While Jindal contemplates upending public education in Louisiana by outsourcing it to private schools, no doubt breaking the teachers union in the process, the slow grinding of the Jindal crushing machine reaches new targets.
Two state agencies served notice Wednesday that they want to privatize some of their services by mid-year, moves that could cost more than 200 state employees their jobs. The proposals to outsource some jobs to private contractors were pitched to the state Civil Service Commission by the Office of Student Financial Assistance and three units of the Department of Health and Hospitals.
The commission will not act on the proposals until the agencies return with proposed contacts, indicating how much they cost and how much can be saved for taxpayers.Melanie Amrhein, executive director of the financial aid office, said the privatizing plan could cost 46 employees their jobs, mainly in student loan collections. She said the agency is allocated 136 positions now and 121 of them are filled.
This is on the heels of the Jindal-led privatization of the state's Medicaid plans, in essence turning over the Federal dollars meant to help provide healthcare to the poor to corporate healthcare giants for management. Like the inverse of the Affordable Care Act, this is government abdicating responsibility for healthcare for the poor, while simultaneously exposing Federal dollars to profit-taking.
That great sucking sound? That's the chute by which Jindal shovels public resources into the private trough. Faster and faster, without limit. Nothing public must stay.
After Perry left, walking by a mannequin wearing a Squat N’ Gobble T-shirt whose hand was raised above her head – a hand Perry tried to call on during a question-and-answer period -- a spirited discussion broke out in the restaurant, with some patrons waving Nobama ’12 bumper stickers. It was resolved, it seemed, after they determined that someone had left without paying their bill – and a Perry staffer agreed to pick up the tab.
It's really kind of sad. Some people believe this guy should be the leader of the free world. You know, some people like Bobby Jindal.
The poll shows Dardenne, a former state senator and secretary of state who has been the No. 2 elected official for 10 months, leading Nungesser in most demographics: 42 percent to 30 percent among men, 39 to 24 among women, 42 to 28 among white voters and 35 to 25 among African-Americans.
Dardenne's lead looks untouchable:
Faucheux, a former state legislator, said that among voters who have made up their minds, Dardenne polled 59.7 percent to Nungesser's 40.3 percent.
"Dardenne is clearly the favorite here," Faucheux said. "For Nungesser to have a chance to win, it would take a combination of a lot of things."
He would have to peel votes off of Dardenne, and that's not going to be easy to do, and beat Dardenne decisively among independent voters, and that's not going to be easy to do."
Meanwhile, the Secretary of State's race is a lot closer:
In the race for secretary of state, Faucheux said, although Tucker has a 5 percentage point lead over Schedler, that is because of his higher name recognition. Faucheux said with a 55 percent undecided factor in the race, "that makes the final two weeks of this campaign crucial. Either candidate still can win this race.
"Tucker leads Schedler 28 percent to 18 percent in the New Orleans-north shore area, while Schedler leads Tucker 23 percent to 20 percent in Acadiana and the rest of southwest and southeast Louisiana. In the Baton Rouge-central-north Louisiana area, Faucheux's poll has Tucker leading Schedler 27 percent to 19 percent. At least 54 percent of the voters in each area are undecided, Faucheux said.
But the money situations are quite different:
In other statewide races, Plaquemines Parish President Billy Nungesser filed a report showing he spent $1 million in less than a month on his bid to become lieutenant governor.
Nungesser’s biggest expense was advertising. Dardenne spent about $318,000 during the same timeframe.
As of Oct. 2, Nungesser had $819,668.99 and Dardenne had $514,296.55 to spend on the remaining weeks of the campaign.
So Billy's still got a big wad to spend for 10 more days. Jay's not too bad off himself, but his slow and stead campaign style looks like it's working again.
As for Tucker and Schedler, the money situtation was a little lopsided:
Between Sept. 13 and Oct. 2, Tucker outspent Schedler by nearly $94,000.
Tucker paid $117,556 to Teddlie Media Partners. Schedler’s biggest expense was $15,000 to 3 Lions Consulting for advertising and marketing.
Tucker had $608,428.53 on hand as of Oct. 2. Schedler had $352,940.55.
We like this ad by Tucker, if only because it's funny:
Will Democrat John Georges run against current Louisiana Governor, Republican Bobby Jindal?
According to Georges, “I am seriously considering it over the next two days."
That is what he told me by telephone late this afternoon after I received a press release (below) from his pollster, Verne Kennedy.
Georges ran against Jindal in 2007 but lost. At that time, he ran as a Republican.
Should Georges run, it will be a battle of the “money titans”.
Georges, who owns a billion dollar company, Georges Enterprise, can self-finance his campaign although when he ran for Mayor in the recent New Orleans election, he received a substantial amount from outside contributors.
As the poll indicates, Georges would run as a Democrat. Here is the relevant poll question from the Verne Kennedy survey:
12. John Georgesis a 50 year old Jefferson Parish businessman who built a billion dollar grocery business called Imperial Trading and created over thousands of jobs. He served on the State Board of Regents the governing board of higher Education under Edwin Edwards and Governor Mike Foster for seven years and ran for Governor last time againstBobby Jindalas an Independent and put up millions of dollars of his own money. He pledged not take money from anybody with a state contract. He pledged to eliminate income taxes from anyone over 65 years old and produced the Georges Plan forLouisiana. He donated millions of dollars to charities including schools, universities and churches. He pledges to not take a salary until the unemployment rate is cut in half and people are back to work. Once again he pledges to put up his own money. He was the only major candidate to sign the blueprint forLouisiana.
Knowing this, which candidate do you favor for Governor between (ROTATE ORDER)Bobby Jindal, a Republican orJohn Georges, a Democrat?
JOHN GEORGESIS A JEFFERSON PARISH BUSINESSMAN
WHO BUILT A BILLION DOLLAR GROCERY BUSINESS
CALLED IMPERIAL TRADING AND CREATED THOUSANDS OF JOBS*
All
Voters
Uncertain Voters Distributed
Bobby Jindal(R)
39%
48%
John Georges(D)
40%
52
Uncertain
21%
--
*Uncertain voters were distributed based on history of African-American voting for Democrats and white uncertain distributed based on history of undecided voting for incumbents.
The question speaks for itself, in that it encapsulates the core Georges message he would (attempt) to ennunciate during a campaign.
With a quiet qualifying period, all eyes will eventually settle on the billionaire late tomorrow afternoon. Georges states he would make his decsion by tomorrow.
In 2007, Georges contended with several well-finance opponents, including Walter Boasso and Foster Campbell. Both drew potentail votes from Georges, and he likely figures in a clear field, he could easily spend enough to get the votes he needed to push Jindal to a run-off. And then, all bets are off for Jindal, who would need every penny of the $8m he likely has to counter the Georges on-slaught.
By 5pm tomorrow, Georges will have to put his money where his mouth is.
A Hollywood script couldn't have sewn together events to epitomize the collapse of Democratic Politics in Louisiana any better than reality did this past week.
Throughout his tenure at the helm of Louisiana's organized labor movement, he was praised for his dedication. Even business leaders called him a man of integrity and a master politician and strategist.
"I never heard him raise his voice. Never heard him say a cuss word. But when he spoke, everybody listened," AFL-CIO state president Louis Reine said Sunday.
"He was very admired and respected by people he represented and by people who were on the other side of the issues from him," said Dan Juneau, president of the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry, the state's largest business lobby.
Our heartfelt condolences to his family.
But Bussie's death is a rather poetic symbol to Democratic causes in Louisiana. On a more realpolitik note, on the eve of qualifying, Democrats have resigned to a failure to field any candidates for the 7 major statewide races. First, Jindal will surely be unchallenged in the Governor's race:
"After much thoughtful consideration and prayer, my family and I have come to the conclusion that this is not the time for us to embark on a campaign for governor of the great state of Louisiana," Marionneaux said in a written statement. "It is, however, a distinct probability in the future."
Marionneaux's non-entry into the race leaves just Tara Hollis, a Haynesville special education teacher, as Jindal's only announced Democratic opponent. Based on the latest financial disclosure records, Hollis has less than $1,000 on hand for the race. Jindal has raised about $14 million since 2008 and had about $8.8 million on hand as of mid-July.
And poor Ms. Renee over at the LaDemo's HQ (which might just close after this year):
At state Democratic headquarters, Executive Director Renee Lapeyrolerie said, "I know it's down to the wire, but it's not out of the realm of possibility to have candidates announce." Despite recent polls portending a difficult time unseating Jindal, she said she has seen recent polls that "are encouraging for a Democrat to win statewide."
Down to the wire indeed. And it looks like the party is going to mosey right past the wire without even a peep.
Meanwhile, Republicans are licking their chops in the State Legislature:
Legislative races, like several of the statewide matchups, are expected to generate little drama. Vitter's Louisiana Committee for a Republican Majority has targeted 10 House seats and four Senate seats for GOP takeover. As of Friday, Republicans held 57 out of 105 House seats and 22 in the 39-member Senate. Villere said he would like to see Republicans emerge with "about 60 percent in both chambers," or the low 60s in the House and mid-20s in the Senate.
And so it goes. Mr. Bussie's death is not just a loss for his family, but personifies the closing of the door on the Democratic party in Louisiana for the next few electoral cycles.
Joel Chaisson, of Destrehan, has long been interested in filling the district attorney's seat. He is term limited in the Legislature this year and cannot run in October.
He said he "absolutely" would be a candidate on the March ballot for district attorney.
"It's something I've been talking about for the past 10 years that, when Harry Morel retires -- whenever that may be -- I would be a candidate," he said.
Joel Chaisson had been considering running for a statewide office in October, but he said on Tuesday that in light of Morel's resignation he will not be on the ballot.
"This is something I've always wanted to do," he said. "I like the fact that I've got these options, but at the end of the day coming home and representing the people of St. Charles Parish is something that I've always wanted to do and can't pass up."
Jeremy Alford reports that any other possible statewide Democratic candidates are cowering in the face of a Republican sweep:
Today, Democrats are still waiting, but not only on Marionneaux. New Orleans attorney Carolyn Fayard is on the ropes, too. She has reportedly been eyeing the race for secretary of state and deposited a $21,000 personal loan into her campaign account during the first quarter. Interim Secretary of State Tom Schedler has put up $150,000 of his own money to seek the job full-time, and House Speaker Jim Tucker says he plans eventually to raise in excess of $1 million for his bid for the same office. Party sources say both Fayard and Marionneaux are faltering a bit as a GOP sweep during the fall elections becomes more likely.
We face the very real possibility that no widely-supported Democratic candidates will challenge for any of the 7 statewide offices on the primary ballot October 22nd.
That's the state of the Democratic Party in Louisiana. There is none. But this story is more about Democratic politics in general. Think back, many ages ago (it was only 20 years ago perhaps) when Democrats dominated all of the top offices. Small, but passionate, pockets of Republicans forwarded their best candidates in hopes they would have a breakthrough. Dave Treen was that breakthrough when he was elected in 1979. Despite being the minority party for decades, Republicans fought to forward their ideals upon the electorate, even if they were constantly rejected.
What will the Democratic Party do when that is their only option? That time seems to be approaching. The time when Democratic politics is an unpopular, but legitimate, alternative with a few passionate believers hoping to one day recapture popular opinion. The question is whether Democrats will embrace the obvious: the party and the leadership must be toppled and replaced, and then rebuilt as a leaner, more focused and determined core of individuals that want to win the argument about ideas. Present the alternative, give people a reason to take a second look at your ideas. Be bold. Because this is the very bottom.
The poll of 504 likely voters, taken Aug. 13-18, shows voters initially favoring Jindal by a 59 percent to 30 percent margin in a head-to-head matchup, and it shows Marionneaux, a senator from Livonia who can't seek re-election because of term limits, with poor statewide name recognition.
But after poll respondents were read a paragraph of flattering information about Marionneaux and negative information about Jindal, the results flip-flopped, with 48 percent saying they would vote for Marionneaux and 40 percent for Jindal.
Similar to our friend Caroline Fayard, Marionneaux's poll release (if you can even call it that, since he refused to turn over data) contained some "massaged" numbers. The results of the hard push poll showing Marionneaux winning is not precise nor very useful. It controls for an environment in which Jindal is mercifully attacked while voters only hear positives missives about Marionneaux. Unfortunately for Senator Rob, his record and background will no doubt be assailed by the Jindalists if he gained any traction. His well-publicized fights over digressions having to do with his legal work with the State Ethics board would not go untested.
"When (voters) are introduced to me and my profile, they have a very positive opinion," Marionneaux said. "The question becomes: In a short time, can enough money be raised to defeat the governor?"
With less than two weeks before the start of the Sept. 6-8 qualifying period for the Oct. 22 primary, Marionneaux has little time to raise the money and mount a viable challenge to an incumbent who recently reported having more than $8 million on hand and plans to saturate the airwaves between now and election day with commercials touting his record.
And so is there anything better than a speculative poll that shows you winning the battle without having to fight it? Would Marionneaux use the fund-raising excuse to back out of a challenge in order to bolster his standing in his home-parish's Sheriff race?
And a last point to be made is this:
[Teepell] noted that it came from the same firm that produced a series of surveys last year that purported to show Democrat Charlie Melancon with a chance to beat Republican David Vitter in the U.S. Senate race.
Vitter beat Melancon by 19 percentage points, 57 percent to 38 percent.
The Cazayoux campaign released a poll they commissioned from Anzalone Liszt Research, which surveyed 500 voters, was conducted between September 17-21 and has a margin of error of 4.4%:
Jindal touts his "job creation" successes in his newest campaign ad:
That sounds nice, except that Louisiana has experienced one of the worst increases in unemployment throughout the country:
As you can plainly read from this chart shows that Louisiana's unemployment rate has doubled since Bobby Jindal took office. Surely, much has to do with the national economic problems, but it's easy to see that Louisiana's unemployment rate has increased faster and by a larger margin than most other states. In fact it has gone up 200%, from around 4% to about 8% today. And this is despite Bobby Jindal's fake "Louisiana miracle."
Louisiana and Mississippi posted the largest increases in unemployment from November to December, according to preliminary figures released today by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Both states saw a 0.8 percentage point increase.
Louisiana’s unemployment rate rose to 7.5 percent in December from 6.7 percent in November, while Mississippi’s rate increased to 10.6 percent from 9.8 percent.The national unemployment rate for December was 10 percent.
So, thanks Governor Jindal for your brilliant leadership on this issue. Or not.
Marionneaux , D-Livonia, said he is waiting for the results of a poll he commissioned before he decides. Marionneaux wouldn't say who is conducting the poll, but he said it was designed to "test Jindal's strength and or weaknesses and what is on the minds of voters across the state."Known for his support of a statewide indoor smoking ban and, more recently, repealing the state income tax, Marionneaux sounded like a candidate as he ticked off a list of issues where he thinks the incumbent is vulnerable: a state unemployment rate that has more than doubled since Jindal took office, the lack of cost-of-living adjustments for state pensioners, and Jindal's opposition to bills that sought more transparency in his office.
Georges, who ran a distant third to Jindal in 2007, said he and other businessmen commissioned the Florida-based Market Research Insight poll to see how strong Jindal is as the governor faces re-election Oct. 22.
Voters were asked twice whether they would vote to re-elect Jindal. The percentage responding in favor of voting for Jindal dropped after a number of issues — such as the governor raising campaign funds outside Louisiana — were raised during the survey.
“He needs nearly 70 percent of the white vote to win,” Georges said. “He starts at 60 and falls to 50. That is significant.”
So far, no well-financed candidates have announced plans to challenge the Republican Jindal.
Georges' polls are frequent and well-financed. With little other public polling on the Governor's race, they stand alone as the data points of decision makers:
Georges said he and unnamed businessmen have been doing polls for more than 20 years because they want to know what really is going on.
Verne Kennedy, founder and president of Market Research Insight, based in Gulf Breeze, Fla., said the survey represents roughly 75 percent of voters in an election with strong turnout.
“With 62 percent ‘re-elect’ among whites that equals just under 50 percent of all voters even if Jindal got 10 percent of African-American vote. In my experience, well-known incumbents with under a 50 percent ‘re-elect’ score have about a 50 percent chance of re-election if opposed by one or more strong candidates with financial resources to run a major campaign,” Kennedy said Friday.
Whether Marionneaux can effectively communicate the attacks to bring Jindal into a run-off is yet to be seen. Also yet to be seen is if Marionneaux can come up with enough money to make a dent. Marionneaux is expected to release his polling next week. Qualifying is only 2 weeks away, beginning on September 6th.
The dominance of the Republican Party in Louisiana is likely to be most evident when voters go to the polls Oct. 22 and look for a Democrat on the primary ballot for statewide offices.
Unless things change before Sept. 6-8 when candidates are to qualify for the election, few Democrats' names will be there.As pollster Bernie Pinsonat of Baton Rouge puts it, "Democrats may throw someone under the bus just so they can have a candidate. Without Democrats in statewide races, they're not helping legislative races' turnout.
"With Republicans holding every major office in state government and majorities in both the state House and Senate, "the Democrats' hopes have been dimmed in the past couple of years," Pinsonat said. "After this race, I think the lights may be turned out."
And what about our great white hope, Caroline Fayard? [Mostly GOP] Pollster Mr. Pinsonat had this to say:
"I don't know why she would run," Pinsonat said of Fayard's chances. In today's political climate, "I don't see a Democrat winning statewide -- even if you've got $2 million."
There was one strange, if perhaps mistaken nugget in the article:
Another rumored candidate in the secretary of state's race is Senate President Joel Chaisson, a Democrat. He has filed campaign finance reports for an "undecided" statewide office and has spent more than $61,000.
All we've heard is that Chaisson was considering a run for Attorney General. Secretary of State would seem like a strange turn considering Fayard's long-pending official entry into that race. However, if Fayard got cold feet and walked away from the altar, maybe Chaisson would see an opening? Still doesn't sound right and Chaisson has yet to make mention of the possibility.
Louisiana lawmakers are spending nearly $70,000 in taxpayer funds attending three conferences this summer, according to state House and Senate records.
About two-thirds of the money will be spent in-state as 31 legislators attend the American Legislative Exchange Council’s meeting Aug. 3-6 in New Orleans.
The rest of the money is associated with legislators attending the Southern Legislative Conference July 16-20 in Memphis and the National Conference of State Legislatures meeting Aug. 8-11 in San Antonio.
So what is ALEC?
ALEC is a 2,000-member organization that according to its website “advances Jeffersonian principles of free markets, limited government, federalism and individual liberty.” Its membership includes legislators as well as business interests.
Taxpayer dollars in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Tennessee and Kansas are being spent to fund state lawmakers' memberships in the conservative American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), which provides model state legislation drafted with the help of big business.
...
The public money is helping to fund the activities of an organization dedicated to drastically cutting government spending and whose non-profit status is currently being challenged by Common Cause, which contends that ALEC is essentially a lobbying organization. Corporations are given a direct role in drafting the model legislation that ALEC urges states to adopt -- legislation that, if enacted, often benefits the same corporations.
And who is the featured speaker this year? Bobby Jindal.
It's like the perfect nexus of freedomworks-style astroturfing with the lead corporate give-away artist, Bobby Jindal, at the helm.
Feel free to contact them (find contact info at house.louisiana.gov or senate.legis.state.la.us) and thank them for using your tax money to learn how to pass the agendas of big corporations that are no doubt unaligned with your interests.
Your corporate, bought and paid for legislature. Don't wonder why big business wins most of the time. Just wonder why it doesn't win all the time.
Monday marked 90 days until the October 22nd primary election, and therefore meant the first filing deadline for Statewide candidates. Here's a quick rundown of what everyone reported, by race:
Our quick take: Jindal is running away with the money crown this year. He raised a healthy $313k, but more importantly, he continued to dole it out prodigiously. Jindal spent over $1m in the past 4 months, mostly on events, travel and mailings. With only 3 months to the election, he's well situated to combat any challenges and looks virtually unbeatable at this late stage of the game.
Our quick take: Dardenne burned it up over the past 4 months, culling the largest haul of the field with $458,000. Dardenne continues his popularity with the moderate business-first Republican crowd, especially in Baton Rouge. Even with this large take, he still can't eclipse Plaquemines Parish President Billy Nungesser's $1.1m on hand. Of course, Nungesser loaned his campaign a healthy amount, but he's also no fundraising slouch. As a challenger, he'll need a healthy warchest to take Dardenne on. Some might say Nungesser is the Jindal candidate, considering the known unease between the Dardenne and Jindal camps. Nungesser's parish presidency continues to be under cloud of Federal investigation, but otherwise, he should be an aggressive challenger to Dardenne in the fall.
Attorney General:
Buddy Caldwell raises $51k, with $480k on hand.
Joel Chaisson (unannounced) raises $20k, has $139k on hand
(UPDATE) Joe Cao raised $20k, with $104k on hand but loaned himself $100k for the race.
Our Quick Take: Buddy's conversion to the Republican party hasn't exactly set his fundraising operation on fire. He continues to limp along with mediocre numbers, although having $480k on hand isn't bad. Chaisson hasn't even stated he'll be in this race, but if he wants, he could easily match and surpass Caldwell's anemic fundraising pace in several weeks. Trial lawyers will be salivating to elect one of their own, especially one so perfectly pedigree'd as Chaisson.
(UPDATE) Cao's raise was small and not surprising. He's had very little notice in the race, except for his announcement. Throwing $100k of his own money in the race makes some waves, however. Caldwell shouldn't ignore Cao if he's going to have real money to throw at this contest.
Secretary of State:
Schedler raises $79k, $171k on hand.
Hines raises $62k, $205k on hand.
Fayard raised $20k, with $19k on hand.
Tucker, Angelle unfiled
Our Quick Take: The big surprise here is Schedler getting with the picture and starting to actually fundraise. Previously, he was relying on a $150k loan to himself as his sole campaign contribution. Raising $79k for this race isn't that bad, but it also isn't so great either. With only $171k on hand, it's going to be hard to imagine how he'll keep up when Caroline Fayard, Jim Tucker and (possibly) Scott Angelle get cranked up. Speaking of those three, Fayard makes headlines by not raising or doing much of anything positive in the past few months. She was spotted at the LaDemos J-J dinner this past weekend, but her filing still says "Statewide" as opposed to "Secretary of State." Has she still not decided what she is running for? Of course, she announced earlier that she was absolutely getting into the Secretary of State's race, but has she rethought her position now that the competition looks a whole lot stiffer if Tucker and Angelle get in? She'll be able to raise the money she needs, from her own family most likely, later this year, so her fundraising totals don't really mean much. As for Tucker and Angelle, neither have filed because neither seem to have decided that they will run. Tucker is very heavily leaning towards doing so, and Angelle has been said to be very interested as well. But so far, nothing to report.
Just to round out the statewides (all of whom have no announced competition):
Agriculture Commisioner Mike Strain has $431k on hand, $41k raised.
Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon has $619k on hand, with $133k raised.
And finally, Treasurer John Kennedy has a cool $1.9m on hand, raising $224k. This will suit him nicely in 4 years when he runs for Governor.
State Sen. Rob Marionneaux, D-Livonia, said Monday that New Orleans area businesspeople looking for a suitable candidate to oppose incumbent Bobby Jindal are pressing him to run for governor.
“I think anybody who gets in the race garners 40 percent of the vote,” said Marionneaux, who is term-limited from seeking another term as senator and has cooled on a previously announced bid to run for sheriff.
So far, Jindal's only announced opponent is a North Louisiana schoolteacher.Marionneaux admitted it would be a difficult task to made a late start in the statewide race against an incumbent with a $10 million war chest.
“But I don't think it's insurmountable,” he said. “I've always liked challenged, and that certainly would be one.”
First order of business: Marionneaux only has about $205k in his campaign warchest. That would likely be expanded by Statewide Democratic sources, probably up and over $2m. But would that be enough?
Second, Marionneaux continues to have ethics issues relating to his law practice. Not exactly the type of storyline you want to take up against "gold-standard" Jindal, despite Jindal's own ethical failings.
We consider this the very first actual (maybe) candidate for Governor from the Democratic side. And, despite his flaws, it's something to be mildly pleased about. Marionneaux was a good populist Democratic vote on economic issues, and pushed hard for the elimination of the state income tax. However, Marionneaux's stances on undocumented aliens couldn't be called progressive by any stretch.
Either way, we're eager to have a legitimate top of ticket candidate emerge. And Democrats could do a lot worse.
Serial political entertainment candidate John Georges gave an enlightening interview the other day, and we would be remiss if we didn't pass it along. Remember, Georges put $10m in a campaign lock box for safe keeping. No reason was given at the time, although $10m is a lot of money to NOT spend on a Governor's race. However, if you read between the lines in this interview, the Statewide seat Georges most covets seems to be Lieutenant Governor:
Q: Your campaign report says “any statewide office” Does this mean you are considering running for lieutenant governor instead?
A: The lieutenant governor’s job used to be just, in effect, “there to serve in case the governor couldn’t”, with no real responsibilities. But since 1986 the lieutenant governor has served as the secretary of the Dept. of Culture, Recreation, and Tourism. That’s a real opportunity to serve, by coming up with innovative ways to grow jobs in Louisiana. We haven’t even caught up with our pre-Katrina tourism. And I have some ideas for ways to do this that do not involve relying on the federal government. We need our own plan to fix the economy in Louisiana. We have tremendous natural resources. We endeared ourselves to people around the country with the recovery from Katrina and Rita and then the Saints win on top of that. We are not taking full advantage of the goodwill people nationally and internationally have for us and our own resources. I know could make a difference there, especially if I could be instrumental in causing one of the airlines to locate a hub here. We go after hub airlines because of the jobs they create and also because they bring leisure and business travelers to Louisiana.
Like most insanely rich folks, Georges has the luxury of keeping his options open:
Q: You ran for governor four years ago. What’s your perspective on the state after four years?
A: I have the same concerns for Louisiana that I had four years ago, but they’re even more acute. The economy is in bad shape. There’s no point in pointing fingers because doing that wastes energy you could be using enacting solutions. I see solutions! I see the opportunity to persuade retirees and business owners to come home. I see opportunities to improve education. My oldest child is graduating from high school and going off to college. My wife and I have been able to provide her with a great education, but not all Louisiana children have that opportunity because we’ve been letting them down in K-12. I’ve been blessed and it troubles me to see other people not have the opportunities they deserve because of poor political leadership and a troubled economy. My parents taught me that if you have the ability to help people, you don’t have the option not to try. I know that may sound corny, but that’s how I was brought up, its who I am, and why I am looking for a chance to serve this state.
Look, Georges has always been a mostly earnest, if clumsily-directed, political player. He doesn't fit in any particular category except "Rich Guy Who Thinks He Knows Better." And to tell you the truth, his ideas aren't as dangerous as some of the tea-tards. These days, we might be better off if the dopey, but generous, Georges were Lieutenant Governor. He's entertaining, and as commitment to Greek cultural ventures testifies, he's genuine about his interest in promoting culture as economic development.
It's certainly a better idea than running for Governor.
Yes, three large bogeys for Democrats statewide to concern themselves with. First, of course, is the seemingly inevitable reelection of Bobby Jindal. He'll be steamrolling to a 50+1 victory on October 22nd (that'd be two straight), while trying to find some way to spend all of that state campaign money he's raised. It'll probably be around $10-12m when he reports on July 25th, and no matter how many TV buys he makes, he'll be hard pressed to find places to put all of that cash for his own race against... nobody.
Therefore, Jindal will be spending prodigiously unseating unfriendly legislators, largely Democrats. If he were to spend something like $2-3m (which is a number his henchmen have bandied about), Jindal could easily swing close elections in legislative seats statewide.
That's two, but what about a third? We always knew the State Republican Party would be spending heavily to elect Republicans (as they should), but now we get more of an idea of the scale of the operation:
Gov. Bobby Jindal is getting involved in legislative elections this fall, working with the state Republican Party on fundraising efforts to bring more GOP members to the Louisiana Capitol.
Jindal sent an e-mail to supporters Wednesday seeking donations for the Victory Fund, a GOP fundraising arm focused on state legislative races. In the e-mail, the governor says he asked the state Republican Party to create the fund to help elect "more conservative reformers" to the House and Senate.
The effort is similar to the fundraising and campaign work done by U.S. Sen. David Vitter's Louisiana Committee For A Republican Majority — but it's unclear whether the two are coordinating their efforts.
Jindal says the Victory Fund has raised $700,000 for the election, with a target of $2 million.
And that's three. From a money perspective, it's going to get ugly. Jindal also writes that the victory fund, as enabled by law, will coordinate with campaigns in ways outside money cannot:
"Unlike other efforts, the LA GOP's Victory Fund can coordinate directly with targeted campaigns to spread our conservative message and get-out-the-vote for our targeted candidates to win elections," Jindal wrote in the e-mail.
Butch Gautreaux was first elected to the Louisiana House of Representatives in 1996. He quickly ascended to the Louisiana State Senate in 2000 and has served three consecutive terms, representing District 21. Last year, Gautreaux ran a grassroots campaign for Lieutenant Governor. Caroline Fayard, who had been virtually unknown in Louisiana politics, won the Democratic nomination, though she was subsequently defeated by Republican Jay Dardenne. Most recently, Senator Gautreaux, who is prevented from running again for his Senate seat because of term limits, made headlines after delivering a passionate and detailed speech about the failures of Governor Bobby Jindal. It was one of Senator Gautreaux's final acts on the floor of the Louisiana State Senate, his farewell address, if you will.
Lamar: If you were Governor, what are the first three things you would do immediately?
Senator Gautreaux: If I were Governor, my top three initiatives would all involve communications. I've observed Governors become more and more removed from the citizens of Louisiana. There was a time not too long ago when a citizen could actually get the Governor on the phone. Understandably, that can't routinely happen, but there are cases where, once screened, a return call should come from no one but the Governor.
# 1 would be to open communications with all citizens of Louisiana by regularly doing a thirty minute briefing on the Internet. I would allow for a fifteen minute message from me, followed up with another fifteen minutes of Q and A.
#2 I would provide legislators the time to visit with me. I would allow for one-on-one meetings for any State purpose, asking the legislator if they would want anyone else there and recommending but not requiring that I be allowed to get information in advance to be prepared.
#3 I would have a regularly scheduled press conference to address anything having to do with the office I hold. I would ask that people and personalities be put aside and have discussions of the issues.
Lamar: Can you explain the situation with the Office of Group Benefits and why it should matter to Louisianans?
Senator Gautreaux: Every taxpayer should be up in arms about the potential sale of the Office of Group Benefits.
Since we the taxpayers are responsible in most cases for 75% of the premium dollar, selling off the PPO plan will cost the State (taxpayer) at minimum an additional $100 million annually for State workers health insurance.
Any and all private insurance companies are in the business to make a profit; OGB doesn't look to make a profit. Any and all private insurance companies must give investors a return on investment through increased share price and/or dividends; OGB doesn't look to make a profit. Any and all private insurance companies have to pay for advertising and marketing their product; OGB doesn't have to; it has a captive market of State employees.
OGB provides competitive premiums through efficient management, effective discount demands of providers, and a health management program to keep costs down by keeping members healthier.
All of this has provided the State with lower premiums, a healthier work force, and a healthy cash reserve.
Lamar: You supported President Obama in 2008. How was your support received by your constituents?
"The party is far from being over," Leach told the Press Club of Baton Rouge. "There are cycles (of wins and losses) ... and we have been in one. It is coming to a conclusion."
Leach said seven of the state's big-city mayors are Democrats, and hundreds of locally elected officials are Democrats.
Imagine that. Democrats are on the rebound! Hundreds of local officials are Democrats! In Dixecrat Louisiana! It's like saying after the iceberg that the parts of the titantic that are still above water are a really fine ship! Of course they are! That's the way it's been. Let's talk about trends, shalln't we?
Republicans occupy all seven statewide offices, Republican Gov. Bobby Jindal is a clear favorite for re-election and the GOP won control of the Legislature this year for the first time since Reconstruction.
Leach said there are about a dozen Democrats who can run for statewide office now, although he did not say which ones might be running for specific races.
Good god. How long will this dance continue? When are these mystical candidates going to start raising funds, introducing themselves to voters, defining their positions, etc.?
Some of the Democratic names Leach mentioned as possible statewide contenders this fall are:
Businessman and former Secretary of State Al Ater of Ferriday;
Sen. Sharon Weston Broome of Baton Rouge;
Unsuccessful gubernatorial candidate and Public Service Commissioner Foster Campbell of Elm Grove;
Senate President Joel Chaisson II of Destrehan;
Unsuccessful lieutenant gubernatorial candidate Caroline Fayard of New Orleans, who reportedly is organizing a campaign to run for secretary of state;
New Orleans businessman and unsuccessful gubernatorial candidate John Georges, who has loaned his campaign for "a statewide office" $10 million;
Tara Hollis of Haynesville, a retired teacher
Sen. Eric LaFleur of Ville Platte
Sen. Karen Carter Peterson of New Orleans
Sen. Lydia Jackson of Shreveport
Sen. Rob Marionneaux of Livonia
Terrebonne Parish Council Chair Arlanda Williams
And for what offices? When? Have they been consulted by the party? It seems like you'd want at least one of them to have launched a formal cmapaign before you throw their names out there. Buddy is going with a strategy to publicly "call out" people to run.
Let me repeat that. The party chair is actually begging someone to run by publicly naming folks that have hardly even commented on the subject. Seems a little desperate, right?
Leach will discuss his party’s future in Louisiana and provide his forecast for Democratic challengers to GOP incumbents seeking election to six statewide offices on Oct. 22.Press Club meets on Mondays at De La Ronde Hall, which is located at 320 Third St. in downtown Baton Rouge. Lunch, which is served at 11:30 a.m., is $12 for members and $15 for non-members.
ontemplates upending public education in Louisiana by outsourcing it to private schools, no doubt breaking the teachers union in the process, the slow grinding of the Jindal crushing machine reaches new targets.
Jindal-supported Presidential Candidate, and now notorious dolt, 
back in the mix for Governor, according to... John Georges.
ek until qualifying, it looks like big time Democrats are taking a pass on this year's statewide elections. Senate President Joel Chaisson, rumored as recently as two weeks ago to be a candidate for Lieutenant Governor, 
b Marionneaux finally brandished the poll numbers he has so recently been touting. In selected releases to the media, 
0 days until the October 22nd primary election, and therefore meant the first filing deadline for Statewide candidates. Here's a quick rundown of what everyone reported, by race:
d i
Serial political entertainment candidate John Georges gave an enlightening interview the other day, and we would be remiss if we didn't pass it along. 
First, of course, is the seemingly inevitable reelection of Bobby Jindal. He'll be steamrolling to a 50+1 victory on October 22nd (that'd be two straight), while trying to find some way to spend all of that state campaign money he's raised. It'll probably be around $10-12m when he reports on July 25th, and no matter how many TV buys he makes, he'll be hard pressed to find places to put all of that cash for his own race against... nobody. 
