Then there was East Baton Rouge Mayor-President Kip Holden, who introduced the first real note of public discord into the mix.
Holden wasn't happy that East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff Sid Gautreaux sought to impose a curfew
after reports of looting started cropping up — or, apparently, that
Gautreaux asked the governor to issue an executive order when Holden
declined to impose one.
Ok, so? Kip is the mayor. He isn't required to impose a curfew if he doesn't think it's the right thing to do. Curfews may have fallen into the default package of emergency response tools recent years but this doesn't make them defensible. A curfew is a constitutionally questionable and ham handed way of dealing with free people. Kip is perfectly within his right to question this course of action. In fact it's worth considering that, as the people's representative, he's obligated to do so.
But, oh noes, says Grace. He's introducing "discord." So what? Disagreement exists. Kip has a valid concern. He is completely correct to give his legitimate concern a voice. It is disturbing enough that political and law enforcement authorities continually seek to squash dissent at crucial moments like this. That we have a press who enable this tendency is obscene.
So Holden called the city's media outlets and airing his grievances. He said the restrictions could impose a hardship
on businesses and their employees, but also told WAFB that he had "no
issue whatsoever" with the curfew itself, "just the way all of this has
been handled." He added that he didn't "want to get into a back and
forth about the sheriff and myself," which kind of makes you wonder what
he wanted the audience to take away from the interview in the first
place.
You've
also got to wonder about the wisdom of second-guessing law enforcement
leaders — or seeming to, anyway — who are pursuing what seem like
perfectly in-the-box policies at times like this. That goes double for
law enforcement in the East Baton Rouge Parish, where many deputies
who've been out rescuing people, and who were already coping with a
summer of stress, have seen their own homes flooded.
That bolded line. Seriously, what the hell? Always second-guess "law enforcement leaders." To do otherwise is dereliction. That we fail to question is exactly how an automatic curfew becomes an "in-the-box policy" in the first place.
Here's the Advocate's run down. So far no sign of David Duke. But the purpose of his name having been floated at all was to make Steve Scalise talk about him so that's mission accomplished already. Bonus points for making him talk about Duke and Trump at the same time.
One of those leaders, U.S. House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, the
Jefferson Republican who ranks as third in the House leadership, said
the reason is that voters are frustrated with the direction of the
country. He said Donald Trump, the Republican presidential candidate, if
elected, would overturn regulations that has hampered economic growth.
Scalise
also called David Duke, the former Ku Klux Klan leader who is flirting
with a challenge to him, a racist with anti-Semitic, anti-Catholic
views.
Also of note in this article, Kip Holden and Cedric Richmond don't like one another.
Holden, who is term limited and must leave office in January, says he
has been approached by a number of constituents who felt that Richmond
was not doing his job, like attracting business to the district.
“If
there wasn’t a problem, I wouldn’t be running,” Holden said, “The
people of Baton Rouge have mostly been in the lost and found section”
for Richmond.
Richmond suggested that Holden should resign as
mayor of Baton Rouge if he planned to run for congress. The tensions
that have grown from the police shooting of Alton Sterling followed by
protests and the murder of three law enforcement officers requires the
focus of a full-time mayor.
Richmond, whose district includes
north Baton Rouge, said Gov. John Bel Edwards showed real leadership
during the crisis this month “because the mayor was locked in his
house.”
At the same time, though, we learned that both Richmond and Holden fully support abusive police tactics in Baton Rouge so what difference does any of this even make?
Other things happened. Joe Cao is running for some reason. Derrick Edwards qualified for Senate instantly negating his own declaration, "I am not a politician and I will never be a politician."
My name is Abhay Patel, and I’m a candidate for the United States
Senate. I’m a proud Louisianan, and I have the ability, experience and
vision to serve the people of this great state. If elected, I vow to stand for limited government, individual liberty and local empowerment.
Abhay Patel, a New Orleans businessman, also qualified to run for the
Senate as a Republican. “I’m the only candidate who never run for office
before,” he said.
But this is already a lie because of the day's one true bombshell announcement.
Kaitlin Marone, of New Orleans, qualified to run without party
affiliation, saying nobody is paying attention to the race right now and
she didn't want the Republican Party to appoint whoever they want to
the post.
Marone is a local comedian who we're pretty sure has never run for office before. [UPDATE: Confirmed!] Here is her first campaign ad (that we're aware of, anyway.)
To Holden it appears that many people are jockeying to assert themselves
as the leader of the crowds who are demonstrating on Sterling’s behalf,
and perhaps the people demonstrating in Baton Rouge should rally behind
one voice, but Holden does not believe he is the person for the job. He
said he doesn’t believe the demonstrators like him or will follow him.
It isn't mentioned in this article but Holden is running a quixotic campaign for Cedric Richmond's Congressional seat this year. Richmond has been much more vocal on the Sterling shooting than Holden who may trying to position himself as more "moderate" if that's really the word for craven refusal to immediately and unequivocally condemn police violence these days.
Louisiana’s everyone-in-the-pool primary system definitely has its
charms. But as the state gears up for this fall’s U.S. Senate election,
its quirky way of choosing candidates is turning the election less into a
contest of ideas and more into a multicandidate muddle.
A new poll by Southern Media & Opinion Research conducted for
Baton Rouge businessman Lane Grigsby pegs Republican state Treasurer
John Kennedy as the contest’s clear front-runner, followed at some
distance by his many rivals for the seat that U.S. Sen. David Vitter
soon will vacate.
The survey of 500 likely voters, taken May 19-23, put Kennedy at 32
percent, followed by U.S. Rep. Charles Boustany with 10 percent, Public
Service Commissioner Foster Campbell at 9 percent, U.S. Rep. John
Fleming at 5 percent, retired Col. Rob Maness at 4 percent, attorney
Caroline Fayard at 4 percent, former Alcohol and Tobacco Control
Commissioner Troy Hebert at 2 percent and Public Service Commissioner
Eric Skrmetta at 1 percent.
I'll never understand the continuing beef many Louisiana political writers seem to have with the jungle primary. Grace doesn't exactly slam it in that column. But she does say, "Things all would be clearer if the Democrats could choose their standard-bearer and the Republicans pick theirs." Which is a dubious thing for anyone who likes watching politics to wish for.
For starters, there's nothing preventing the parties from doing just that. In fact, they have been known to officially endorse one of several in a field. But what's great about the open primary is it can show just how little a party endorsement (and by extension the party itself) actually matters. This year, the Governor has already endorsed one of the Democrats. As the supposed standard bearer of the party that should hold at least some weight.
But, in reality, the Louisiana Democratic Party is an uncomfortable coalition of disparate personalities and power bases in perpetual competition with one another. Mitch Landrieu hasn't endorsed anyone yet. But he has close ties with Caroline Fayard and that could put him at odds with the Governor's backing of Foster Campbell. The open primary keeps these fissures out in the open and makes them relevant where a party primary would suppress and obscure them. Why, for example, is Kip Holden running against Cedric Richmond? And would that even be much of at threat in a closed party primary?
Besides, the 2016 Presidential campaign suggests the major party duopoly is in a state of flux anyway. A party controlled election tier has rarely made less sense than it does now. Barring some major constitutional reform, this will inevitably settle back down once the parties realign themselves. But right now, voters aren't connecting with either of them nationally or locally. A few weeks ago,Gambit ran a feature on increased interest in alternative parties. As of last October, a full 26 percent of Louisiana voters were registered with "minor" parties or no party at all. Compare that with the 28 percent registered as Republican.
And yet somehow the top two candidates in this (admittedly very early) Senate race poll are both Republicans. That does reflect the basic trend in statewide elections (last year's Governor's race excepted). More to the point, though, it reflects a more direct voter preference than would a process mediated by questionably relevant party structure.
State Rep. John Bel Edwards, a relatively unknown Democrat from a rural Amite, will be the state's next governor after toppling Republican U.S. Sen. David Vitter, R-La., in one of the biggest political upsets in the state's history.
Numbers are still coming in as I'm typing but look at it! It's 55-45 or thereabouts. That's about the max of what I had considered possible in my most optimistic moments this week. (I was less confident by the end of it but.. HAPPY TO BE WRONG) This was a complete drubbing. Vitter, once a dominant and feared figure in state politics, was beaten so badly he announced tonight that he's not even going to run for reelection to his Senate seat next year.
Some quick reactions:
- Vitter giving up his Senate seat will be good news for Charles Boustany and John Kennedy. The two have been conspicuous supporters of Vitter throughout the campaign and it's no secret that they both are interested in inheriting the office he's vacating. Neither will have to suffer the embarrassment of turning right around to run against him now.
Kennedy, shameless as ever, was quick to leap in front of a camera and begin kissing John Bel's butt the minute the race was called. He also said the state budget was like "Thelma and Louise headed toward that ditch," which sounds.. bad.. I guess? But maybe heroic.. it's not really that clear. Anyway, now that Vitter is going away and Bobby Jindal is almost gone, smarmy phony John Kennedy is probably the worst person in state politics right now. He's one of the favorites to be your next Senator.
- Clancy DuBos kept talking about how "stunning" it was that David Vitter lost his "home parish." Sure, it's notable. And it does tell you a lot about how bad a night it was for him. But "stunning" isn't the word simply because it can't come as much of a surprise. Just this week, even at the height of Vitter's refugee barrage, 25 Jefferson Parish politicos endorsed Edwards including, of course, Sheriff Newell Normand who we already know has an ax to grind with Vitter. If you're trying to win Jefferson Parish, it's not a great idea to be enemies with Newell Normand.
- TV newspersons also could not stop fawning over the "gentlemanly" manner in which Billy Nungesser and Kip Holden agreed not to attack one another during the runoff. Given the dirt these candidates could have slung at one another, it's likely this collusion was arrived at more out of a sense of mutually assured destruction than it was out of any sense of "civility." But our newspersons do enjoy their little fantasies about the nobility of our so-called leaders.
- Jeff Landry was elected Attorney General immediately making him the smart pick in next year's State Officeholder Stupid Scandal office pool.
-Edwards specifically thanked Jay Dardenne in his speech tonight. We're looking forward to learning what Jay is getting for his endorsement.
- The conventional wisdom post-mortem on this election will conclude that Vitter lost more than Edwards won. That's only partially true. Yes, it contrasts with the party line results in the other statewide races. And, yes, it is primarily a rebuke of the most despised person in state politics. But saying the result is just about those things unduly discounts the very well run Edwards campaign. Sure, Vitter's damaged status provided the opportunity, but greater opportunities than this one have been squandered by many an inept candidate.
I didn't care for the "Prostitutes over Patriots" ad and I thought the "me too" stand on refugees was pretty low (and potentially damaging) but otherwise it was a disciplined and sneaky smart campaign. Edwards proved to be a talented candidate. Bright but affable and not easily rattled, Edwards held up well in both debates. He presented as calm, clear-eyed, and "grown-up" without sounding condescending or pandering.
His victory speech was remarkable. Edwards spoke earnestly about some themes that typically come off as tropes in these situations; "bipartisanship," "putting Louisiana first," etc. while also emphasizing some things that might sound controversial in another context; diversity, public education (emphasis on public), and "protecting the environment."
Edwards may not have been well known before now but he is well-liked and respected in Baton Rouge. He's also known as a smart, savvy "doer." Because of the unique circumstances of his election, the press is likely to underestimate him politically. But some important fights are coming up in the next legislative session. Perceptions may change as he starts winning some of those.
- Finally, congratulations also to President Obama on another stunning electoral victory. Somewhere in Washington D.C. he's looking over these results and laughing with that one Syrian refugee Vitter told us John Bel sent up there to conspire with him. I hope he gave him a nice celebratory fist bump.
Don’t look for attack ads in the lieutenant governor’s runoff between Democrat Kip Holden and Republican Billy Nungesser.
“We have agreed that we are going to run a campaign dealing with the
issues at hand and not get into the mudslinging,” said Holden, who is
Baton Rouge mayor.
Nungesser, former Plaquemines Parish president, said he told Holden “I’m running nothing but positive ads.”
It started out one afternoon when Ray Nagin was relaxing in his office with his copy of Naomi Klein's The Shock Doctrine which he had been using as a how-to manual for governing post-Katrina New Orleans. Nagin would later offer this review of the book in an interview with Ethan Brown.
“I understand exactly the premise that they’re presenting,”
Nagin says, holding the book aloft, “that’s for sure. Look, man, after
this disaster there is big money! The shock-and-awe piece of what
they’re talking about is absolutely correct.”
Nagin was reaching for his highlighter when Jonathan Vilma and Gregg Williams burst into the room and slammed an envelope down on his desk.
Audio provided by filmmaker Sean Pampilon (who was following Williams around constantly at the time) reveals the following exchange.
"You want it?" Williams asks.
"[Expletive] no," a voice answers, as others in the room applaud.
"OK, it's $200 – you got it for a 'whack,' " Williams says. The rest of his words are drowned out by loud cheers.
We believe the "others in the room" at the time may have been Kip Holden and Bob Ellis although the only thing we're certain of at this point is that "Public Official A" is definitely Nagin.
Curiously Williams appears to have misspoken on the tape. As it turns out, the money was actually distributed in $10,000 increments by somebody named Fradella. Furthermore the money was not awarded for "whack" hits but instead for "cart-offs" of Fradella's granite.
During Nagin's tenure at City Hall, Fradella also donated "numerous
truckloads" of granite -- the document does not say what its value was
-- to the Nagin family's countertop business, Stone Age LLC.
Immediately upon leaving office, Nagin began working for Fradella as a
paid consultant, according to the document, which is signed by
Fradella. Fradella paid him $10,000 a month, an arrangement that lasted
until March 2011, roughly 10 months after Nagin exited City Hall, it
says.
None of these inaccuracies should surprise us, though, since anyone who watched the final minutes of the Saints-49ers Divisional Round playoff this year is aware that Gregg Williams never has any idea what he's doing or saying.
We're told that there may have once been some supporting evidence for the Nagin-Fradella pay for performance program at the bottom of an email to Nagin ,allegedly sent by Mike Ornstein but the email was subsequently erased by Greg Meffert. Meanwhile Jonathan Vilma is suing Roger Goodell for having been implicated in this business at all.
So everything seems pretty murky at this point. But Pamphilon, for his part, wants to remind us to please think of the children which he'll be available to do via any outlet that will give him air time.