Haley Barbour

Haley Reeves Barbour (born October 22, 1947) is the current governor of Mississippi, and a Republican. He gained a national spotlight in August 2005 after Mississippi was hit by Hurricane Katrina. Since then he has been mentioned as a possible 2008 presidential candidate, although he was rumored to be considering running even before then. This was confirmed when it was discovered long time friend Ed Rogers owned the "Barbour for President" Web site. However, on February 8, 2006, he told the Associated Press that he would run for another term as Governor and ruled out running for President in 2008. [http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/02/07/barbour.ap/index.html

Early years

Barbour was born and grew up in Yazoo City, Mississippi as the youngest of three sons. His father, a lawyer, died when Barbour was 2 years old. He attended the University of Mississippi but skipped the first semester of his senior year to work on Richard Nixon's 1968 election campaign; he ended up finishing six Latin credits shy of a bachelor's degree. At age 22, he ran the 1970 census for the state of Mississippi. He enrolled at the University of Mississippi Law School, receiving a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree in 1972. Subsequently he joined his father's law firm in Yazoo City.

From 1973 to 1976 he was executive director of both the Mississippi Republican Party and the Southern Association of Republican State Chairmen. In 1976 he served as Southeastern Coordinator for Gerald Ford's presidential campaign.

Pre-governor political career

In 1982, he was the Republican candidate for United States Senate but lost to incumbent Democrat John C. Stennis. Afterwards, Barbour was President Ronald Reagan's Director of the White House Office of Political Affairs for two years. During his tenure as Republican National Committee chairman from 1993 to 1997, the Republicans gained control of both houses of Congress and gained a majority of governorships. Barbour later served as chairman of then-Governor George W. Bush's presidential campaign advisory committee in 2000.

Lobbying career

In 1991, Barbour helped found Barbour, Griffith & Rogers a Washington, D.C.-based lobbying firm, with Lanny Griffith and Ed Rogers, two lawyers who formerly worked in the George H. W. Bush administration. In 1998, Fortune Magazine named Barbour Griffith & Rogers the second-most-powerful lobbying firm in America. 2001, after the inauguration of George W. Bush, Fortune named it the most powerful. [http://pos.org/platform/file_retrieve.cfm?ID=33" target="_blank" >^*

2003 Campaign Controversy

After two decades in Washington D.C., Barbour announced in 2003 his intention to run for governor of Mississippi. On August 5, 2003, he won the Republican gubernatorial primary over Canton attorney Mitch Tyner.

During the campaign, a controversy arose when Barbour spoke at the Blackhawk Rally hosted by the Council of Conservative Citizens, which has been described as a white supremacist organization by the Southern Poverty Law Center, the Anti-Defamation League, and the NAACP. A photograph of Barbour with CCC members appeared on the CCC webpage, and some persons in the media demanded that Barbour ask for his picture to be removed from the site, but Barbour refused.

Governorship

Barbour defeated incumbent Democrat Ronnie Musgrove in the general election on November 4, 2003, with 53% of the vote to Musgrove's 46%. Barbour became just the second Republican governor elected in Mississippi since Reconstruction. He took office in January 2004. As Governor, he is a member of the National Governors Association, the Southern Governors' Association, and the Republican Governors Association,

During his campaign, Barbour signed the Americans for Tax Reform "Taxpayer Protection Pledge" and vowed not to institute any new taxes or raise any existing ones. He has since kept to that pledge.

Hurricane Katrina response

On Monday August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina slammed into Mississippi's coast, killing over 200, devastating the state's $2.7 billion-a-year casino industry and leaving tens of thousands of its residents temporarily homeless. Effect of Hurricane Katrina on Mississippi). Barbour's response was characterized by a concerted effort at evacuation, tough-minded talk on looters and an unwillingness to blame the federal government. ^*" target="_blank" >His actions earned him praise, even among former critics; Rudy Giuliani in the wake of the September 11 attacks. ^*" target="_blank" >[http://www.opinionjournal.com/columnists/pnoonan/?id=110007187

However, Barbour was also criticized in the media for not treating the hurricane seriously enough before it made landfall. MSNBC commentator Joe Scarborough wrote, "Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour continues to claim that Katrina caught him by surprise, telling one reporter that it was after all a catone storm after crossing Florida." [http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8791344/#050905a Several critics of his handling point out that the Gulf Coast was put on alert as early as the Friday beforehand. Barbour's Washington ties and closeness to the Bush Administration may have given his state an advantage over Louisiana in obtaining billions in federal aid for disaster relief and reconstruction.

The evacuation order was issued by local officials more than 24 hours before the hurricane hit, and Mississippi activated 750 National Guard troops as of August 29, the day of the hurricane. ^*^*^*

According to a September 8 SurveyUSA poll, on the rating scale of 1 to 10, where 10 is interpreted as "the best anybody in this position can do", Governor Barbour rated a 6.1, in comparison to 5.7 for New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin, 5.1 for Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco, and 4.7 for president George W. Bush. The highest score, 6.8, went to U.S. Army General Russell Honore. ^*

According to a September 20 SurveyUSA poll, Governor Barbour's approval jumped 15%, from 43% to 58%. However, since then his approval rating has since fallen to just 48%, with 46% disapproving. ^*

During his appearance the Charlie Rose show on June 8, 2006, he called the Jack Abramoff scandal "disgusting", asserting that normal conduct for lobbyists in the late 1980s and early 1990s was very different.