Posted on 08/31/2014 2:38:18 PM PDT by Kaslin
This election has been most difficult for U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA) with one mistake after another taking her off message. First it was discovered that she was charging taxpayers for at least four campaign flights. Her embarrassing mistakes were not something Louisiana voters should expect from a Senator with so much experience. Mary Landrieu has been in political office since 1979 and has served in the U.S. Senate since 1997. It is inexcusable for Landrieu not to know that taxpayers should not be charged for campaign air travel.
Her latest stumble involves residency. When qualifying for re-election, Landrieu used her parents' house on South Prieur Street in New Orleans as her official address. This home is where her parents have lived for decades. It is a house that is jointly owned by Landrieu's mother and a family corporation, but it is not owned by the Senator.
The reality is that Mary Landrieu lives in Washington D.C. in a $2.5 million mansion. In a report with the Federal Election Commission, Landrieu listed her Capitol Hill home as her official address.
Not surprisingly, her GOP opponents have made her residency a major issue in recent days. It was first exposed by GOP challenger Col. Rob Maness who filed an official complaint with the Louisiana Secretary of State. Today, Maness filed additional complaints with four District Attorney offices across Louisiana. It is doubtful that Louisiana District Attorneys, many of whom are Democrats and in the midst of re-election campaigns, will take action against Landrieu.
Nonetheless, her questionable residency will be damaging for Landrieu with voters. It shows that the Senator is much more connected to Washington D.C. than she is to her hometown. While her Senate colleague David Vitter comes back to Louisiana every weekend and clearly lives in Metairie, outside of New Orleans, Landrieu is rarely seen at her “home.” According to one of her neighbors, Fontaine Wells, “I don’t think she lives there (the South Prieur home). She might come visit, but come on now — she lives in D.C. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her.”
In this election, residency questions are another reason for Louisiana voters to oppose Landrieu. She has supported unpopular President Barack Obama 97% of the time. She also voted for Obama's liberal judicial nominees and has supported causes such as gun control, abortion, amnesty for illegal aliens, and higher taxes, all of which are unpopular with most Louisiana voters. She cast the deciding vote on the horrendous Affordable Care Act, which is forcing thousands of Louisiana citizens to pay higher health insurance premiums. Finally, for the coup de grace, she is trying to mislead voters about her residency.
While the Senator is registered to vote in New Orleans, what address does she have on file with the IRS or on her driver's license? Does she even pay state income taxes in Louisiana? These issues need to be investigated. There is a good reason her neighbors have never seen her, Landrieu does not live there.
Landrieu, who is already very vulnerable, is now more vulnerable. According to the Senator, “I have lived at my home on Prieur Street most of my life, and I live there now, when not fulfilling my duties in Washington or serving constituents across the state.”
Her statement is ridiculous. Along with her husband, Landrieu does own real estate in Louisiana, but not a home. How often is Senator Landrieu at her parents' home? Does she sneak in late at night when no one sees her?
As Col. Maness noted to the Washington Post, “A U.S. senator shouldn’t be living with their parents.”
More importantly, a U.S. Senator should not be lying to her constituents.
Ian Richardson was in town LOL!
She might have been blackmailed by Obama. “Mary, I know you don’t live in New Orleans. Would your opponent like to know that, too?”
people could be elected to senate seats if states they have never lived or never even visited.
That’s what this article is about.
“Let them park in long term parking and fly coach and eat lousy airline food like the rest of us.” - Ross Perot
Miss Piggy is a lot prettier than that sow
The Constitution trumps state law, but it appears you do not understand either, you have just “never heard”. States cannot insert new qualifications for election to the Senate, they can only adopt procedures to certify that candidates are qualified and stipulated by the Constitution. Home Ownership is not a criteria.
What Landrieu is doing is unconstitutional. She is not an inhabitant of Louisiana and is not eligible to stand for election. However, this provisiion of the Constitution is inconvenient for politicians and is therefore largely ignored. Senator Thad Cochran does not live in Mississippi, Senator Pat Roberts does not live in Kansas. Both won their primary elections.
“If you do not own a house in the district or state, you are not qualified to represent the district or state.”
*****
In addition to age and citizenship requirements, residency (not home ownerhship) is a factor. What constitutes a “resident” is determined by state law.
And the criteria often varies depending upon the purpose. For example, a person living in a state for 60 days might be a “resident” for voting purposes but a non-resident who is ineligible for in-state tuition at a state university.
Simply, where is your personal mail sent.
If there is no residency requirements,
***************
That is my question as to what constitutes residency. Does it mandate home ownership or other things. Many people are residents of states without being home owners. In fact I’d guess a large portion of state residents rent, lease of live with someone else.
I did go look for some things that I had questioned about Landrieu other than home ownership, such as taxes, voting, etc. I found the following but don’t know if it is valid or just political spout.
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/sen-mary-landrieus-newest-fight-louisiana-residency/story?id=25183165
Sen. Mary Landrieu’s Newest Fight Is Over Her Louisiana Residency
snip
A Landrieu campaign official also noted that both Landrieu and her husband file taxes
in Louisiana. Her campaign did not elaborate. ......
Landrieu maintains that she lives at her parents’ home in New Orleans, of which she
is a partial owner under a family trust and where she is registered to vote.......
Landrieu claims her parents’ home in New Orleans as her principle address, and
listed it on her statement of candidacy filed with the Federal Election Commission
earlier this year. But the Democrat also lists her multi-million dollar Washington, DC
home as her address on other documents, including her filing with the Louisiana
Secretary of State’s office when she qualified to be on the ballot last week. .......
end snips
As you can see from above there are several things to question Landrieu about.
Thanks and I agree that states can have varying definitions of residency.
Here’s a snip from the above link I posted up thread.
snip
According to the Louisiana Secretary of State’s listed qualifications, a candidate
for U.S. Senate must “be an inhabitant of Louisiana when elected.”
The Constitution governs residency requirements, broadly. As Louisiana’s law is worded,
it requires senators to “be an Inhabitant of that State in which he shall be chosen.”
The definition of what it is to be “an inhabitant” is a broad one, said Dr. Pearson
Cross, the head of the political science department at the University of Louisiana.
From a legal standpoint, he said it would be difficult to prove that Landrieu is not
an inhabitant.
end snip
It goes on to basically defend Landrieu
The price of the “Louisiana Purchase” might just be higher than estimated.
Inhabitancy: Although England repealed Parliament’s residency law in 1774, no delegates spoke against a residency requirement for members of Congress. The qualification first came under consideration on August 6 when the Committee of Detail reported its draft of the Constitution. Article 5, section 3 stated, “Every member of the Senate shall be . . . at the time of his election, a resident of the state from which he shall be chosen.”
On August 8, Roger Sherman moved to strike the word “resident” from the House version of the clause, and insert in its place “inhabitant,” a term he considered to be “less liable to misconstruction.” Madison seconded the motion, noting that “resident” might exclude people occasionally absent on public or private business. Delegates agreed to the term, “inhabitant,” and voted against adding a time period to the requirement. The following day, they amended the Senate qualification to include the word, “inhabitant,” prior to passing the clause by unanimous consent.
The Founders misunderestimated the capacity for modern politicians to misconstrue something when it is politically expedient to do so. Senator Pat Roberts has not been an inhabitant of Kansas for 40 years, but he has persuaded the political powers of the state to deem him one because he comes back to Kansas whenever he has an opponent. His words.
I believe you are also allowed to rent a residence in said district or state, so long as that’s your primary home, etc., etc.
In all fairness, John McCain owns homes in Arizona, but does ANYONE thinks he lives here? If by the grace of God we ever get him out of office, does anyone think he’ll come home and live in Arizona with his wife?
http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/constitution_transcript.html
Constitution
Article 1
section 3:
No Person shall be a Senator who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty Years,
and been nine Years a Citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected,
be an Inhabitant of that State for which he shall be chosen.
****************
I guess the real question is what is an ‘inhabitant’. Forget resident....
the founders tried to prevent corruption but failed...or is it we the people have failed by continuing to vote in lifetime politicians instead of statesmen.
we had a good run but we may have lost the republic to self serving greedy power hungry politicians. I suggest a new representative try to pass a bill to install 1000 new lamp posts in DC and public stocks and a memorial to the French guillotine as a reminder to those who would be kings and queens.
What is worse than lifetime politicians is multi-generational political families. Landrieu is an example of this abomination as are the Kennedys, Sebelius, Kassenbaum, Roberts, and Nunn. These parasites have no connection to the people, but believe that they and their children are entitled to lifetime political influence and privilege. It is the voters fault, they are a bunch of ill informed walruses.
With all this trouble she is in for supporting Obamacare, etc, now add this. Karl Rove should run some adds attacking her from the left, you know, for not being liberal enough. That will deal this election up for sure. Oh wait, that kinda crepola only works on a whiteboard.
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