[UPDATE: The $18 million for the barataria Land Bridge Project is NOT an earmark. It's in legislation that Senator Landrieu authored.]
Oh, I love all the material that Republican Senate Candidate John Neely Kennedy is giving us all to work with these days. I received an email from his campaign last night:
On the same weekend The Associated Press (AP) released a comprehensive report on our broken system of earmarks saying there is "no end to what has become ingrained behavior in Congress," State Treasurer John Kennedy's opponent for Senate vehemently defended more of the same in Washington.
In a shocking defense of the status quo, the Monroe News-Star quoted Mary Landrieu saying: "I beg to differ with anyone who is against earmarks."
Huh. I guess Mr. Kennedy doesn't appreciate the most recent earmarks for health care and national defense that Senator Landrieu has recently been able to get for Louisiana:
$300,000 for Community Hospital Telehealth Consortium information technology networks
$350,000 for Point Coupee Better Access Community Health to sustain a community-based clinic and diabetic outreach program
$1,500,000 for Saint Bernard Health Center, Inc. for construction, renovation and equipment
$750,000 for Dillard University, recruitment and training program for nursing assistants and home health aides
$200,000 for Northwestern State University of Louisiana, nursing education program
That's $3.1 million that Senator Landrieu was able to secure for Louisiana. You know what's even more impressive about these earmarks?
I would hope that Mr. Kennedy would recognize the bullshit his team is spinning about earmarks being necessarily bad. In this case, those "terrible and evil earmarks" would help the health care system take better care of Louisianans.
And I'm not even mentioning the stunning hypocrisy of Mr. Kennedy in this attack on Senator Landrieu, as he himself has, on occasion, you know, approved earmarks himself:
As treasurer, Kennedy serves as chairman of the state Bond Commission, which has approved hundreds of millions of dollars in recent years for groups that otherwise appear as earmarks in Louisiana's budget bills. Between 2004 and 2007, the Bond Commission approved $225,000 for the Louisiana Yambilee Building, $2.6 million for the Shreveport Little Theatre, $77.9 million for the Audubon Institute and $12.9 million for the Acadiana Arts Council.
Can you PUH-LEEEEZE stop with the hypocrisy, Mr. Kennedy? Pretty please?
I know the NewOrleansbloggers have been all over it. But I want to highlight some grafs that caught my eye, as they show how Karl Rove installed Governor PBJ in the Governor's chair with the actions of the White House in the aftermath of the Federal Flood:
On Monday, August 29, 2005, at about 6:00 a.m., Hurricane Katrina slammed into the coasts of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. A category 5 hurricane until just before landfall, it was one of the worst storms ever to hit the Gulf Coast. Kathleen Blanco, the governor of Louisiana, had been briefed extensively about what to expect when the storm hit, which was why, on the Friday night before the storm reached the coast, she signed papers declaring Louisiana to be in a state of emergency. Based on what she had been told by her advisers and what she knew from being a native Louisianan, she understood that Katrina, creeping gradually toward land with sustained winds of a strength rarely seen in a hurricane, could prove to be catastrophic for Louisiana, and particularly for New Orleans.
The first evidence of Rove's involvement in the Katrina disaster occurred on Tuesday afternoon. "Rove understood what a nightmare this was for the president," Senator Mary Landrieu of Louisiana says, "so he went into high gear on the spin thing they're so good at in the White House. Rove had David Vitter, the Republican senator from Louisiana. I was at a press conference and David Vitter walked up to the mike and said, 'I just got off the phone with Karl Rove.' I looked at the governor and she looked at me, like, 'Why is David Vitter on the phone with Karl Rove?' I mean, he could have been talking to generals, the president himself, but Rove is just a political hatchet man."
I remember hearing in the BSM at some point that the Administration was saying that Governor Blanco had not signed the papers that would declare Louisiana to be in a state of emergency. I also find it interesting that Sinator Vitter would be more concerned with chatting with the White House's political advisor, rather military generals to help coordinate the federal government's relief mission in New Orleans.
In short, Rove was going to blame Blanco for the failure of the response in Louisiana, and to do that he was going to use Nagin. He had already set the plan in motion on Tuesday with Nagin, who, even though he was a Democrat, was so close to the Republican Party that some members of the African American community in New Orleans called him "Ray Reagan." In 2000, Nagin had actually contributed $2,000 to Bush's campaign when he ran for president.
Rove knew of Nagin's ties to the Republican Party, so more than likely Nagin could be convinced to level his criticism at Blanco and to support Bush when he could. Here was Rove's strategy: Praise Haley Barbour, the Republican governor of Mississippi; praise Michael Brown and FEMA; blame Blanco, the Democrat. It was not a stretch for Nagin. He and Blanco so disliked each other that in Blanco's last race Nagin had endorsed her opponent.
C. Ray seems to be a changed man after Katrina, at least with respect to his party loyalties. He's actually endorsed Obama, and is amazingly enough, a superdelegate to the Convention. His effectiveness as Mayor is altogether another story.
So, Louisiana, you can thank Karl Rove and the BSM for installing wonder-boy Governor PBJ in the Governor's mansion. Had they NOT played politics with people's lives, PBJ might just be another ineffective Republican congressman. Alas, we're going have to deal with him for at least 3 more years.
Don't forget ... April 22nd will have John Kennedy showing his love for George W. Bush and David Vitter. Here's one question for John N. Kennedy:
You ran for re-election to the State Treasurer post last fall saying that the "job was not yet done." Is it done now that you're running for Senate, a mere 5 months later?
I want to highlight Senator Landrieu's response. It's a very concise and biting response, yet remarkable in its civility. Perhaps all the interest groups in Washington, and the GOP echo chamber that likes to smear their opposition can learn a thing or two ...
" ... tonight is a night for setting priorities, and several important ones were left out.
By the way, where's Kennedy's response? I haven't even heard from the man since he sent out the mailer telling us all why he was running for the Senate. Just so y'all know ... he lied. He's running because Karl Rove and Co. convinced him to.
"I will continue to fight for a commitment from the President to become a stronger partner in our recovery this year by cutting through the red tape that has slowed our progress. We need to ensure that Road Home Grants are not taxed, and I will fight to include a fix in the economic stimulus package. The President tonight warned against 'loading up' the stimulus package, but preventing the Federal Government from taxing our rebuilding is precisely the stimulus the Gulf Coast requires.
"We need to move past partisan division and quickly pass the Farm Bill to give our 200,000 Louisiana farmers assurance that we will reauthorize, improve, and reform critical farm programs through 2012.
"We need to stop delay and start turning dirt for 100-year hurricane protection for the New Orleans region, which requires $7.3 billion the President has already identified. We need to include these funds in the upcoming supplemental and must make sure the cost-share is not too onerous on Louisiana.
"I hope that 2008 can be a year that we can invest in our school system to protect our children's future. I agree with the President that we need to reauthorize and fully fund the No Child Left Behind Act, which I was proud to help craft as part of a bipartisan coalition six years ago. But we do not need the approach the President called for tonight. Rather, we must provide children with quality choices in a quality public school system. We must strengthen the public school system by supporting innovation and improving neighborhood schools.
"The President also emphasized the importance of keeping our children safe and healthy, but he continues to veto essential health insurance programs for them. I will continue the fight to provide health insurance for the 4 million otherwise uninsured low-income children.
"The President expressed tonight a common hope of finding bipartisan paths forward. I agree. We campaign as Democrats and Republicans, but we serve as Americans. We must fight together to provide our working families with the economic security and prosperity they deserve."
As y'all know, I have yet to declare my preference for one of the Democratic candidates running for President. I think any of the three left - Clinton, Edwards, and Obama - will defeat any nominee that the GOP puts up. But it will not be without a fight. And it will be a knock-down drag out brawl worthy of city politics in New York, Chicago, or hell, even New Orleans.
We all know what they're gonna say about Clinton. We will re-fight all the bullshit put out there about them back in the 1990's.
They'll call Edwards a commie, a socialist, perhaps even resurrect the angry meme they used against Howard Dean.
But Obama ... oh, the darkest aspects of our society will be on display for all to see. And whomever the GOP nominee is, I hope and pray that he'll have the decency not to engage in it, as I fear that asking him to denounce it would much too much to ask.
"Obama is holding his own against both of [the Clintons]- doing more than his share of the 'spade' work. Maybe even gaining ground at the moment. Using not only the spade ladies and gentleman- that when he finishes with the 'spade' in the garden of corruption planted by the Clinton's, he turns to the 'hoe.' And so the spade work and his expertise using a hoe."
-- Rush Limbaugh, being incredibly unfunny.
"He is often lazy, given to misstatements and exaggerations and, when he doesn't know the answer, too ready to try to bluff his way through."
-- Karl Rove, describing Sen. Obama.
Louisiana: According to Bob "Count Chocula" Novak, the Republicans may have their challenger to Senator Mary Landrieu:
John N. Kennedy, Louisiana's conservative Democratic state treasurer, is expected to change parties and run against Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu as a Republican at the urging of White House aide Karl Rove, despite harassment from the Democratic-controlled state legislature.
So Treasurer Kennedy shall forever be tagged as "Karl Rove's boy." Last November, Bush's disapproval in Louisiana was already over 50%. I wonder what it is now. I wonder what Karl Rove's is?! I hope Rove comes to Louisiana frequently and fundraises for Treasurer Kennedy - it should be as effective as Joe Lieberman fundraising for Susan Collins.
So what's Treasurer Kennedy's reputation? What's your gut reaction on the challenge Kennedy could offer Landrieu? Any possibility that there could be a Republican Senate primary battle between Treasurer Kennedy and either (or both) Secretary of State Jay Dardenne and/or Rep. Richard Baker?
