Breaking....Breaux Blinks
By SteveLA Posted in Breaking News | Spotlight Blogs — Comments (24) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
Promoted from Diaries by Thomas ... Geaux Bobby Geaux Bobby Geaux!
BREAUX: "I said I would be guided by the Attorney General's opinion and therefore will not be a candidate for Governor. For me to run now means that we would face a campaign based on an eligibility to run, with the prospects of being in a courtroom only weeks before the election. That is not in the best interest of our state or what this election should be about."
http://blog.nola.com/times-picayune/2007/04/breaux_says_he_wont_run.html
New Orleans political power brokers not very happy campers tonight.
Welcome to the club, Gov. Jindal! And none too soon, either.
It's still far too early to celebrate. HOWEVER, this moves Jindal's election chances from "possible" to "likely" all at once. Right now the Democrats have virtually no one in the race that is even close to beating him.
A precedent embalms a principle.
- Disraeli
Leverkuhn
Watch how Cleo Fields and the Louisiana Black Caucus plays things. NE Louisiana which is mostly rural, largely black and is not all that happy with all the attention and money being dumped in New Orleans. Breaux would have brought some balance back to the Democrat machine with promises of pork for Monroe and Shreveport, Bobby...hard to say what he's going to do or say.
I predict that Mitch (Son of Moon) Landrieu will end up with the Democratic nomination if the New Orleans machine has it's say.
Keep an eye on Cajun country, Lafayette over to Lake Charles and up to Bunkie it's a question mark. That's been the Cajun Grandma's turf, and Bobbie has to treat her with a great deal of respect even as she heads for the door if he wants to carry Arcadia and the state.
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Dennis Miller for President...no more wimps!
I rather strongly suspect that Jindal's bad showing in my ancestral stomping grounds stemmed from that ... Imus ... who decided to go all racial on him, and the fact that the name with the -eaux started showing up again at a convenient time. Given the laughingstock she's become, there's good will for her there still, but not nearly as much as before.
If there's any great certainty in Louisiana politics, it's that Cajuns hate the denizens of New Orleans almost as much as the reverse is true.
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We are all heroes, you and Boo and I. Hamsters and rangers everywhere, rejoice!
Is there any bad blood between Mitch and Nagin since he ran against him for mayor? If so, that could hurt him in the city which "helped" his sister get her Senate seat.
My family told me that Jindal lost to Blanco by refusing to go negative after she broke her promise to do the same. In New Orleans she ran as the DEMOCRAT; in south LA she ran as the CAJUN; in north LA she ran as the WHITE candidate. I'd say Jindal's stock has gone way up since then while Blanco and co have seen theirs go down.
The biggest factor that my relatives told me caused them to vote BlankO instead of Bobbies was age, mid 30's last time(?). I think that was part of it, as was his racial makeup, not too many Indians in the state and so he did not fit neatly into ether camp, and as a Republican also odd man out also.
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Dennis Miller for President...no more wimps!
As a current resident of Natchitoches, LA and someone who voted for Jindal in the last election, let me explain how it went down. Jindal cremed everyone in the initial election (beating Blanco by at least 10%) but of course in LA you must have 50% to win, otherwise its a runoff. Blanco then reminded SOUTH Louisiana that Jindal was a "foreigner" so no one south of Alexandria voted for him. I believe he carried North Louisiana.
Jindal is a VERY smart guy. I graduated from NSU in 1999 and he spoke at my graduation. After hearing him, I was hooked. I think Louisiana has learned her lesson and will not let Jindal get away again. Blanco has been a disaster, mostly because she was simply not qualified for the job. I feel sorry for her because of that. She wanted to help Louisiana in her time of need, but Blanco just didn't know how.
Most of you are right about one thing, those of us who live in North LA are tired of the money being wasted on New Orleans. North LA is doing pretty well economically. Housing prices are rising, jobs are pretty good (I had two job prospects after I got my Masters degree in Physics, not bad for a small town like Natchitoches) We are tired of footing the bill for the sake of "history" and "tradition". Times change, life moves on, and New Orleans needs to as well. LA should be known for more than just beads and boobs. Jindal will help the whole state move into the 21st century... where the rest of the country has been for the last 7 years!
Shelly F. Hynes, M.S.
Shelly,
Festival of Lights, used to go every year.
Your comments about the mood in the state, New Orleans etc., matches what I hear from relatives and read in the papers from there. Also your comments about Jindal are probably closer to the truth of the matter than is mentioned in polite conversation.
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Dennis Miller for President...no more wimps!
As a current resident of Natchitoches, LA and someone who voted for Jindal in the last election, let me explain how it went down. Jindal cremed everyone in the initial election (beating Blanco by at least 10%) but of course in LA you must have 50% to win, otherwise its a runoff. Blanco then reminded SOUTH Louisiana that Jindal was a "foreigner" so no one south of Alexandria voted for him. I believe he carried North Louisiana.
First, the relevant ads showing Jindal as darker than he was, and reminding the good folks looking on that he wasn't white, ran largely in the North-LA markets. (Relatives of mine who voted for Blanco in South-LA never saw the things; then again, they're dumb enough that maybe they did and didn't understand what they were seeing.) More importantly, I count three Northern parishes that went for Jindal. Most of Jindal's support came from that portion of the State I find least desirable, the New Orleans suburbs and nearby counties. (There's a reason he's R-Kenner, yeah.)
Republicans win statewide in LA when they can hold the North and pick up scattered Parishes in the Southern and Southeastern part of the State. Jindal lost because he didn't hold the North.
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We are all heroes, you and Boo and I. Hamsters and rangers everywhere, rejoice!
I was giving myself an out in case my moron relatives missed some ad coverage in their rendition of the election.
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We are all heroes, you and Boo and I. Hamsters and rangers everywhere, rejoice!
You are right about Mitch Landrieu and the importance of Cajun country to this election. It is where most of the swing votes will be. But this time around Jindal won't be facing a Cajun country resident, and he has had the advantage of being somewhere else the last two years. I honestly thing most people in Louisiana are sick and tired of the people in their state government right now, regardless of the party, so for once it may be an advantage for Jindal to be coming from a job in Washington. Is that how you see things?
A precedent embalms a principle.
- Disraeli
Do we sense a "Cake walk" for Rep. Jindal?
Visit: http://OsiSpeaks.com or http://OsiSpeaks.org
With malice towards none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see right.
is that you are a tiresome idiot. Your stupid little one liners have never been cute or catchy, and you have yet to contribute ANYTHING to a single blog you've commented on.
Shoo. Shoo. Go away.
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Those who live by the sword get shot by those who don't.
I think that Bobby will win this thing by a pretty substantial margin. It might be all over prior to the runoff. I can’t see Cleo or Moon’s son gaining any traction. Maybe we’d hear a little noise if Blanco gave someone her whole war chest. But, now to the senior senator…who is the best person to knock her off her tenuous perch?
Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler!
"Keep an eye on Cajun country, Lafayette over to Lake Charles and up to Bunkie it's a question mark. That's been the Cajun Grandma's turf, and Bobbie has to treat her with a great deal of respect even as she heads for the door if he wants to carry Arcadia and the state."
Jindal beat BLANK-O in her home parish of Acadia(not Arcadia)in 2003. Jindal lost the race when rural crackers in central and north Louisiana abandoned him for the "whiter" candidate.
That said with Breaux's dropping out it's Jindal's race to lose. The empty suit with a God complex, Mitch Landrieu, will present little challenge for the most "wicked" smart and talented individual to run for state-wide office in my lifetime(53 y.o.) Landrieu couldn't even beat the risible incompetant Nagin in a mayoral race. He'll present little if any difficulty for Jindal.
Great news for a state sorely in need of it.
Neville,
In New Orleans the ultimate race card won NaGun the election, and got "Dollar Bill Bill" reelected.
It's now become SOP that any African American politician can beat just about any white politician unless as Edwin put it,
"The only way I can lose this election is if I'm caught in bed with either a dead girl or a live boy". I'm not so sure about the latter bit of the claim down in one end of the quarter anymore.
Moon and the old Democratic party machine represented the paternalistic post Dixecrat white politics, that power base eroded in the 70's to some large extent. The Republican party in Louisiana is a pretty much a johnny come lately phenomenon which came about as a response to Federal intervention in schools with forced busing and some of the heavy handed voting rights decisions which created majority minority congressional districts in the state. I'd also point out that the "Godless" sort of Democrat that Ann Coulter decries in her book is pretty much in absence in the state and social issues are not major dividing lines in the state nor will they be major issues in the election.
My take is that the Governors race will run on a sub text of race, along with a direct text about competency, equalization of spending throughout the state and taxes. Bobby had a good record running the state health agency and a good record in congress, his opponent will have to run on similar credentials.
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Dennis Miller for President...no more wimps!
In all likelihood Mitch Landrieu is feverishly working on his press release as I'm typing this and will very shortly announce a run for governor even though he's represented a city for years that has, by any measure you choose, gotten worse and worse before Katrina and is now on life support.
That's HIS record he'll have to run on and Jindal will flog him to death with it. And until Katrina, Mary, at least, had her Senate seat all but locked up with a reliable 75,000 vote margin in Orleans Parish. No more, though courtesy of the big wind.
Even given all the terrible damage Katrina did maybe it's hidden benefit and legacy to Louisiana will be that it huffed and puffed and blew the Landrieus away. We'll know by November 2008.
Jindal for Governor '07
Foster for Senate '08
Since the state Dems in the Blanco election told the northern 2/3 of the state to vote for the whiter candidate, there is no way they can allow a black to run regardless of his credentials. So as usual with the Democrats, they are going to tell the New Orleans black residents to shut up and vote for the white guy like they know they are supposed to because he's a Democrat.
Actually, he got creamed in Acadia.
I should expect better of my people, but I don't. No surprise.
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We are all heroes, you and Boo and I. Hamsters and rangers everywhere, rejoice!
This came out after Foti's announcement but before Breaux's:
http://www.lademo.org/ht/display/ReleaseDetails/i/1020204
Raise your hand if you believe they had no contact with Foti or with Breaux related to any of this. I'm sure they had no "official" dealing with Foti - who knows what informal sorts of discussions took place. And it certainly doesn't pass the smell test that they made no attempt to influence Breaux one way or the other, given there was universal agreement that he's the only Dem who had a chance to beat Jindal. It's also interesting that they felt the need to state that the AG's office acts on its own. Wouldn't that be a given, at least in a normal state?
The decision of Attorney Gen. Foti to refrain from making a legal opinion regarding Sen. John Breaux’s eligibility is the sole opinion of his office; it is not the official opinion of the Louisiana Democratic Party. Sen. Breaux has the document; but we do not know if or when he will make a statement regarding opinion. The Louisiana Democratic Party is not in the position to nor will it influence Sen. Breaux in his decision to run for governor.
The Louisiana Democratic Party has not been in contact with the Attorney General or any member of his staff during the process in rendering the opinion nor since its release.
Everybody thinks Breaux is this moderate soft-spoken good guy who's nice to everybody. This statement of his was released at his request by the LA Dems - the group who had no dealings with him according to the release they had issued a few minutes earlier.
http://www.lademo.org/ht/display/ReleaseDetails/i/1020189
Excerpts (with comments):
Ever since Governor Kathleen Blanco announced she was not running for re-election I have expressed my strong interest in running for Governor....
Because questions were raised about my eligibility to run and efforts were made to prevent my running through advertising attacks, I said that I would be guided by an opinion of our attorney general. I have always felt that this issue needed to be settled as soon as possible so that the governor’s election could be about the important challenges we face and not about me personally. So it was just partisan attacks with no basis in fact or law right?
The Attorney General has stated he cannot issue an opinion on the facts of this very important matter. I was hopeful that an unambiguous declaration would clearly state what I have believed from the very beginning: I am a citizen of the state and therefore qualified to run for Governor of Louisiana. While I appreciate the hard work of the Attorney General and his office, the failure of a clear declaration of my status as a citizen greatly inhibits my ability to conduct a campaign based on the issues instead of the law. So he needed to find a way around the law to make it not an issue of law.
I said I would be guided by the Attorney General’s opinion and therefore will not be a candidate for Governor. For me to run now means that we would face a campaign based on an eligibility to run, with the prospects of being in a courtroom only weeks before the election. That is not in the best interest of our state or what this election should be about. IOW he knows he'd lose in the courts because he tried to violate the law.
This is a crucial time for Louisiana. The election must not be an old style campaign of political destruction, but a debate on who has the best ideas and who can best implement them into public policy. So he was going to run as positive a campaign as Blanco did, and the GOP are just a bunch of attack hacks.
I plan to stay involved in anyway that I can to be helpful in that process. I was born in Louisiana, my entire career has been in service to Louisiana and I will always be a Louisianian. (see below)
Hmmm... Here is what Patton Boggs said about Breaux's role there when he joined them in Jan 2005. They must have left out the part where his duties were solely related to helping people in Louisiana.
Patton Boggs LLP is pleased to announce that former Senator John B. Breaux (D-LA) has joined the firm as Senior Counsel. Senator Breaux will also serve as a senior advisor to two New York based groups, Riverstone Holdings LLC, a private equity fund manager focused on the energy industry, and the Clinton Group Inc., an investment advisor.
Forbes goes into more detail re the hats Breaux's wearing:
Senator John B. Breaux, 63, is Senior Counsel with the law firm of Patton Boggs LLP. Senator Breaux joined Patton Boggs LLP upon his retirement from the United States Senate in 2005, having served since 1986. Prior to that, he spent fourteen years in the United States House of Representatives serving on the Public Works and Transportation Committee. In the Senate, he served on the Finance Committee and the Commerce Committee, where he was chair of the subcommittee on Surface Transportation. He also serves as a director of LHC Group, Inc., Senior Managing Director of the Clinton Group and Managing Director of Riverstone Holdings. Senator Breaux has been a director of CSX since May 2005.
Very, very enthusiastic about Jindal and his future prospects. I didn't think he'd be able to go through Breaux, so this is really welcome news.
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"Our job is to bash the president"
Newsweek's Evan Thomas, on the role of the MSM
It may be a bit early for Jindal to start working on campaign themes, but I predict one will be:
"Competency counts"
Listing Ray NaGun?
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Dennis Miller for President...no more wimps!