Kissing the Ring

Thought you'd have time for a breather didn't you? Instead the Mayoral runoff is off to a frantic start as the two remaining candidates scramble for support. Today's T-P does a good job of looking behind Forman's surprisingly quick endorsement of Landrieu in order to follow the money. The article quotes Nagin on the Garland Robinette show already on the attack against the "Landrieu Dynasty".

The mayor, however, appeared to rev up his runoff rhetoric Monday, taking an obvious dig at the Landrieu political tradition; Landrieu's sister, Mary, is a U.S. senator, and his father, Moon, was mayor of New Orleans. Speaking on WWL radio's "Garland Robinette Show," Nagin asked whether New Orleans residents would want to deal with a "political dynasty" where you would have to "kiss the ring to get things done."

Meanwhile, both candidates are paying homages of their own to the city's corporate power brokers, most of whom supported Nagin in 2002 and bolted to Forman in the primary. The paper seems to have little confidence that Forman's endorsement of Landrieu will dissuade capital from eventually flowing back to Nagin. While the article sites instances in which Landrieu has picked up backers, I think the tale is truly told by the number of players who remain "on the fence". Among these are Jimmy Reiss, Boysie Bollinger,and... whoever these people are.

While none of the Forman donors reached Monday pledged to return to the Nagin fold, one member of the Business Council of New Orleans said a group including members of the council and of Nagin's rebuilding commission will be raising money for the mayor because they fear Landrieu is too tied to the politics of the past. He agreed to discuss the effort only anonymously, but said their names will show up in Nagin's campaign finance reports.

And there you have it. Campaign backers who fly below radar. If you're "on the fence" right now, this likely means that you've decided to support Nagin but wish to do so quietly. You're probably a little embarrassed by the racial circus but, at the same time, you know where your bread is buttered. Despite Forman's endorsement, Nagin remains strong and is getting stronger. Especially if the racial circus continues to escalate... which it undoubtedly will.

Blogger spellcheck note: Speaking of racial circuses, spellcheck suggests the word "honkies" in place of "homages"