyer lobby during his 1999 campaign for governor and that many of his largest contributors came from the trial lawyer ranks, Musgrove's byzantine special session scenario begins to make more and more sense in a perverse way.
Musgrove raised $921,776 in campaign contributions in 2001. Of that, $396,698 43 percent came from trial lawyers. They don't want tort reform.
The governor has some moral high ground on the prison bill. He negotiated better contracts with the private prisons than did the Legislature after the lawmakers tried to hamstring the state Department of Corrections from managing the prison system in the most economical, efficient manner.
Some will praise Musgrove for playing hardball with the Legislature on the prison bill, but let's face it Musgrove's record on playing legislative hardball is consistently weak and ineffective.
Gomer Says bet the summer's work on tort reform on a prison bill battle with lawmakers who already don't like him. Interesting game, that. Musgrove had better win this round of Gomer Says if it is to matter in the future what Gomer says.