I'm very sad today

The mayoral primary is this Saturday. This means that my favorite TV show, the mayoral debate series, will soon be off the air. Over the past few weeks, we've let these candidates into our living rooms and I think they've all found their way into our hearts one way or another. And I think we've learned some things along the way. We've learned who the candidates are and what they look like. We've learned that some of them do not like to be touched. We've learned that it is difficult to participate in the debate if you are either in prison or maybe Disneyland.

Yes sadly we'll soon have to say goodbye to some of our favorite characters this weekend when we vote all but two off the island. Let's enjoy them while we can.

Last Night's Observations:

• For the first time in this series, Nagin looked pretty bad. He mostly foundered and waffled through some questions he should have knocked out of the park. I was expecting him to be more aggressive and start coming after Lanrieu, who has emerged as his most serious opponent. He appears to be just cruising until the runoff. This is a mistake. His worst moment came when he appeared to blame the school board for holding up the evacuation.


• After the WWL debate I speculated that Forman's strategy may involve buying Couhig out of the race. I don't think this is very far-fetched. Couhig is an opportunistic lawyer who will be as happy or happier to come out of this with a few bucks or some other in-kind deal than he would be if he won. After watching last night, I can't help but wonder if he has reached some such agreement with Landrieu's camp. Couhig, who spent the early debates attacking Landrieu at every turn, mostly laid off of him and instead took a few minor shots at Forman. The most eye-opening moment of the evening came when the candidates were allowed to question one another. Landrieu lobbed a softball question at Couhig about Nagin's management style allowing Couhig to slam Nagin. This looked very much like a rehearsed tactic through which Landrieu could use Couhig to attack Nagin. While this was going on, Nagin (to his credit, I believe) could be heard in the background commenting, "Whoahh it must be tag team time!" Because Nagin spoke up here, Norman Robinson, afforded him an opportunity to rebut.. which he backed off of timidly.


• The candidates were asked who they would endorse if they don't make the runoff. The answer to that question should have been, "What an inappropriate question, Norman. You are a wanker." Instead they all hemmed and hawed like doofuses.


• Two Peggy Wilson moments: Her reaction to the carnage in the wake of the storm, "Finally people see that corruption is not funny!" Later she went on a typically irrelevant tirade against the Morial and Barthelemy administrations calling them "dumb" and "corrupt" and "incompetent". Chris Matthews asked Wilson (who has herself been in politics for over twenty years) if there has ever been anyone in government in the state of Louisiana who she liked. Her answer, "No nobody." And there you have Peggy Wilson in a nutshell. Humorless, bitter, and would be dangerous if she wasn't so damn stupid.


• Tom Watson has spent much of the campaign talking about how he wants the federal government held fully accountable for the destruction of New Orleans via the failed federally designed floodwalls. We are all behind him on this and last night, with a national audience (not)watching on MSNBC he had an opportunity to really give 'em some hell. He failed to do so. This was probably the most disappointing aspect of the evening.

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