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Wednesday, April 19, 2006

Fireworks

Your Mayoral Candidates played a twi-night doubleheader yesterday taping a WLAE debate in the morning and staging a live one (and I do mean live one) for WGNO in the evening. Last night's episode had several memorable moments.
Among these:
  • Couhig continues to give the impression that he is somehow in cahoots with Landrieu despite their seeming ideological differences. Once again the two of them executed another apparently rehearsed question and answer maneuver. This time Couhig asked Landrieu (paraphrasing here.. all of my quotes are approximate) "Why do you think Ron Forman has resorted to running negative ads against you?" The resulting conversation revolved around Forman's desperation. Couhig continued to play the attack dog.. going after Forman and Nagin.. but laying off of Landrieu who he was much rougher with in the early debates.

  • Couhig's aggression finally got to Nagin who, about halfway through the session, snapped to life like a cranky old man roused from his nap to challenge the efficacy of Couhig's plan to sell city assets. Nagin actually had a point here but I'm afraid the audience may have missed it among all the "come on man" and "that's bull" Nagin rhetorical flourishes.

  • The classic moment of the campaign came later when Rev. Tom Watson challenged Nagin to explain his "double talk" meaning his tendency to contradict his own statements depending upon the make up (race) of his audience. Watson admonished Nagin not to "apologize for being a black man." Watson also challenged Nagin's assertion that the state is "holding up" reconstruction funds and let fly at Nagin with all of the fire and brimstone he could muster here declaring, "Ray Nagin is the problem! Ray you are lying! You are a liar!" At one point in this exchange Watson actually used the words "I rebuke you." Nagin's response to all of this was even better. During the reverend's tirade Nagin affected to bless Watson making the sign of the cross and shouting, "Pastor! God bless you!"

Oh and Mitch won this one... but who cares? This is the greatest series in the history of television. I can only point back to my comments on Monday's show and further lament that the end is near.

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