So what's all this controversy about earmarks? "Pork-Barrel Spending" shout editorial writers all over Louisiana. On the national level, Republican presidential nominee John McCain has "vowed to veto all earmarks as president, and to make the authors famous." All these so-called pet projects by legislators have even caused Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal to threaten line-item vetoes of special projects added in to the new state budget. So can any of these local requests be justified?
The state capital's local newspaper editorialized that no earmarks or local grants should "beyond state government's tab unless they have a direct relevance to state agencies' missions." But the devil is in the details. Who's going to define the mission of any state agency? Isn't that the job of the state legislature? Where is it written that only the executive branch can pad its budget with local projects funded to private groups? You might be surprised to read that in a number of state governmental agencies dole out tax dollars to private groups all the time.
Governor PBJ may be put on the spot over the next few days, as the House is poised to pass a bill repealing all personal income taxes, which will be phased in over the next 10 years, thanks to an amendment by State Senator Nick Gautreaux. Here's the backstory:
State Senator Buddy Shaw introduced SB 87 for the express purpose of rolling back a portion of the the Stelly Plan approved by voters back in 2002. While this does seem problematic, as it has our representatives overturning the will of the people (the voters approved the Stelly Plan), the bill actually makes some sense, as it seeks to help the middle class here in Louisiana out by lowering the rate at which folks who make from $12,500 to $50,000 from 6% to 4%.
Then Senator Nick Gautreaux, in what seems like an attempt to throw cold water on the idea of repealing the Stelly Plan, introduced an amendment repealing income taxes completely over the next ten years.
It somehow passed the Senate by a vote of 19-18, thanks to State Senator Joe McPherson, who told his fellow Senators that:
"He voted for the amendment in the expectation that it would fail and would have switched his vote to 'no' had he realized it was the winning margin."
The repeal of personal income taxes, which has been done in Texas and Florida, will cost the state treasury some $4 billion. I find it hard to go along with this, since we'll then have one of the most, if not the most, regressive tax structures in the nation ... as we rely on sales taxes for much of the state's revenue. It has been shown the sales taxes hurt the poor much, much more than it hurts the pocketbook of the middle class or the wealthy, especially if the sales tax is taxing things that the poor are more likely to buy than their wealthier counterparts.
On top of that, we do have some MAJOR infrastructure needs in this state ... and taking some $4 billion away for the treasury does not seem like the best move to make in the face of serious infrastructure concerns.
Anyhow, the House is expected to take up the issue, and it seems likely that it will pass it with Gautreaux's amendment intact. There will be an amendment offered in the House, but the presumptive author of the amendment, State Rep. Jane Smith, doubts that it will get much support.
And one more thing, this is not something Jindal will be able to campaign on in 4 years, no matter what John Maginnis states in his column ... as this was absolutely forced upon him by our Legislature. If this passes, and Governor PBJ signs it, this will be the Legislature's victory, pyrrhic or not.
So I was reading blogs online this morning, and I came across this jarring post from johnnygunn over at MyDD.
Folks often talk of the destruction left behind by the Federal Flood, (Hurricane Katrina), but fewer talk of the devastation left by Hurricane Rita in Southwest Louisiana. The photo to the left was taken in Cameron, LA by MyDD reader johnnygunn.
What I wanna know is where has Rep. Charles Boustany been for the residents of Cameron? The link brings you to all the legislation that Rep. Boustany has written in the current Congress ... and not one deals with rebuilding in the aftermath of Hurricane Rita.
UPDATE: OH! Dontcha LOVE IT?! Don Cazayoux went right to work after his swearing in ceremony, casting his first two votes this afternoon, a NAY vote on whether or not to advise the conferees to the Farm Bill Extension Act of 2007 and then a YES vote on tabling the motion to advise the conferees on the Farm Bill Extension Act of 2007.
I just received this media advisory:
Washington, D.C. - Speaker Nancy Pelosi will hold a mock swearing-in ceremony for Congressman-elect Don Cazayoux today, Tuesday, May 6 at approximately 1:30 p.m., pending legislative business on the House floor. Cazayoux will be sworn in this afternoon on the House floor to fill the 6th district seat of Louisiana vacated by Congressman Richard Baker.
WHO: Speaker Nancy Pelosi and
Congressman-elect Don Cazayoux (D-LA)
WHAT: Mock swearing-in ceremony for Congressman-elect Don Cazayoux
WHEN: Tuesday, May 6 at approximately 1:30 p.m., pending legislative business on House floor
PRE-SET: 1 p.m.
WHERE: H-210, The Capitol,
Washington, D.C.
I am hoping that C-SPAN covers it live, so I can put it up here.
Well ... I've been so busy with LA-06 and law school finals, that I've neglected the Legislative Session that is currently underway. Starting today, I will be focusing a tad more on the bills that are under consideration in the Legislature. And let me warn you ... there's some baaaaaaad bills. Here are three bills and one potentially explosive issue that I am going to take a look at:
It's now in the House, and I have absolutely no doubt that it will find itself on the Governor's desk for his signature in short order because we have a lot of spineless Democrats in the Legislature who are afraid of standing up to the religious right.
The third bill is the "Let's Allow ANYONE To Have A Concealed Gun On College Campuses Bill", or HB 199. A concealed gun permit is the answer of the NRA, which sponsored this bill, and lobbied for it in the State Capitol, to the campus shooting that occurred at Virginia Tech. My problem with the bill is that all you have to do is be 21 years of age, take a safety course, and pass a background check, which does not include checking to see if you are on medication for mental illness.
It is currently awaiting a vote on the floor of the House. I have no doubt that it will pass the House and be sent on to the Senate. Hopefully, they will amend it to ensure that folks who are on medication for mental reasons will be automatically denied the concealed gun permit.
The final thing I will be watching is perhaps the most explosive. It deals with the "gold standard" of ethics changes that Governor PBJ got passed in the 1st Extraordinary Session. The bills that were passed weakened the Ethics Board in at least two respects:
1. It removed the Ethics Board from the role of judging the results of the investigation, putting that job in the hands of judicial appointees, who are FAR MORE susceptible to political pressure, as they serve at the pleasure of the Governor; and
2. Heightened the standard to convict to "clear and convincing", from "reliable and substantial" burden, which essentially means that the judge or jury must find it more likely than not that an ethical violation occurred. The clear and convincing standard is similar to having absolutely no doubt that a violation occurred.
The change in the standard was introduced by State Senator Bob Kostelka of Monroe, but according to The Reduct Box, Governor PBJ's top lawyer, Jimmy Faircloth, is rumored to have authored the amendment that changed the burden of proof on the Ethics Board at the 11th hour.
So there's a lot to rake and discuss. What bills are y'all interested in? Let me know in the comments!
I broke the story late Friday night that there were robocalls being made to voters in East Baton Rouge Parish designed to depress voter turnout. The text of the calls was:
"I'm very upset that the National Democratic Party favored Don Cazayoux from New Roads over Michael Jackson. The Democratic Party raised $850,000 for Don Cazayoux which is the only reason Michael Jackson lost in the Democratic runoff. The National and State Democratic Parties always seem to back the white democrat over the black democrat and that's wrong. Alot of us who are supporting Michael Jackson feel the National Democratic Party need to be taught a lesson. We're not voting for Don Cazayoux because we believe Woody Jenkins will be a lot easier to beat in November when Senator Barack Obama is on the ballot. You haven't heard many black elected officials supporting Don Cazayoux. On Saturday we're going to stay home and see how the National Democratic Party do without us."
"Paid for by Friends of Michael Jackson."
On Saturday night, I spoke with various folks within the Louisiana Democratic Party, and they all told me that Michael Jackson denies anything to do with the robocalls. I was also told that he signed an affidavit to that effect.
Earlier today, I received an email from a list-serv email group which stated:
Yesterday morning before I had a chance to vote, I received a robocall from a representative of the Michael Jackson campaign. The call originated from Magnolia Computers of Baton Rouge.
The voice on the phone explained that the State and National Democratic Party had given large amounts of money to the Cazayoux campaign and had left the Jackson campaign to fend for itself. For
that reason, they asked that all Democrats refrain from voting and allow Woody Jenkins to win the seat. Why? Because, the voice continued, Michael intends to run for the seat in November and they
feel they could then beat Woody at a time when Barack Obama is on the ballot.
My caller id showed the number as Magnolia Computer (225-766-7886).
And guess who owns Magnolia Computers LLC? That would be Darrell W. Glasper of Baton Rouge, who was a very controversial BREC chairman.
And guess who the only donation Mr. Glasper has made on the federal level within the last 4 years went to? The National Republican Congressional Committee, back in 2005.
Here's where it gets really interesting. If you were to reverse phone look-up that phone number, it is registered to a Raymond Wright of East Baton Rouge. Did Magnolia Computers use a phone number not registered to them to make the phone calls in an attempt to cover it up? Or is Raymond Wright complicit in this sordid mess? Or are the phone records not current? The phone records ARE NOT CURRENT. Only time will tell.
UPDATE: Paul over at TPM Muckraker interviewed Darrell Glasper! He is apparently unapologetic about making the calls. I quote:
"This is America, you can say what you want."
UPDATE II: According to the TPM article I mentioned before, it says that (emphasis added):
"Glasper, an African-American, said that he was an acquaintance and supporter of Jackson's, but that he'd made the calls without Jackson's knowledge and had stopped the calls at Jackson's request. He'd made 10,000 or so by that time, he said."
Pray tell, if he made the calls without Jackson's knowledge, how did Jackson know to ask Mr. Glasper to stop?
(BuyUpolitics has it right ... this is one of the targets for the fall. So should, I might add, LA-07. The Dems down there are united like never before, and all they need is a Democrat to throw their hat in the ring. Of course, we will still have a fight on our hands here in LA-06.
We also need to shore up African-American support in all three districts, as State Senators Lydia Jackson (Shreveport), Don Cravins, Jr. (Opelousas) and State Rep. Michael Jackson (Baton Rouge) seem determined to hand the seats back to the GOP to teach Democrats a lesson about supporting African American candidates. - promoted by ryan)
Now that we have had a day to rest, it is time to look toward November. There is another open seat here in LA with all the makings for a Democrat upset.
From The Advocate 5/5/08:
And national Democratic Party leaders are already eyeing Louisiana's 4th Congressional District seat held by 20-year GOP veteran U.S. Rep. Jim McCrery of Shreveport. With a popular district attorney announcing his intent to run, Democrats see the possibility of adding that seat to their captures in the Deep South, a traditional Republican bastion.
Paul Carmouche has a lot of the same draws as Don had here in the 6th and should pull some crossover votes. Hopefully we can add another to the Cajun Caucus.
I want to thank the campaign staff ... you guys did all the work. I also want to thank all the volunteers, and the folks who canvassed for the DCCC IE campaign, AND the folks who phone banked, and door-knocked directly for the campaign. I met some of y'all last night at the Women's Club and the Hilton, and I wish you luck on your future endeavors.
I think, with a 2800 vote lead, and 3 precincts to report, we can call this one for CAZAYOUX!
I knocked on doors for about 4 hours this afternoon, and here are my results:
85 doors knocked
40 Not Home
45 Voted Cazayoux
0 Voted Jenkins
0 Voted Casey
Keep in mind, I was knocking doors of folks that were ID'd as Cazayoux supporters. We asked if they voted, and every single person told me "I voted for Cazayoux!" By the way, I was in House District 69, which is one of the most Republican districts in Baton Rouge. I did knock on the doors of approximately 15 Republicans, and, surprisingly, all were home, and all told me CAZAYOUX!
So we woke up to a torrential downpour and lightening. A crack of thunder awoke me with a start this morning at 6:15 AM.
Around 8 AM, when I ran some errands for my wife, I passed by the DCCC's office here in Baton Rouge, and saw that AWESOME sight of local folks waiting for their assignments, and getting ready to go remind their neighbors that it's Election Day. Which can only mean one thing ... time to go vote to send a Democrat to represent the 6th CD for the first time in 33 years ... and have the Capital Region represented by a Democrat for the first time since 1997!
For those of y'all worried about the turnout in the African-American neighborhoods ... I saw these signs all over the African American neighborhoods I drove through running those same errands this morning. Yes, they have the disclaimer of who it was paid for. That's what the little white box is all about on the lower left hand side. That sight warms me heart, as it means that former State Senator Cleo Fields has put his operation to work to get out the vote int the African American neighborhoods here in Baton Rouge. Ditto for Joe Delpit in North Baton Rouge.
As I said, it's a beautiful day here the Capital Region, and that will help us with the turnout battle. I'm about to head out and knock on some doors, and will let y'all know how that goes by the time polls close.
Apparently there are robocalls being made to registered African-American voters tonight, with the script saying something roughly along these lines:
"The Democratic Party has never funded any African-American candidate in this district, and Don Cazayoux has no endorsements from any African-American leaders in the community"
First of all, pray tell, what is New Roads Mayor Tommy Nelson? And just who has he endorsed? Oh, YEEEAAAAH, Don Cazayoux.
Finally, there is a history of Republican dirty tricks around election time, especially dealing with robocalls. When either The Giant Squid or I confirm the source of these calls, it will be posted here, and I will forward all the information to the Attorney General's office to see if they can press charges.
Well ... THIS IS IT. We're less than 12 hours from the opening of the polls. If you want to help Gilda's campaign in Orleans Parish, Jefferson Parish, or in the Northshore Parishes, call (504) 287.4328.
If you want to help out Don's campaign in the Capital region, call (225) 336.3338.
I'll be helping out the Cazayoux campaign in Baton Rouge throughout the day tomorrow, as I live here. I will update this hopefully once, maybe twice, throughout the day, with some turnout numbers. Be sure to check back here tonight after the polls close at 8 PM, as I will be live-blogging the results of both races.
So I got a pretty good laugh today from my friend John Leek, who founded the Mississippi blog Cotton Mouth Blog. He sent me this link to a radio ad of Woody's that has Woody saying that he doesn't believe in negative advertising.
All I have to say is ... then let's see you call out your friend Lane Grigsby. And your friends over at Freedoms Watch. And your friends over at Club For Growth, all of whom are all running over the top negative ads in a desperate attempt to pull Don Cazayoux's negative numbers up, (and so far failing), hoping to depress Democratic turnout enough that Woody can somehow slink by.
This is the final Blast From the Past for this election, as election day is tomorrow. As noted in the previous Blast from the Past article, we're going to take a look at the man Republicans and their operatives running ads in LA-06 - Lane Grigsby, Club for Growth, Freedoms Watch, and the NRCC - want to elect: Louis "Woody" Jenkins. The articles are no longer online, but are from The Times-Picayune's coverage of the 1996 Senate race. I have saved the articles in .pdf format, and will include a link to them in each post.
The second article is from October 26, 1996 and is entitled JENKINS' CHARITY VIOLATES LAWS, and was written by John McQuaid of the Times-Pic's Washington Bureau.
Woody Jenkins and his wife, Diane, founded a charity in 1984, called Friends of the Americas, as a "non-political" organization to establish "people-to-people programs between the people of the United States and the people of Latin America" and to provide "humanitarian assistance to the people of Latin America suffering from poverty, natural disasters, or war." The website I got all the quotes from is RightWeb Online, which seems to have a javascript problem because all you see is a the html code for the website. But Woody is quoted as saying that he set up the non-profit to:
"to aid the victims of communist aggression"and FOA's relief efforts in Central America are "a strategic lever to help the forces of democracy in the region."
But that's not the point of this post. The point of this post is that Louis "Woody" Jenkins seemed to think that he was above the law back in the day, as at least 42 states have laws stating that charities raising money in their states must register with them. And as Mr. Jenkins acknowledged to the Times Picayune back in 1996:
He said that the group hasn't registered with state charity bureaus, as more than 40 states require, because he believes state charity laws have no jurisdiction over out-of-state groups, an argument charity experts and state officials reject.
The laws are designed to protect residents from fraudulent and misleading appeals. The State of Louisiana does not have such a requirement unless the group uses a professional fund-raiser.
And yet, Woody states that:
"It's the states, not [my] organization, that is wrong."
But in another piece of investigative journalism you rarely see from the BSM anymore, Mr. McQuaid found another charity that was roughly the same size of Jenkins' FOA, the Cancer Research Foundation of America, and a Susie Wellman, then the Director of Programs for the Cancer Research Foundation of America states:
"We make absolutely certain we are registered in every state where we send direct mail."
Woody then tried to justify the lack of registration with the state where FOA send direct mail solicitations by saying:
"The basic issue for Friends is, just because it has 10 people in the state who support it, it would be burdensome to put it through that process."
Back to Ms. Wellman:
Wellman said that one of [her] group's 10 staff members is in charge of registering each year. "I am familiar with how time consuming it can be to fill out those forms. For a small organization, we do what we have to and we certainly want to obey the laws in these states."
Well ... it's Wednesday. That means there are 70 Thursday night ... less than 32 hours until voting starts on Saturday morning at 6 AM across LA-01 and LA-06.
So, if you want to help out Gilda Reed in LA-01, call (504) 287.4328 to ask how you can help. Or just show up at their campaign office in Metairie between 9 AM and 9 PM in the next 4 days. The address is 1108 N. Starrett Rd. in Metairie, LA. Also, if you know have family or friends in that district, click here to let them about Gilda, who's facing a real conservative wing-nutter in Steve Scalise. Tell them that the citizens of LA-01 deserve to have a Congresswoman who stand up and fight for them in the halls of Congress on the things that really matter - health care, jobs, money to rebuild their lives after Katrina, and that person is Gilda.
If you want to help out Don Cazayoux in LA-06, which encompasses the Capital Region of Louisiana, you can call (225) 336.3338 to ask how you can help. Or you can email them at info@doncazayoux.org. You can even stop in at their campaign HQ in Baton Rouge at 816 Main Street, Baton Rouge, LA 70802. And also, tell your friends in the Baton Rouge to get out and vote for Don if they want a Congressman that will stand up for the working families of the Baton Rouge area. Lord knows that his Republican opponent, Woody Jenkins is not going to come anywhere near helping out the working families of this district in a Democratic House when he keeps trashing the Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.
The move will bring 30 jobs to Baton Rouge, adding about $7 million in payroll to Baton Rouge. That's an average of more than $200,000, y'all. They're moving jobs for wealthy folks to Baton Rouge. YIPPEE! I'll be more impressed when they decide to open a manufacturing plant that employs the brothers from North Baton Rouge.
"As the governor came in, it became an easy decision."
Would that be the ethics session? Or the fact that Governor PBJ's wife Supriya used to work for Albemarle? Or the fact that Governor PBJ repaid Albemarle for their generous campaign contributions - Albemarle Corporation donated $5,000 to Governor PBJ's '07 campaign, Albemarle CEO Mark Rohr donated $1,000 to Governor PBJ's failed campaign against Blanco in 2003 - with the $4.2 million in relocation incentives? Or was it the nice tax breaks that Jindal secured for businesses here in Louisiana back during the 2nd special session that made them want to come here?
(GOTV is what is going to win this ballgame, people. I've learned that one the hard way on some campaigns ... Daschle in '04, the overnight poll the night before had us up 2%, and we lost by 2% for a swing of 4%. Anything can happen. We must not let up ... we must call, knock, and drive everyone we know that will vote for Don to the polls on Saturday. In the words of a GOTV mentor, GO! FIGHT! WIN! - promoted by ryan)
Edited for clarity ... ryan
Well, from Survey USA comes a poll showing that Don Cazayoux, with 3 days until the voting begins is poised to win this district.
The poll shows the following spread (with Anzalone Liszt's 4/15 results):
Candidate
Poll %
Don Cazayoux
50% (49%)
Woody Jenkins
41% (42%)
Other/Undecided
8% (?)
The cross-tabs are VERY interesting:
Among white voters, the Republican has a 5-point advantage. Among black voters, the Democrat leads 5:1.
Among voters age 50+, the Republican has a 5-point advantage. Among voters younger than 50, the Democrat leads by 20.
Among men, the contest is effectively tied. Among women, the Democrat leads by 19.
19% of Republicans cross-over and vote Democrat. 18% of Democrats cross-over and vote Republican. Independents break 2:1 for the Democrat.
Among voters who say that illegal immigrants should be forced to leave the country, the Republican leads by 14. Among voters who say that illegals should be penalized but allowed to stay in the country, the Democrat leads by 34.
Among voters who say Congress should continue to fund the war in Iraq, the Republican leads by 51. Among voters who say Congress should reduce funding for the war, the Democrat leads by 41. And among voters who say Congress should stop funding the war altogether, the Democrat leads by 80.
Hell, even the favorability numbers are impressive ... Cazayoux has favorable/unfavorable of 43/28, while Jenkins has favorable/unfavorable numbers of 36/49.
While all this certainly boosts my spirits, I must throw some cold water on y'all, and it has to do with the weighting that Survey USA did:
Of the likely and actual voters in this poll, 42% identified themselves as Democrats, 42% identified themselves as Republican. 15% identified themselves as Independents. Turnout in a special election is difficult to forecast. The outcome of this special election, in particular, is turnout dependent. If voters are older and/or whiter than SurveyUSA here foresees, the Republican will outperform these numbers.
(While I take my last final of my 2L year, enjoy Jim Brown's comparison of these two Governors, one of whom I'm betting will be chosen by McSame for his Veep pick. Both offer a strong contrast to McSame's old age, and seeming incompetence on every single subject under the sun. - promoted by ryan)
In the short list for vice president on the Republican side, two names that regularly appear are Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal and Florida Governor Charlie Crist. And as part of the discussion, there are naturally comparisons as to the economic progress being made in both states. One area where Florida leaves Louisiana in the dust is in insurance reform.
Crist has been in office a little over a year, and from the get go made insurance issues his front burner concern. When he took office in January of 2007, Crist called off his inaugural ball saying his full focus needed to be directed towards insurance reform. He called the Florida legislature into a three-day retreat with insurance restructuring being the only thing on the agenda.
In fairness to Jindal, he has only been in office four months but has yet to designate one official on his staff to be the point person for much-needed change in the Louisiana insurance laws. Meanwhile, the Florida Legislature has been dealing with high profile insurance issues as top priorities in its present legislative session. In the Louisiana legislature, insurance issues are rarely mentioned. The comparisons are striking.
Wow. Baton Rouge's CBS affiliate, WAFB-TV has pulled one of Freedom Watch's ads off the air due to the outright lies they packed into the ad, which ironically, was called "In God We Trust."
The ad alleged that Don Cazayoux wanted to make it easier to allow illegal aliens to get public health care benefits, when the truth is that Cazayoux is against amnesty for illegal immigrants and believes in cracking down on illegal immigrants and the employers that hire them. Freedoms Watch didn't even attempt to back up the claim with text to some statement, news article, or vote, mainly because they knew they were lying and figured they could get away with it.
Doesn't that sound like someone else we know? Perhaps a Republican candidate running for Congress? Named Woody Jenkins?
Send a strong message to these fools on Saturday and elect Don Cazayoux. He's the only candidate in the race with the decency to tell you the truth.
So I was reading blogs online this morning, and I came across this jarring post from 
Around 8 AM, when I ran some errands for my wife, I passed by the DCCC's office here in Baton Rouge, and saw that AWESOME sight of local folks waiting for their assignments, and getting ready to go remind their neighbors that it's Election Day. Which can only mean one thing ... time to go vote to send a Democrat to represent the 6th CD for the first time in 33 years ... and have the Capital Region represented by a Democrat for the first time since 1997!
For those of y'all worried about the turnout in the African-American neighborhoods ... I saw these signs all over the African American neighborhoods I drove through running those same errands this morning. Yes, they have the disclaimer of who it was paid for. That's what the little white box is all about on the lower left hand side. That sight warms me heart, as it means that former State Senator Cleo Fields has put his operation to work to get out the vote int the African American neighborhoods here in Baton Rouge. Ditto for Joe Delpit in North Baton Rouge. 
So, if you want to help out 
If you want to help out 
