On the national level, I've been checking on the twitter vote report for a snapshot.
TNR has a good rundown of some of the problem areas from around the country. I'll be keeping an eye on this.
Mostly I'll be biting my nails.
How was your vote in Louisiana today? How long did you wait?
Here's a dissatisfied customer from Jefferson Parish:
Unfortunately, I witnessed a voter denied the right to vote in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana this morning. I explained the proper procedure to the poll worker who refused to abide by easily understood state law regarding provisional ballots.
I then reported this to Jefferson Parish election officials who verbally instructed the poll worker on proper procedure. Unfortunately, by this time the voter had left the polling location, precinct 31 in Jefferson Parish.
This is a failure of the Jefferson Parish Clerk of Court, Jon Gegenheimer, to properly execute his job. I plan to formally demand:
1. The removal of the poll workers of precinct 31 for any future elections 2. A written procedure from Jon Gegenheimer on the proper training and assessment of all Jefferson Parish poll workers.
Regards, David Gereighty (snip) 2nd Vice Chair Jefferson Parish Democratic Executive Committee Treasurer, Louisiana Democratic State Central Committee
Anybody else voting in Jefferson Parish today? What does it look like?
Photographer Joe Eddins and I headed over to the closest one and found a steady line of voters hoping to cast ballots early. Most seemed to be Obama supporters and several had come from the rally. Nearly all the voters were black.
Also at the polling site was a group of loud and angry protesters who shouted and mocked the voters as they walked in. Nearly all were white.
This weekend's election results were a major disappointment containing few silver linings and an ugly long-term outlook.
The Sad Truth: The 2nd Congressional district will see a runoff between the disgraceful William Jefferson and the uninformed conservative puppet Helena Moreno. For many weeks, I had anticipated this result and often used words like 'disastrous' and 'embarrassing' to describe a possible non-choice between Jefferson and Moreno. Somehow out of a slate of 7 below average candidates, we ended up a choice between the least qualified candidate and the most demonstrably corrupt candidate. This will not be viewed kindly by outside observers. This city desperately needs federal recovery dollars, and outsider perceptions of our 'worthiness' for such expenditures have already been battered by racist conservative media narratives. The reelection of someone as image-killing as Bill Jefferson or someone so patently unqualified for one of the city's highest offices represents another major blow to our civic credibility.
The Cynical Optimist: We'll have another crack at unseating Congressman Jefferson either when he's sent to prison or in two years. It gives us a chance to regroup behind a credible challenger about whom we can be relatively enthusiastic, a stark contrast to this year's slate of clothespin catalysts. I don't know how well we would have been served by erecting a new wall of Congressional incumbency around the likes of Troy Carter or Cedric Richmond.
The Depressing Facts: The Orleans Parish School Board is now lacks diversity in demographic makeup and in ideological philosophy. The grossly gerrymandered district maps have always encouraged a white majority, but post-K New Orleans magnifies those advantages. Much more substantively, the new school board has demonstrated an unfortunate disengagement from the most critical issues facing public education in New Orleans. The new school board includes conservatives in Brett Bonin, Woody Koppel, and Seth Bloom who ran on an ideological predisposition counter to the needs of a public school system. Far from actually possessing a plan to improve our public schools, these conservative candidates are primarily concerned with finding cheaper ways to produce the same results. Their primary goal, if I'm understanding their platforms correctly, is to reduce the school district's burden to the taxpayers. That is something that appeals to some people, particularly those that do not think they have a personal stake in the public school system, but this does not appeal to me. I believe education is a worthwhile investment for my tax dollar and I want a school board that will see to it that I get more impressive returns. This city needs strong public schools but an OPSB controlled by advocates of disinvestment is ideologically predisposed to not providing them.
The Smiling Idiot: A few strong progressives ran classy campaigns on little to no budget and began to build localized grassroots networks. Percy Marchand from District 06 and Amy LaFont from District 03 were extremely engaged in the actual issues facing the school systems from the very beginning. They each ran their campaigns on substance. They spoke out against the master plan because they not only took the time to read it but they truly engaged the material. They can be proud of that. District 06 is probably the least hospitable in the entire city for a progressive candidate like Percy Marchand, and the election results demonstrated this. Mr. Marchand is by far more qualified for the school board than Woody Koppel but the truth is that too many district 06 voters likely share Mr. Koppel's predisposition to decentralize and divest. Amy LaFont changed the debate in District 03. Her knowledge of the school master plan predates that of any of the other candidates by many months and her strident criticisms of the plan's effects on District 03 forced even Republican candidate Brett Bonin was forced to adopt a more skeptical rhetoric.
The Future:
In 2004, when I was still very depressed about George Bush's reelection, my father cheered me up with some clairvoyant analysis. He said that when Bush and his congressional cronies screwed up, there would be no where for them to hide the blame. He anticipated that Bush's reelection allowed for the total unravelling of the neoconservative movement because the only government for the neoconservatives to pin everybody's problems on would be their own. How lucky we are that the United States was strong enough to have come this close to withstanding the disastrous reign of the worst President of all time. We might just barely make it.
But is New Orleans that strong? Does New Orleans have the luxury of waiting?
How many more cycles of inept, corrupt, or conservative governance can this city withstand? How much longer can New Orleans be lead around the same circle of establishment consensus?
A lot of people I know romanticize New Orleans as a sinking ship where love for life is enhanced by the freedom gained from recognition of the inevitability of drowning. But a lot more people I know would love life a lot more if we'd just fix the holes in the boat. Can't we agree, at the very least, that this ship should sink more slowly? Our captains obliviously want to go full steam ahead into storm after storm, refusing to plug the gaping holes in our in-between moments of daylight. I don't know how much more water we can afford to watch pour into the hull before we decide to take our mutiny to the deck.
Can't we drop anchor, make repairs, ditch the sinking ship metaphor, and instead adopt one involving flight?
This is the front line of progressive change in New Orleans. You must vote for Percy Marchand in District 06 and it is imperative to defeat Brett Bonin in District 03. I prefer Amy LaFont because she knows more about the school systems than anybody in the city but Davin Boldissar is also a strong candidate. I wish they weren't running in the same district.
District 01 - No Pick
District 02 - David Durand
District 03 - Amy LaFont
District 04 - Camacia Smith-Ross
District 05 - Avis Brock
District 06 - Percy Marchand
District Attorney - No Pick
Referendums:
1. Permanent funding for the Inspector General's office: FOR 2. However many millions for Marlin Gussman's jails: AGAINST (I have no clue how he was able to spring this onto the ballot so quickly. I know the jails are in terrible condition but I have no idea where this money is actually going. As an informed citizen, I can't vote for something that I know so little about. If someone knows something about what's up with this let me know. I'm flexible.)
I was disappointed with the choice of candidates when this election started but I thought that someone would step up and say the right things. I thought someone would step up and make a play for progressive voters.
Nobody went after Jefferson, who is clearly amongst the front-runners. Why not?
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I'm most disappointed in James Carter's campaign. He has had so many chances to fight for the citizens of this city this summer alone but has mostly sat on the sidelines. When James Carter had a chance to steal the spotlight and demand answers from the Mayor or from Ed Blakely during the NOAH scandal, Councilman Carter took a pass. When he had a chance to make a public stand against the Mayor's tiered reentry policy for Gustav, Councilman Carter took a pass. When the opportunity arose to get answers from the Mayor over his executive order suspending NCDC, Councilman Carter took a pass.
And now Councilman Carter continues to refuse to challenge the obviously broken demolition process. How many more mistaken demolition lawsuits does the city need to be hit with before Councilman Carter stops giving safety and permits the benefit of the doubt?
I have been trying to support him this whole time. I wanted an excuse to endorse him. Anything at all. Just one fiery rant to the paper on which to base it. Just one. My belief was that he was the least objectionable candidate of those with any chance to prevent a disastrous Moreno-Jefferson result on Saturday. But he never did anything to help the medicine go down. He did nothing.
So I cannot and will not endorse him.
Sorry, Councilman Carter. I was open-minded for as long as I could be. You blew it.
Last night, I attended the Urban League and League of Women Voters forum for candidates running for Orleans Parish School Board.
Briefly, it was SHOCKING how few of the candidates had taken the time to consider the school facilities master plan. In fact, it was embarrassing. I wish I hadn't forgotten my recorder.
At one point, a seemingly perpetual candidate for District 02, Dr. Dwight McKenna volunteered something like "I'm not familiar with that particular plan."
To which I had to cover my mouth from screaming, "in what respect, Charlie?"
I'll have much more on this later, or maybe tomorrow. I've been a negligent blogger this week - I've been busy not cramming for the GREs, which I'm hoping to do poorly on tomorrow.
With grammar and redundant word choice like that, what could go wrong?
- The only televised forum for the District 02 Congressional race will be put forth by the NBC affiliate, WDSU, which was candidate Helena Moreno's employer only months ago.
I wonder if they'll ask her anything substantive. She is totally unqualified for this seat. I hope people get a chance to see that firsthand.
It's ridiculous for WDSU to host this forum. Does no one understand 'conflict of interest?'
- Orleans Parish School Board member Jimmy Fahrenholtz, the lame duck from district 3, no-showed last Thursday's OPSB master plan hearing. He is not engaged enough to vote on the master plan and should recuse himself and assist in efforts to postpone a vote on any binding resolution until after he is replaced. A lot of people say that Jimmy is a good guy. If he's reasonable and you know him, give him a call and tell him he's wrong on the master plan and shirking the most basic responsibilities of his office.
It is especially frustrating because Mid City, which is in Fahrenholtz'sOPSB district, is really getting the short end of the stick with the master plan. That Jimmy won't even go through the motions of attending hearings and asking questions is an insult.
All four candidates for district attorney are Democrats. But Cannizzaro has received support from several prominent Republican donors.
For example, the reports show that real estate developer Joe Canizaro; his wife, Sue Ellen; and companies they own have given Cannizzaro a total of $25,000. Phyllis Taylor and her company, Taylor Energy, contributed a total of $10,000. Edward Diefenthal, the chief executive officer of Southern Holdings Inc., and his wife, Nancy, each gave $5,000. Companies owned by Lockport shipbuilder Donald "Boysie" Bollinger have anted up a total of $5,000, and former U.S. Rep. Bob Livingston, now a Washington lobbyist, gave $1,000.
Joe Canizaro and Bollinger have been two of President Bush's most prolific Louisiana financial supporters.
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Other notable Cannizzaro financial backers include businessman and failed gubernatorial candidate John Georges and his wife, Dethel, for a total of $10,000; former Jefferson Parish District Attorney Jack Capella, $5,000; movie theater operator T.G. Solomon, $5,000; and personal injury lawyer Morris Bart, $2,500.
Cannizzaro also received a total of $30,000 in contributions from St. Bernard Parish developer Joseph Georgusis and members of his family.
Among the big-name backers who individually made $5,000 contributions to Capitelli are Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu, defense attorneys Pat Fanning and Ralph Whalen, and Edward and Nancy Diefenthal.
Other noteworthy names on Capitelli's donor list are St. Tammany District Attorney Walter Reed, $3,500; lawyer and former legislator Henry Braden IV, $2,500; New Orleans Business Council leader Jay Lapeyre, real estate developer Roger Ogden and lawyers Rob Couhig and Darleen Jacobs, $2,000 each; New Orleans Saints owner Tom Benson, businessmen Robert Boh and Frank Stewart, and banker Ashton Ryan, $1,000 each; and former U.S. Attorney Harry Rosenberg and restaurateur Ralph Brennan, $500 each.
I don't really like this at all. WCBF has not yet made an endorsement in this race but this has me feeling pretty queasy about pulling the lever for either of these two gentleman. Such a huge percentage of Judge Cannizzaro's campaign is being bankrolled by a single social network.
Our next DA must Must MUST be committed to fairly prosecuting white collar criminals in politics and in commerce. How can I trust either of these two guys? Cannizzaro's list is especially nausiating.
Jason Williams has almost entirely funded his own campaign, save for one $5,000 check from his father-in-law, former Mayor Sidney Barthelemy. Barely objectionable.
There are four candidates running for District Attorney of New Orleans:
Leon Cannizzaro
Jason Williams
Ralph Capitelli
Linda Bizzarro
And the election is fast approaching. I don't think anyone needs to be reminded how important the DA's office is, I don't think anyone forgets Eddie Jordan's embarrassing tenure.
What are people's thoughts on this race?
Briefly, and I hope to expand on this later, here's what I'm looking for:
1. Acknowledgment that New Orleans and Louisiana have amongst the highest incarceration rates in the world and that this reinforces the social conditions that tend to lead to crime.
2. Commitment and a plan to setting a new mission for the DA and NOPD that emphasizes a reduced incarceration rate. This means a concerted effort toward community policing practices that abandons this city's 'catch-and-release' philosophy. This means no more book throwing at non-violent drug defendants and the open-minded entertainment of decriminalization policy. This means more than continuing to fund the drug court programs.
3. Commitment and a plan to refocus resources being wasted to prosecute petty drug dealers on cases involving violent crimes. This means forensics and, especially, witness protection.
4. Deep reluctance to employ the death penalty.
5. Enthusiastic commitment and plan to prosecute white collar criminals.
6. Passion for researching and experimenting with successful methodologies from other cities and states.
7. Ability to articulate and advocate for more sensible gun ownership policies at the state level.
8. Plan to initiate substantive changes at the DA's office in the face of a resistant Mayoral and NOPD administrations.
9. Core administrative and managerial competency.
10. History of ethical and transparent practices and demonstrated freedom from powerful political and industrial alliances.
Yesterday there was a forum for DA candidates and I thought the T-P recap was quite interesting:
Each of the candidates claimed to be prepared to target violent crime and put murderers and armed robbers behind bars. Many similarities emerged on the policy issues: All vowed to improve the often-fractious relationship with the New Orleans Police Department; all support the creation of more specialized units to handle different kinds of cases, from sex crimes to public corruption; all pledged to provide better management for an office with an $11 million budget and 200-employee staff.
Instead of finding substantial differences on the issues, the candidates repeatedly returned to how their attributes best qualify them for the job during the forum at Loyola University sponsored by a collection of community groups less than three weeks before the Oct. 4 primary. An expected runoff of the top two vote-getters will be held in November.
They better find some substantial differences amongst them on the issues because I know that the candidates can't possibly have the same prosecutorial ideologies. Our incarceration culture resembles that of a totalitarian state, we need transformative leadership not marginal reform.
I'm open-minded toward pretty much all of the candidates though it's very difficult not to totally throw Leon Cannizzaro under the bus for touting in a TV ad his endorsement from national GOP bankroller and blatant racist BoysieBollinger. At least he's not keeping it a secret, I guess.
On second thought, I'll just go ahead and throw him under the bus. It would take a miracle for me to vote for someone enthusiastic about an endorsement from an animal like Bollinger.
If you've attended any of the DA candidate forums, please feel free to list your thoughts. Or if you have not gone to any DA forums, like me, please feel free to add some questions or priorities.
Yesterday, I was talking to a friend and threw out this crazy idea that everyone should be able to pick up debit cards from FEMA before evacuating so as to mitigate the negative economic impact of mandatory evacuation on individuals and families that depend on wages and live paycheck to paycheck.
And look:
Two New Orleans City Council members said Wednesday that they want to work with the state and federal governments to find ways to alleviate the economic distress that hurricane evacuations cause many people and small businesses.
Instead of having to spend all their money to get out of harm's way and then wait on reimbursement, evacuees could be given cards ahead of time for a set amount to cover fuel, food and lodging costs, Councilmen Arnie Fielkow and James Carter said.
Cool idea James and Arnie!
Carter said he is interested in talking to federal representatives about getting assistance to evacuees more quickly, in a fashion "more practical than reimbursement on the back end."
Well Councilman Carter, you are running for Congress aren't you? Is this something you'll commit to working toward? Is this something that's part of your agenda?
Or are you just "interested?"
I wonder how the other maybe-palatable candidates like Cedric Richmond and Troy Carter feel about such a change in federal disaster assistance policy?
C'mon guys, are we running for office here or what?
It has been announced that the primary election to hopefully replace Congressman William Jefferson originally scheduled for this Saturday has been postponed for a month. We can rejoice that this is the case because none of the candidates have distinguished themselves.
Sure there are some posters and signs up, but even before Hurricane Gustav interrupted our regularly scheduled programming, one wouldn't have guessed that a critically important election was just one week away. It seemed as though candidates were just rolling out their first ads, just beginning to articulate their positions.
Now certainly there is a back-and-forth involved. It doesn't seem to me that my neighbors are paying particular attention to this race and had the election occurred as scheduled, I imagine we would see extremely low turnout on par with what we remember from last November. On the other end, we have a slate of candidates that has done next to nothing to engage the people of New Orleans in any meaningful way.
Remember that this Congressional seat is one of the most important posts in the city. The post represents the citizens' most direct line to the federal government. Our next Congressperson must not only be able to bring home the federal money so desperately needed for our recovery, but he or she must also know where that money should go.
We Could Be Famous is about a year old now and the one thing I've tried to touch on continuously throughout my work here is that while civic leaders have, in some cases, improperly allocated precious resources and/or administered with inexplicable incompetence, the single greatest overarching failure of this city's leaders has been the tacit acceptance of a reactionary recovery ideology. It is the inability or refusal to reconcile competing interests into an articulate recovery game plan that explicitly prioritizes still unaddressed immediate poverty-exacerbating emergencies AND develops a longer term vision for wise urban growth that has been the saddest failure of New Orleans' leaders. Incompetence and corruption are certainly contributing factors to this overarching failure but campaign demonization of these two phenomena alone will not distinguish a candidate in this election.
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To the candidates:
What is your plan?
What are your immediate priorities and what is your longer term vision?
Articulate these things to voters and do it now.
Stop treating your desired constituencies as idiots that need placating. See partners instead.
New Orleans may be a unique place but that does not mean that its citizens live in a box. Recognize the shifting national political dynamics and realize that you can and must articulate a positive progressive vision for this city's present and future as well as an idea of how Congress can help.
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I've been trying to follow this race as best I can but could not attend many forums due to my work schedule and competing civic events. We were less than a week from the election when the Gustav approached and I was still an undecided voter because no candidate seemed willing or able to meet the challenge that I shouldn't have had to express above.
I am still undecided but now there is another month for a candidate to express a detailed vision for New Orleans. Here is a brief rundown of some contenders:
THE NO WAYS
1. William Jefferson - Maybe he once was an effective bacon bringer but now he is a Congressional carcass. He has no credibility, no leadership position, and his colleagues don't even want to be in the same room as him out of fear of cameras.
2. Byron Lee - No Jefferson Parish official has a legitimate shot of winning nor can be trusted truly understand New Orleans. That his political life is inextricably linked to his cousin Derrick Shepherd is an even bigger problem.
3. Kenya Smith - The only way his candidacy could elicit anything other than the laughter of the citizens of New Orleans would be if he went straight to the press with each detail of every one of Mayor Nagin's many and obvious 2nd term failures.
4. Helena Moreno - Last night at my service industry job a gentleman with a WDSU credential came in and I jokingly asked him if he'd be supporting his colleague. He said with a deadly seriousness on his face, "Absolutely not, I work with her." That's a true story but more substantively, as the Oyster touches on, Moreno is not-so-gracefully masking her lack of knowledge of policy basics AND her devotion to conservatism and the Republican party platform. Beyond that, there's some personal/professional rumors swirling all over town to the point that I'm comfortable alluding to them. Now I don't really care at all about the personal lives of politicians insofar as they don't inform an individual's policies or decisions. Unfortunately, these particular rumors raise many questions about Moreno's ideas and expertise.
TEPIDLY GROPING FOR VICTORY:
5. James Carter - Has had every opportunity to demonstrate leadership on many critical issues from City Council and has largely shied away from such opportunities. He seems content to collect establishment endorsements and coast toward election day. He could win with a mandate if he'd step up and outline a detailed vision.
6. Troy "C" Carter - The initialed one seems to be running the most organized ground campaign, which I like, and by all accounts is holding his own in the candidate forums. He has nonetheless failed to distinguish himself in any substantive sense.
7. Cedric Richmond - Maybe the most impressive progressive legislative record of any candidate but he's GOT to answer questions about ties to William Jefferson and leave us 100% certain that he won't be even indirectly caught up in that probe. That his campaign appears to run out of the same building as the Jefferson lawyer is problematic.
They have some nerve pointing out the obvious to the voters of America. It's as if they think people are so stupid that some of them might actually still vote for John McCain after seeing the GOP's true colors on full display for the last eight years.
Seriously though, I think this convention has been excellent and relegated the GOP talking heads to either jumping on board with their sincere praise or flailing helplessly with rumors of discord between the Clinton camp and the Obamas. And they look like fools stoking up those divisions because the speeches by the Clintons were perfect. Had they heaped on any more praise or been any more strident in their calls for the election of BarackObama, they would have been ripped apart for going over-the-top or for mocking the nominee. Mission accomplished by the Clintons.
I was not disappointed one bit with the Big Dog's speech. Oyster highlighted his favorite parts. I can see why President Clinton wanted so badly to go into the economy during his speech. There was a lot of buzz early in the week about Bill not being happy with his speech topic or whatever. I think this was a load of bull. Do you think the Obama camp, after all the work that's been done to heal the primary wounds, went to Bill Clinton and told him what he had to talk about? Did people expect the Obama camp to be so stupid that when Bill Clinton came to say 'I'm going to absolutely roast the GOP on the economy during my speech,' he was told no?
Totally worth watching.
For all the talk about the wounds of Clinton supporters not being sufficiently heeled after the primary campaign, what about all the insults absorbed by Obama supporters after the borderline Rovian campaign run by the Hillary camp?
I'm generally not a holder of grudges but I lost a lot of respect for the Clintons during the primary season.
They needed to earn back that respect from me as a young Obama supporter just as much as the Obama camp needed to heel wounds with the Clintons. That wasn't the dominant media storyline but it's true.
Anyways, both Bill and Hillary's speeches were superb and really castrated the media make-believe over the seriousness of the supposed rift. Was there supposed to be some sort of armed coup? Give me a break.
The Clintons praised Obama, they praised his ideas, they went after McCain, and they excoriated his agenda. They challenged the Democrats to propel Senator Obama to the Presidency.
I'm ready.
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Hillary Clinton's best line: "Was it really just about me?"
Bill Clinton's best line:
It was really more of a moment. Go see Oyster's highlights. I think it came at the end of Oyster's orange. President Clinton speaks to "the example the Republicans have set" and absolutely roasts them.
American workers have given us consistently rising productivity. They've worked harder and produced more. What did they get in return? Declining wages, less than ¼ as many new jobs as in the previous eight years, smaller health care and pension benefits, rising poverty and the biggest increase in income inequality since the 1920s. American families by the millions are struggling with soaring health care costs and declining coverage.
Then he pivots emotionally, getting angrier while still preserving an appropriate enthusiasm, showing that authenticity that have the GOP fits for so many years. He brought down his finger and said with an inflection that suggested he was gritting his teeth in outrage:
I will never forget the parents of children with autism and other severe conditions who told me on the campaign trail that they couldn't afford health care and couldn't qualify their kids for Medicaid unless they quit work or got a divorce. Are these the family values the Republicans are so proud of? What about the military families pushed to the breaking point by unprecedented multiple deployments? What about the assault on science and the defense of torture? What about the war on unions and the unlimited favors for the well connected? What about Katrina and cronyism?
America can do better than that. And BarackObama will.
But first we have to elect him.
That crescendo was perfect. Here's the video, the passage in discussion hits at around the 11 minute mark.
And of course, Jeffrey is right about the line about "Katrina and cronyism." I'm happy with it, not just because it was placed to get a big audience pop, but because it is a catchall that implicates Ray Nagin (an unequivocal embarrassment to national democrats) as a friend of the Bush administration just as much as it does Halliburton and the Shaw Group.
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The DNC box score thus far:
Home Runs: Michelle Obama, Sasha Obama, Malia Obama, Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, and John Kerry.
Josh Marshall is also all about John Kerry's speech. It was excellent.
Key line: "Are you kidding me folks?"
Watch it:
There were late rumors of Kerry maybe being vetted as an Obama veep. I think the Biden choice is better but Kerry would have been pretty compelling given how toughened he has become. John Kerry is a good Democrat. In 2016 when Tim Kaine or one of the Udall boys from out west or Donna Edwards (if we're lucky) is the Democratic nominee for President, he or she could pick John Kerry as the 'experienced attack dog' running mate.
A Double Down the Line: Joe Biden
The life story telling went well. The family photo ops went well. The delivery was solid. It just wasn't as well-written as some of the others. Biden just got called up off the bench, it's hard to get a good swing on the ball when you've been riding the pine. So Biden took the pitch he was given and went the opposite way, blooping one over the first baseman's head and hustling into second base. I have full confidence in Joe Biden's talent. He'll be swinging a hot bat the whole rest of the summer and will be batting cleanup by the World Series this October.
Strike Outs: The DNC farm system.
The rookie call ups were nervous. Mark Warner can give a good speech and the substance within probably works well in centrist swing Virginia. But as the key note, there wasn't so much to wow over. Brian Schwietzer showed some promise out of Montana but needs some more seasoning. I expected more polish from Missouri's Claire McCaskill.
It's not as if the DNC is devoid of young talent. I would have enjoyed to seeing Udall out of Colorado or Udall out of New Mexico. Rep. Donna Edwards out of Maryland brought down the house at Netroots Nation; I would have loved to have seen her get in a few swings at the DNC. What about giving a shot to a few long-shot Senate candidates from this cycle that maybe could use some cash. We're really threatening to get 60 in the Senate. Why not give Noriega from Texas an opportunity to close the gap on Cornyn. Or what about Allen in Maine? Or Cowboy Kleeb from Nebraska? Or Rice from Oklahoma? Or Hagan from North Carolina? Look how close the Dems are to 60 in the Senate. They just need to push a little bit harder to get there and they could have used the convention pulpit to help out in Oregon, Maine, North Carolina, Texas, etc.
Also it would have been nice to have a John Edwards speech at this thing. Too bad he blew that for us.
There has been a lot of talk about Republican Senate candidate John N. Kennedy recently.
Though much of that talk has been about whether or not this pathetic showing actually constitutes a campaign:
Doesn't seem like there's a whole lot of enthusiasm amongst Republican activists. I can't confirm this, maybe BrianWelsh can help shed some light, but perhaps Kennedy's people (or person) forgot to put out the platter of Triskets and cheddar cheese cubes. As anyone familiar with events that pair impressive banquet hall carpeting with soulless out-of-touch millionaires who lack any political values other than their own greedy thirst for power, it is difficult to obtain the intern/service staff attendance necessary to make the room look enthusiastic without toothpicks and slices of under-ripened honeydew.
While we wait for reports of the event refreshment situation, we'll be left to speculate as to why Kennedy failed to attract any Republican interest from Republican stronghold Baton Rouge. Mr. Kennedy's campaign against Senator Mary Landrieu is slated as the GOP's only realistic chance at unseating an incumbent Democrat.
Mr. Kennedy himself was personally recruited for the race by Karl Rove, the brain behind President Bush's historically low approval ratings and a future convicted felon. Mr. Kennedy, it would appear - after listening to the advice of Mr. Rove - took a look at all his previously-stated political positions, realized that they were of increasingly popularity in a climate toxic toward the failed policies of the Bush administration, an administration he had been wise enough to repudiate when he endorsed and campaigned for Senator Kerry in 2004. . .
. . . And ultimately decided to go ahead and declare himself wrong on all the things which he had actually been totally right.
That was a mouthful, let me attempt to simplify that into a simple diagram:
Future felon + Kennedy's correct and politically popular positions on important economic and foreign policy issues = Embarrassingly abrupt reversal + adoption of factually inaccurate and politically unpopular positions on economic and foreign policy issues
Pretty clear, no?
Anyways, after Mr. Rove promised Mr. Kennedy all kinds of campaign resources because Landrieu's seat was apparently such a golden lifeboat for the GOP to not be entirely blown out in November, the State Treasurer decided to jump on board the sinking ship.
So how did Karl Rove follow up on his promises to John N. Kennedy?
Rove put the Kennedy campaign on the right foot by allowing the Landrieu campaign to out-raise Kennedy by nearly 2 to 1, in spite of George W. Bush's $500,000 plea to Republican donors and Louisiana citizens on the importance of voting for Mr. Kennedy before giving him a "fair hearing" on his views.
So with Kennedy in a huge financial hole and national GOP helpers slowly backing away at the site of polls occasionally putting him 12 and 16 points behind Senator Landrieu, he launched his refreshment platter and supporter-deficient bus tour.
Now, national GOP helpers may be running for the hills.
John N. Kennedy is going to have to out-conservative an insurgent primary challenger.
With a name like J. Jacques Boudreaux, how can he not gain at least some traction amongst grassroots Republicans?
Knowing absolutely nothing about the man, he should instantly possess more credibility amongst conservatives and objective human beings of all stripes than the spayed down-ticket pet that Karl Rove took from John Kerry's kennel of no-talent castaways.
Whether or not Mr. Boudreaux will be able to raise the money necessary to legitimately challenge Mr. Kennedy's nomination is unclear. It is not a stretch of the imagination to assume that there are a lot of activist fundagelicals less than pleased with Mr. Kennedy's commitment to conservative doctrine.
Either way, John N. Kennedy is going to have to spend a lot more of his already meager campaign loot than he thought on the carrot, celery and ranch dip plates necessary to fend off this most unexpected primary opponent.
I'm no fan of Senator Landrieu centrism but Louisianians would be absolutely out of their mind to elect a stiff like John N. Kennedy when Senator Landrieu is poised to become one of the most powerful blue dogs and effective pork farmers in all of Congress.
I predict a relative blowout in favor of Senator Mary Landrieu.
If you'd like to run for the Orleans Parish School Board, you've got another day or two to qualify.
The Times-Picayune is reporting that many incumbents are electing not to seek reelection and that there appears to be little interest amongst potential challengers.
The article is interesting to read. It would appear that people don't seem as interested in the school board because it doesn't represent as firm a political stepping stone as it used to.
As the power of the OPSB has been gutted and ceded to charters and the RSD, board members have become disenchanted with their ability to make news for the purpose of furthering their own political ambition.
According to the article and the unsubstantiated buzz I've been hearing, power brokers are questioning the necessity of the OPSB altogether.
Here's what I think:
The OPSB is still extremely important for two glaringly apparent reasons:
First, because the RSD is meant to be a temporary bureacracy empowered to steady schools administration while a unified New Orleans school district is planned and established. The OPSB will be necessary to administer the schools after the RSD is disbanded to give way to a unified district.
Second, the OPSB should be the bureaucracy charged with administering Orleans Parish schools because the OPSB is actually directly accountable to the voters of Orleans Parish. The RSD brass serves without regard to public opinion or voter accountability. Anyone that suggests abolishing the OPSB in favor of more autocratic control for the RSD should be greeted with skepticism.
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Yet, for me there is an even more intriguing reason why this OPSB election is so important.
That typical stepping stone politicians are passing on running for the OPSB presents an extremely rich political opportunity for local progressive reformers to step in and make real noise in this city.
The next OPSB can make Orleans Parish schools the vanguard of progressive cirricula. The next OPSB can insist on transparency from the RSD and Charters more effectively. They can advocate forcefully for the reunification of Orleans Parish public schools and set the foundationf for an eventual transfer of power. While the power of the body has indeed been reduced with the rise of the Recovery School District, it is not powerless. It is still a pulpit. These are still critical leadership positions that we, as citizens, must fill with qualified candidates that represent a progressive vision for public education.
One way or another, for this city to survive, citizens must take responsibility for electing more honorable and visionary leaders than those that have routinely violated the same people they have sworn to serve.
UPDATE:
Check out which OPSB district you live in by checking out the maps on the OPSB's cumbersome website.
News and commentary on New Orleans and the nation with an unapologetic progressive bias.
This body of work represents part of my journey through New Orleans rebuilding politics starting in 2007. For later work see savecharityhospital.com or thelensnola.org.
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