[StBernard] LeftBlog: Who will be our next governor?

[Westley Annis]

LeftBlog: Who will be our next governor?
Stephen Handwerk 
Stephen at lafayetteDemocrats.org 

Greetings one and all,
Well a lot has been happening, so much so that I can barely keep up. But
with some recent happenings this past weekend, I thought it would be good
for us to take another look at the upcoming governor's race to see how
things are coming together.

First, this past weekend the Republicans had their meeting, but where else
but right here in Lafayette. But an interesting discussion was transpiring
between their members because of a problem both Political Parties have had
here in this state - These DARN open Primaries. 

First, we must get rid of the open Primaries; they serve nobody well at all.
Thankfully we have done this very thing in our NATIONAL Elections from now
on. but all local and state elections we have this HUGE free for all. But I
digress.

State Senator Walter Boasso is picking up some steam and this has some
republican insiders more than a bit nervous. In talking with a few friends
who were present at the meeting and who have been discussing this issue,
there is a large and growing concern about a Bobby Jindal "rematch" for
governor. Not to mention MANY republicans have been upset with recent votes
from Jindal in the House. 

Not to mention, you can't seem to turn on a cable channel in the state
without seeing a spot for Boasso! 

So the question that was left unanswered was simply this - can they endorse
one republican over another? To my knowledge both of our state parties are
prevented from doing this, but they can over-ride or change the rule. The
question though is more difficult because there is normally only a push to
do this when there are specific people to talk about - in this situation
Bobby Jindal and Walter Boasso. 

In my humble opinion the delay in this plan is only hurting Bobby Jindal. I
have heard from more than a few republicans who have shared with me that
Boasso is looking like a very good candidate to them, the more they know
about them. And one can NOT forget the reality of Jindal's problems in the
northern part of the state. This has republicans more than a bit nervous.

Then of course you have to consider the recent rumors of a possible John
Breaux run for the Governor's Mansion. Attack ads have already surfaced
against Breaux on the internet and on our airwaves. It seems that they are
very nervous about this possibility. Is Breaux running, who knows? I can
tell you that this changes EVERYTHING if he does decide to run, and I for
one like the idea of a Breaux Administration.

One not to be counted out - Foster Campbell. Public Service Commissioner
Foster Campbell is touring the state both Yesterday and today announcing his
candidacy for Governor. And he has some very attractive ideas to show the
citizens of this state. Campbell has wide appeal north of Alexandria and has
quite a base in Lake Charles as well. With $1 Million in the bank and plenty
of time, he is definitely one we should keep our eyes on to see what happens
in the coming months. One thing for sure is, Campbell thinks "out of the
box" and we definitely need someone at the helm that is going to tackle the
problems we are facing and hit them head on.

This all brings us back to Governor Blanco. I can't for the life of me
understand WHY she would want another term. The past 3 years must have felt
like 20! She has tried valiantly to bring us forward - all the while
fighting an uphill battle against the old republican guard in the US
Congress and the President himself. It is clear that WE were treated
unfairly and that Katrina was completely and totally botched. However, when
you look at how Texas and Mississippi were dealt with Post Katrina/Rita it
is clear that Louisiana was given the short stick and it is clearly
documented that this was because our Governor is a Democrat. How Republicans
can still support this President while Louisiana is limping along is still
unbelievable to me. They are more worried about scoring political points
than they are about really helping people. 

So much can happen in the coming weeks and months; it is definitely going to
be interesting. 

The final contributing factor, in my eyes, on this race will be the National
Climate. To my count, there are only three states that have Big Elections
this year. this means a lot of out of state money and attention will be
focused on us. We have already seen the Republican "Swift Boaters" drop
anchor here in Louisiana with $2.5 Million in the bank and they are ready to
spend it.