Maness Needs to Pull Out of Senate Race

I've been working on a post for DaTechGuy on Mary Landrieu and "Flight-Gate"; be sure to click over there Monday afternoon and check it out.  She's having a pretty bad week.

In the course of doing some research for that post, I've been looking at the poll numbers for the November U.S. Senate race.  No offense to Col. Maness or his supporters, but he needs to follow the lead of Rep. Paul Hollis and get out of this race.  I know that Sarah Palin has endorsed Maness, and I know that the Tea Party loves him, and he's probably the best man for the job in all honesty.  I like his credentials a lot.

But.

He's not getting the numbers.  

True, Maness has picked up some important endorsements lately:

The remaining Republican opponent for Cassidy is Colonel Rob Maness, a 32-year Air Force veteran. Maness has been endorsed by leading Tea Party and conservative organizations. He received a major boost when he was endorsed by former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, who frequently tangles with the establishment wing of the Republican Party. He has also picked up support from the Senate Conservative Fund and the Tea Party Express. Today, he was endorsed by the Family Research Council and their PAC Chairman Tony Perkins, former Louisiana State Representative. Perkins is a leader in the social conservative movement in Louisiana and is closely associated with pro-life and pro-family organizations in the state. 

This endorsement should end the discussion of Maness dropping out of the Senate race. Many Cassidy supporters have been pushing for Maness to end his campaign, so Republicans can “unite” behind the Congressman. This endorsement is the latest sign that the Colonel is not going anywhere as Perkins surely would not have endorsed a candidate who is not fully committed to the race until the end.

And maybe this will spike Maness's numbers but I'm not seeing it.  Rep. Cassidy might be a RINO, as evidenced by his support for Obamacare, but it seems to me that he's the only person that's going to beat Landrieu and if we don't do ANYTHING else, we have to defeat Landrieu.  

To nobly stand behind a candidate that can't win won't help us in the long run.

This goes against everything I know:  I usually vote for the conservative candidate no matter what the establishment GOP says. The establishment GOP usually picks RINOS (see Crist v. Rubio).   But drastic times call for drastic measures.  There are still about 2.5 months in the campaign, and with Flight-Gate now in the news cycle Landrieu's numbers can be expected to dip slightly.  I don't think it will cause a major drop in her numbers because the general public doesn't follow this sort of thing much.  

While one would have hoped that the conservative Maness could have pulled this one off, the numbers don't show any possibility, the race is too close, and the stakes for the future and continued existence of our country are too high.  

It makes me sad, but reality bites.

Craig McCullough Challenges Big Names in Louisiana

Via The Other McCain, here's a pretty darn good message:



That's Craig McCulloch and he's running for Congress in Louisiana's 6th district.  He'll be challenged by a plethora of other candidates.

There are at least seven Republican candidates in this race, one of which is Paul Dietzell II, a name most in Louisiana will recognize.  Most folks in this state can tell you all about his grandfather's Chinese Bandits

and his career as head coach at LSU.  You just can't buy name recognition like that.

Another candidate with great name recognition in this race is state Senator Dan Claitor.  Claitor's Bookstore has been a respected publisher in the state for years with a focus on important cultural, literary, and historical subjects in Louisiana.  Dan Claitor was elected in 2009 for the seat vacated by Bill Cassidy who is now running against Senator Mary Landrieu.  (In that particular race, Sarah Palin has endorsed Col. (Ret.) Rob Maness.)  The district has been redrawn in this convoluted image via NOLA.

There are two Democrats in the race right now and anything can happen, but Craig McCulloch has a very good message.  This one will be interesting to watch.

Lie of the Year

The new AFP ad against Landrieu:



(H/T:  The Hayride)

Landrieu Faces Epic Battle in 2014Senate Race

The Advocate is looking ahead to the epic battle that will be the 2014 Senate race in Louisiana:

The end result means tens of millions of dollars are being funneled into Louisiana for a critical U.S. Senate race that could determine which party controls the Senate in 2015. More outside spending is allowed because of the landmark U.S. Supreme Court 2010 ruling in the Citizens United case, which allows some third-party groups to spend unlimited amounts of money on campaigns because of free-speech protections.

Senator Mary Landrieu will face two Republican contenders:  retired Air Force colonel Rob Maness and U.S. Rep. Bill Cassidy.

Landrieu is expected to face a tough battle:

“She’s never had to face the voters after supporting President Barack Obama 95 percent of the time,” Short happily adds. “It’s going to be the central theme in this race.”

With Obama's public approval ratings in the abyss beneath the bottom cellar, that can't be encouraging for Landrieu.

Read more here.

H/T:  The Dead Pelican

Six More Years of Mary Landrieu

Senator Mary Landrieu picked up a new Republican challenger today which will effectively split the Republican vote and ensure Louisiana Purchase Mary six more years.

Rep. Bill Cassidy has already announced his candidacy.

Meet retired Air Force Col. Rob Maness.

Way to go.

"She's Kind of a Big Deal..."

Senator Mary Landrieu thinks she is "indispensable":

"Without sounding braggadocios, I'm indispensable in this effort to secure for Louisiana a significant and reliable string of revenue to save our coast," Landrieu, 57, said in an interview. 

She is, of course, referencing her work to save Louisiana's coastline which is important, but she's certainly not the only person to care about, or work for, that.

Senator Landrieu (D) is running for re-election in 2014, after seventeen years in the U.S. Senate.  She has drawn one Republican challenger so far, Rep. Bill Cassidy from Louisiana's sixth congressional district in south-central Louisiana.

Rep. John Fleming has opted out of a challenge saying that he does not want to splinter

Republican support for Rep. Cassidy.

While Senator Landrieu has indeed supported the Keystone pipeline, her voting record is otherwise abysmally liberal.  "Louisiana Purchase Mary" voted FOR Obamacare, FOR the 2009 stimulus bill, AGAINST the repeal of Obamacare,  She has voted FOR gun-control measures and FOR online sales taxes.

While nobody is really "indispensable," Senator Landrieu does seem to think she's "kind of a big deal."

Senator Landrieu might think she's indispensable, but I think it's time she learned that someone else can do her job and better represent Louisiana's values.  Rep. Cassidy's voting record to date is here.  SIGIS will be posting more about Rep. Cassidy's record and accomplishments.

Donate to Rep. Bill Cassidy's campaign and sign up to help.  His website is here.  His Facebook is here.

(H/T:  United Liberty)

Lower Than Obama

I tried to tell you that Gov. Bobby Jindal is not everyone's favorite governor ages ago.

Now we have the poll:

Gov. Bobby Jindal's approval rating dropped from 51 percent in October to just under 38 percent in March due to voter dissatisfaction with state fiscal and education policies, according to a poll released Tuesday. Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne and U.S. Sen. David Vitter -- both possible candidates for Jindal's job in 2015 -- had approval ratings near 60 percent.

Ouch.

Where's Senator Landrieu in this poll?

U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu, among a group of congressional Democrats seen as highly vulnerable ahead of next year's mid-term elections, also saw her approval rating drop nearly 6 points to 56 percent. Over half of Louisiana voters polled said they would be less likely to vote for Landrieu knowing she voted for the Affordable Care Act, often called Obamacare. 

It's true, people will be slow to forget "Louisiana Purchase" Mary".

Governor Jindal, however, is drawing fire from many areas, the least of which right now is his sales tax proposal.  Jeff Sadow has much more on that:

In essence, the plan eliminates all state income taxes in favor of an increased sales tax on more items, provides income support for individuals making $20,000 or less in earning or those drawing retirement pay at $60,000 or less, eliminates some exceptions to the tax code while retaining those designed to shield basic necessities from sales taxes, and raises taxes dramatically on tobacco consumption. The state calculates the net impact to be a small gain to the lowest-income earners with higher gains for highest-income earners, while business may end up paying more but will be advantaged by lower administrative costs and an increased amount of revenue with more money in the mass public freed up to be spent. 

 Jindal's school voucher plan is before the Louisiana Supreme Court right now; the teacher unions as plaintiffs have multiple appeals in place.

Speaking of teachers, Jindal's new Compass evaluation system kicked in at the same time teachers are trying to implement a new Common Core curriculum, and both are fraught with problems.

Gov. Jindal has also infuriated groups with his cuts to higher education.

In a Salon piece, Joan Walsh mocked Gov. Jindal's Republican convention speech and noted the criticism against him:

Yet Jindal’s other cruel cuts are set to stand – cuts to battered women’s shelter programs, to higher education, preschool programs, anti-truancy efforts and a range of other efforts to make life better for low-income people. Meanwhile Jindal wants to replace the state’s income tax with more regressive sales taxes. 

Jindal is getting it from all sides these days.

But when your numbers are lower than Obama's?  Well, that's baaaaaad.

(H/T:  Memeorandum)

Veterans Day Hall of Heroes Induction Ceremony 2012

Steve and I attended the Hall of Heroes Induction Ceremony today sponsored by the Friends of the Municipal Auditorium. 

The Municipal Auditorium is located on the west end of downtown Shreveport and was built in the 1920s.  It is probably now most famous for being one of the first places Elvis Presley performed but many other musical legends performed there.  The building is noted for its intricate brickwork, acoustical perfection, and art deco styling.


Note on the front it says "Dedicated to those who served in the World War." 

The building was placed on the National Register for Historic Places:

Here's a plaque posted inside with a bit of the history:

There's a nice little museum inside where you can learn about the history of the place and tours are offered:

And, of course, there are reportedly ghosts in residence, too.

Sadly, there were probably more ghosts in attendance than people there to honor the veterans.

The Friends of the Municipal Auditorium had a lovely ceremony organized; a nice sign in table and refreshments greeted you upon entry:

But this is a "crowd shot" taken right after the ceremony started:

One more small group came in after I took this bringing us up to a total of 24 people in attendance. 

Shameful.  Granted, it is Sunday and maybe church ran late for some people, the weather is a little dicey, and there is a Veterans Parade later in the afternoon at the Fair Grounds, so maybe people had other things to do.  Still, it was a sad showing.

Emcee Tom Pace opened the ceremony: there was the invocation and the posting of colors; Meredith McLellan sang a beautiful a capella rendition of "The Star Spangled Banner."  We had bagpipes and a drummer who played "Amazing Grace."

The 2012 Inductees included Corporal Cleauthor Sanders, Corporal Frank Buckles, Lt. Commander Seal Jonas B. Kelsall, and Navy Special Warfare Operator Chief Petty Officer Seal Robert J. Reeves.

A late addition to the program was Senator Mary Landrieu who called and asked to attend the ceremony; she wasn't on the program but she made a late entrance after the ceremony had already started. 

Senator Landrieu took the stage and read a prepared speech, primarily, it seemed to politicize the event and garner publicity for herself.  She spoke about what she had been doing throughout the state to honor veterans, about a parade she and her brother attended in New Orleans with the Lt. Governor, Jay Dardenne, and about the Drum Corps from the Revolutionary War descendants who participated in that parade.  With the father of CPO Robert Reeves sitting on stage not ten feet away from her, she talked about how now Osama bin Laden is dead and the Taliban is on the run.

I wish I'd had the presence of mind to turn on my video camera.  If the local media captured her speech I will add it at the bottom later.  It was bizarre.

Some of the veterans in attendance were stunned to hear Senator Landrieu usurp the solemn ceremony for political grandstanding.

As if that weren't bad enough, she closed her remarks with comments about General Petraeus.  An induction ceremony for four honored veterans was not the forum for Senator Landrieu to preach to us about General David Petraeus.  She reminded the audience that we "are not perfect" and that only Jesus Christ was perfect. 

"I want to go on record here today," she said about Petraeus.  "I'm a fan."  She noted his honorable career and sat down.

It wasn't the time or place.

Following that bizarre addition to the program, the awards commenced.  Corporal Cleauthor Sanders was in attendance with his wife and family.  He spoke briefly about his time of service and then the Friends of the Municipal Auditorium presented his pen and ink portrait by local artist Jerry Harris.  Corporal Sanders also got a smaller version of the portrait to take home.

Senator Landrieu jumped up to shake his hand and announced that she would see to it that Corporal Sanders and his family are flown to New Orleans for a tour of the World War II museum.

The father of CPO Reeves accepted the award and portrait of his son and that of Lt. Commander Kelsall for his family (the two boys were childhood and lifelong friends here in Shreveport).

Mr. Reeves gave a very moving speech about his son and closed by saying that for the two of them "to be on that helicopter, together, at that time, well, it had to be God's will." 

(Kelsall and Reeves were on a CH-47 Chinook helicopter that was shot down in Afghanistan on August 11, 2011, killing both of them and 28 other souls.)

It was a very nice ceremony, despite Senator Landrieu's bizarre speech, and from there many departed to head to the fairgrounds for the Veterans Parade. 

I believe Senator Landrieu was on her way there as well.

Louisiana Purchase Mary Is Ready For More

Because 18 years in the Senate isn't enough; via NOLA:

U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu says she "definitely" plans to run for a fourth term in two years.  The Democrat from New Orleans tossed aside speculation that she was going to end her congressional career after 18 years in the Senate.

Landrieu wouldn't comment specifically Monday on whether she expects Republican U.S. Rep. Bill Cassidy of Baton Rouge to challenge her.

"I do not know who my opponent will be. I'm sure I'll have one, and I'll be ready for whoever it is and plan to win," she said.

Here's more on Rep. Bill Cassidy.  And here.

Louisiana Purchase Mary isn't worried.  She suggests she is way different from Obama and that his low ratings won't affect her chances at all.  Bwaahahahahahahahaha!  Okay - go with that one, Mary!

Landrieu said, "My record is very different than the President's, and people will judge me on my own record."

Indeed we will.


Related:  Moe Lane on Bill Cassidy and Mary Landrieu.

Gas Prices Are Rising and Obama is Sticking With Solar

In a speech last week at a New Hampshire community college, Obama called for an end to subsidies for oil companies:

“You can either stand up for the oil companies, or you can stand up for the American people,” Mr. Obama said. “You can keep subsidizing a fossil fuel that’s been getting taxpayer dollars for a century, or you can place your bets on a clean-energy future.” 

Wow.

I bet that makes folks down on the Gulf coast feel all nice and fuzzy.

While I've never been a big fan of Senator Mary Landrieu, she does at least understand the problems down on the Gulf with regard to drilling and the Obama moratorium (via Hot Air):

I want to say that, despite the Administration’s arguments that are laid out, that you all are all guns blaring and green lights for drilling, the facts that I checked, and if you disagree tell me, only 21 permits for offshore drilling have been issued by this date. In 2010 there were 32 permits. I just left the annual conference of LOGA, which is Louisiana Oil and Gas Association, Mr. Secretary, yesterday. They are beside themselves with not being able to get their permits processed and to answer you, Mr. Franken, let me just say Exxon and Shell may be making record profits but according to a study recently done by the Greater New Orleans, Inc., 41% of our oil and gas independent operators and service companies, I’m not talking about Exxon and Shell that have operations all over the world, I’m talking about companies in the Gulf Coast, in Texas, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Alabama. Let me tell you what the studies show about their profits: 41% of them are not making a profit at all, 70% have lost significant cash reserves, 46 have moved operations away from the Gulf, and 82% of business owners have lost personal savings as a result of this slow down.

There's more at the link, including video, but suffice to say that the folks down south are hurting.   I guess it is their misfortune that they are sitting on millions of gallons of oil rather than having the foresight to open a solar panel company, get a loan from the government, and go broke that way.

Either way, they lose.

With an end to subsidies, your price at the pump will necessarily go up:

The CRS [Congressional Research Service] says there are two ways of looking at the impact of the tax increases: 1) They will increase gasoline prices and dependence on foreign oil; or 2) They will and should increase gasoline prices, because gasoline is “artificially inexpensive.”

Rep. Doc Hastings (R-WA) gave the GOP response today with a focus on energy exploration:

“Though the president now claims to support ‘all-of-the-above,’ he has consistently blocked American energy production, most recently by rejecting the Keystone XL pipeline. In addition to that, he has restricted drilling in offshore areas while encouraging other countries, including Brazil, to expand their own exploration. And while the president says oil production alone can’t solve our problems, his administration has proposed costly regulations that would hurt the supply of other domestic sources. Instead of placing his bet on American-made energy and the workers who produce it, President Obama has wasted taxpayer dollars on Solyndra and other unproven technologies.

But, Obama's plan is to stick with solar.   We'll see how that works out for him.  I mean, the last time I checked, my car ran on gasoline.

I guess I could always get a Volt.  Or maybe not.

Senator Mary Landrieu Could Give Obama Lessons in Arrogance

Don't miss The Dead Pelican's exclusive reporting on a Louisiana restaurateur's visit with Mary Landrieu.  The man's name is Greg Hamer and he owns over 50 fast food restaurants.  He and twenty other restaurant owners met with the Louisiana delegation and expressed concerns over layoffs he'll have to make because of Obamacare. 

Senator Landrieu was unmoved and told him, basically, to just deal with it or vote for new representation.  She told him she did not want to discuss nor deal with Obamacare. 

There's much more at the Pelican but I'm sending you there to read it. 

Louisiana Purchase Mary Wants You to Shut Up

Louisiana Purchase Mary gets emotional as she defends her bribe today before the Senate, and she wants you to quit griping about it.

Somehow she still does not understand why people are angry that she made a backroom deal for more money for her state that other states won't receive. I live in Louisiana so I guess theoretically I should be sympathetic to her complaint, but Mississippi got hit just as hard by Katrina and they've moved on. They aren't getting a backroom deal.

The fact remains that she sold her vote for Obamacare. Period. She wasn't willing to vote for it until she got the money. That's a bribe.



(H/T: Memeorandum)

Thanks, James, But We Really Didn't Need You to Do That...

Via The Dead Pelican, this report that the whole intent of the James O'Keefe caper was to prove that Mary Landrieu's staff was intentionally ignoring phone calls from constituents.

Maybe it's just me, but I think most people already knew that. When I went to the local Tea Party protest in November, I know people had been trying to call Landrieu's office to encourage her not to vote for Obamacare.

This is what I wrote then:

I had heard reports through the day from email and blog comments that the Senate phone lines had crashed, that the lines in Landrieu's offices were continuously busy, and even one story of a constituent, frustrated at not being able to call in, went to Landrieu's office and was ushered out by security and told that "Senator Landrieu is not in the office." The one person working in that office had gone to lunch and would not be back for an hour and a half.

So, really, we didn't need James O'Keefe to go in there and break laws to prove that Landrieu, or anybody else for that matter, was ignoring calls or constituents.

Meanwhile, O'Keefe has been ordered to reside with his parents at least until his next hearing. Horrors.

On "Interfering" With Phones

In all the commentary on the SOTU last night, don't miss the Hot Air post about what James O'Keefe might really have been up to:

As you’ll see, an AP reporter who turned up on Matthews’s show this afternoon was apparently on the right track. According to a law enforcement source who talked to NBC, the point wasn’t to wiretap Landrieu’s phones. It was to figure out why so many people had trouble getting through to the office when they called to complain about the ObamaCare “Louisiana Purchase.”

Interesting. Not smart, but interesting.

Read the rest.

Michael McHale's Mysterious Statement on Louisiana Watergate

Update: Thanks to Chad at The Dead Pelican for the link! Welcome Pelicans.

When Michael McHale of the Louisiana Democratic Party made his cryptic statement yesterday about Senator David Vitter having "ties to some of the players involved" in the arrest of four men for attempting to interfere with Mary Landrieu's phone system in New Orleans, I've been curious about what those ties might be.

I contacted McHale's office for a comment but received no response.

Arrested yesterday was James O'Keefe, Stan Dai, Joseph Basel, and Robert Flanagan (pictured).

Fox8 News in New Orleans seems to be on to something though:

Bringing the charges against the four men was Jim Letten, the U.S. attorney in New Orleans and a holdover Bush Administration appointee. One of four arrested Monday in the alleged plot was Robert Flanagan, the son of Bill Flanagan, a career prosecutor who is the acting U.S. attorney in Shreveport, La.

A week ago, President Barack Obama nominated Stephanie Finley for the U.S. attorney's post in Shreveport.

Sen. David Vitter, R-La., is blocking Senate action on Finley's nomination and Obama's other nominees for federal justice system posts in Louisiana until he hears from the White House whether Obama will let Letten keep his job, Vitter's office said Wednesday.

In early January, NOLA reported on Vitter's objections. It appears to be a lot of political shenanigans between Vitter and the House of Obama.

Vitter has not returned his blue slip on the appointment of a Baton Rouge federal judge nominee or for a New Orleans federal marshal job nominee.

Vitter appears set to hold his blue slips hostage until Obama confirms that U.S. Attorney Jim Letten, of Baton Rouge, can keep his job. Letten was confirmed by the Senate during the Bush administration. Vitter wants a promise or a reconfirmation of Letten, which as of yet, has not been granted.

From NOLA:

About Letten, Landrieu said: "All U.S. attorneys serve at the pleasure of the president and do not need to be re-nominated by the president or re-confirmed by the Senate to continue their service." She said Letten "continues to serve with my strong support."

It's a little reminiscent of the George W. Bush/Alberto Gonzales controversy in 2006. The controversy at the time was whether the White House and DOJ were using U.S. Attorney positions for political advantage. The defense used then was, of course, just what Mary Landrieu said: "All U.S. attorneys serve at the pleasure of the president...".

With regard to the current situation and Michael McHale's statement, McHale seems to be referring to Letten when he says Vitter has "ties to some of the players involved" as Letten was the one who formall brought charges against the four men yesterday.

Unfortunately, McHale makes it sound like Vitter may somehow be involved with one of the four accused young men. It's a bit misleading.

I'm sure McHale didn't intend for his statement to be so vague and I continue to offer him an opportunity to clear things up.

Correction: A reader corrects me: Letten is in fact from New Orleans. I misspoke and want to correct that! Many apologies.

More at Memeorandum.

Louisiana Watergate: Landrieu Makes a Statement

Via Bayou Buzz, Senator Landrieu has issued a statement regarding the James O'Keefe arrest:

This is a very unusual situation and somewhat unsettling for me and my staff. The individuals responsible have been charged with entering federal property under false pretenses for the purposes of committing a felony. I am as interested as everyone else about their motives and purpose, which I hope will become clear as the investigation moves forward.

Additionally, the Louisiana Democratic Party has issued an odd statement in which they seem to implicate Senator David Vitter in some nefarious doings:

This is a Louisiana Watergate. Louisiana families are shocked and outraged that these men would break the law to carry out their political agenda with this Watergate-like break-in and attempted wiretapping. Given his ties to some of the players involved, Sen. Vitter should immediately denounce the actions of these four men and anyone who may have instigated, supported or assisted them. We call on U.S Attorney Jim Letten to conduct a thorough investigation and to prosecute any wrongdoers to the fullest extent of the law.

The "ties to some of the players involved" remains unspecified, however blogger Lindsay Beyerstein reports the following:

One of the four men arrested for allegedly trying to bug Mary Landrieu's office interned for Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) in 2007, according to his LinkedIn profile. The following year, Robert Flanagan worked as a paid intern for Republican Rep. Mary Fallin of OK. His duties included "brief[ing] legislative staff on issues of national security and international relations." In the summer of 2008, Flanagan volunteered for Chris Gorman's campaign in Shreveport, LA.

The link to David Vitter remains unclear.

Politico points out that "There's no mention of wiretapping or "bugging" in the complaint or press release from the U.S. Attorney's office, and it isn't entirely clear what the foursome were up to." The affidavit only says that they were entering government offices under false pretenses. However, it also says that the four were entering "for the purpose of willfully and maliciously interfering with a telephone system operated and controlled by the United States of America." (PDF here).

That's pretty much the same thing as "bugging" and wiretapping to me.

If O'Keefe and friends are in fact guilty then they deserve to be punished as the law requires. That said, it doesn't negate the work O'Keefe did to expose ACORN for the fraudulent organization it is. ACORN was caught on tape attempting to help set up brothels and teenage prostitution rings, among other things. O'Keefe's guilt, or innocence, in this case does not absolve ACORN for their sins.

As they say, developing!

Funny Screen Cap of the Day

As appeared on the KLSA website tonight in the Jame's O'Keefe arrest story.

No Love for O'Keefe in NOLA

Weighing in on the James O'Keefe arrest, let me just second Michelle Malkin's words and say that they are innocent until proven guilty; that said, it doesn't look good.

One of the men arrested along with O'Keefe is the son of the U.S. Attorney Bill Flanagan here in Shreveport. He was contacted by our local news station for comment but did not return their calls. He did, however, confirm to WWLTV in New Orleans that the Robert Flanagan arrested is, in fact, his son.

I'm curious why O'Keefe and friends thought it would be a good idea to tamper with a Senator's telephone. Even the most rudimentary among us knows that is a felony. What in the world could have been worth the risk. I don't want to speculate too much until more is known, but it does boggle the mind.

Allahpundit has the legal aspect here, in which he points out that O'Keefe and his buddies could be looking at ten years. Yikes!

Given that O'Keefe is already looking at lawsuits in Pennsylvania and Maryland over the ACORN sting, I can't believe he thought this would be a good idea.

I'll stay on the local angle and see what there is to be found. New Orleans isn't THAT far down the road....! Keep an eye on The Dead Pelican as well - you never know what Chad Rogers will dig up!

Senator Landrieu Meets Protesters in Abbeville

Via The Daily Advertiser, protesters greeted Senator Mary Landrieu at the Vermillion Parish Public Library yesterday where she was there to speak about coastal erosion and protection. The protesters were gathering signatures for their petition to recall Landrieu despite reports that the recall is unconstitutional and is heading to a dead end. Organizers of the recall are proceeding with the effort.

One protester said that the recall petition might be unconstitutional but they feel that Obamacare is also unconstitutional.

Mary Landrieu, with a straight face, says that she is not for government control of health care and she complains about a hidden tax in the current system. I'm assuming she's read the Senate bill which is loaded with taxes, both hidden and not hidden. But I guess that's beside the point. Then she says that with Obamacare, "No more free lunch!" She means that "everyone has to have insurance." Of course, everyone doesn't have to pay for it. Some will still be getting a "free lunch" as you and I pay for it.



(H/T: The Dead Pelican)

Mary, Mitch, and Mary

In a venture to the weird, Republican political strategist Mary Matalin is on tap to host a fund raiser for Democrat Mitch Landrieu in his bid for the New Orleans mayoral slot.

NOLA reports that Matalin is slated to co-host an upcoming $1,000-a-person fundraiser in Washington for current Lt. Gov Mitch Landrieu, brother of Senator Mary Landrieu. Matalin says she is supporting Landrieu because of his common sense on issues and his leadership ability; she says it has nothing to do with party.

The New Orleans mayoral race is turning out to be rather interesting; just last weekend one of the top contenders for a run-off slot, Ed Murray, dropped out of the race citing fundraising issues. Murray said that once Landrieu entered the race in December, his fundraising slowed tremendously.

The Dead Pelican has reported that national Democrats will likely be throwing some sup-port toward Mitch Landrieu as part of his sister Mary's Louisiana-Purchase-Obamacare vote.

On that front, there has been talk of a recall effort getting underway for Mary Landrieu, and that seems to have hit a snag. Clifford, author of the Red Stick Rant blog, writes:

I'm sorry to say that any recall attempt against Mary Landreiu, like the one against Joseph Cao last spring, will go nowhere.

See this opinion (09-0015) by the Louisiana State Attorney General's Office concerning the recall of a Federal Official.

Even if a recall petition is presented, the Secretary of State's office told me yesterday that they will abide by the AG's opinion.

Because our organization has seen a lot of member interest in a recall, we researched the issue, including consulting with an attorney, and found that the Law and Court rulings - including Supreme Court rulings - do not support the arguments and conclusions made in the by the moveonmary.org website concerning the legality of a recall.

It appears the consistent legal understanding, since Ratification, is that the relevant Article I provisions of the Constitution alone set the qualifications and limitations of Senators and Representatives, and that States cannot further qualify or limit the same. It is, to steal a well used phrase of late, settled Law.

With respect to introducing a recall via the Tenth Amendment, the Supreme Court has ruled, in U.S. Term Limits, Inc. v. Thornton, 514 U. S. 779 (1995) and Cook v. Gralike, 531 U.S. 510 (2001), that the Tenth Amendment does not reserve to the individual states the power to place qualifications on their Senators and Representatives, since that power was already specifically delegated to the Congress in Article I. So again, there is settled Law.

At any rate, by the time such a petition wound its way through the system and up through the courts it would likely be re-election time for Katrina Mary. She's pretty confident of getting re-elected. Caught Him With a Corndog reports that the Moveonmary.org folks aren't backing down.

Meanwhile, her brother Mitch looks well on his way to securing a run-off spot for New Orleans next mayor; could the U.S. Senate be far behind for him?



Related:
More Details on Landrieu Recall
Mary Landrieu Recall Petition
Is There More to The Louisiana Purchase?