Human Events: Terrell Took Nap on Election Day

Human Events, Dec. 16, 2002, pp. 7, 14 | 12-26-02 | Theodore R.

[Theodore R.]

The conservative weekly "Human Events" reported in its Dec. 16 edition that LA Republican senatorial nominee Suzanne Terrell took a nap on the day of her general election against Democrat Mary Landrieu. While Terrell napped on Dec. 7, Landrieu "was shaking hands at McDonalds," HE reported. Moreover, the Landrieu campaigner, Donna Brazile, was in the process of organizing her turnout of black voters. Records indicate that black turnout actually INCREASED on Dec. 7, compared to Nov. 5, in LA, whereas white turnout DECLINED. HE reported that "many black ministers worked hard to turn out black voters, not an easy job in a runoff {sic -- it was the LA general election}."

Terrell was one of four Republican Senate candidates endorsed by the homosexual Log Cabin Republicans. It was unclear how many votes this group delivered to the failed Senate candidate, who ran 1.5 percentage points BEHIND losing 1996 Republican nominee Louis "Woody" Jenkins.

[Theodore R.]

"Taking a nap" on election day. Was she planning to get a little rest before her "victory party"? When will the GOP ever learn that it can't take much of anything for granted?

[Theodore R.]

Human Events also reported on the defeat of Republican congressional candidate Lee Fletcher in the 5th District. It found that the blame rests largely with a misunderstanding on the party of former Rep. Clyde Holloway, R-LA. Holloway blasted Fletcher after he lost a berth in the general election, and some of his backers voted for the successful Democrat Rodney Alexander. As it turns out, it was NOT Fletcher, it seems, who sent anti-Holloway messages by a telephone bank prior to Nov. 5. The possibility exists that young Fletcher will run again in 2004, but he must know how quickly LA congressmen become entrenched, once on the job. The LA GOP just keeps shooting itself in the foot.

[peekaboo]

I think this is outrageous for Suzie to be napping. I drove about 35 miles on that bitterly cold Dec. morning to be a poll watcher for Suzie. It was dark when I left my home at about 5:30 AM, driving into an area that I had never ventured in before. Of course Clinton, Carville and Donna Brazille were getting out the black vote. There were a lot of people here in central Louisiana, who busted their buns to make phone calls for a solid week before the election. Shame on Suzie for letting us all down. Her campaign was very poorly organized. I attended two rallies for her and FLetcher that were unannounced to the general public. The only people who had heads up were us tireless workers at the headdquarters. She could have done a better job and would have won if she had gotten off of the bus and shook more hands. You are right on about the Fletcher-Holloway frinze. Holloway is still acting like a sore loser. Justs this past week he was talking to reporters about how Fletcher did him in. Some of the repupblican women who had worked in the Holloway headquarters, went to work for the democrat, Rodney ALexander, even driving some 45 miles to attend his victory party that night. These ladies were and are bitter about Clyde's loss. They are wrong to blame Fletcher. He did not have anything to do with the Holloway negative calls. In fact the one who was responsible was on the state wide radio taking the responsibility and stated that Fletcher did not have anything to do with the calls.

Holloway's campaign manager did a poor job in not keeping a lid on Clyde and even encouraged the ladies in campaigning for Rodney Alexander. One of these ladies is the president of the local republican group. How we eat our own.

Now Louisiana, has no conservative voice in the senate and Hastret has lost the 5th congressional seat. We may never be able to get that seat back in republican hands. Fletcher was leading in the polls and should have won. These ladies did a lot of damage. They were as immature as Holloway and his foolisjh campaign manager.

[alnick]

Human Events isn't being honest unless they also reported that while Landrieu slept the night before election, Terrell stayed awake, campaigning.

[ClearBlueSky]

I'm just going to say this- even after I supported Terrel, voted for her and urged others to do so. Suzanne Terrell lost because she is NOT very well liked locally. When she was on the City Council, Peggy Wilson-not Terrell- was the firebrand Republican who not only stood up for her constituents, but who interacted more naturally with them. Wilson visited Lakeview, came to block-parties and meetings. I don't recall ever seeing Terrell at all.
Terrell was/is considered more 'uptown'; and people have told me that she is rather disdainful of anyone without a college degree. In New Orleans ' uptown' is an entirely different mindset, and the St Charles Avenue and Garden District set are not very well liked by the common folk. I've never met her personally, so I don't know how true that is about her, but that is the PERCEPTION and that was being said about her locally. I DO know that her comment about starting out with a 'tank of gas' and an old car is rather misleading.She may have started her POLITICAL LIFE that way, but not this campaign. She lives in an elegant mansion uptown, and was hardly the 'bootstraps' Republican she campaigned as. If she had won Orleans parish, she would have had the election- IF she had been more popular with her home base. She wasn't/isn't. So she lost. All that said- I still supported her, and I'm not sorry that I did. Because I didn't want Landrieu in for another term, because I wanted a Republican Senator. It's just that she wasn't the person to win the election. I believe a Republican COULD and WOULD have won the seat-it's just that Terrell wasn't the right candidate. That's how a local, middle-class N.O/LA Republican sees it.

[ImAmerican]

Ah.. Black vs. White not Dem. vs Rep. What's the message?

[cynicom]

You are my type of political appraiser. Never let the glitz get in the way of the facts. A loser is a loser regardless of how one sugarcoats them.

[Theodore R.]

But Landrieu knew what was going to happen at 4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7, and she was ready. Donna Brazile kept her briefed by the hour. I'm talking about the buses and vans hauling blacks to the polls.

[Theodore R.]

Sounds like St. Charles Avenue and the Garden District in New Orleans might be akin to Beacon Hill in Boston or Nob Hill in San Francisco.

[Theodore R.]

Peekaboo, do you think those Holloway "ladies," as you call them, believe it will be a "snap" to win back the 5th District seat in 2004? If so, what must they be smoking? Surely, they realize that once a House seat falls to the other party, it is often out of reach by the losing party for a generation. Incumbents win 98 percent of the time. I bet these Holloway "ladies" expect Holloway to challenge Alexander in 2004.

[Theodore R.]

Terrell's brother is a federal Judge named Haik. Where is he judge? Who appointed him? When? What is his full name?

[Ditter]

Thanks for the report. We sent money to Terrell (from Texas) & we are very sorry she lost.

[fieldmarshaldj]

His name is Judge Richard T. Haik. A website stated he was appointed to the bench in 1991, serving on the U.S. District Court, Western District of LA. I assume that would make him a Bush, Sr. appointee.

[alnick]

Oh I don't disagree that Terrell's choice of when to sleep was not the greatest, but to report that she took a nap on election day while Landrieu kept on campaigning is misleading if they omit the fact that Terrell chose to stay awake all night the night before, which is why she napped the following day, while Landrieu slept that night. They implied that Terrell is lazy and Landrieu worked harder, but in reality Landrieu slept the entire night but Terrell took an afternoon nap after pulling an all-nighter.

[Theodore R.]

Human Events did not explain that Terrell had worked all night Friday. It does seem that the Terrell aides could have kept secret the fact that she took a nap on election day because of the inevitable bad connotations that would evoke among the supporters who worked so hard on her behalf.

[LiteKeeper]

read later

[Kuksool]

"The LA GOP just keeps shooting itself in the foot."


The LA GOP is very hapless party. It has no bench strength and no rising stars. Suzie Terrell wasn't the best person to take on Landrieu, but she was the best candidate available. I think the ideal person for the LA Senate 2002 race would be Rep. Billy Tauzin. However, he wished to remain Chairman of the House Energy Committee. So, the GOP was stuck with Terrell. Overall, I think the LA GOP needs to recruit better candidates instead of disgruntled 'RATS like Woody Jenkins or racists like David Duke.

[alnick]

I found it odd when they reported it on the local news that Terrell was going to be campaigning all night while Landrieu slept because it seemed like most of the voters would be sleeping. That's why that jumped out at me.

I don't know what's up with Human Events. They did that hit piece on Frist with the misleading headline suggesting that Frist owns an abortion mill when it turns out that he is part owner of a chain of major hospitals. Now it's reporting something that appears negative about Terrell while omitting information that explains the situation.

[fieldmarshaldj]

Well, the GOP didn't recruit David Duke for the Senate race. I think Woody Jenkins had reason to be disgruntled for getting screwed out of a Senate seat he really won (same for the screwing Congressman Henson Moore got in '86) Agreed, though, that Billy Tauzin was the top candidate and he needed to be given the ultimatum that he needs to sacrifice for the good of the party.

[Kuksool]

David Duke was the GOP candidate for the 1990 Senate race against Bennett Johnson. Duke also ran for Governor in 1991 and for the LA-01 in 1999 under the GOP banner. The officials at the LA GOP must be insane for constantly allowing David Duke to run as a Pubbie.