Five weeks after being re-elected State Treasurer, and after airing commercials saying he was running again because "the job's not finished", John N. Kennedy is
already switching to a
new job: replacing Mary Landrieu in the U.S. Senate.
As longtime YRHT readers know, I'm something of a fan of John Kennedy. He's a philosophy major and a
Kierkegaardian, so I'll give him a pass on his opportunistic party-switching.
Kennedy is great at going on WWL radio in his folksy fashion, and throwing out nice-sounding, common-sensical ideas that usually eventuate into nothing. I'll be interested to see how he's going to position himself against Landrieu. Kennedy is an underwhelming campaigner, and I wonder how happy and effective he'd as a Gooper in the Senate. Sen. Mary Landrieu will have her work cut out for her, but I'm not sure she's in as much trouble as
some think. This could come down to the wire, where Presidential election "coattails" and third party opponents might make the difference.
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WST supports Kennedy.
Labels: John N. Kennedy, Mary Landrieu
19 Comments:
ugh, really? him?
c'mon, Oysta? i luv John Dewey, but i think Richard Posner's politics still suck no matter how much he's a Pragmatist.
i'd sympathize more with the tantalizing prospect of Kennedy if Landrieu has been anything but great to us (even though voting for drilling in Alaska was whack). but she's a known quantity, and that quantity is one--and potentially two--testicles more than any other politican we've had at least since Katrina struck.
it's not fair to compare Kennedy to Vitter or Jindal, but look where Rhodes Scholars-smarts gets you. Kennedy is smart, and he is quality, but so is Mary--and she's proved it, and she deserves to be reelected.
Kennedy is a freaking flip-flopper and he raised 2 million for an uncontested re-election now of which he is in debt 37,500 dollars....Talk about bad bean counting and why should his supporters foot the bill?!!!
Even when whiny boy loses the election campaign to Senator Landrieu he'll still have his freaking job as state treasurer....People look at us and all they do is shake their freaking heads because LOUISIANA NEVER GETS IT!!!
I have something of a soft spot for John K. too, Oyster.
However:
Litotes : "John Kennedy is an underwhelming campaigner"
::
simile : "like" or "as"
I really don't believe John Kennedy has a chance in this. He's made some name recognition for himself in the last few years, but he just has no fight in him. Mary Landrieu will mop the floor with him.
(If John Kennedy would have done anything at all in that damn election that sent Vitter to the Senate I may think more of him.)
I hope he gets crushed beyond recognition.
He abandoned his party.
He's abandoning his elected post.
Who's next?
They're both smart, hardworking, and honest. I think this is the first election in Louisiana history where I'd be perfectly happy with either candidate.
I want an all out fight Mary Landrieu so I can see "bitch boy" go spastic on camera like he did for many times for the Governor!!!
It is so f'ing hillarious...Roll that film footage!! Pay your debt to the state Mr. Kennedy before seeking out other positions...Keep your day job darling!!!
i hear clay and i agree sadly.
i had always liked kennedy's radio sound bites about how he was spending his war chest when he was unopposed to thank his constituents and how he was all about spending the states budget wisely.
the cynic in me said it was for name recognition with the voters.
sen. mary has fought the fight for me and my neighborhood well so far and i will vote for her in the next election.
if kennedy wins i will hope for the best.
I was the only one on my block with a campaign sign for Kennedy -- early -- when he ran in the race for Senate against Chris John and Vitter who, unfortunately, won. I like Kennedy -- exactly where he is, as the state treasurer. He should stay there, rather than challenge Mary Landrieu, who has been exceeding responsive to me personally, and has accomplished a lot for Louisiana when we needed it most.
No, Kennedy should run for Vitter's seat. That would be the right thing to do. He's a friggin' schmuck, and I will campaign even harder to defeat Kennedy than almost any other Republican, because he's an opportunist.
Besides, how effective will another Republican be for Louisiana with a House and Senate where I anticipate even more Democrats will win seats in 2008. Landrieu was effective when the Republicans were in charge. With the Democrats in charge, she's been a very effective force for Louisiana.
Kennedy sucks.
Let me also add that besides my soft spot for John K., I really believe that Mary Landrieu has been one of the most effective voices for Louisiana and my particular values in the federal government over the last 10 years.
Really, that WE SAW THAT post is a joke. WTF world do you need to live in and what have you heard from John Kennedy that he wouldn't be a slightly more conservative vote in the Senate than Mary Landrieu? As a Republican, he won't vote for the next Patriot Act renewal?
Um... for the record... that's is NOT me above in the thread.
You will never catch me saying anything close to that complimentary about Mary Landrieu.
Or about John Kennedy
Or about any pol for that matter
It's not real pragmatic to toss out the senior majority Senator in the Gulf states and soon to be second in seniority overall (to Cochran R-MS) in all the Gulf states. When there are non-partisan issues pertaining to the Gulf states under a Democratic president Mary Landrieu will be the go-to player in the Senate. If she's gone, the 'go-to' member will be who exactly - Bill Nelson of Florida? Maybe there will be NO 'go-to' members and the Gulf gets ignored. It wouldn't be right but it'd be about what I'd expect.
Oops. I forgot Richard Shelby. Lott is resigning so Landrieu is #3 in seniority of Gulf state Sens, #1 among Dems.
Belated kudos to ricky p., on that splendid "litotes" analogy.
It just makes a part of me yearn for such pleasures on a daily basis. Perhaps in blog form.
Senator Landrieu is poised to go the distance....I can see her as the Senate Majority Leader and even a Vice-Presidential candidate....She has proven to be very effective in working across party lines--she managed to tuck 3 billion dollars for the continuation of the Road Home Program in the defense spending billl, thanks to negotiations and her powerful position on the Senate Appropriations Committee....She's got great potential !!! And let's not forget the Domenici-Landrieu bill.....I hardly think Kennedy could have pulled that off....In fact, I know he couldn't have....
I forgot one more thing--Senator Landrieu made the top Ten list of female "Hill Hotties"!!
I don't find anything "sizzling" when it comes to Louisiana state treasurer John Kennedy (shuddering at the thought)....
Kennedy is a very smart boy, and he is also a man of probity. But I do wonder at his intelligence and his political savvy. First of all, why does he accept the support of Whoremongering David Vitter? Second, why does he want to be a Republican Senator in an overwhelmingly Democratic Senate and with a Democratic President? This is not too smart. Kennedy has a commendable reform record, but it beat me why he follows such a loser as Karl Rove. Now I realise that Rove & Kennedy made friends when the former came to Baton Rouge to help Buddy Roemer. Of course, Roemer came a cropper (as will Jindal, just wait & see), and Rove went back to Austin. He hasn't been all that great for George W. Bush, either. Look at the fix Bush finds himself in: a Democratic Congress, a failed war, the economy going under, and the Republican Party on the run. All this happened on Rove's watch. And so Kennedy consults with Rove and then decides to run. Kennedy ought to have his head examined!
