Posted on 11/03/2005 1:54:46 PM PST by caryatid
BILOXI, Miss.
After Hurricane Katrina roared in, Gov. Haley Barbour quickly convened a special legislative session and, just 10 days after the storm, appointed a commission to study rebuilding Mississippi's coastline.
The former Republican National Committee chairman and influential Washington lobbyist also traveled to the nation's capital several times to extract promises of federal aid from friends in the Bush administration.
Because of the Barbour's take-charge approach to the disaster, even some of Mississippi's staunchest Democrats are saying he may be tough to beat if he seeks a second term in 2007.
In Louisiana, it is a different story: Some pundits suspect Democratic Gov. Kathleen Blanco could prove to be a one-termer when she comes up for re-election the same year.
Some critics _ particularly Republicans, but also some Democrats _ say Blanco was overwhelmed by the disaster and paralyzed with indecision. They say she was too slow to call for federal assistance as Katrina approached and in the first days after the storm, when New Orleans descended into chaos.
She did not appoint her rebuilding commission until weeks after the storm, by which time the Mississippi recovery group had already held its first meetings. And only now is she bringing Louisiana lawmakers into session to work on hurricane reconstruction. The session opens on Sunday.
"Louisiana is bleeding to death and there has been no stoppage of the bleeding. That is uniquely and specifically the governor's job, and I don't think Kathleen Blanco, personally or otherwise, is up to the task and may never be again," said Elliott Stonecipher, a Louisiana pollster and political analyst.
(Excerpt) Read more at townhall.com ...
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In the article is mentioned that a Virginia Professor says that Governor Blanco has taken more of a leadership role. I wonder how he knows that. I wonder is he is in LA.
Louisiana Gov. did have that total "Blanco" look during Katrina
One was competent, the other incompetent. But why complain? Doesn't diversity count for something?
What sickens me is that the media and the dems got away with blaming President Bush for what was Blanco's doing.
Nuuuh! To put it nicely, Blanco won in the "population centers" of the state. It was also a very clean race and both candidates came off as likable people and any third party mud flinging by either side was quickly renounced.
There was also an indication that the National Republican Party tried to force another candidate on us, and would not endorse Jindal until it was too late and the damage was done. Personal theory was that it angered many of our conservative democrats to vote for Blanco out of spite for the national party. There was some doubt that a brown skinned man (Jindal is of Indian heritage - dot not feather) could run in Louisiana but he garnered widespread conservative support leading up to the run off.
Oh, and I personally feel Blanco shoulders much of the responsibility for the failures during Katrina. Nagin was overwhelmed quickly but in his defense, he had nothing to work with.
I'm shocked, shocked I tell you.
Bobby Jindal is now a Congressman representing the First District of Louisiana. He represents a wide ranging section of southeastern Louisiana including St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Orleans, Jefferson and St. Charles Parishes. The District includes urban parts of the state like the New Orleans suburbs, with factories, ports, and cityscapes; but, it also includes some of the more rural parts of the state. The Northshore of Lake Pontchartrain is populated with smaller communities, farms and open space.
I suspect Bobby Jindal thanks his lucky stars, every day of his life, that he "lost" the race for Governor.
Well said. The truth is it was a close election. The state is pretty much a conservative state but we don't like outsiders telling us how to do things.
Jindal was the best thing Louisiana had going during that election because he had the vision and the method of getting us out of the last century. His talents are what this state needs desperately.
I just hope and pray that we can recover from Hurricane Kathleen. She is just so over her head. I just thank God that I live in SWLA where we have excellent leaders. They have been superb dealing with Rita.
You can just hear the AP sputtering with rage over the truth about Blanco getting out, despite their best efforts to make her a hero.
I wrote this blog entry that might help you out on that story:
http://www.newshorn.com/index.php?option=com_mamblog&Itemid=198&task=show&action=view&id=447&Itemid=198
Not necessarily....I voted for Jindal! : )
LOL!
How did you do that? I am so impressed!
Ping
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