Monday, May 08, 2006
Who will Rep. Jindal endorse for mayor of N.O.?
The
Gambit Weekly asks whether
Rep. Bobby Jindal will make an endorsement in the New Orleans Mayor's race. That's a good question. His district includes portions of New Orleans, yet according to the Gambit's political "Scuttlebutt" column, Jindal's press secretary has been avoiding the issue since April 20th.
For those who may not know, Bobby Jindal is Louisiana's rising political star. He's a young, whiz-kid Republican congressman with Gubernatorial ambitions-- (Jindal narrowly lost to Kathleen Blanco in 2003). He's always smiling and positive, and has the great talent of pulling invisible "good news" out of enormously disappointing decisions made by the Bush administration. Stuff along the lines of: "Yes, the president has kicked this state repeatedly... but the good news is that he didn't have time to put on his steel toed boots, so it could have been a lot worse."
Anyhow, Jindal, who (unlike Blanco)
actually campaigned in black New Orleans neighborhoods during his run for governor, received Mayor Nagin's endorsement. At the time, that was big news. No one knew yet how worthless Nagin's endorsements were going to be. So, plenty of stories were written about how a Democratic mayor was spending his political capital to endorse a Republican. The polls showed that it was a close race, and that significant black support in New Orleans could be the deciding factor for Jindal. But alas, Blanco started hitting Jindal hard, and Jindal respond weakly, and Blanco won by fifty thousand votes or so.
So, who will Bobby Jindal endorse for Mayor? Will he support Nagin, like Nagin supported him? Or, will Jindal stab Nagin in the back and support Mitch Landrieu (yeah right)? Or will he be a little wusscakes and try to avoid the issue, and let his big daddy Foster work behind the scenes? That's what the
Scuttlebutt article (not online yet) asserts:
[S]everal sources say former Gov. Mike Foster, who gave Jindal his political start, has been working behind the scenes to drum up Republican support-- and money-- for Nagin as part of an organized GOP move to weaken the state's Democratic infrastructure, which would help Jindal in his expected bid for governor next year.
So the Republican party has joined William Jefferson and Cleo Fields in their support for Ray Nagin (albeit covertly). But Jindal, their golden boy, doesn't have the testicular fortitude to make an endorsement because... he's scared that won't play very well in the rest of the state when he runs for guv. How will he explain supporting a mayor who illegally took people's guns away? As Adrastos has noted, Republican PACs are slamming Nagin in the rest of the state while the party is supporting him covertly. Nagin knows this, and most Republicans know it too. You can be damn sure that Karl Rove approves of it as well (he calls Nagin fom time to time during campaigns.)
The Weekly Standard says the goal for the GOP in Louisiana is to take the state House and then the Governor's mansion in 2007. If that means they have to manipulate Nagin like a puppet, (funding him and bashing him at the same time) so be it. It's not about New Orleans, for them-- it's about state politics. Beating Landrieu is all they care about, even though reelecting Nagin would be a public relations disaster for the city (at best). And as a willing participant in this maneuver, Bobby Jindal gutlessly refuses to endorse someone who went out of his way to support him in '03 (or at least explain why he won't). Why can't Jindal tell his New Orleanian constituents where he stands on the most important mayoral election in New Orleans' history? Who does he think would best lead the city?
The above Weekly Standard article, penned by Fred "permanent realignment" Barnes, describes Jindal (and Vitter) as "the most determined and vigorous politicians in Louisiana-- and surely the smartest".
Well.
With all due respect to Jindal and Vitter (do either of them believe in evolution, btw?) don't underestimate the smarts of YRHT favorite, State Treasurer John Kennedy. Even though he has a Ross Perot twang, the dude reads Kierkegaard. And is proud to say so.
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For the record, Blanco has said her endorsement (presumably for Mitch) is forthcoming and Senator David Vitter does not make endorsements (except the IQ ticket).
10 Comments:
I am so very damned glad I don't have to pull a lever in this election. This is the race from Hell.
Where are you getting info that the Republican Party is supporting Nagin? Is it in campaign finance reports somewhere? I really doubt they are working with Cleo and Jefferson. Cleo and Morial are supporting Landrieu. I think there are probably some Reps who are supporting Nagin but I doubt there's any really organized effort.
I really like Jindal but I don't think it would help for him to endorse either candidate. He has to work with the winner no matter who that is. Nagin took a political gamble and lost and Blanco has punished him for it.
The above quote I used is from the print version of this week's Gambit Weekly (which will be available online Wed. or so).
It describes the funding and support for Nagin "an organized GOP move". Not an "official" move, but an organized one. They are not necessarily working "with" Jefferson and Fields, but they are working for Nagin's reelection (for various reasons).
Cleo Fields was hired by the Nagin campaign in April to help with displaced voter turnout in Baton Rouge. He is supporting Nagin-- he's not a big fan of the Landrieus. Morial has made no official endorsement, but is no doubt supporting Landrieu.
Yeah, but Gambit's a high brow, obnoxiously liberal newspaper. But as Adrastos pointed out, even John Maginnis has reported that the Republicans (through a pac organized by Bollinger) are running against Blanco and Nagin in central La. Not proof that they, or at least some Republicans are backing Nagin for less than honorable reasons, but certainly motive.
Even if I sounded like a paranoid tin foil hat wearer on the subject, I still think that the national GOP wants a N.O. mayor who'll blame things on B.R. rather than D.C. Even if Katrina fatigue has set in nationwide, it still affects the whole competency issue. Plus I have no idea how much (if any) disgust with the GOP is setting in in Mississippi, but they could probably use Nagin as an example of Democratic leadership there. At any rate, I find the timing of Alphonso Jackson's statements suspicious--even if it sounds tin foilish.
I have from a very good source that Jindal and Vitter will endorse Nagin on Thursday, May 11. If I'm wrong, I'm wrong. But if I'm right....
I can't believe it....
Thanks for sharing the tip, bb.
Are you sure that Cleo was hired by the Nagin campaign.
Roux: I've seen it reported in the Times-Picayune and Gambit Weekly that he has been paid by the Nagin campaign to help increase turnout in Baton Rouge and in the primaries. I don't know if he's still currently hired for the runoffs, but I'd say it's 99% certain. Cleo has long-standing resentments against the Landrieus. See the latest post on the GOP and C.Ray for more.
And be on alert to contribute to comments in a future post, which will feature a quote of yours from a previous comment.
(Just to be clear: I appreciate and am honored by all who take the time to read and contribute to this blog.)
I don't see how Cleo could be a paid consultant but if you say so. I really can't stand Cleo, he and his brother have done a lot of crap in Baton Rouge. He's a opportunist and race baiter.
I enjoy your blog and have been just engrossed in all the news from New Orleans since Katrina. I actually heard Ray when he was on the radio cussing Blanco. I also listened in the dark to the medical staff at one of the hospitals crying as they watched looters break in to their cars. I saw the kids as they were evacuated to my hospital in BR.
It really makes me angry that New Orleans has not just been destroyed by just a storm but by the political corruption. While most of my friends want to write y'all off. I say we can't. The city must come back without all of the corruption and I hope and pray it can.
How will he explain supporting a mayor who illegally took people's guns away?
that and voting for the usa patriot act. we didnt vote for jindal because he is a republican and we felt then and especially now that we shouldnt give any more political power to shrub. and we turned out to be right.
thanks for your encouraging words about john kennedy we have been hoping to hear good things about him.
