Archive for October 19th, 2007

The CenLamar Sample Ballot

GOVERNOR: Foster Campbell

To read CenLamar’s full endorsement of Foster Campbell, click here.

LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR: Mitch Landrieu

During the past four years, Mitch Landrieu has proven himself to be a passionate and competent leader. In the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, Landrieu faced a significant challenge– restoring faith in Louisiana’s tourism industry– and Landrieu met the challenge with aplomb and confidence. Landrieu has also engaged in important social activism work, facilitating conversations and networking between non-profit organizations and individuals committed to the future of our State. His work has already yielded incredible results.

ATTORNEY GENERAL: Buddy Caldwell

Of all the candidates for Attorney General, Buddy Caldwell possesses the most impressive resume. As an attorney, Caldwell has a 99% conviction rate. He has trained assistant district attorneys, district attorneys, school boards, and sheriffs from all over the State of Louisiana. His competence and diligence as a prosecutor are precisely the qualities that befit an Attorney General.

CENTRAL LOUISIANA RACES:

SENATE DISTRICT 29: Joe McPherson

Joe McPherson has proven himself to be a consistent and honest leader who is unafraid of tackling controversial issues and standing up to powerful political and corporate interests. McPherson is also responsive to his constituents, and he has a unique understanding of the needs and demands of our district.

HOUSE DISTRICT 25: Chris Roy, Jr.

As an attorney, Chris Roy, Jr has built a career fighting for those in need, and although we are certain Mr. Beard would also make a fine representative, Roy’s experience as an attorney and his grasp of the issues will serve our community well in the state legislature.

HOUSE DISTRICT 26: Herbert Dixon

Herbert Dixon has proven his commitment to our community through his work as a School Board Member on the Rapides Parish School Board. Because of this experience, Mr. Dixon understands how to tackle one of the biggest problems facing our area, education. District 26 is also the location of the Sugarhouse Road extension, and we are certain that Mr. Dixon will work to ensure the proper funding for this and other important infrastructural projects.

SHERIFF: Chuck Wagner

Although both Mike Slocum and Bill Robinson possess the attributes and qualities of a good sheriff, Chuck Wagner stands out. Wagner brings fresh perspective, a unique business acumen, and a jolt of energy to a department that has remained under the faithful stewardship of William Earl Hilton for over 15 years. Some have criticized Wagner’s decision to leave the Sheriff’s Department and go to work in the private sector, but we believe this is one of his greatest assets. Mr. Wagner worked his way through college in the Sheriff’s Department, and afterward, he built on his experience and education in the private sector, learning important first-hand managerial and leadership skills, skills that he can easily put to good use as the next Sheriff of Rapides Parish.

BEST CAMPAIGN COMMERCIAL (And our favorite for Senate District 28): Eric LaFleur

There are many good reasons to vote for Eric LaFleur. He’s a brilliant attorney who also has degrees in History, French, and Economics. He’s a competent leader who knows how to build coalitions and achieve compromises. But please forgive us for being superficial: Eric’s campaign commercials are, quite simply, the best and, by far, the most original in the State. Eric is proud of his Cajun French culture- a culture that is threatened by the forces of assimilation- and while other candidates have recently shunned the “Cajun” in “Cajun Country,” Eric has embraced it. And the best thing about Eric’s commercials: He made them himself on a home computer.

BEST CAMPAIGN WEBSITE: Stephen Ortego, House District 39. Much like Eric LaFleur, Stephen Ortego, a young architect from Carencro, understands how to connect with Cajun Country. His website appears in English, Creole (Kreyol), and French (Francais), and it is slick, professional, and plain awesome. Click here to visit www.StephenOrtego.com.

For a full list of House and Senate candidates, visit The Daily Kingfish.

Oyster also reveals his endorsements, complete with a thorough analysis of each race.

37 Reasons to Vote Against Bobby Jindal

1. Bobby Jindal has accepted thousands of dollars in donations from Rep. Tom DeLay and Rep. Jerry Lewis. Jindal accepted $5,000 from DeLay’s ARMPAC and $12,000 from PACs associated with Lewis.

2. Bobby Jindal has accepted $6,000 from Tony Rudy and the Chitimancha Tribe of Louisiana, both of whom were clients of disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

3. In 2005, Bobby Jindal voted with President Bush 90% of the time and with the Republican Party 97% of the time, according to Congressional Quarterly.

4. Rep. Roy Blunt, considered by C.R.E.W. to be one of the “most corrupt members of Congress,” gave Bobby Jindal nearly $6,000 through his political action committees (opensecrets.org).

5. In 2005, Bobby Jindal voted against the creation of a bipartisan ethics taskforce. (HR 213, Vote 106, April 14, 2005).

6. Bobby Jindal voted against HRS 5, Vote 5 on January 5, 2005, which would have closed the “revolving door” between lobbyists and lawmakers seeking private sector job deals based on their committee assignments.

7. Bobby Jindal refused to call for the resignation of disgraced Attorney General (and Rice graduate!) Alberto Gonzales.

8. Bobby Jindal voted to make 14 of the 16 “key provisions” of the USA Patriot Act “permanent.” (HR 3199, Vote 414, July 21, 2005).

9. Bobby Jindal voted against re-establishing FEMA as separate from the Department of Homeland Security (HR 2360, Vote 497, September 28, 2005), and Jindal skipped a crucial committee hearing on FEMA Hurricane Preparations in 2007.

10. On August 29, 2005, Bobby Jindal called FEMA’s coordination with the State “tremendous” during an interview on CNN.

11. Bobby Jindal skipped a critical vote that would have established an independent probe to investigate the government’s response to Hurricane Katrina (HRES 437, Vote 471, September 15, 2005).

12. Bobby Jindal voted against a $3 billion hurricane aid package for Louisiana (HR 1591, Vote 265, April 25, 2007).

13. Bobby Jindal opposed Emergency Appropriations for Louisiana hurricane recovery (HR 1591, Vote 186, March 23, 2007).

14. Bobby Jindal introduced legislation that would have allowed private insurers to create tax-free funds for claims related to a natural disaster (H.R. 164, March 27, 2007).

15. Bobby Jindal attempted to ban “certain people” from returning to public housing in New Orleans, even though his motion was simply a recapitulation of preexisting law.

16. Bobby Jindal quoted Martin Luther King, Jr in order to justify his opposition to affirmative action. In 2003, Jindal told The Times-Picayune, “I oppose set-asides and quotas. An insightful man got it right 40 years ago: people should not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” Jindal also misused a Martin Luther King quotation in order to claim that those protesting in support of the Jena Six were “outside agitators.”

17. Bobby Jindal believes in teaching creationism and/or “intelligent design” in the classroom.

18. In September 2003, Bobby Jindal told The Times-Picayune that he was “100 percent pro-life with no exceptions.”

19. Bobby Jindal has attempted to take credit for Mary Landrieu’s bill that opened up 8 million square miles for exploration, giving Louisiana 37.5% of the tax revenue, despite the fact that Jindal had actually worked to defeat this bill.

20. Bobby Jindal voted against appropriating $14 billion for the research and development of alternative energy (HR 6, Vote 40, January 18, 2007).

21. Bobby Jindal supports Social Security privatization.

22. Bobby Jindal voted against allowing Medicare to negotiate on prescription drug prices (HR 4, Vote 23, January 12, 2007).

23. Bobby Jindal has continually voted in direct support of President Bush’s Iraqi War agenda, including votes against establishing benchmarks and votes opposing important oversight provisions.

24. Bobby Jindal opposed giving our nation’s National Guard access to TRICARE (HR 1815, Vote 221, May 25, 2005).

25. Bobby Jindal voted in favor of cutting $14 billion in student aid (HR 4241, Vote 601, November 18, 2005).

26. Bobby Jindal supports draining our public schools of resources and funding by offering vouchers and increasing incentives (and/or tax credits) for business-run, parochial, and charter schools.

27. Bobby Jindal voted to cut $70 billion in taxes for the wealthiest Americans (HR 4297, Vote 135, May 10, 2006).

28. Bobby Jindal voted to reduce Medicare funding by up to $20 billion (H CON RES 95, Vote 88, March 17, 2005).

29. Bobby Jindal is opposed to stem cell research.

30. Bobby Jindal voted against a bill that would have created harsher punishments for hate crimes (HR 3132, Vote 469, September 14, 2005).

31. As a Congressman, Bobby Jindal received nearly $200,000 from Big Oil, nearly $200,000 from Big Insurance, over $11,000 from Big Tobacco, and nearly $115,000 from Big Pharmaceutical companies.

32. Bobby Jindal campaign staffers have been accused of attempting to intimidate and blockade individuals attending campaign rallies, for fear that these individuals were Democrats.

33. Bobby Jindal received $50,000 in bundled donations from a Colorado-based company seeking a permit to build a controversial landfill near Baton Rouge.

34. Although Bobby Jindal is, independently, a multi-millionare, his campaign has received over $10 million in donations from big businesses, many of whom have (or are seeking) contracts and/or tax incentives from the State government.

35. Bobby Jindal has leveled false (potentially criminal) allegations against his opponents and has continually avoided qualifying his assertions of “corruption.”

36. Bobby Jindal’s multi-pointed “health care plan” fails to address the elderly or the physically disabled. Despite the fact that the elderly and the disabled account for the bulk of Louisiana Medicaid spending, Jindal supports Medicaid privatization (without any consideration for those most in need).

37. Bobby Jindal believes Louisiana should continue to adhere with the school accountability measures drawn up by President Bush’s failed No Child Left Behind Act.

The Truth About the Anti-Corruption Agenda

During tonight’s gubernatorial debate, Representative Bobby Jindal was asked a direct question about his allegations that his three main opponents– John Georges, Walter Boasso, and Foster Campbell– are a “part of the corruption crowd,” a question that was awkwardly dodged by Mr. Jindal. Although Walter Boasso made it clear that the Jindal campaign had accused him of being “corrupt,” Foster Campbell underscored an important point that, until then, had been missing from the discourse: When a sitting United States Congressman has evidence of corruption, he is duty-bound to report it. From The Times-Picayune:

Campbell became strident on the corruption question and told Jindal that if he has any evidence of corruption, “you ought to tell the DA (district attorney). You have an obligation to tell the district attorney who is crooked.”

Campbell is absolutely correct. And as evidenced in tonight’s debate, Representative Jindal does not have a single iota of evidence that suggests any of his opponents have engaged in corruption. The word “corruption” is simply a rhetorical trope that the Jindal campaign has employed to smear his opponents.

A CenLamar reader named Charles recently offered an insightful comment concerning Jindal’s use of the trope of “corruption:”

There are several reasons for Jindal’s murky term “corruption” as his campaign theme. The first and most obvious reason is that he must run on what he is going to do, instead of what he has already done. The Republicans are very feebly trying to band their pickets together to create an old Democratic ticket… campaign which will lift all boats on election day. Royal Alexander would be lifted by Jindal’s coattains and installed as AG, which would be very profitable to their later plans. Royal’s buddies in the Jindal campaign may have devised the corruption theme just for Royal. Note that Royal quickly picked up the term, like many of the Republican candidates and began to bandy it about. However, the word came back to haunt him when the email of his heavyhanded fundraising became public knowlege. I think that in the eternity between now and Saturday, this whole issue is likely to backfire on Jindal. Edwards was famous for turning the argument around at the very last moment to his Republican opponent’s chagrin. It is only poetic justice that it should! By using that term, they tar all Democrats, and by that standard, Bobby is guilty of all the Republican Congressmen’s foibles.

Jindal, the Bushbot, dares not run on the legacy of George Bush, not even in Louisiana! Jindal simply put, has nothing acceptable to Louisiana, to run on. Boasso recently noted on Lousiana… Jindal has as many points as a porcupine. The massive points facade again pretends a program for Louisiana, but only the bureaucrat from hell could pretend to butt heads with the Legislature to implement any of them!

The second reason for using the fancy sobriquet CORRUPTION is preemption. The national party during Bobby’s tenure has been tarnished from head to toe with countless scandals and many of the evangelical Christian voters when polled, listed corruption as the main reasons that they voted against the Republicans in the midterm elections, in which the Democrats gained the majority. Democrats should tarnish them again in the Christian communities with their tawdry scandals. The war is probably a bitter pill for the poorest in their ranks and should be hung around Bobby’s shoulders. Only the holier than thou crowd would have proudly used such a fraudulent issue as their campaign theme. Their whole campaign is a fraud with only the ballast of huge questionable corporate donations to keep them afloat.

The third reason for using corruption as their theme is to cover their own intentions to play dirty enough to compete with the Democrats. The huge corporate donations and the heavyhanded fundraising tactics are sure signs that this time they plan to take their strategy from the Edwards playbook and do whatever it takes to win.

Corruption is a serious allegation, and it should be taken seriously, particularly by a sitting United States Congressman. But, thus far, Jindal has demonstrated that he is not actually being serious when he accuses his opponents of corruption; he is simply saying the word, as if its mere iteration is all the proof he ever needs.

In a campaign that is dominated about plans for ethics reform, voters need to ask: Is it ethical for a political candidate to accuse his opponents of “corruption” without offering a single shred of evidence or documentation that justifies such a serious accusation? Is this the Louisiana in which we want to live? A place where the governor is allowed to accuse his dissenters of “corruption” without any proof?