Voter Apathy Killed Louisiana

I am disgusted by the apathy in yesterday's election here in Louisiana.  As I understand it, the early numbers show about a 39.7% turnout, only slightly higher than the October primary.  As of this writing, official numbers are not yet compiled.

In general, I am disgusted with the outcome.  Louisiana has returned a Democrat to the gubernatorial mansion primarily based on the fact that the Republican candidate was embroiled in the DC Madam scandal in 2007. Republicans I talked to just couldn't vote for Senator Vitter because he committed adultery and they couldn't find it in their Christian hearts to forgive him or to look at his conservative political record.  They either stayed home or voted for the Democrat.

John Bel Edwards won the election by a 56% to 43% margin.  Edwards campaigned as a moderate Democrat; he is an Obama supporter.  One of the first things Governor Edwards will do is to accept the Louisiana Medicaid expansion portion of Obamacare.

Another problem I saw with Edwards is that he is in the pocket of the trial lawyers and would do little to support the tort reform that is contributing to the anti-business climate in this state.  The business climate in this state is dismal...that is unless all you want to come in is more chain restaurants and tattoo parlors.  Not much else is happening here.

Edwards also wants to raise the minimum wage -- another anti-business move.

I also find it unsettling that Edwards seems to have no clear position on whether or not he would accept more Syrian refugees into Louisiana and that he has been obfuscating his earlier positions on this for what is apparently a more popular stance.  The Hayride outlined this word-juggling here.  Initially, Edwards posted on Facebook that he would be an "active participant" in talks with the feds so that "we can be partners in the effort to accommodate refugees...".  Well, if we can forgive Vitter for adultery eight years ago, (as his wife did, by the way), certainly we can forgive Edwards a little verbal nuance, no?  Everyone's entitled to change their mind, except when they lie about it.

Initially, Edwards want to accommodate and assist the Syrian refugees coming into Louisiana.  After his Facebook posts advocating this position, and the grief he took for it in the comments, he changed his mind.  Curious.

Both campaigns manipulated language and positions to enhance themselves; that is the nature of modern politics.  David Vitter was a flawed candidate and it looks like in general, Republicans just opted for the Democrat or else stayed home just to punish the Republican party for such sorry offerings.  The collateral damage of that is that good men like Henry Burns lost their elections.

State Representative Henry Burns was in a run-off with Bossier City attorney Ryan Gatti.  Burns lost that race by less than 100 votes.  That race wasn't in my district and I don't know much about Mr. Gatti; both candidates are Republicans.  I know Henry Burns though, and I know there is no finer, kinder man.  I've witnessed the work he's done for and with veterans and for this area.  He was a small business owner and understands the needs and responsibilities of the working man trying to make a living.  He's had an exemplary record in the House and I've never heard a negative word about him.  The only reason he lost his race is voter apathy.  What a shame.

My district BESE race didn't turn out as I wished either.  We had a choice between an educator and a non-educator in that one.  A choice between a woman who has been in education for 27 years and has been a school principal, who opposed Common Core, and a man that supports Common Core and has never worked in education.  The Tony Davis campaign released a photoshopped picture of his opponent, Mary Harris, with Governor Bobby Jindal in a heart-shaped frame to make the claim that Harris would be a "rubber-stamp" for Gov. Bobby Jindal (who won't be in office after January).  That the Davis campaign took the photo of Harris, which originally was on her Facebook page and was of her with Dr. John Fleming -- not Jindal, and photoshopped it to further their own campaign is just dirty politics.

But that's what Louisiana elected last night.

In the Caddo Parish District Attorney's race, we elected the candidate that accepted the George Soros money.  Judge Stewart may be a fine man and a fair judge, but I couldn't vote for Soros money.

All in all, it's a sad lot of affairs.

Elliot Stonecipher's new article offers a few pinpricks of optimistic light this morning.  We did elect Billy Nungesser as Lt. Governor over the Democrat Kip Holden, and we did elect Jeff Landry as Attorney General.

And by the end of the night, Senator Vitter declared that he won't run for re-election to the Senate which opens that slot up to some excellent candidates such as Rob Maness, Charles Boustany, and John Fleming.  There will be a strong Republican field for that seat.

It was a disappointing night for conservatives in Louisiana, but overall it was the apathy that killed us.  If we don't care about our political leaders any more than 39%, we deserve what we get.  We deserve the Common Core, the Syrian refugees, Obamacare, jacked up minimum wage, anti-business climate, and all of the other liberal dreck that comes with it.

On Holding Our Noses to Vote in the Gubernatorial Election

What am I missing here?

In the Louisiana gubernatorial election coming up on November 21 many of my very conservative friends are voting for John Bel Edwards.  I generally consider myself pretty politically astute and so this mystifies me.  Why?

The only reason I am getting is that they can't stand Vitter and believe he is morally corrupt.

There may be more to it, but I'm mystified.

I don't love David Vitter; his voice grates on my nerves and I think he looks smug most of the time, but given a choice between him and John Bel Edwards, I have to go with Vitter.

As far as I can tell, both candidates appear to be the same on some issues:  both oppose same sex marriage although Edwards would allow it because it's the law.  Both oppose Common Core and are against abortion.  Both are pro-Second Amendment.

Where they differ: Edwards wants to raise the minimum wage (a move that I oppose) while Vitter thinks that would inhibit job creation.

Edwards supports medical marijuana, Vitter does not.

Edwards wants to expand Louisiana's Medicaid rolls, and Vitter, while willing to consider Medicaid expansion, wants to be sure the state can afford it.  He wants a clear plan and that those receiving the benefit are actually working.

Vitter and Edwards disagree on education: Edwards opposes charter schools and Vitter is for them.  I disagree with Vitter on this one.  This is my position on "school choice" and I know I'm probably not in the majority here: I think we already have school choice.  You don't like your neighborhood school, then you can go to a private school or move to another neighborhood.  Expensive?  Sure is.  My position is that we should work to improve the schools we have.  Elect strong school board members, work in the PTA, volunteer as a mentor in your school.  Support the bond issues that come up locally to improve your schools such as those to upgrade technology.  There are things we can do to improve local schools beyond government vouchers to pay for sending kids to out of district schools.

I know - I'm going to get blasted for that.  I know I differ from many of my conservative friends on that issue.

But the clincher for me is that John Bel Edwards supports Barack Obama and can be seen in the crowd endorsing him for president in the video below.  My opposition to Obama is well documented and I can't support Edwards based just on that if it comes down to nothing but that.



Add to the list that the liberal Edwards received a failing grade from The Louisiana Family Forum.

And this attack ad from Edwards?  Beyond the pale.

So, the remaining days until the election will certainly get ugly, but I hope we don't end up with a liberal Democrat at the end of the day.  That's the last thing we need in Louisiana.

The Border Crisis is By Design

On October 8, 2005, Barack Obama  vowed to "fundamentally transform America" and he has certainly lived up to his promise.  With one crisis and scandal after another (IRS, NSA, VA, Benghazi, Fast and Furious, an out of control EPA, Obamacare, and negotiating with terrorists, to name a few) we are a much weaker and less esteemed country than ever before.  We are more racially divided, we are angrier, and we have little trust in our government or optimism for the future.

It's all by design.

He told you he was going to do it, and he did.

Obama's plan to transform America is no more evident than in the border crisis.  Andrew McCarthy has an excellent post on this topic at National Review Online:

The president has spent nearly six years giving effective legal immunity to millions of illegal aliens already here. His administration, meanwhile, hooks them on the government gravy train and fights state efforts to detain them, deny social services to them, and prevent them from fraudulently voting. Under those circumstances, the rolling out of a federal red carpet for teeming masses of illegal aliens must be understood as intentional.

It is absolutely intentional.

And, of course, Obama blames Bush for this.  No, really.  Andrew McCarthy explains that this is a clever ploy by Obama because much of this controversy involves a Clinton-era anti-human trafficking law which during the Bush years, in re-authorization, picked up an amendment added by Feinstein and Biden; in short, the anti-human trafficking law concerns those children who are "coercively trafficked into the country for purposes of sex-slavery or other indentured servitude."   

That is not the case here; so the blame-Bush's-law defense of the left does not play.  The Bush-era law attempts to protect those kids brought here unwillingly; the current crisis involved illegals coming quite willingly.

McCarthy again:

The January 2014 solicitation published by DHS’s bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement foretells (a) the arrival of 65,000 “unaccompanied alien children,” and, tellingly, (b) the administration’s intention to transfer them to “Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) shelters located throughout the continental United States.” 

Refugee Resettlement.  That does not sound like deportation.

It is team Obama's plan to relocate these illegals throughout the United States and into your neighborhoods.

The end result is thousands of new, unskilled workers on the public dole, a further erosion of our American values, an increased drain on our already troubled education system, and utter havoc in an already ruined health care system.  Of these illegals that are, in fact, children (and not all of them are - get that image of sweet, doe-eyed, hungry toddlers out of your head), how many are vaccinated and know English?  How many will want to assimilate into our American culture and become productive members of society?

Lest I be perceived as a heartless bigot, let me assure you, I'm all for legal immigration.  I know people who have done it the right way and as Americans, we welcome them with open arms.  That is our way.  This, however, is not the Ellis Island of your ancestors.

These new immigrants are not refugees from war torn countries; they are political pawns.

One of the more troubling aspect of all this is the secrecy; the administration touts "privacy rights."  Some of these illegals are being housed at Fort Sill, OK, yet an Oklahoma congressional representative was barred from visiting the immigration center.

The administration won't say where all these kids are going.  Two hundred of these illegals were sent to Nebraska yet the governor was not notified and the administration won't identify them or their locations.

"Governors and mayors have the right to know when the federal government is transporting a large group of individuals, in this case illegal immigrants, into your state," Mr. Heineman told The Wall Street Journal in an interview on Saturday. "We need to know who they are, and so far, they are saying they're not going to give us that information."

Here in Louisiana, Senator David Vitter sent a letter on July 10 to find out how many and where these illegals might be coming to this state.  He got no response.  According to the Louisiana Hayride:

And now, four members of the state’s congressional delegation – Bill Cassidy, John Fleming, Charles Boustany and Vance McAllister – have sent a similar letter.

Camp Minden is a possibility and local news station KSLA reported that Hirsch Coliseum has been contacted about holding some of them.  (Shades of Katrina refugees ... ).

Senator Vitter and Rep. Cassidy have introduced bills in both the House and Senate that would:

• Requires mandatory detention of all unaccompanied minors upon apprehension by border agents.
• Gives unaccompanied minors the option to voluntarily return to their country of origin.
• Places unaccompanied aliens children affiliated with gangs in an “expedited” removal proceeding.
• Raises the standards for “credible fear of persecution” to “substantiated fear of persecution” for unaccompanied minors seeking asylum under the law.
• Places unaccompanied minors without claims for asylum on the next available flight to their home countries within 72 hours of an initial screening, barring cost, feasibility, repatriation agreements with the minors’ countries and the health and safety of the minor.
• Extends the bar to reentry for all illegal aliens to 10 years.
• Requires Secretary of Homeland Security to submit an annual report to Congress detailing voluntary departures, deportations, and grants of refugee or asylum status.

In the end, it comes down to how much the states are willing to take of this nonsense.  As McCarthy pointed out:

And if a renegade United States government is not going to secure the borders of the United States, the states must secure their borders or surrender. As the Supreme Court recognized in 1837, each state has a sovereign right and duty of self-defense ...

Obama voters got what they wished for:  a fundamentally transformed America.

Report from the 2012 Freedom Rally in Bossier City

The takeaway message from tonight's Freedom Rally at the Bossier Civic Center was all about restoring freedom and prosperity in America.

The event kicked off about 5:30 inside the Bossier Civic Center and the crowd quickly filled two huge meeting rooms.  As host Royal Alexander began his opening remarks, event staff was busy bringing in more chairs to accommodate the crowd which was spilling out into the hallway.

Mr. Alexander quoted Thomas Jefferson in his opening remarks, reminding us all that "A government big enough to give you everything you want is big enough to take away everything that you have."

I was sitting next to Sharon McCullar who is a veteran, a small business owner, and a mother of two Marines; she was one of tonight's speakers.  She estimated the average age of the crowd at about 60, but I think it dropped a bit lower as people filtered in from work.  Steve estimated the crowd to be about 300 but I had it a little higher.  The enthusiasm was infectious.

One of the first speakers was U.S. Senator David Vitter who spoke about the need for a pro-growth tax rate in America to encourage business development.  He stressed the need for Republicans to take back not just the White House but also the Senate so that we can put in targeted health care reform and repeal ObamaCare.  This was met with thunderous applause.

Addressing national security and military budget cuts, Senator Vitter called for an end to "the apology tours" and quoted Reagan who said, "Of the four wars in my lifetime, none came about because America was too strong."  Senator Vitter says that "peace through strength" is the only way.

Another popular theme, especially here in oil rich, and Haynesville Shale country, Louisiana was Vitter's derision of "speculative green energy companies," many of which go down the tubes; we need to develop our energy resources here at home.

Senator Vitter closed his remarks by stressing that this election is "razor thin."  He said, "I DO believe the polls," rather than the conspiracy theorists who suggest that the polls are misrepresenting the actual numbers.  "Every vote counts," he said, reminding everyone of Florida.

Sharon McCullar has been a popular speaker at these events and she was warmly received.  She spoke of the socialist, entitlement mindset of this administration and encouraged everyone to engage their children in this debate because it is, after all, their future.  McCullar said we are "on the verge of a nuclear holocaust between Israel and Iran...our world in possession of 20,000 nuclear weapons!  We hope and pray humanity will have the restraint not to detonate."

She spoke of the huge debt, the Arab Spring, the Muslim Brotherhood, and of course, Benghazi.  McCullar says "these days, we are living in?  These are the days God ordered for us," because "he knew we would be willing to stand with courage."

She said that God "is not neutral in the affairs of humankind."

McCullar's remarks were filled with humor and optimism as she reached out to everyone there and of every religious persuasion, to believe and to pray for the future of our country.

Here's a segment of her speech on Benghazi and Obama's national security policy which she says, "he's gonna get us all killed!"  And, I apologize for the angle.  Sharon isn't very tall so mostly what you see is the podium.  It's the words, really, that you need to hear.  And the thumbnail is sideways but it doesn't play sideways.  Anyway, just watch it.



One of the highlights of the night was Karen Watson, author of Being Black and Republican in the Age of Obama which you can order here. What a spitfire she is!



When she finished speaking there was a dash to the back of the room to pick up her booklet.  (I got one.)

Royal Alexander said, "She tells it like it is!"  and he's right.

She said, "Do not assume when you see a black person that they are a Democrat because they are not.  Do not assume when you see a Hispanic that they are Democrat.  They are not.  Do not assume when you see a woman that she is pro-abortion because she is not."  I mean, they may be all that, but it was a gentle reminder that maybe the opposition is larger than we know.

In addition to the rousing speakers, there was also great musical entertainment.  Johnny Rowland entertained the crowd between speakers and at one point did a take-off on "Midnight Special" which got these two patriots up on their feet.  It's a blurry picture because they were dancing up a storm in the aisle:

 They were having a great time!

The evening closed with "God Bless America" and a promise of a brighter future for America.

Now is the time.

Governor Jindal Causes Another Uproar With His Support of John Alario

Conservatives all over Louisiana are already upset with Governor Bobby Jindal just four days after his landslide re-election victory.  Jindal came out yesterday in support of Republican John Alario for Louisiana Senate President.  Never mind that Jindal doesn't get to appoint a Senate president; that is actually up to the Senate. Jindal wants his preference known.

(Not only that, but he's interjected himself into the House Speaker race, too.)

Most of the nation (who already believes Governor Jindal is the next great hope) will shake their heads at this...."What?  What's the big deal?  Alario's a Republican isn't he?"

Let me explain.

One of the chief objections to Alario is that he switched from Democrat to Republican in 2010 after 37 years in office.  Alario joined the Louisiana House in 1972 as a Democrat and served faithfully as a Democrat up until his switch in 2010.

As a matter of fact, Alario was House speaker for Governor Edwin Edwards (D) from 1992-1996;  even folks outside of Louisiana are familiar with Governor Edwards.  He was indicted in 1998 and finally convicted in 2001on 17 of 26 charges including racketeering, extortion, and money laundering, among other things.   Edwards was released from prison this year, just in time to marry his prison pen pal and third wife, Trina Grimes.  Edwards and John Alario remain close and Alario recently participated in a birthday bash/roast event for Edwards.  Edwards, by the way, is not impressed with Governor Jindal:

Edwards also said Louisiana's current Governor Bobby Jindal won't be able to solve the problems now facing Louisiana on his way to Washington, D.C.

"I think he makes a good governor for California, Minnesota, Florida, all those places where people have been putting up all that money concerned who the governor of Louisiana is."

Ah, but the sins of Edwin Edwards do not necessarily reflect the sins of John Alario, (even though my mother always told me I would be judged by the company I keep), and so back to Alario.

John Alario was quite open at the time of his party switch about the fact that the switch was motivated by political expediency:  (emphasis mine)

Alario said his switch was motivated by dissatisfaction with the national Democratic Party, which has seen many of its conservative Blue Dog members replaced by Republicans in recent years.  "I'm not angry with my local Democratic friends," Alario said. "I have an issue with the national Democratic Party and the direction it's going."

But Alario said state politics also played a role in the decision; specifically, a desire to be Senate president next year, when Republicans are expected to take majority control of the upper chamber.  "Whether I'm a Democrat or Republican or the Whig party, I'd like to be president of the Senate," Alario said. Switching parties "certainly plays into the politics of the situation ... it doesn't hurt to be in that party." 

In fact, Alario would be only the second Louisiana politician to be both president of the House and the Senate.  The late Senator John J. Hainkel, Jr. (who also switched to the Republican party) held both posts, and oddly, he was Speaker of the House when John Alario replaced him after Edwards was elected to his third term in 1983. 

Tangled enough yet?

Alario has other skeletons in his closet although nothing that he's ever been nailed for.  In November of last year the conservative Louisiana blog The Hayride described a flyer put out by the Louisiana Republican Party in protest of Alario:

The flyer went into detail about a number of shady deals Alario has been involved in, including his son’s rather resilient career as a government bureaucrat despite the phenomenon of state dollars at times being redirected to various bookies thanks to the younger Alario’s nasty gambling habit. It also included a reference to Alario’s involvement in the River Birch landfill debacle – a classic case of a political shakedown Alario was involved in.

But, as The Bayou Buzz points out, Alario has been convicted of nothing.

Governor Jindal has made a few missteps during his tenure so far, the most nasty of which is the legislative pay raise issue. In fact, during that mess many Louisianans participated in a grass roots campaign to rip their Jindal bumper stickers off their cars and mail them back to the governor (myself included).  The short version is that Jindal promised during his campaign not to raise leges pay and certainly not during their own tenure.  Next thing you know the leges voted themselves a pay raise and Jindal said he would not veto it because he needed their cooperation to pass his agenda.

The populace was outraged.

Outraged!!

After public pressure became insurmountable Jindal "changed his mind" and vetoed the pay raise.

Again, there have been other Jindal miscues but this one, this support of John Alario for Senate President, has many conservative bloggers and groups in a tither.

Jim Beam writes:

Why would Jindal even think of supporting a controversial lawmaker like Alario, who has directed millions of state dollars to his favorite projects in Jefferson Parish? 

Shreveport pollster Elliot Stonecipher:

To me, and to many others with my tenure, John Alario is easily recognizable as the last active political leader of the Edwin Edwards erea, a dark and painful chapter in our state's history.  that Governor Jindal picks him for such a key leadership position just after Mr. Edwards' recent prison release is ironic, yes, but more to the point, deeply troubling and disheartening.  Any claim by Governor Jindal that Louisiana has by his service turned the corner in "ethics" or anything else positive is, by our governor's personal action, now loudly refuted.  Our governor's unreserved pride in this selection is, well, incomprehensible. 

The Hayride:

That this is an uncommonly bad prospect should go without saying. Alario was Edwin Edwards’ Speaker of the House when the latter was busy stealing the state blind, and Republicans in Louisiana at the time considered him as signifying everything that was slimy and corrupt about Louisiana politics. The backroom deals, the Chicago-style pay-for-play, the lack of transparency and the petty agendas lending a Byzantine quality to the formulation of policy rather than the honest debate of substantive ideas were what infuriated Louisiana voters into getting rid of Democrats, and Alario was neck-deep in all of it.

But when it became patently clear that Louisianans no longer had any stomach for the kind of Capitol politics Alario’s Democrats had on offer, he simply switched parties. After all, his sheepish defenders say, his voting record looks pretty good for business and he can make the case that he was a conservative Democrat all along.

The Dead Pelican has more.


So far it seems like Senate republicans are falling in line behind Jindal although Senator David Vitter is in opposition.  The Hayride is calling for statewide outrage against Alario similar to the action that forced Jindal to veto the leges payraise.

It is up to the Senate to pick their own president but Jindal is inserting himself into the process and for what reason?  Compromise?  Political expediency?   Most conservatives feel that Alario represents a throwback to the "good ol' boy" politics of pre-Jindal Louisiana and that this will ensure that Louisiana has not, in fact, moved far beyond that after all.  Jindal can tout "ethics reform" all he wants (even though Elliot Stonecipher says thats a sham), but if he thinks that supporting the only active legislator still closely connected with Edwin Edwards and the old regime, one who clearly operates out of the old corrupt system of Louisiana politics, is the path to "gold standard" ethics, well, he might not be the Bobby Jindal the nation thinks he is.

Added:

  Jeff Sadow has comments as well.

The Audacity of Hypocrisy

Obama is finally taking (just) a little heat on his support of Brazilian oil.  The Washington Post has an editorial today pointing out the hypocrisy of Obama's position, Ed Morrissey has a post at Hot Air, and Steven Hayward at NRO comments as well.

Obama's comments in Brazil last week were puzzling at best:

By some estimates, the oil you recently discovered off the shores of Brazil could amount to twice the reserves we have in the United States. We want to work with you. We want to help with technology and support to develop these oil reserves safely, and when you're ready to start selling, we want to be one of your best customers. At a time when we've been reminded how easily instability in other parts of the world can affect the price of oil, the United States could not be happier with the potential for a new, stable source of energy.

The hypocrisy abounds.

Consider this from WaPo:

Brazil already produces vast quantities of a fuel — ethanol — that the U.S. government, under a policy long supported by presidents and farm-state members of Congress from both parties, has promoted as a green alternative to gasoline. But the United States, protecting its own heavily subsidized ethanol industry by means of a 2.5 percent tariff and a 54-cent-per-gallon duty, prevents Americans from importing all but trivial amounts of the stuff from Brazil.

We're willing to import oil from Brazil, but not ethanol; our own ethanol industry is heavily subsidized.  Ed Morrissey thinks Obama should explain why we're willing to import oil but not ethanol:

"Not only does Barack Obama need to explain his enthusiasm for drilling and oil consumption apparently everywhere but in the US, he also needs to explain why the US wants to import oil from Brazil, but not ethanol."

While lauding the Washington Post editorial for pointing out Obama's hypocrisy's, Morrissey also points out:

Most of the rest of the media ignored them, just as they ignored the fact that Obama was cheerleading for Brazilian oil production at the same time he had launched a war against Libya.  Hardly anyone has commented on the connection between those two actions, but Obama has to have his eye open for ways to increase supply and lower fuel prices in case Libya’s production stays off line for a long time, which looks like a pretty good bet.  Otherwise, oil prices will skyrocket and the American economy will stall further into stagnation, which will mean a short political career for Obama.

The lamestream media is alive and well.  The criticism in the major media for Obama's Brazilian comments was nowhere to be found.  

Blood for Oil.  Isn't that what they said about Bush?


Even worse, it seems to me, is that as badly as America needs jobs, why is Obama so willing to shut down our own exploration industry and send these jobs to Brazil?  Since the moratorium only five new permits have been issued.  Senator David Vitter calls Obama's position ridiculous:

“We have abundant energy resources off Louisiana’s coast, but this administration has virtually shut down our offshore industry and instead is using Americans’ tax dollars to support drilling off the coast of Brazil,” said Vitter. “It’s ridiculous to ignore our own resources and continue going hat-in-hand to countries like Saudi Arabia and Brazil to beg them to produce more oil. We need to get serious about developing our resources here at home and working towards lower gas prices and long-term energy independence.”

It's true, as WaPo and Morrissey say that this position abounds in hypocrisy but it's also true that it is further proof that there are children in the White House where adults need to be.   Team Obama says what sounds good at the time then backtracks later.  He'll have to retreat from this in some way or else open up the permit process and get Gulf drilling once again. 

(AP Photo)

Outrage of the Day: Another Moratorium

Senator David Vitter says it best:  Team Obama is "declaring war on Louisiana's economy."

Vitter issued a press release today saying,

After months of indecision and lack of focus, the Obama administration has finally taken my advice and started treating the oil spill response like a war.  Unfortunately, they're declaring war on Louisiana's economy.  Today, nearly three months after the oil spill began, the president's oil spill commission finally held its first meeting.  But commission members have made it clear that they will defer to the Interior Department's own agenda and have no intention of addressing the deepwater drilling moratorium that's killing thousands of jobs in our state."

Now the administration has issued a new moratorium through "November 30 or until such time as Salazar deems that drilling can move forward safely." 

Meanwhile, the exodus has already begun.  Diamond Offshore Drilling is pulling out and moving their rig to Egypt. 

Let's be clear about what Obama is doing.  He doesn't give a damn about the Louisiana marshland or environment.  He doesn't care about our economy down here, either.  He has a political agenda and he means to keep it.  It's not just the people on the rigs that lose jobs.  All the related service industries, restaurants, supply companies, hotels, tourist industries,fishermen, all of it.  Everything.  Gone.  Going.  Over.

The moratorium makes no sense;  you do NOT punish an entire industry for an error in judgment or a mistake by one operator.  That's just stupid.

If he's all of a sudden worried about safety issues, future spills, and the environment, you can do those studies without shutting everything down. 

Given that rationale, I want him to shut down all gun manufacturers the next time someone gets shot, close down all the coal mines next time there's a cave in or accident, next time someone has a car wreck, stop the auto industry until we figure out how to make driving a car "completely safe."  The next airplane crash?  I expect all planes to be grounded.  The next chemical spill on an interstate?  Shut down those 18-wheelers.  The next time lighting strikes through someone's house and fries all their electronics?  Shut down all the home builders until there are lightning rods on every house.

The man is certifiable.  If anyone on the Gulf coast EVER votes for this man again, shame, shame on you.

(More at Memeorandum)

Senator Vitter Gets a Challenger UPDATED

Via The Dead Pelican, news that Senator David Vitter has picked up a little known Republican challenger for his Senate seat which will force an August primary.

Vitter has been trouncing Democratic challenger Charlie Melancon in the polls.

Nick Accardo, an orthopedic surgeon from Franklin, says:

"He's ineffective as far as really representing Louisiana...We need someone the rest of the Congress holds in better esteem.  We need some grown-ups."

Accardo has previously run for the U.S. Senate in 1990 as a Democrat, 1992 as a Democrat and 1996 as an Independent.  In 1994 he ran for the House of Representatives as an Independent.  He didn't fare too well in any of those races, so I don't think Senator Vitter has too much to worry about.

As of right now, there is no campaign website or Facebook site for him, but we'll keep an eye open and see what his platform is, other than "we need grown-ups".

Update:  By the end of qualifying yesterday, Senator Vitter had drawn 16 challengers.  Most are unknown but one could be considered more of a challenge:  former Louisiana Supreme Court justice Chet Traylor.  The Advertiser has the story.

Obama Fires Another Shot at Louisiana

Team Obama has, as expected, asked a Louisiana judge to reinstate the deepwater drilling moratorium - that job killing, economy stifling, coastal death sentence that Obama imposed immediately after the BP blowout.

Even though the moratorium was overthrown in court drilling has not resumed pending appeals and that means lots of Louisianians are still out of work and suffering down on the coast.

The New York Times has the story:

In replying Tuesday to Judge Feldman’s order, the Interior Department, joined by the Justice Department, stated that the continued suspension of drilling was required because continued operations without new safety measures threatened irreparable harm to the marine and coastal environment across the gulf. The government also said that the BP oil spill had taxed the resources available to respond to and clean up the mess and that a second blowout would be impossible to address.

That's rich, isn't it?  Now they're worried about "the marine and coastal environment across the gulf"?  Seriously?  When did that happen?   Somewhere between the time they stopped the skimmers and refused permits for rock jetties to protect the islands?  I don't see the federal government all that worried about Louisiana's coastal environment.  Not at all.

And that whole "taxed the resources" thing doesn't fly either.  NOLA reports that there are more than 1,600 skimmers available in the United States, for example, but BP's latest information reports "more than 550" in operation.  How many more than 550?  551?  555?  800?  In addition, foreign assistance has been offered and often refused.  The chart from the State Department we referred to last week has been taken down so it's difficult to tell how many.

The whole strategy by Team Obama has been clearly to shut down deepwater drilling; the moratorium never made one bit of sense.  You don't punish everyone for the infraction of one operator; as I've said before - it's no different that accidents in coal mining (no coals mines were shut down) or the Toyota crisis (nobody shut down all auto manufacturing).  There's just no difference.  The moratorium is driven by a political agenda and for that, it's criminal.  The judge was correct in rejecting it.

Yet Team Obama soldiers on.  Forcing the issue and asking for reinstatement of of the moratorium just keeps everything on hold, keeps more people out of work, puts additional stress on families trying to make a living.  It's not just rig workers that are affected which is something Obama just doesn't get; or if he does, he just doesn't give a damn.

And so we're still idled.

When will it stop?  As I said yesterday, damn the feds and you coastal governors band together and do what needs to be done.  Protect the coast.  File your lawsuits.  Get people back to work.

Update:  Senator David Vitter has issued a statement regarding Obama's continued support of the moratorium:

“There’s no question that Louisiana’s economy would suffer under a moratorium, but the Obama administration keeps pushing it,” said Vitter.  “The decision to appeal really makes no sense, especially when I’ve proposed a reasonable alternative of tougher safety regulations and increased rig inspections.  The administration’s heavy-handed response is simply a slap in the face of every Louisianian.”

Well said.

Previous Gulf Oil Spill Posts:
Day 78:  Let's Bypass the Federal Government
Oily Notes
The Jones Act Red Tape Keeping Skimmers out of the Gulf
C'Mon Obama!  Get Your Hands Dirty!
Day 70:  The Issue of Criminal Negligence
Day 69:  Thad Allen Needs to Go
The Feds Latest Attempt to Kill Louisiana:  Dredging Stopped
Jindal Responds to Moratorium Ruling
Jindal Goes to Court
Protest Rally in Houma While NOLA Calls Moratorium Myopic
Rahm Focuses on Ways to Help the Gulf Region
On the Presidential Image
Corps of Engineers Still Mulling Approval for Jetties
Why Didn't Obama Shut Down the Coal Mines...?
Shocker!  Nothing "Inferior" About Packgen Boom
Bobby Jindal Fighting the War for the Gulf Coast

and much more

Vitter Leads Melancon by 20 Points in Louisiana Senate Race

Via The Dead Pelican, Magellan's latest poll in Louisiana shows some interesting trends regarding the upcoming U.S. Senate race in Louisiana between Senator David Vitter (R) and Representative Charlie Melancon (D).  According to Magellan, Vitter has the clear advantage in that race by a 20 point margin.

Vitter's largest margin is among Republicans with a +75 but he holds strong with Independents, too, with a +12 lead over Melancon.

This differs somewhat from the findings reported by CQ Politics:

A new Public Policy Polling (D) survey released exclusively to Roll Call showed Melancon trailing Vitter by 9 points, 46 percent to 37 percent. Vitter led by a dozen points in July 2009, the last time PPP surveyed the contest.

 Melancon and Vitter have been trading shots over Obama's drilling moratorium.  Senator Vitter contends that Rep. Melancon supports the moratorium but Melancon adamantly denies that charge.  The difference of opinion seems to be in the phrasing.  Vitter has demanded an end to the moratorium where Melancon has not, exactly. 

The Huffington Post reported that Melancon is against the moratorium:

"We need to find a place between 'Drill Baby Drill!" and the moratorium," he [Melancon] conceded. "But I also start out by saying I don't support the moratorium and I've been consistent on that."

WWL Radio out of New Orleans has Melancon, while not demanding an end to the moratorium, demanding a higher level of safety protocol, a measure Vitter also supports:

"We don't stop doing what we're doing, let's just make sure we're doing it safe for the workers and the environment," Melancon said. 

The difference is that Melancon won't just come out and call for an end to the moratorium.  Louisiana depends heavily on oil industry related jobs and its been widely reported that the moratorium will be a death blow for the Louisiana economy. 


Melancon's chief campaign strategy so far seems to have been taking shots at Vitter.  His strategy now has shifted a bit with the spill crisis raising his level of visibility somewhat.  Melancon has criticized Vitter for politicizing the oil leak crisis while at the same time taking full advantage of it himself.


The Magellan Poll also polled registered voters on their opinion of the handling of the oil spill:

Just look at that one for a minute.  


On other issues, Melancon is against repeal of Obamacare where Vitter filed legislation to repeal.  Melancon voted for the Stimulus bill last year whereas Vitter voted against it.  Their differences on the issues are as you might expect but in the end it seems that Vitter is in a strong position to retain his Senate seat and continue his work on behalf of Louisiana.

Who Dat Owns Who Dat?

Who Dat says they own the Who Dat copyright? The NFL, that's Who Dat.

And now they might sue me, too, because I'm using it.

In letters sent to at least two retailers, the NFL has demanded that they quit selling items with the Who Dat slogan on it. They claim trademark infringement. NOLA reports:

In letters sent to Fleurty Girl and Storyville, the NFL ordered the retailers to stop selling a host of merchandise that it says violates state and federal trademarks held by the New Orleans Saints.

Among the long list of things the NFL says is off-limits without a licensing agreement are some obvious violations like the official logo of the Saints and the team's name. But the one that stands out is "Who Dat."

Today, Senator David Vitter has responded to NFL Commissioner, Roger Goodell. Vitter explains the history of "Who Dat" as follows:

"Who Dat" was probably first heard in New Orleans minstrel shows well over 130 years ago. Much more recently, but before it was used in connection with the Saints, it was used as a rallying cry by St. Augustine High School in New Orleans. In the 1980s it was adopted by Saints fans in a completely spontaneous way. Only later did any legal persons, including the Saints and the NFL, try to claim it through registration.

Perhaps more significant than this history, "Who Dat" has become part of New Orleans and Louisiana popular culture. For the NFL to try to claim exclusive ownership of it would be like me registering and trying to claim exclusive ownership of the terms "lagniappe" and "laissez les bons temps rouler!”

Furthermore, Vitter has vowed to print his own t-shirts that say, "Who Dat say we can't print Who Dat?" on them.

Who Dat indeed!

Next thing you know we won't be able to say Geaux Saints, either.

NFL claims ownership of Who Dat

David Vitter, Harry Reid, and RICO

The Dead Pelican is reporting that Sen. David Vitter is requesting a RICO investigation of ACORN. He has written a letter to Eric Holder in which he says, "Now that both chambers of Congress have agreed to cut off funding for ACORN, the Justice Department should use all of the current legal tools at its disposal - like the RICO Act - to ensure that the taxpayer dollars that ACORN receives are being used properly."

On Tuesday Harry Reid dismissed Vitter's calls for a congressional investigation, basically saying that Congress had better things to do, like health care reform. This is an incredibly irresponsible response from Reid, but why should we be surprised?

The Hill had Reid's rebuke of Vitter. Reid said "As the U.S. Attorney firings and DOJ hiring scandals remind us, we should be very careful about any activities that could be viewed as politicizing investigations and law enforcement decisions," Reid said. "Toward that end, it is unfortunate that in your letter you thought it relevant to note reports claiming ACORN's ties to 'liberal research and training institutes.'" "The recent history cited above demonstrates it is very harmful to conduct any investigation... based on the political leanings of a group," he added.
Right. As long as it suits your own political side, that is. Investigating the CIA isn't political at all, right? Reopening a four year old, closed investigation wouldn't have any political meaning behind it at all, right? Got it.

You can read Vitter's letter at The Dead Pelican. I'm off to check out Reid's latest polling numbers.

Honore Says He's Not Running in 2010

Last night, retired Army Lt. Gen. Russel Honore spoke in Shreveport at the NAACP Freedom Fund Banquet. I'm quoting the bulk of the local paper's coverage of his speech:

"On this day, 9-11, we saw some eight years ago what happened when the enemy attacked our country and killed over 3,000 of our citizens," he opened his talk. "Shortly thereafter, the president of these United States opened a big old cap of whup-ass to go out and deal with the people who came to this country and indiscriminately killed our people.

"And these people we are fighting, we fight them today," Honore said. "Listen to me here: They are our enemies. If they were here tonight, under sharia law, first of all, none of the women would be in this room. And none of you would have the opportunity for education. So don't get confused with some of the things you hear on why we're doing what we need to do in Afghanistan, although it may be a little bit late."

Honore noted that soldiers of 200 years ago fought for a promise of freedom and equality in the Declaration of Independence, even though many were not free.

"Some were indentured, some were slaves, but they fought for a promise that took over 200 years to even come close to fruition. They fought for a promise, an idea, of freedom."

He contrasted that to today, where problems on Wall Street and Main Street have whalloped the elderly, poor and disadvantaged on what he called "Railroad Street."

Honore pointed to the drugs and lack of discipline that have left people today ill-equipped to work.

A video of him in action during Hurricane Katrina drew applause, especially when one segment noted how he had noticed a mother with young twin babies and had ordered the youngsters airlifted to safety.

But in his talk, Honore gave a somber backstory. He said that woman, only about age 18 or 19, had children with blood streaming from their faces; and another woman in the same incident had children in distress.

"What I wanted to know was where were those children's daddies? And who raised them?"

His tone assured that had he met those absent fathers who had abandoned women and children to the ravages of a killer storm, the result would not have been pretty.

Honore also peppered it with admonitions to elected leaders to take initiative to provide jobs, encourage education and prod people and businesses to take basic steps to assure their own survival in the wake of the next inevitable crisis, be it a hurricane or a tornado.

One thing city leaders could do, he pointedly told Shreveport Mayor Cedric Glover, is require pharmacies and gas stations to have emergency generators so two basic building blocks of society don't go belly up when the lights go out. "Mr. Mayor, you can make it happen."

Louisiana Weekly, one of the local sources who suggested Honore might challenge Vitter in 2010, reported this week that Honore has no intention of running against Vitter. In fact, Honore tells Louisiana Weekly, "I am not running for office...I never delcared myself as a Republican during the Reagan administration. I have never lived in Zachary [Louisiana]" as initial reports claimed.

In the end, it seems as if Vitter's only challenger is Melancon who is no challenger at all.

Honore Moving Back to Louisiana

Lafayette's The Daily Advertiser (via The Dead Pelican) is reporting that retired Lt. General Russel Honore is moving back to Louisiana. Hmmmmmmm.

He is a registered voter from his Zachary home, but has been traveling the country on his preparedness lecture tour.

Earlier this week, the Bayou Buzz reported that Honore is considering a primary run against Senator David Vitter in 2010. This would be a serious challenge for Vitter; Honore is the tough, no-nonsense leader who restored some semblance of order when local government collapsed after Hurricane Katrina four years ago.

According to the Bayou Buzz post, "While polls show Vitter as the clear favorite in both the primary and the general election, one very senior Louisiana Republican predicted that if Honore runs, "He wins." As that GOP party elder further explained to the www.louisianaweekly.com and Bayoubuzz on the promise of confidentiality, "All he has to say is 'Stuck on Stupid', and Vitter is toast."

Honore dipped his toes back into the Louisiana policial mash last week when he called on the federal goverment to cough up some cash to replace the destroyed Charity Hospital; this quote from NOLA:

Meanwhile, Retired Lt. Gen. Russel Honore added his voice to those calling for the federal government to help pay for a new hospital to replace Charity, a shift in position for the man who commanded Joint Task Force-Katrina in the wake of the 2005 storm. In May, Honore told The Times-Picayune that Charity should have been reopened after the storm and that "the state of Louisiana needs to pay for its own damn medical center."

"Contrary to what I may have said in the past, the federal government needs to step up and provide a decent grant (to replace Charity) because the storm did destroy the hospital," Honore said last week.

The Charity Hospital connundrum has been festering ever since the storm in 2005. After the storm, the hospital was partially decontaminated but state and local officials made the decision to keep it closed. Honore thought the hospital could have been partially opened to provide emergency care in the immediate aftermath of Katrina. Ultimately, state officials wanted FEMA to pay the full costs for reopening the hospital as it was more than 50% damaged.

Honore was quoted as saying that Katrina had been used as an excuse to close Charity, thus hurting the city's poor residents. For more on Honore and the Charity story, go here.

Honore was raised in Lakeland in Pointe Coupee Parish and served in the Army for nearly 38 years before he retired. On 9/11 he will be speaking in Shreveport at a NAACP event at the Clarion hotel. Details are here if you want to attend.

Here is Honore's famous scene, "Don't Get Stuck on Stupid" which you may remember:

David Vitter Town Hall in Elmwood

Senator David Vitter held a town hall meeting in Elmwood, La. with a supportive crowd. As I've noted, he is totally opposed to Obamacare:

"I think there are problems and issues with the health care system that need improvement," Vitter said during the forum. "I want to focus specifically on those problems, and I don't want to throw out the baby with the bath water. I completely and unalterably oppose the Obama administration plan."

NOLA has the rest of the story.

Senator Vitter's Pineville, LA Town Hall

Senator David Vitter held a town hall meeting in Pineville, La. yesterday. Here, he welcomes "the angry mob":



Here is a full report of the meeting and two other videos. Overall it seems that the meeting was civil and everyone was well behaved. Vitter, of course, does NOT support Obamacare:

"Vitter described the Obama administration’s health care program as likely ending up to be entirely government-run and underlined the worries and fears this would bring, including rationing of health insurance, elimination of coverage and the reduction of health benefits to seniors. He said the health program in the United States was, for the most part, working well and only needed minor adjustments since many of the people without coverage were immigrants or those who didn’t want health coverage anyway."

Vitter had three speakers with him; one was a doctor, one a business owner, and one was from the Pelican Advisory Group. All supported Vitter's position against Obamacare.

You can go here to read the whole thing, or watch the other two videos.

(H/T: The Dead Pelican)

Is Vitter's Political Future Looking Stormy?

Porn star Stormy Daniels is proceeding with her campaign in the 2010 elections against Senator David Vitter. In late May she formed a committee to explore a potential campaign and began a "listening tour." She said, "Two weeks ago, I embarked on a listening tour where I had the pleasure of hearing the thoughts and concerns of my fellow Louisianans. These conversations were highly encouraging and convinced me to officially explore the possibility of running for the United States Senate." She hasn't yet decided which party she wants to represent, though.

Sunday, she told Fox News, "If I was an outsider looking in, I'd think it sounds ludicrous. It really does," she said. "And I guess the whole thing is that (the public) dislikes David Vitter so much that they think I'm the best person for the job -- then I mean that's kind of scary."

She might want to check out Politico's report that "There’s no tough challenger ready to enter the ring, he’s sitting on more than $2.5 million and his approval rating is close to 60 percent," despite his previous involvement in a prostitution scandal.

One thing about Louisiana politics, it's never boring.

David Vitter in 2010

Stephanie Grace (via Memeorandum) writes today on NOLA of Senator David Vitter's lukewarm chances for re-election next year. She points to a poll suggesting that Louisiana voters have mediocre feelings for Vitter.

"The survey, conducted by Southern Media & Opinion Research, found that the state's voters are markedly ambivalent about their junior senator. As a whole, they can live with him. But they'd also be just fine living without him, if someone better were to come along.

"First the good news for Vitter: 58 percent of the 600 likely voters interviewed last month said he's doing at least a good job, putting him in the same neighborhood as his Democratic colleague Mary Landrieu, who had a 60 percent approval rating.

"On the other hand, just 9 percent said Vitter is doing an excellent job.

"Even more worrisome for the senator is that only 30 percent said they would definitely vote to reelect him. Twenty-eight percent said they would push the button for someone else, and 35 percent said they would consider an alternative."

Louisiana politics is always a crap shoot. Professor Jeff Sadow considered Vitter's chances back in March and he seems to have a higher opinion of Vitter's chances. I don't think most voters are going to care a great deal about Vitter's call girl scandal when it comes right down to it. As Sadow points out, "For the fact is, on nearly every issue Vitter has faithfully and genuinely reflected the preferences of anywhere from slim to large majorities in the state, and with a large campaign budget (he’s got plenty) he can make sure in any campaign that his record will not be ignored."

Vitter's voting record is right on target with what his conservative constituents sent him to do. He voted against Tim "Turbo Tax Challenged" Geithner, he voted against the stimulus bill, and he opposed the nomination of Hillary Clinton primarily on conflict of interest grounds. He's got a pro-gun rights record. He votes conservatively on immigration issues as well.

While Stephanie Grace seems to conclude that Vitter may only gain re-election because he is "lucky" there is no more viable candidate, I'm with Sadow who concludes that Vitter will win re-election because of his record.

Related:
Senator Vitter's Tea Party Resolution

Senator David Vitter's Tea Party Resolution

Here is Sen. David Vitter's TEA Party Resolution:

S. Res.
Designating each of April 15, 2009, and April 15, 2010, as ‘‘National TEA
Party Day’’.

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
Mr. VITTER submitted the following resolution:

RESOLUTION

Designating each of April 15, 2009, and April 15, 2010,
as ‘‘National TEA Party Day’’.

Whereas the taxpayers of the United States understand that
the so-called ‘‘stimulus bill’’, the American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111–5; 123 Stat.
115), included a laundry list of spending projects;

Whereas the taxpayers of the United States understand that
the bailouts of Wall Street by the United States Government
have been ineffective and a waste of taxpayer funding;

Whereas the taxpayers of the United States agree that the
United States Government should stop wasteful spending,
reduce the tax burden on families and businesses, and
focus on policies that will lead to job creation and economic
growth; and

Whereas taxpayers in the United States are expressing their
opposition to high taxes and skyrocketing spending by
the United States Government by organizing ‘‘Taxed
Enough Already’’ parties, also known as ‘‘TEA’’ parties:

Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate designates each of April
15, 2009, and April 15, 2010, as ‘‘National TEA Party
Day’’.

You can go here to become a co-sponsor.

(H/T: Kiss My Gumbo)