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Archive for June, 2008

Jun 30

4 Comments

The Biggest Story of the Week

Update: The paper confirms.

Is not the Jindal veto, although it will be remembered as the biggest story of the week.

The biggest story is actually the deadline for disclosure that is being imposed on local and statewide commissions and authorities and the rash of resignations that it caused.

The Governor’s press release:

Governor Signs SB 718 by Senator Martiny into Law

As of June 26, 2008, members of boards and commissions are no longer required to file the same level of personal financial disclosure statements as legislators, with the exception of the Board of Ethics and the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.

Act 472 of the 2008 Regular Legislative Session creates a new tier of disclosure exclusively for members and designees of certain boards and commissions with the authority to “expend, disburse, or invest” $10,000 in a fiscal year, the Civil Service Commission, and the Board of Commissioners of the Louisiana Stadium and Exposition District.

In addition to state boards and commissions that were affected by legislation passed in the 2008 1st Extraordinary Session, SB 718 extends financial disclosure requirements to a new group of boards and commissions—those created by the constitution, law, a political subdivision, or jointly by two or more political subdivisions as a governing authority with the exception of:

  • Parish governing authorities
  • Boards created by a single parish governing authority, or subdistrict, of a parish with a population of 250,000 or less
  • Municipal governing authorities
  • Boards created by a single municipal governing authority, or subdistrict, of a municipality with a population of 25,000 or less
  • Boards of directors of private non-profit corporations that are not created by law

According to Act 472, affected board members and spouses are required to report the following information on a single form by May 15 annually, beginning in 2009:

  • Full name and mailing address of the board member
  • Full name of the board member’s spouse, his/her occupation, and his/her principal business address
  • Name of the employer, job title, and brief job description of the board member and his/her spouse
  • Name of business that is owned by the board member or his/her spouse, the address, brief description, nature of association, and percentage of ownership interest (if it is more than 10%)
  • Name of non-profit organization in which the board member or his/her spouse is a director or officer, the address, brief description, and nature of association
  • The following must be reported if the board member, his/her spouse, or the business owned by the board member or his/her spouse (over 10% ownership) receives income from the State of Louisiana, a political subdivision of the State, or a gaming interest:
    • the name of the business
    • the address of the business
    • the type of business
    • the dollar amount of income from these sources.
  • Certification that the board member has filed his/her personal income taxes or a request for an extension.
  • Certification that the board member and any member of his/her immediate family has no personal or financial interest in any entity, contract, business, or relationship that would pose a conflict of interest that affects the impartial performance of his/her duties; OR a statement describing each conflict and action taken to resolve or avoid the conflict.

What does that mean for those of us in Central Louisiana? (I suppose you’ll have to stay tuned to your local news media to find out the full story).

But suffice it to say, the disclosure requirement (which somehow seemed to sneak up on many people today) affects the boards of GAEDA, ACEDD, the Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Port Authority, and several other boards, commissions, and authorities.

It is possible- if not probable- that many of these commissions will suddenly find themselves without the necessary number of members to qualify as a quorum. Basically, they will be stuck in their tracks. And who really knows how long it will take to locate qualified people who will volunteer their time and don’t mind having their and their spouse’s holdings out there for the entire world to see? (Will wealthy Republicans ever be inspired to participate again?).

Taxpayer dollars may still pour in, but without the supervision of a board, there will be no real authority to allocate and spend those dollars.

Some may initially see this as a sign of real ethics reform; I think it’s somewhat onerous and overly burdensome, particularly when you’re talking about people who, literally, volunteer their time to serve their community.

Of course, there may be some benefits to the sudden and rapid vacuum. It will create the perception that Louisiana has embarked on meaningful reforms. And plus, it may give some people the opportunity to “clean house,” though it remains to be seen who is actually doing the cleaning.

Still, today’s deadline will certainly have broad, far-reaching effects– potentially changing the State (and the nature of government commissions and authorities) forever.

Jun 29

4 Comments

An Update on the Summit on Sustainability

Much thanks to The Town Talk for their editorial about the City’s upcoming Summit on Sustainability. Quoting (bold mine):

This will be an important event, whether you are new to the conversation or have been engaged for some time.

Sustainability means “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” So says “Our Common Future,” a United Nations report from 1987.

The concept of sustainable development, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, marries two important themes: that environmental protection does not preclude economic development and that economic development be ecologically viable now and in the long run.

Thoughtful people knew about sustainability long before that U.N. report, and have preached it to anyone who would listen.

We’ve started to listen in Louisiana, and Central Louisiana is blessed with a number of strong proponents.

Among the most insightful is landscape architect Patrick Moore of Alexandria, who enjoys a national reputation in this area.

Sustainability marries the best thinking about economic development with the best thinking about environmental protection.

Sustainability is about stewardship, which is at the top of this summit’s agenda.

We think: The Town Talk‘s right. Although the subjects that will be covered during the summit are diverse, the message is based on the same foundational belief– that we must be good stewards.

(By the way, I agree Pat is nationally-known in his field, but “nationally-known in this area” is kind of a contradictory statement. Seriously, though, Pat has an incredible presentation on implementation, perhaps the most important subject in the discourse of sustainability. He’s also doing innovative things down in Lake Charles and Central, Louisiana- near Baton Rouge).

Also, thanks to CentralLaPolitics for publishing an update on the summit.

I can offer a few more updates:

- Congressman Rodney Alexander is also a confirmed participant.

- Mayor Fields and Mayor McCullen, along with Mayor Roy, will be giving the introductory remarks.

- The majority of the Rapides Parish Police Jury is scheduled to attend.

- The event has over 150 people pre-registered. Space is tightening. If you want to attend, please give us a call at 318-449-5009 or shoot an e-mail over to summit@cityofalex.com

Jun 27

1 Comment

Two Quick Questions

Background.

From the Times-Picayune:

Ryan and Kourtney Fournier of Jefferson submitted paperwork to the Secretary of State’s office that allows them to attempt to collect the nearly 1 million signatures needed over the next 180 days to force a recall election of the governor. The papers were mailed Thursday and arrived Friday.

Ryan Fournier, 32, said he is a registered Republican and was “a huge supporter for Bobby.“

Outside of California, do these things ever work? By the way, they’d have to get around 300,000 more signatures than Bobby Jindal got votes.

And

Does anyone else find the breaking news aspect of the story comically awesome?

In all seriousness, Louisianans (mainly Louisiana Republicans) have- historically- liked to raise the specter of a recall to increase public and political awareness. It’s a powerful and often underutilized tool, though its application is sometimes uneven.

In recent years, consider:

From the Baton Rouge Business Report:

In 1991, a Baton Rouge lawyer, unhappy when the governor’s race came down to a runoff between scandal-plagued former Gov. Edwin Edwards and former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke, started pushing for a recall of the winner before the votes were cast. Edwards, now in prison on a corruption conviction, won.

After Edwards took office, the “Recall ’92″ campaign gained only 348,000 of the 750,000 signatures that would have been needed.

A resident of St. Martinville filed a recall petition against Blanco. (I feel sick having to source Michelle Malkin. If someone can find another record of the now-archived Times-Pic article, let me know).

A formal push to oust Gov. Kathleen Blanco, after harsh criticism of her response to hurricanes Katrina and Rita, began Tuesday when a St. Martinville resident filed a recall petition with Louisiana’s elections office.

The task is a tough one: in Louisiana, a recall election requires handwritten petition signatures from at least one-third of the state’s registered voters, or about 900,000 people, in 180 days, according to Jennifer Marusak of the secretary of state’s office.

The 180-day period began Tuesday, when the petition was filed, she said.

Then, a majority of voters in a recall election would have to vote to get rid of Blanco, a Democrat, before she would be forced out of office.

Blanco was out of the country Tuesday, studying flood-control measures in Holland, and unavailable to comment.

Jindal’s apparent decision to not veto the legislative pay raise bill has engendered an unprecedented response, but it’s difficult for me to be impressed– considering the absence of passion about our most important issues.

The pay raise bill is frustrating, to be sure, but it also underscores our lack of a collective hierarchy of needs for our State. It, once again, demonstrates our State’s (or at least our State’s media’s) inability to recognize the most pressing issues at hand: The pay raise bill is important, but the intensity in which some have approached this make me wonder where the intensity has been about other, vastly more important issues.

I tend to agree with Oyster:

I guess if Governor Jindal vetoes this bill, we can go back to being complacent about flood protection, the coast, schools, jobs, roads, crime, housing and rebuilding New Orleans…. until, presumably, a few decades pass and the Legislature wants to award itself another raise. Then a new generation can safely revolt! (Of course, there might be fewer South Louisiana leges at that time because 1/3 of the state will have washed away, but why should that possibility elevate anyone’s blood pressure?)

And, as if the pay raise bill isn’t embarrassing enough, Louisiana has also been (rightfully) criticized for passing castration and creationism bills!

Boy do we have our priorities straight!

Is this really the agenda Republicans claimed was mandated by last year’s election?

What a complete and total disappointment.

Jun 24

3 Comments

$300 Million For Icing?

There are a number of reasons to be skeptical about John McCain’s proposal to offer a $300 million prize for the development of the next-next generation in efficient and environmentally friendly car batteries; OutTheOtherEar laid them down better and faster than I could. What came to mind after mentally comparing it to the gas-tax holiday gimmick was how little business sense it makes (to be fair, McCain doesn’t have a firm understanding of the economy). As great a payoff as $300 million would be, “the ingenuity and resolve of the American people” won’t be inspired to make the long-shot investment required to come up with that kind of silver lithium-ion bullet. And I don’t think a competition award counts as collateral for a bank loan.

That means that only large companies, such as Exxon-Mobil, have the resources and research momentum to compete for the award. Considering that whoever does come up with that monumental a breakthrough is looking at billions of dollars of profits and royalties anyway, McCain’s $300 million would be a thin layer of public icing on a giant consumer cake.

But at least icing is made from sugar and not pork, which is how McCain proposes to fund this game of battery bingo:

I could pay for it by canceling three pork-barrel projects that are unnecessary and unwanted.

I know that he means any three “pork” projects, but John McCain voted against a bill that would have solely funded an independent commission to investigate Katrina shortcomings because he said it “was loaded with pork-barrel projects.” Given what has been called “McCain’s Faulty Pork Radar,” it’s possible he means trading levees or coastal restoration to pay for what appears to be just another political gimmick.

Jun 23

George Carlin

America just lost one of its most probing, insightful, challenging, and brilliant voices– a man who unabashedly critiqued convention with a compassionate conviction. From the NY Times:

He (George Carlin) quit high school to join the Air Force in the mid-’50s and, while stationed in Shreveport, La., worked as a radio disc jockey. Discharged in 1957, he set out to pursue his boyhood dream of becoming an actor and comic. He moved to Boston where he met and teamed up with Jack Burns, a newscaster and comedian. The team worked on radio stations in Boston, Fort Worth, and Los Angeles, and performed in clubs throughout the country during the late ’50s.

He was someone others only hoped to emulate, which is why a humorous, didactic diatribe on Hurricane Katrina was falsely attribute to Carlin. His voice was impassioned and unique.

This reminds me of the Desiderata, in more ways than one. And even if it isn’t a work of Carlin himself, it still captures his essence, which is why people so easily attributed these words to him:

The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but
shorter tempers, wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints. We spend more,
but have less; we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and
smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees
but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more
problems, more medicine, but less wellness.

We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little,

drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too
little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom. We have multiplied our
possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and
hate too often.

We’ve learned how to make a living, but not a life. We’ve added years to
life not life to years. We’ve been all the way to the moon and back, but
have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We conquered outer
space but not inner space.

We’ve done larger things, but not better things. We’ve cleaned up the air,
but polluted the soul. We’ve conquered the atom, but not our prejudice.

We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less.

We’ve learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold
more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less
and less.

These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small
character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of
two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes.

These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one
night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer,
to quiet, to kill.

It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the
stockroom. A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time
when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete.

Remember; spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going
to be around forever. Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to
you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your
side.

Remember to give a warm hug to the one next to you because that is the only
treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn’t cost a cent. Remember,
to say, “I love you” to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all
mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep
inside of you. Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday
that person will not be there again. Give time to love, give time to speak
and give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind.

Jun 22

1 Comment

Wonkette on Jindal

They can be brutal. Hyperbolic. Hilarious. In your face. Unafraid to completely cross the line.

And I have no further comment.

Jun 21

2 Comments

Historic Bentley Website Open for Business

Although the Hotel Bentley may still be closed, it certainly isn’t far from the minds of many local preservationists and historians, including Dale Genius, executive director of the Louisiana History Museum in Downtown Alexandria.

Earlier today, Mr. Genius launched Historic Bentley.com, a tribute to the Hotel Bentley, one of Alexandria’s most recognizable and important landmarks.

The website contains some incredible photographs and postcards, as well as a detailed history of the hotel and its role in Alexandria civic life.

Unfortunately, there are those who have branded Joe Bentley as the “Paul Bunyan” of the south, and the man who built his hotel because another, lesser hotel, refused him  when he applied for service.  This type of aggrandizement detracts from a creditable legend.  While local tradition puts some faith in the second claim, where he was probably looking too much like Paul Bunyon, the first is based primarily on someone’s fantasy.  Further, to say that Joseph Bentley and E.W. Zimmermann introduced Rapides Parish to the lumber industry is a gross misstatement, but their place in the history of the local lumber industry is well established.

Pictured below, Joseph A. Bentley.

Jun 19

3 Comments

Larry Sinclair Arrested

Considering at least one local blogger has been saturating us with coverage of Mr. Sinclair, attempting to lend credibility to an incredibly bizarre and absurd story (from a man who has serious credibility problems), it’s appropriate to point out: He was arrested on Tuesday.

Key highlights from the Wired report:

Larry Sinclair, 46, was allowed to deliver his presentation to the smattering of reporters in attendance before deputy U.S. Marshals quietly led him away in handcuffs, Sinclair’s lawyer confirmed Thursday. Already burdened with a long rap sheet, Sinclair was wanted on a criminal warrant in Delaware….

Sinclair claims to have had sex and snorted drugs with Barack Obama in the back of a limousine in 1999 while Obama was a state legislator. The claims are unsubstantiated, and Sinclair first made them in a YouTube video released this January, which has garnered over 900,000 views — despite Sinclair’s long history of criminal fraud, and his flunking of a polygraph on the supposed tryst….

The morning of the event, Sinclair helpfully posted a picture of himself on his blog, and in a post warned Obama supporters not to try and crash his press conference.

The photo allowed Margot to phone the police with a description. Then she went down to the Press Club to see the results.

“They may not have stopped the press conference but the police did show up, and took him away,” she wrote in to the Mitch and Nan Show blog later. “I was just at the NPC building and there was one only police car left by the time I got there.”

The feds had to pull rank on Washington, D.C. police officers who also showed up to arrest Sinclair.

Sinclair appeared in D.C. superior court for his arraignment Thursday afternoon. The court clerk confirmed he’d been listed as a “fugitive from justice.“

Sinclair’s attorney Montgomery Sibley, whose license to practice law has been suspended in Florida and Washington, D.C., says that he has arranged for a lawyer to represent Sinclair in Delaware

Jun 18

6 Comments

Drew Ward: In support of Bobby

Ok, this is something you’ll not see very often on Cenlamar nor from me in general, but I’m writing today about my support for one of Bobby Jindal’s initiatives.  Today the Louisiana House voted to approve Jindal’s plan to provide $10 million to send low and moderate income students of failing public schools to private schools in New Orleans.

Many have likened this move to a slide into a school voucher program.  While I cannot speak for the Governor’s long-term motives, fear of such a move should in no way cloud the importance of and need for this current proposal.

It’s common knowledge that New Orleans public schools have failed; they have failed the children, failed the community, and failed for decades to provide even a reasonable minimum level of service in exchange for the massive amounts of state funding they have been provided.

There is much talk these days about public-private partnerships.  Usually these are viewed in a positive light, but in this case the idea is taking a lot of flac.  The fact is that government has failed the people and has shown its inability to deliver.  In this same field of education in New Orleans private institutions — in particular the Archdiocese of New Orleans have excelled for generations.  They have proven time and again their ability to provide among the finest educations in the State and to do so without limiting their educational scope by adherence to religious doctrine.

In this case, private organizations offer a superior product than their public counterpart.  They do so at a lower cost, and provide excellent outcomes.  When government fails we must look for other alternatives, and when those alternatives are sitting in our laps we’d be idiots not to embrace them.

———————

I have seen comments such as those posted in response to the Town Talk’s article (here) that complain that throughout the State many parents choose to place their children in private schools or homeschool.  The complaint being that they should not have to pay both private school tuition as well as Parish and State taxes used to support the public education system.

These arguments are flawed, especially in respect to this bill.  Most of these parents whom have chosen to send their children to a private school have done so on ideological grounds.  Usually this is due to their wish to limit what their children can learn — to provide only teaching that agree with their particular religious beliefs.

A person’s dogma is not grounds for diverting public school funding, but a failed school system is.  Public schools in Louisiana and especially in Rapides Parish are among the best in the nation.  And with open enrollment, even if a specific school does not meet a particular student’s needs they may attend any school in the system.  Parents in Rapides Parish who chose to homeschool their children or send them to a private high school are in fact depriving their children of educational opportunity in order to satisfy their moral whims.  This behavior does not in any way merit recuse from school taxes.

New Orleans is a totally different animal.  If we are ever going to get even a chance at breaking the cycle of crime-laden poverty that has drained the resources of New Orleans and the state in general for so long, we must give the children a chance.  This is there chance.

Good job Bobby.

Jun 18

6 Comments

We Should Be Mad

It is improbable, ridiculous, and insulting to compare the devastating flooding currently occuring in the Midwest with the unprecedented tragedy of Hurricane Katrina.(H/t New Orleans News Ladder).

In scale and impact, Katrina was significantly bigger.

As Crooks and Liars points out, Rush Limbaugh attempted to make a false comparison between the flooding in the Midwest and the devastation of a significant portion of the American Gulf Coast. (H/t Oyster):

Limbaugh: I want to know. I look at Iowa, I look at Illinois—I want to see the murders. I want to see the looting. I want to see all the stuff that happened in New Orleans. I see devastation in Iowa and Illinois that dwarfs what happened in New Orleans. I see people working together. I see people trying to save their property…I don’t see a bunch of people running around waving guns at helicopters, I don’t see a bunch of people running shooting cops. I don’t see a bunch of people raping people on the street. I don’t see a bunch of people doing everything they can…whining and moaning—where’s FEMA, where’s BUSH. I see the heartland of America. When I look at Iowa and when I look at Illinois, I see the backbone of America.

Seriously, how can any honest, objective, or ethical human being make such an absurd and insulting comparison and public statement?

By the way– Jesus– I never realized how terrible most of talk radio is until today. Against the people of Louisiana.

Oyster broke it open over a year ago, though.

Jun 18

4 Comments

Dems4Change: Jim Harlan Will Challenge Steve Scalise

According to the St. Tammany Democrats for Change, businessman Jim Harlan will challenge Steve Scalise for Congress.

I’m not sure if it’s this Jim Harlan, but if it is, that’s awesome.  Coincidentally, if elected, he would be the second James Harlan elected to Congress.

Jim Harland speaking to DPEC members on June 16th.

Jun 15

3 Comments

Washington Post: Jindal Says Republicans Drifting from Core Values

From the Washington Post (bold mine):

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, an up-and-coming Republican sometimes touted as a potential presidential running mate, said his party has taken a beating at the polls lately because it “started defending corruption and spending and other things they would have rightfully condemned in the other party.“

Jindal, the first Indian American governor and a former House member, said he has talked to presumptive Republican nominee Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) several times, but that they have never talked about his possibly serving on McCain’s ticket.

“I’m certainly supporting Senator McCain, will do whatever I can to help him get elected, but I’m focused on being governor of Louisiana,” Jindal said on CBS’s “Face the Nation.”

Some analysts have drawn comparisons between Jindal and presumptive Democratic nominee Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.). Both are newcomers to the national scene, minorities, highly educated, young and talented at public speaking.

Jindal said that — even aside from policy differences — those comparisons have their limitations.

“I think Senator Obama is an incredibly gifted speaker. I don’t think I should be included in that same short list, and I mean that as a sincere compliment,” Jindal said. “I don’t agree with all of his ideas, but I think he brings an earnestness, I think he’s genuine. I think he speaks better than any elected official I’ve heard in several, several years, maybe going back to President Reagan.”

Once again, I have no further comment.

Jun 14

4 Comments

On Reflecting on the Death of Tim Russert

I, as well as countless others, are reminded of Mr. Russert’s historic interview with David Duke, the former grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan and Republican candidate for Louisiana governor less than twenty years ago (only four subsequent cycles).

As you may recall, Russert stumped Duke when he asked him to name the top three employers in the State of Louisiana, only after Mr. Duke had insisted that his campaign was about the Louisiana “economy.”

In preparing for this post, I discovered that Mr. Duke has actually issued his own statement on Tim Russert’s death, asserting that the media’s interpretation of Russert’s interview is inaccurate and that Duke had somehow won the debate. Google it on your own volition. I have no desire to link to Mr. Duke.

I cannot help but also be reminded that Mr. Duke represents the not-so-distant past of the Louisiana Republican Party, garnering nearly 39% of the vote in the general. (By the way, Bill Clinton won Louisiana the following year). To be fair, even though he secured the front-runner status for the party, which officially repudiated him, no one dared to endorse him, except, of course, for former Alexandria Mayor John Snyder.

Until someone can locate the video of the Russert interview, I leave you with David Duke, Republican candidate for Louisiana governor, in his own words on the Phil Donahue Show in 1992.

 

Wikipedia offers a concise history of Mr. Duke’s candidacies:

Challenging Edwin Edwards and Buddy Roemer

Despite getting an official reproval by the Republican Party, Duke ran for Louisiana Governor in 1991. In the open primary, Duke was second to former governor Edwin Washington Edwards in votes; thus, he faced Edwards in a runoff. In the initial round, Duke received 32 percent of the vote. Incumbent Republican Buddy Roemer came in third with 27 percent of the vote. Duke effectively killed Roemer’s bid for re-election. While Duke had a sizable core constituency of devoted supporters, many voted for him as a “protest vote” to register dissatisfaction with Louisiana’s establishment politicians. Duke said he was the spokesman for the “White majority.”[25] He took a strong anti-establishment stance reminiscent of George Wallace, in the 1968 presidential campaign.

Between the primary and the runoff, called the “general election” under Louisiana election rules (in which all candidates run on one ballot, regardless of party), white supremacist organizations from around the country contributed to his campaign fund.[26][27]

Duke’s success garnered national media attention. While Duke gained the backing of the quixotic former Alexandria Mayor John K. Snyder, he won few serious endorsements in Louisiana. Celebrities and organizations donated thousands to Edwards’ campaign. Referencing Edwards’ long-standing problem with accusations of corruption, popular bumper stickers read, “Vote for the Crook. It’s Important,” and “Vote for the Lizard, not the Wizard.” When a reporter asked Edwards what he needed to do to triumph over Duke, Edwards replied with a smile, “Stay alive.”

Edwards received 1,057,031 votes (61.2 percent). Duke’s 671,009 votes represented 38.8 percent of the total. Duke claimed victory, saying, “I won my constituency. I won 55 percent of the white vote,” which he had, as exit polls confirmed.[13] In actuality, Duke had done little better in percent terms than the first major Republican gubernatorial candidate in modern Louisiana history, Charlton Lyons, had done in 1964.

Challenging Mary Landrieu

When Johnston announced his retirement in 1996, Duke ran again for the U.S. Senate. He polled 141,489 votes (11.5 percent). Republican former state representative Woody Jenkins of Baton Rouge and Democrat Mary Landrieu of New Orleans, the former state treasurer, went into the general election contest. Duke was fourth in the nine-person, jungle primary race.[28]

Mr. Duke’s supporter(s) has/have been known to comment on this blog in the past.

Bring it on.  

Jun 14

Jindal to Appear on Face the Nation

According to his friends on RedState.com as well as the LA Times, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal will be appearing on “Face the Nation” tomorrow morning, alongside former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich and Politico.com’s Jim Vandehei.

I have no further comment.

Jun 14

5 Comments

NYT: Massive Voter Registration Drive in Louisiana Stirs Concerns

Once again, if you doubt that Louisiana will be competitive this fall, then do yourself a favor and start reading the news and analyzing the numbers. In today’s New York Times, we learn about the inherent problems of the massive voter registration drive currently occurring in Louisiana–a drive that is being propelled by the intensity around both Senator Barack Obama and Senator Mary Landrieu’s upcoming elections.

The effort is called Voting is Power, and, like Senator Obama’s Vote for Change initiative, it hopes to register hundreds of thousands of new voters. As of last week, Louisiana Democratic officials estimated that nearly 74,000 new voters have been registered as a result of Voting is Power, though, due to clerical errors and incomplete forms, that number could be reduced by as much as one-third. All told, however, this is still an incredible sign.

The massive voter registration drive has created concerns about ensuring every new voter is, indeed, eligible, which mainly means ensuring that forms have been properly filled out and voters are sufficiently educated to properly fill out forms.

It remains unclear whether election officials will be prepared to handle more registrations and the potential for overwhelming turnout on Election Day, Mr. Slater said. “Party politics is driving up registration at unusually high rates,” he said.

He added that it was too soon to tell how much of the gap between black and white registration had closed before the primaries, which produced record turnouts in many states.

Democratic officials said the Louisiana drive, which was called Voting is Power, had produced 74,000 applications by the time it concluded last week. Registrars in the four main parishes where the drive operated report numbers closer to 50,000, but there is no breakdown of how many were submitted to other parishes.

To be sure, local Republicans have already mocked the effort as “phony,” though the numbers in Louisiana seem to conform with national trends:

Michael Slater, the deputy director of Project Vote, said high numbers of incomplete applications were not unusual in such drives. He said as a rule of thumb, 35 percent of voter drive applications were new voters, 35 percent were duplicates or change of address, and 30 percent were incomplete.

We also learn, not surprisingly, that the majority of complaints are occurring in parishes with Republican registrars, some of whom have denied thousands of applicants from joining the rolls due to clerical errors (though, to be fair, there is evidence of obvious pranks and duplicate applications).

In Louisiana, the biggest complaints about the drive have come from Republican registrars in Caddo Parish, which includes Shreveport; East Baton Rouge Parish, which includes Baton Rouge; and Jefferson Parish, just outside New Orleans.

The registrar in Jefferson, Dennis A. DiMarco, said that about 35 percent of the 4,000 cards his office had sorted were invalid because they had no address, the applicant was already registered or was a felon, or the signature did not match one on file at the Department of Motor Vehicles. Another group of cards, he said, was missing information that the office hoped could be obtained by mail.

In Caddo, the registrar, Ernie Roberson, said his office had sorted 6,000 cards, of which only about 2,200 had enough information to be entered into the computer. Many of those, he said, had been kicked back because of nonexistent addresses or duplicate registration.

Although the Jefferson Parish registrar appears to be invalidating registrations due to incomplete forms, the registrar of Orleans Parish has a different experience:

In Orleans Parish the registrar, Sandra Wilson, said she had received more than 19,000 Voting Is Power applications and had problems with only about 400 of them. There are 4,000 to 5,000 that have not yet been sorted.

If the card is missing information but has a phone number, she said, “We immediately call that person and get what we need.”

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