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Archive for March 29th, 2008

Mar 29

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John N. Kennedy Looks to Bush to Help Fundraise for Struggling Campaign

In case you missed it, Louisiana Treasurer John N. Kennedy is running for Senate again. The last time he ran for Senate in 2004, he finished third.

But in the political career of John N. Kennedy, 2004 was eons ago.

Back in 2004, John N. Kennedy was a proud Democrat who endorsed Bush’s opponent, John Kerry, for the Presidency. Back in 2004, most Louisianans had a certain respect for Mr. Kennedy. Despite his lackluster showing as a candidate for United States Senate, we still reelected him as our State Treasurer.

Skip ahead to 2007.

In a bizarrely opportunistic move, Treasurer Kennedy, who faced yet another reelection campaign, flew up to Washington, D.C., where he was courted by none other than Karl Rove. Rove allegedly convinced Kennedy to become a Republican in order to challenge Mary Landrieu for the Senate in 2008. Oyster at YRHT noted:

Five weeks after being re-elected State Treasurer, and after airing commercials saying he was running again because “the job’s not finished”, John N. Kennedy is already switching to a new job: replacing Mary Landrieu in the U.S. Senate.

 

Landrieu’s been busy raising money left and right. She’s also been landing endorsements from local Democrats and Republicans.

Meanwhile, Kennedy seems to be struggling. The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) is attempting to help him out, but something rings hollow about a group of well-financed national Republican strategists accusing Landrieu of vague ties with shady figures. Just today, Kennedy revealed his stance against state earmarks to non-profits; it will be interesting to see if he follows the party line and opposes federal earmarks of any kind. (We’ll have to wait and see how he balances this issue in a time when Louisiana is most in need).

The clearest sign of Kennedy’s troubles was his recent decision to invite President Bush to help him raise money. Remember, Kennedy, as a Democrat, publicly opposed Bush in 2000 and 2004. But when the going gets tough… you listen to Rove, switch parties, and embrace your former opponents. No doubt, Kennedy is also struggling to raise cash from his former Democratic supporters, and the Bush fundraiser represents a great opportunity to quickly raise a ton of money from a group of wealthy businessmen who would pay (“donate”) thousands of dollars just to be in the presence of the President.

Landrieu’s campaign responds (from The Bayou Buzz and bold mine):

It was announced this week that President George W. Bush will headline a fundraiser for Senator Landrieu’s opponent, Republican John Kennedy. It is expected by many observers that the Bush fundraiser will raise a million dollars for Kennedy’s campaign.

The national Republican leadership in Washington has made it clear for over a year that the Louisiana U.S. Senate seat held by Mary Landrieu is their Number One Target for 2008. They have vowed to spend millions to defeat Senator Landrieu to win this very important election. Bringing in George Bush is part of their strategy.

Remember, too, that candidate Kennedy was recruited to run against Senator Landrieu by Bush’s chief political strategist, Karl Rove. In fact, Kennedy was a Democrat less than seven months ago and had to switch parties before he made this run.

John Kennedy supported John Kerry in 2004 but has now become a Bush Republican and has asked the President to come into the state to raise money for his campaign….

While Washington partisan operatives are plotting an aggressive campaign against her, Senator Landrieu is doing what all good public servants should do: Her job.

Her record of accomplishment proves her effectiveness. In fact, a nonpartisan group, Congress.org, recently rated her one of the most effective members of the U.S. Senate.”

It will be interesting to see what President Bush has to say when he’s in Louisiana raising money for his candidate. Will he discuss why he vetoed the Water Resources Development Act, which included billions of dollars for vital Louisiana projects? Will he defend the incompetent record of FEMA? Will he explain why his administration has allowed endless red tape and bureaucracy to slow down Louisiana’s hurricane recovery?

The Bayou Buzz also calls attention to a John Maginnis column that reveals Governor Jindal and Senator Vitter will be chairmen of this upcoming fundraiser.

Mar 29

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LSUA Names David Manuel As New Chancellor

Kudos to David Manuel for being named the new Chancellor of Louisiana State University at Alexandria. Manuel arrives in Alexandria from St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, where he served as Vice President of Academic Affairs, and by way of the University of Lafayette at Louisiana, where he served as Dean of the School of Business. From today’s article in The Town Talk (bold mine):

During a visit to LSUA earlier this month, Manuel said the school should play an important role in economic growth and development in the area by providing resources that other institutions might not be able to, including an educated work force.

“That needs to be a proactive piece to the mission of the university,” Manuel said. “I’ll never feel any differently about the role of the university.”

….

Manuel is a native of Thibodaux who grew up in Erath.

He earned an associate of arts degree in philosophy from Immaculata Seminary in Lafayette in 1967, a bachelor’s degree in economics from Nicholls State University in 1970, a master’s in economics from the University of Mississippi in 1972 and a Ph.D in economics from the University of Mississippi in 1975.

In the release, Manuel said he sought the LSUA chancellorship after he “sensed a call to return to Louisiana so that I could hopefully contribute to its higher education landscape and to the future of the state.“

Almost every great American city has a great American university, and Manuel seems to recognize the ways in which the health of a university can directly contribute to the health of the entire community. During the past few years, LSUA has turned into a four-year institution, developed a footprint in Downtown Alexandria, and constructed on-campus housing– a remarkable series of accomplishments.

Manuel is stepping into a fantastic job. LSUA has enormous opportunities for growth and is in an incredible position to develop and/or augment schools of film, agricultural science (renewable energy/biofuels), and nursing, to name a few.

Mar 29

Kos Reports LA-06 As Potential Democratic Pick-Up

Since we’re rarely recognized by the big box national blogs, I thought you all should know:

Markos Moulitsas, owner and creator of the famous liberal blog, Daily Kos, believes LA-06 is up for grabs. And so do the people at the Cook Report (password required), who recently changed their assessment from Leans Republican to “Toss Up.”

Typically, however, Markos can’t resist hitting Cazayoux on his stances on abortion and immigration. He writes:

To be sure, the Democrat in the race, Don Cazayoux, is rabidly anti-immigrant and anti-choice. He brags about joining the Blue Dogs. He would be a terrible person on social issues, which is enough to ensure I won’t lift a finger to help get him elected. But he would be a good vote on the occasional issue like SCHIP and has called for a withdrawal from Iraq. So instead of getting 0 percent progressivism from a wingnut Republican, 30-50 percent would be an improvement. That can matter quite a bit, especially for our troops in Iraq.

It’s totally disingenuous to suggest that Cazayoux’s stances on immigration and abortion are “rabid” or that he would be “terrible” on social issues (I suppose this bold assumption was based entirely on two or three sentences Markos read on Cazayoux’s website), and I honestly don’t understand Markos’s uneven “support.”

First, as someone noted in the comment thread, Cazayoux is not anti-immigration; he’s against amnesty for illegal immigrants. Markos’s conflation of the issue of amnesty for illegals with the broader issue of immigration is intellectually dishonest.

And regarding abortion, Cazayoux is pro-life, but I haven’t seen or read any evidence to suggest that his opinion on abortion is somehow rabid. On his website, Cazayoux writes, “I am pro-life. This is a position that my wife and I share and its rooted in my faith. In the legislature, I supported one of the strongest pro-life laws in the country and in Congress, I will continue my work to protect the unborn.” He’s talking about a bill passed under Governor Blanco, another Democrat. Again, how is this rabid?

More importantly, why even focus on these issues?

Don Cazayoux is against the War in Iraq.

I believe we need to change directions in Iraq and bring our troops home responsibly and with honor while continuing to focus on national security and winning the war on terror.

I also believe we must take care of our brave men and women when they come home from war. I was appalled when we learned about the conditions at Walter Reed Hospital and concerned about reports that our soldiers have difficulties returning to civilian life. In Congress, I will work to ensure we treat our brave sons and daughters with the respect they deserve and give them the tools they need as they transition back to civilian life.

He has progressive views on health care, education, and the economy.

Can we have disagreements without hyperbolizing?

I don’t necessarily agree with Cazayoux on abortion or amnesty, but I’d never accuse him of being rabid. It’s just not productive, particularly for someone who wishes to defeat the NRCC. Markos writes:

Perhaps more importantly, how much money will the NRCC blow from its meager coffers to try and hold yet another supposedly safe Republican seat? How much of a blow to the NRCC’s confidence and fundraising ability will another unlikely special election loss deliver? Gaining another Blue Dog would be a small price to pay for having a decimated NRCC lead to dozens of progressive victories around the country. Many of which will be elected thanks to our enthusiastic support.

Race tracker wiki: LA-06.