Jesus Rode A Donkey: THE JFP Interview With John Arthur Eaves
by Adam Lynch
Photos by Roy Adkins
April 4, 2007
Attorney John Arthur Eaves, 40, is the polar opposite of his Republican opponent, Gov. Haley Barbour. Barbour is a faithful follower of smaller-government philosophy, isn't afraid to boot Mississippians off state Medicaid and has been willing to short-change the so-called "artificial" Mississippi Adequate Education Program in the name of budget austerity. Eaves, on the other hand, thinks the state is failing to provide for the health of thousands and is shooting itself in the foot by short-funding education. Barbour has lobbied for tobacco companies for years, while Eaves, a Jackson trial lawyer, has vociferously attacked those same companies in the courtroom. Barbour is a happy comrade of President George Bush, who has stumped for Barbour on the campaign and vice versa, while Eaves criticizes the Bush administration for all its malfunctions and corruption.
Above all, Eaves is the symbolic trial lawyer Barbour made war on for years. When Barbour refers to "jackpot justice," he might well have in mind an image of someone like Eaves, standing in a courtroom with his fist in the air.
Eaves, though, says he is proud of the characterization.
Tell me a little about your childhood.
I have two sisters. One is three years younger, Page. She was born on the same day (as me), Sept. 6. The other is Tiffany Eaves. She's very creative. Tiffany is now in the music business. She lives in L.A. right down the street from Halle Berry. She's got a Web site.
You grew up in Clinton?
I did, and it was good for me because my high school was top rated, and it was there that I honed my skills in debate. When I was growing up, I was the kid with the coke-bottle glasses. The Lord gave me some talents, but the field of physical sports wasn't one of them. My coordination is a mess. I have a distinctive gallop.
You were a wedgie target in school.
Ha. So when I was growing up, when all the other kids were playing football and baseball, I was the kid with the thick glasses on the debate team going to youth congress. It was all those things that have since convinced me that we all could use some active learning in our schools.
What's your family life like these days?
I've made a point to spend more time with my kids. I'm still on the job 24-7, but I have managed, in the last several years, to tone down. I had a heart attack eight years ago, when I was 32.
Kind of young to be having those, aren't you?
Yeah, but it was kind of a blessing. I was traveling around the world on these cases. I was taking on many Goliaths, but I realized that what really counted was the time I spent with my family and friends and the brief contribution I made while I'm here. I've tried to spend my time wisely, and I make a point to spend time with my children. I see my children every day, unless it's a vacation, and I work real hard to try to protect that. I don't work on Sundays. I try to spend as much time on Saturdays with them as possible. I've grown to the point where I realize that that's what really matters.
Do you have a history of heart problems?
My grandfather had six heart attacks.
Good grief!
Thankfully now, with better eating habits and certain medications, I've never had the slightest recurrence. At the time, though, I was traveling around the world, not eating properly. I was not exercising. It's genetics, too. We're talking bad cholesterol/good cholesterol ratios. Now that I've brought them back up, it's not an issue. Thankfully, there was no permanent damage to my heart.
Tell me about what you've done in Jackson.
I've spent my entire career helping the people of Mississippi. I consider myself a people's lawyer—done a lot of asbestos work, done a lot of work where people were sick from contamination, I've represented people who had taken a drug that resulted in heart problems, and represented people killed in shipping accidents and airplane crashes. All my cases have been about people who have been taken advantage of.
You ran for the 3rd District of the U.S. House and for governor in the last election. Why do you want to go into politics?
I've been given much in my life. I've got a beautiful wife, four wonderful boys. It's a soul conviction is what it is. Because I've been given much, I want to be part of the solution for Mississippi. Mississippi, throughout my entire life, has been considered last in most of the economic and education indicators. I've dreamed of what we could be like if we actually had a vision for this state, if we could move forward in this state. What drives me is this desire to do something significant. I believe to whom much is given, much is expected.
Why are you running as a Democrat? What defines you as a Democrat?
I'm a Democrat because I'm a Christian, and I believe in the true calling of Christ. When he came here, what did he do? He did three things: He healed the sick—today we call that health care. He told us the truth, and to understand the truth you need to have an education. And he came to help the poor—we call that economic development. Mississippi is a good place to start for that. We're the poorest in the nation.
I believe in the Good Samaritan. A lot of people do not realize that their responsibility is to be their brother's keeper, but I believe the greatest form of serving is to serve your neighbor.
I've heard a few preachers say that Christians don't vote Democrat.
I think the problem has been that the Republican Party has used Christian evangelicals for a long time, but I think that the evangelicals are waking up to this. I noticed that in the last round of national elections.
Your father was a Democrat, right?
Yes.
Did he ever tell you what kept him from switching over to the Republican Party like many other white southern Democrats at the time?
My daddy, also named John Arthur Eaves, grew up working real hard to take care of his own father, who was a disabled veteran. He was working hard at the age of 8. By the time he was 14, he owned a skating rink and a restaurant.
You're kidding.
No. This was in Louisville. He had to work to support the family. He worked hard his whole life. He's always been about trying to help people. He's always loved people, and I've always loved people, too. We've always stayed with the Democratic Party because it seemed to be for the common good of everybody.
Your dad's a trial lawyer as well, right?
Absolutely. We practice together. He started in 1964 in Louisville. That's where our roots go to. I started practicing with him. We've been on some very big cases around the world. He was involved in some very big cases with me. It's demanding, but it's time with your dad, you know.
My dad was a personal influence. He is the one who talk me to dream, and he would encourage me when I couldn't make the football team, or didn't get on the baseball team. He would say, 'Son, you have other gifts, and some day you'll get to use your gifts.'
Who are some of the political figures in history who most inspire you? Cheesy question, but sometimes it says a lot about a personality.
(Former President Jimmy) Carter is a good man. He was one of my favorite presidents. Martin Luther King is a great inspiration. He's an example of what one man walking in faith can accomplish.
Your opponent has big money behind him. You know what you're up against. A lot of people say these are pretty tough odds you're working with.
Thankfully, people still vote in this state. It's not all about money. The fact that (Gov. Barbour) will soon have $13 million before it's all over with, the fact that he has so many people from out of the state contributing to his campaign, is exactly the reason people in Mississippi shouldn't vote for him. Because we don't need that interest served in Mississippi. They're not giving him that money because they believe in good government. They're giving him that money because they want something from him, and he's good for delivering it.
Right now we have a two-year-old insurance crisis on the Coast. And this governor, when asked about it, said his hands were tied. And you know what? He's telling the truth. His hands are tied, because he's represented a lot of those big insurance companies. That's why he can't move forward. The insurance companies pull their coverage to manipulate public opinion. They've done it before, in 2001, but my attitude is: if they're not willing to pay the people on the Coast, then we don't need them.
I have no divided loyalty. I have always represented people in Mississippi, and I will always represent the people of Mississippi. Misplaced loyalties are the kinds of things that have held us back for too long.
You're saying you have no out-of-state money behind you?
No. I have no divided loyalty.
Who's backing your campaign this early on?
I believe in this, and I'm willing to take all that the Lord has given me and invest it in this campaign because I feel so strongly about it.
What could you do about the insurance situation on the Coast? Barbour's just a governor, right?
No. There's a lot the governor can do to help with the insurance crisis. First of all, the governor could favor a strategy like the one proposed by (Attorney General) Jim Hood, where new state laws can demand that insurance companies have to sell home insurance if they expect to sell auto insurance in the state. I'm in favor of something even more progressive than that. I'd like to expand that windpool to provide coverage regardless of wind or water damage. If the insurance companies are not willing to write policies, then the state has a perfect reason to step in and provide a fund to write those policies.
If Barbour has cornered the market on campaign finance, what have you got going for you?
I'm all about policy, but I think the main issue in this race comes down to motives. You have two very capable candidates. Barbour has been successful and has shown his capability. I have been blessed as a success in representing Mississippi and people across the world. Both of us have been a success, but it's a matter of who you're going to be loyal to. My hands will never be tied by a conflict of conscience because I've always represented the people. I'd love to talk about policy and the civic (initiatives) that other states are doing that we need to be doing, but at the end of the day, if your heart is right you can develop the laws in a practical way to accomplish your goals for Mississippians.
Are there any particular state laws outside Mississippi that have piqued your interest?
Oh, certainly. Let's talk about education. I'm extremely excited about the changing curriculum in other states, specifically Michigan. That's an example of where the curriculum is changing to increase children's success, in developing job creation and preparing for 20th century jobs.
We need to be developing a set of skills for active learning, rather than just focusing on memorization. For example, I took a seminary class last year, and in that class we didn't have a test. We had a blog where we would read a passage in the Bible, read a commentary, and then give our personal insight on the blog. Jobs of the future will need active learning where people can self-teach through the Internet. They're going to need the ability to work in teams, and they're going to need creative thinking. We need to change our curriculum more to develop those skills.
I think the reason we have such a high statewide drop-out rate—some say 26 percent, some say 40 percent—is because children instinctively are getting the picture that all this memorization is not going to help them in their daily lives. We have to have a curriculum that teaches success, which has everything from business etiquette to "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People," to a way to afford laptops in every classroom.
Laptops, eh?
I've found a think-tank on how to afford laptops, $250 laptops for students. When you figure the cost of books, paper, pencils and other items, the cost of the laptop is much more cost effective, especially if you've got those books on the laptop.
Is your think-tank considering how we're going to insure these computers?
You know, you have destruction of books, too. We can work those safe-guards out.
Let's get back to helping the Coast. What is your plan?
Getting back to the insurance crisis that this governor has refused to deal with. The reason I think he hasn't dealt with it is because, as you see, the grant money has been held up, the insurance money has been held up, and the casinos and the out-of-state real estate interests have been buying up all the prime property.
I don't know exactly what is holding up the grants. There doesn't seem to be a problem when this governor's former clients like AshBritt are getting paid instantly. There's no problem with the contractors getting paid their money. They're getting their money—you can be assured of that. But when it comes to the people getting their money, all of the sudden the discussion is about fraud and abuse. That's troubling to me. I think it's a purposeful design so that his friends can buy up the big financial opportunities over the backs of the people who really suffered in this disaster.
If the contractors are getting their money, it should stand to reason then that the work they're charged to do is getting done, right?
No, that's not happening—not on the Coast. It's not moving near the speed it should be. I mean, here we are two Christmases after Katrina and people are still in trailers and still suffering, still unable to even give up and move. Even if they could get the insurance companies to pay them, they still can't buy the insurance at the current rate.
I've heard Louisiana residents complain that Gov. Barbour was able to pull money down from the federal government quicker because of his status as a well-connected Republican.
Actually, you can verify that we did not get a better deal than Louisiana. Per population, you'll see that Louisiana did better, even though it is widely perceived that Mississippi did better. The money came down from a federal level, but then it got sent to all these contractors. The Department of Homeland Security is already saying there's a lot of waste and a lot of abuse there. It came to Mississippi, it slept here overnight, and then it went to a lot of self-interested parties, like Haley Barbour's own niece and Sen. Tommy Robertson, who killed the recent tobacco tax bill in his committee at Barbour's request. Robertson supported the tobacco tax last year, but he didn't this year. It just happens this year that Barbour's exclusive club, the Mississippi Development Authority, gave Robertson a $1.2 million contract to help with the grant program. That is definitely related to his loyalty to the governor. That's pretty obvious.
What other gripes do you have?
This administration cut Medicaid and left a lot of people in between the tax brackets without coverage, then it turned around and increased the tax on hospital beds and nursing home beds. I think that's the wrong direction we need to be going in this state. A lot of people who end up in a hospital can't afford it. That's just Mississippi. We have a lot of people who don't make adequate wages. That's one of the reasons we need to find a way for everyone to have some kind of health coverage.
That seems to be a popular argument among national Democrats as well. What are you going to do about it?
I have a plan to make that affordable, but right now, it's in the hands of some economists. We're working on the details.
No hints this early, eh?
Not yet. We have to make sure we've got our facts straight.
Sounds like a tax-and-spend plan you got coming there, Democrat.
Under this plan I can guarantee you that people will have more money in their pockets than they do right now.
Why have you adopted such a vocal stance regarding the tobacco tax? Some might accuse you of hopping onto a popular bandwagon.
There's more to it than that. I lost my grandfather to tobacco. He started smoking at a very young age, back when they were rolling their own cigarettes. Through the course of my career, I sued the tobacco companies.
A trial lawyer move if there ever was one.
Ha. When I sued the tobacco companies, I got access to all that research showing that they knew their product was dangerous back in the 1930s.
What year did you sue tobacco?
I don't remember what year exactly, but I'm suing on behalf of the nation of Ukraine. I filed it right after the success of (former Attorney General) Mike Moore in recovering money for the state. My suit has been held up in the appeals process for years. The tobacco companies have the kind of money to keep the appeals going on and on. The same case has been filed by the U.S. government. That, too, is held up in the appeals process.
That's interesting. The Ukraine called you for this? You truly must have billboards everywhere.
Yeah, they called me. I had represented an international shipping accident over there, about a hundred miles from where the Titanic sank. A lot of Ukrainian sailors were on that boat.
What're your thoughts on fully funding the Mississippi Adequate Education Program?
We need a four-year commitment to MAEP. I'm not satisfied with the education just being adequate. We need excellent education. We need to quit striving for just adequacy. It's time to expect more from the government. A new generation of leadership is dawning in which we're willing to take on those powerful interests that have held us back. We're willing to step out and take a visionary course for the state.
Why the favoritism toward public schools? Are your kids in a public school?
No, they go to private school. They go private because of my faith issues, the reinforcement of prayer. I would like to see an opportunity for kids to talk more about their faith in schools. But I'm very pro-public education. I'm a product of public education, as are my parents. Much of the state depends on public education, and if we want to move ahead, we're going to have to improve it.
What makes you think the state is moving in a more progressive direction? There may have been a centrist trend in the national elections, but why do you think that trend extends to Mississippi?
I believe Mississippi, like the rest of the nation, is waking up to the culture of corruption that has gone on in Washington. They want to see fresh ideas. You saw that in the enormous turnover in the legislative elections, and you saw an increase in Democratic governors elected in state elections nationwide. You saw Democratic governors elected in Montana, Colorado, Arkansas, Louisiana and Tennessee. I think people are waking up and expecting something more, and they believe that Democrats have the authenticity and won't be playing games with their lives.
Well, yeah, lots of turnovers everywhere else, but not here. Sen. Lott, Rep. Pickering and other Republicans are doing just fine.
I think, to a large extent, we have been held back by the fear of our neighbor. You've had people who have been afraid, or made afraid. You've had issues that Republicans have used to divide people, but people are getting tired of that same old divisive rhetoric. I really believe that this time, we'll be able to declare an end to the (Republican) Southern Strategy. It has run its course. It has divided us, and there are more people in this state willing to work for a common cause for good than those that are interested in dividing.
What's your response to opponents who say that public schools already gobble up a majority of the state's resources?
They obviously don't understand that we are our brother's keeper, and that we should look out for our neighbor. We're all connected here. Even if we go to a private school, we need a trained, educated workforce in order to have the kinds of jobs that move the state ahead. It's important for the whole community, whether you personally choose to put your kid in a public school or not. We'll all do better if we invest in each other.
Has the Legislature become more partisan over the last few years?
Partisanship was a growing problem in the state but then Barbour came along with his Washington-style politics and took it to a whole new level. We see this best stated in the Democrat ad talking about the two faces of Barbour. He's played games with education. First, he's not for fully funding education, then suddenly, he is. His position evolves on different issues, but his lobbying firm never helped, supported or worked with Democrats. He talks publicly about working with Democrats, but his actions say something different.
What's the condition of the middle class in Mississippi? Has it eroded?
Absolutely. The middle class is under attack from many sides. They're not making as much. Their job security is not as great. There's an increase in insurance payments, and the price of gasoline. Heck, I've even sued the oil companies for price gouging in a class action in Mississippi.
You've been busy. When was that?
Earlier this year—it's still in litigation. You've seen all these price increases, yet the middle-class income stays stagnant. The cost of college has gone up and the cost of student loans. Then you've got an increase in local taxes to support schools because the state is falling behind on funding. Everything's gone up, but middle class income is just sitting there.
What can a state governor do to preserve the kind of jobs that the middle class depends on? You're up against a national trend of good jobs running off to other countries. What can you do about it?
That brings us back to the educational system. We need one that can help our homegrown businesses in Mississippi. We need more specialized training so people can develop their own businesses. The second thing we need is leadership. If we could have more affordable health care for everyone, then that would be less of a burden on business and it would encourage businesses to move or stay here. The third thing we need is an increase in opportunity to move forward in the development of bio-fuels in our state. We're a state that's still largely agricultural, and we have tremendous opportunities to capitalize on this new movement. Our agricultural system, combined with our river systems, and the potential for technological advancement at our universities and colleges, like Mississippi State University, can help us really utilize bio-fuel technology.
Are you looking at any particular kinds of bio-fuel?
Ethanol could be huge, and soybean derivatives. You can develop it through corn, sweet potatoes and timber. I think we're only at one-tenth our capacity for growing corn, for instance. Investments in these fields could revitalize our entire economy and serve the nation in the interests of getting us out of this economic dependence that has taken us into a very expensive war.
Are there any bills, besides the tobacco tax, that stuck in your craw?
Yes. I was very supportive of the minimum-wage increase bill that died. I know Barbour had said he didn't support it, but I thought it would have been great.
What about the opinion of the Mississippi Manufacturers Association, which said Mississippi companies couldn't afford it?
Their philosophy is wrong. We have got to have a philosophy of a common good. The truth is—and people seem to keep forgetting this—that if you make more, you'll spend more, and the money re-circulates into the economy. I think MMA had a false understanding. The individual bottom line may be impacted at first, but when the lower middle class and lower income brackets make more money, they tend to spend everything they make, so you see a recycling into the economy, in the buying of more automobiles, building better houses and construction work, as people make the purchases they've always needed or wanted but could never afford. You'll see more electronic purchases. That money jumps right back into the system.
As a small businessman myself, I still stand by this belief. I pay more than minimum wage to my employees, knowing that paying more means paying increases in other things as well, but it's all for the better.
What's your take on environmental issues in the state? There was a bill that almost made it out of the Senate Parks Committee this session that would've allowed strip mining for gravel or lignite in our state parks. Nobody seemed to notice how close it came to passing.
I've represented people harmed by environmental disasters, so I know—probably more than most—how closely tied we are to the environment around us. I saw the damage that a chemical plant in Columbia, Miss., did to nearby residents. I also represent 8,500 people on an island in Puerto Rico who are dying of cancer at an enormous rate because of contamination. The idea of strip mining in our own parks is the worst waste of God's resources that I can see.
What's the future of the Democratic Party in Mississippi? Do you think it will continue to become more polarized by race?
I think people are letting go of those old fears of the past and (seeing) that we have more of a common interest with our neighbor. I think the party will expand more in the state as it is doing in the nation. Furthermore, I'm thankful that (National Democratic Party) Chairman Howard Dean has thought to invest in Mississippi. The state, in the past, did not have an identity with the national party and as a result we're written off for presidential elections. I think when people get to hear our messages, they will understand that their interest lies more with the Democratic philosophy of investing in people.
I think they've seen a lot of wastefulness in the Republican administration, in the state and nationally. I'm talking about money that has not gone into helping people but is ending up in companies' pocketbooks. They don't like that kind of waste. They want to see that money helping their families, their kids, their parents. They want to see it helping with health care and with education and the many other things that touch their lives. They don't like to see us losing money on a war that's not going anywhere. They're troubled by that, and I think they see Democrats as the fiscally responsible party.
How do you feel about the Democratic loyalty oath? Do Democrats who vote Republican really undermine the party?
Absolutely. I think it shows that they're not really committed to the Democratic philosophy.
What was your opinion on the Iraq War?
From the onset, I was troubled about it. My conscience didn't feel good about it because I had not seen enough or heard enough evidence that the Iraqis were doing anything to us. The Bible says we should not kill, so it was troubling to me to go to war without sufficient cause that they were a threat.
What's your stance on the pro-abortion rights/anti-abortion?
I'm pro-life. I'm very pro-life, but, unlike some others, my pro-life views extend after the birth of the infant as well. We need better health care and education to make the value of life worth more. I want to do that in policy. As a trial lawyer, I've worked to impose a higher of value of life inside the company boardroom, too. If a company produces faulty products like a chicken cage that tends to fall off a chicken truck and smash the driver behind him. I represented a victim in that case.
A chicken cage victim? Well, I imagine the issue is more serious at 60 miles an hour.
Yeah. Now the big trucks that ride down the highways in rural Mississippi have better made chicken cages on them. There have been changes in certain products that I've had a part to play in and they all work to make life more valuable, so board members are more conscious of the kind of products they provide.
Getting back to Roe v. Wade, if an anti-Roe bill like the one we saw this legislative session wound up on your desk, would you have signed it?
I didn't read that particular bill, but I most likely would have signed it. I would like to encourage people to keep their children, but—again—I also want to allow people the luxury of not having to give up their child. If people have better education and a better quality of life the temptation to give up your child isn't so pressing.
Barbour was pushing for major tax cuts hours after he and Tommy Robertson killed that tobacco tax bill.
I don't think that promise of his was very genuine. I think it's smoke and mirrors and pie in the sky. I think he's finally developed an excuse for not giving people the real tax relief that they need right now, and he's trying to wriggle off the hook. I don't see a reason to let him off the hook.
I bet you've got an opinion on tort reform. Is it a good thing or a bad thing?
I think it was a waste of time. We were promised lower insurance costs. Mine hasn't dropped at all; has yours? We were told that it would increase business. I don't think it has. We've continued to lose a tremendous number of jobs in the state, more so because of these international treaties, which allow our companies to go over the border to China or Mexico. We've actually given companies an incentive to leave. There are more urgent things that need to be dealt with than the issue of tort reform.
Yeah, but didn't the other side have a valid argument? Weren't there abnormally high jury awards in the state?
I don't believe so. They weren't running off businesses. Businesses were more interested in the education of the work force, more interested in the cost of health care. Health care is what made Ford and GM do a lot of layoffs. It's hard competing with Chinese labor that has a health care system financed by the state. Those are the bigger priorities of business. The truth is, there were a lot of big legal awards reported in the press, but when they actually went to the Supreme Court, they were reduced to a very small amount or sent back for another trial. The perception is there was a lot of something for nothing. I think that there were more people who were denied justice than who actually received it.
American experience has shown us that when the court system doesn't address justice, then the legislative branch often has to make up for it by increasing the bureaucracy over different agencies. It spends a lot of taxpayer money building up bureaucracies to handle injustice. So when you cut down on the tort side, you actually see a very burdensome increase in bureaucracy.
Your opponent will likely try to call attention to your background as a trial lawyer, saying you'll be looking to reverse tort reform. What would your reply be?
I have no plans to reverse tort reform. No plans at all. There are far too many more urgent things to be done. You see, the difference between me and Barbour is that his argument was all about tort reform, and that's because the interests he represents don't want to take responsibility for causing people harm. It's all about personal responsibility: I will agree with him on that, but he tries to enforce laws or redirect laws that absolve personal responsibility.
For more information on Eaves, visit [url=http://www.eaves2007.com]http://www.eaves2007.com[/url]
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