LA-02: Rep. Jefferson draws much opposition
8 Democrats, 3 Republicans and a Libertarian are on the ballot
By Adam C Posted in Archived — Comments (8) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
Rep. Jefferson, better known as "That Corrupt Politician With $90,000 Of Cold Hard Cash in His Freezer," has decided not to admit he is a corrupt hack and instead he is running for re-election. Under Louisiana's interesting election law all 13 candidates will be on the November ballot. If no one gets a majority the top two have a run-off. Generally in this gerrymandered Democratic district the run-off is between two Democrats. The district went 75-24 for Kerry and 76-22 to Gore. It is 64% black and mostly urban, containing the worst hit parts of New Orleans. The 8 Democratic challengers are definitely hoping to get a run-off against Rep. Jefferson so they can run on an "end the embarassment" platform that worked in the anti-McKinney effort.
However, this year may be different. One of the Republicans has been campaigning for several months now. Joe Lavigne is the first realistic chance for Republicans in the district in quite some time. He is still a long shot, but it has probably been many years since a legitimate Republican candidate has campaigned in the district. Also as TPMCafe notes, the district was changed radically by Hurricane Katrina.
But many residents haven’t returned to the district since Katrina. With the resulting demographics shift and the uncertainty as to whether or not the people who left New Orleans will be allowed to vote, it’s hard to say which way the district is currently leaning.
Since Democrats started with a massive 50 point advantage (using the Presidential numbers), it is unlikely the district has become competitive in general. However, if the Democratic anti-Jefferson vote splits, there could be a runoff between Republican Lavigne and Democrat Jefferson. It is possible that Mr. Lavigne could win on a "New Orleans needs better representation now more than ever" campaign that eschews partisan appeals. With Louisiana's electoral system, it is hard to predict what will happen but I eagerly await polling on the race in a month or so.
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LA-02: Rep. Jefferson draws much opposition 8 Comments (0 topical, 8 editorial, 0 hidden) Post a comment »
I'm always looking for good local blogs, they are invaluable and more informative than national ones.
I'm a Democrat - both McKinney and Jefferson are whackjobs that embarrass my party with the grace of people like Tom Delay and Duke Cunningham.
The corruption is everywhere.
Maybe you are more well placed to understand this phenomenon. When Republicans get caught with their hand in the cookie jar, they seem to resign, quit, or otherwise fade away (see Duke Cunningham). But when Jefferson was caught with literal cold, hard cash in his home he doesn't blink. He runs for re-election. This is not some round-about wink-wink-nudge-nudge deal that may not be technically illegal. This is "here's the money, give me the bill" corruption. Old school. I'm really amazed at the chutzpah of Rep. Jefferson to run for re-election after what he did.
As am I. Jefferson is a crook, and I wouldn't vote for him in a lifetime.
Delay only tried to step down from re-election after he realized he couldn't win. Cunningham stpped down because he knew he was about to go to jail for a long time - he eventually pleaded guilty to his crimes after all. I'm sure if he'd had any real defense, he would have not resigned. There's nothing supposedly noble about stepping down just because you're under investigation, especially if you're innocent - look at Karl Rove or the Vice President. The Republican leadership in Ohio. Iran-Contra. Watergate. Very few people ever resign over investigations until they realize there are no more options.
Jefferson must feel he has something to fight for - but either way - he's no better or worse than the rest of them. I'm not about to give someone a pass just for being a Democrat. Louisiana is one the most corrupt blue states in the land.
There's not much noble about giving up once you're caught red-handed. But what gets me is how "red-handed" this is. Does Jefferson think he did nothing wrong? In most of the cases you listed someone was pushing the limit or tiptoeing on an edge. Most are at best unseemly but there may be a legal defense for them. Trading cold, hard cash for votes seems like such an obvious wrongdoing that it boggles my mind that he finds it in some way, even solely legal, justifiable.
FWIW, I think NJ is the most corrupt BLUE state in the land. LA is now solided red if not swing. Senators are split 1-1. The Democratic Governor is pro-life and barely won. She is likely to lose to the Republican (Bobby Jindal) in 2007. The House delegation is now 5-2 in favor of Republicans. And one of those two Democrats (Melancon) edged out a victory in 2004 in a right-of-center seat. Bottom line: Bush won in 2000 and 2004 by margins of 53-45 (+8) and 57-42 (+15). This state is further to the right than CA, WA, NJ, or CT are to the left if you use 2004 as your marker.
Of course, all the corruption is from the Democratic era that existed before the 2000s. I doubt it will, but hopefully the partisan change can help bring a change toward cleaner politics.
Tom DeLay has not been convicted of anything, and there are reasons to suspect the prosecutor of partiality, but DeLay stepped down until the matter is resolved. Bob Ney is stepping down, though unindicted, which puts him in the same category as both Jefferson, who is seeking re-election and Murtha, who will seek election as Majority Leader if the Democrats gain the House.
Quentin Langley
Editor of http://www.quentinlangley.net
The French system is one of the craziest ever devised. It encourages large numbers of candidates in round one and narrows to two in round two. But there are no guarantees that either of the top two participants from round one will have even a reasonable base of support. The last French presidential poll had Jacques Chirac running off against the fascist, Jean-Marie Le Pen, because none of the respectable left candidates did terribly well. Even Chirac had only 20% in the first round.
And we all remember how in Louisiana it put Edwin Edwards back into the governorship despite an indictment against him under the slogan 'Vote for the Crook, it's important'. Come to think of it, that would have worked for Chirac, too.
Quentin Langley
Editor of http://www.quentinlangley.net
Not exactly a comment, but a link to in depth coverage of goings on in Louisiana, The "Dead Pelican". It's on my daily read list for keeping up with the goings on in Louisiana.
http://www.thedeadpelican.com/