Perhaps inspired by The Independent's "Don't Run" letter to Blanco, The Daily Advertiser published an editorial last week titled "Breaux Should Not Run for Governor."
Take it away, Daily Advertiser:
"Asking Breaux not to run is a significant request, but he proved during his tenure as a U.S. Senator that he could set aside partisan politics for the good of the state and the nation. His legacy is his ability to build bridges and help rival sides reach consensus."
The Advertiser praises Breaux's bi-partisan record and reputation and then asks him not to run. Why, you ask? "Imagine how heated, nasty and distracting the fight will get if Breaux runs," the daily paper says. "Leaders of the state's two major parties lack the self-discipline to focus on recovery if Breaux runs against the already-declared U.S. Rep. Bobby Jindal," The Advertiser opines. "They will focus on personal attacks, not public needs."
Ironically, the Louisiana GOP apparently agreed, as it immediately sent out The Advertiser's complete editorial as a press release.
The Advertiser implies that if Breaux stays out of the race, the Louisiana Republican and Democratic parties will suddenly be bathed in a collective ray of mutual respect, love and sunshine all the way through until Election Day. There will be no questioning of the opposition's record; no negative campaigning. As long as John Breaux's not around, Republican and Democratic leaders will be able to control their destructive urges and focus on the state's recovery.
If you believe that, FEMA's always looking for a good spokesman.
Exactly how our Republican and Democratic leaders would suddenly zero in on recovery efforts such as coastal restoration and an overhauled health care system without Breaux in the race is a mystery. The Advertiser says it welcomes "debate on those issues, as well as how to spend, invest, save and refund to taxpayers the state's surplus revenues. That question should not be resolved by a lame-duck governor and a legislative session filled with politicians jockeying for their own re-election or figuring how to dodge a term limit by moving from House to Senate."
So apparently The Advertiser recommends that Gov. Blanco and the Legislature should have some healthy debate but otherwise take off the next eight months until the next governor takes office.
If this all sounds confusing and illogical, don't fret ' you're not alone. Judging from a follow-up editorial it published three days later, even The Advertiser had second thoughts about its judgment on Blanco and the Legislature. "There is time left in her term for some good things to be done, and there are some good things on the Blanco agenda," wrote the paper. "In the months remaining, the governor may be able to implement needed legislation in such areas as education, the infrastructure, the economy and the quality of life of Louisiana's citizens. There could be a happy ending to her troubled tenure."
But The Advertiser digresses; its Blanco flip-flopping has nothing to do with John Breaux running for governor.
Elections are about residents casting votes and letting their voice be heard. Before Breaux's name could even go on a ballot in Louisiana, there are serious hurdles in his quest to be governor. First and foremost, there are legal questions to be answered about his residency status. Those are for our legal system to decide. And even if Crowley native Breaux's residency issue is resolved and he does run for governor, he currently trails Jindal by 30 points in the latest poll conducted by Southern Media & Opinion Research. (That's a wider margin than Jindal's 24-point lead over Blanco.)
As a barometer of how bizarre The Advertiser's Breaux screed is, consider the editorial "Opportunities Abound in '07" from The Monroe News-Star ' keeping in mind that Monroe is a conservative town which history suggests would strongly prefer a Republican governor. "Louisianans must not fear a contentious gubernatorial campaign: Competing political plans and competing campaign visions ought to collide in the Public Square," wrote the News-Star. "It's not always pretty when ideas compete, but political competition provides voters pause to reflect, to study and to question the state of their state. That's what citizenship is all about."
The paper concluded, "With no incumbent in the autumn race, this year's election can be less about pointing fingers and more about choosing paths."
We wholeheartedly agree.
Which brings us to back to the ultimate question: Given the media's long and cherished history of encouraging multiple points of view and the political process, why would The Daily Advertiser write an editorial asking John Breaux not to run? There are only two possible answers: its editors and publisher are either stunningly naive ' or transparently partisan. In both cases, with the most important governor's election in the history of Louisiana approaching, neither answer is comforting or acceptable.
MAY 22 This post was written the day after the second line shooting in NOLA, by Brentin Mock. Mock is a friend of Deb "Big Red" Cotton, a blogger who was shot in the back and was seriously injured. It is a raw, emotional piece of writing, something the writer obviously felt he needed to get off his chest. But it raises questions that can't be easily dismissed, and might give some insight into where the source of these events truly is.
MAY 22 In this Baton Rouge Business Report post, Rolfe McCollister considers the privatization of bus service in Baton Rouge. After decades of under-funding, it is a mess, and although a tax (partially) passed last year, improvement hasn't happened yet. McCollister apparently feels it is time to let private business get in on the transit business.
MAY 22 This post on Bayou Buzz by Jeff Crouere urges the defeat of a bill that would grant modest pay increases over the next several years to the state's judges and clerks of court. The state is in no position to fund pay hikes, Crouere argues, with the pay increases costing a total of $9 million over several years. It sends the wrong message to the (proverbial) hard-working people of Louisiana, he says.
MAY 22 The Advocate reports here that State Treasurer John Kennedy is complaining about a meeting of the corporation that oversees the state's tobacco settlement. The Governor wanted it restructured, and he has some support, but not a lot. The corporation agreed with his plan, but Kennedy didn't, and it appears that the meeting was noticed in a manner completely different than that of all previous meetings. Kennedy's given to hyperbole, but in this case the fish don't smell too fresh.
MAY 22 In this Advocate story, Carencro Police Chief Carlos Stout says the recent federal indictment of a strip club owner is all wrong. The indictment alleges that drugs and prostitution went on with impunity because club staff made arrangements with "local" police. Stout says it never happened, and while his cops do work security in the parking lot, they're not allowed inside.
MAY 22 This amusing post in DIG Baton Rouge recounts an ad that ran on Craig's List recently; the advertiser was seeking tenants for a Beauregard Town house. He knew his market, and wrote an ad that the most ironical hipster couldn't resist. Apparently, he really did know his market, because the ad worked like a charm.
MAY 22 In this post in The Lens, Mark Moseley comments on the rhetoric Gov. Jindal employed in trying to save his tax "reform" package. One interesting point concerns Jindal's use of his brother, Nikesh, in a little story. Nikesh left Louisiana because of his inability to get a decent job, the story goes, but the story won't hold water: Nikesh lives in DC, which has an income tax level comparable to Louisiana, Moseley says. If income taxes caused the dismal situation, it should exist in DC too. Right?
MAY 22 This post by columnist John Maginnis traces the trajectory of the bill that would fund construction at community and technical colleges -- and bypass the Board of Regents and traditional higher ed funding mechanisms. Sure, it will bust the legislature's self-imposed debt limit, but some leges feel that there's more need (because there is more growth) in the community and technical college area than in the university area, he says.
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