Free Republic

Can't link to Lafayette's own Gannett rag (and arguably the worst newspaper on the planet), the Daily Advertiser, but what this basically boils down to is that one of the few House seats the Democrats had a shot at next year has been taken out of play, further slimming their chances of taking over that chamber. John, the 7th's former congressman, was the only candidate who stood a chance of upsetting the district's current GOP congressman, Charles Boustany. Tough luck, Dems.

This may be a repost but an important one.Alexandria, VA) – Even though President Bush took the oath of office last week, taxpayers still have one piece of unfinished business from the election: some federal lawmakers – including many seeking higher office – received thousands of dollars in salary overpayments for being away from their jobs during 2003 and 2004. According to a study released today by the 350,000-member National Taxpayers Union (NTU), an obscure federal statute still on the books requires Congressional absentees to forfeit their pay unless they or a family member are ill; but leaders have failed...

http://www.thenewsstar.com/localnews/html/EEC08197-EFAF-4EAF-9A04-39261C1853D7.shtml

http://www.thenewsstar.com/localnews/html/BE29DE9E-AA65-4FA3-B60B-448B6EB2DDFF.shtml

Vitter calls emphasis on traffic tickets 'a silly attack' By MARSHA SHULER mshuler@theadvocate.com Capitol news bureau A national Democratic group is making political hay over Republican U.S. Rep. David Vitter's propensity to get traffic tickets. Vitter, a candidate in Tuesday's U.S. Senate election, called the disclosure "a silly attack." The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee circulated to the media details about 14 separate tickets that Vitter received for traffic violations between 1988 and 2003. The traffic tickets included four for speeding, two for failure to obey traffic signs, and one with multiple violations, including allegations of failure to maintain control of...

Four Senate candidates get feisty on budget deficits By MARSHA SHULER mshuler@theadvocate.com Capitol news bureau Assigning responsibility for escalating federal budget deficits and raids on the Social Security trust fund prompted friction and feisty exchanges Wednesday among the four major candidates in the U.S. Senate race. U.S. Rep. Chris John blamed the Bush administration for pushing tax cuts and higher spending while the budget deficit soars to historic highs. State Treasurer John Kennedy and state Rep. Arthur Morrell said John and U.S. Rep. David Vitter -- who have been representing Louisiana in Washington -- contributed to the problem. Meanwhile, Vitter...

State could decide leadership in Senate By GERARD SHIELDS gshields@theadvocate.com Advocate Washington bureau It's still a big "if," but Louisiana voters could decide who runs the U.S. Senate for the next two years. Due to the state's unique runoff election system, the eyes of the nation could well be focused on the Pelican State and its politics beginning Wednesday. If no U.S. Senate candidate gains 50 percent plus one vote in Tuesday's general election, the top two vote-getters will compete in a Dec. 4 runoff. Because all the other 33 Senate elections will be decided next week, the Louisiana race...

We can no longer post from "The Shreveport Times," which endorsed John F. Kerry for President on Sunday. Today the Times had the unfortunate experience of publishing results of the tracking poll which now claims that Republican Rep. David Vitter has passed the magic 50 percent plus one vote mark to win the U.S. Senate election outright on Nov. 2. Vitter, with 51 percent in the poll, is vying with three high-profile Democrats, including State Treasurer John Kennedy, State Rep. Arthur Morrell, and U.S. Rep. Chris John, D-Crowley, in a strong bid to succeed popular retiring Sen. John Breaux, also...

Candidates decry outsider tentacles in senate race By MARSHA SHULER mshuler@theadvocate.com Capitol news bureau Two of the top contenders in the U.S. Senate race spent Friday arguing about which one of them was having strings pulled by national interests. Democrat U.S. Rep. Chris John continued to paint Republican U.S. Rep. David Vitter as the puppet of Republican leadership to the detriment of the state's interests. Meanwhile, Vitter said John is the puppet, not he. He noted that John's campaign is financed largely by out-of-state interests. The puppet spat came a day after John and Vitter took off the gloves during...

Senate forum turns testy Vitter, John rap each other's voting records, political stands By MARSHA SHULER mshuler@theadvocate.com Capitol news bureau LAFAYETTE -- A U. S. Senate forum got testy Thursday with words like "lying" being thrown around as four major candidates tried to differentiate themselves from one another on a range of issues. Republican U.S. Rep. David Vitter and Democratic U.S. Rep. Chris John slammed each other for misrepresenting the other's voting records on welfare reform and importing drugs. Democratic state Treasurer John Kennedy criticized both Vitter and John for participating in the budget raid on the Social Security trust...

http://www.shreveporttimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20041021/ELECTION01/410210337

Vitter leads Senate candidates in campaign fund-raising The Associated Press U.S. Rep. David Vitter, the lone Republican in Louisiana's U.S. Senate race, has surged well ahead of his two major Democratic opponents in fund-raising, according to finance reports. Vitter's campaign said Monday that he had raised $1.75 million in the third quarter -- the period covering July 18 to Sept. 30 -- and had $3.25 million in the bank as the Nov. 2 primary campaign moves into the final stretch. He has raised $6.1 million for the entire election, which is expected to go to a Dec. 4 runoff. His...

Kennedy courts black voters with anti-John calls By MARSHA SHULER mshuler@theadvocate.com Capitol news bureau Democratic state Treasurer John Kennedy became the focal point of the U.S. Senate campaign Thursday as he took to a new level an attack on two opponents, and one of them accused Kennedy of "race baiting." The racial accusation stems from automated calls going to African-American households linking Democratic U.S. Rep. Chris John to former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke. The solicitation promotes Kennedy as "the right choice" for black voters. "He's trying to scare the African-American community. It's absolutely not true," John said. "That...

Poll shows Vitter in lead, Dems launch attack By ADAM NOSSITER Associated Press writer With a new poll commissioned by Republican U.S. Senate candidate David Vitter showing him maintaining a substantial lead over Democratic rivals, the Democrats' national Senate elections committee launched a two-front, television-and-manpower attack on him Tuesday. The poll, by Public Opinion Strategies, gives Vitter 43 percent, more than the three Democratic candidates combined. In an independent poll in September, the Republican congressman from Metairie had 42 percent -- a result that already had analysts speculating that he could win the race outright on Nov. 2, and avoid...

Candidates trade Social Security policy accusations By MARSHA SHULER mshuler@theadvocate.com Capitol news bureau State Treasurer John Kennedy accused two of his U.S. Senate opponents on Monday of robbing the Social Security trust fund to pay for tax cuts for the rich. That and other accusations came flying as the four major candidates in the Nov. 2 Senate election squared off during the first of three statewide televised debates this month. U.S. Reps. David Vitter and Chris John voted for $1.3 trillion in tax cuts pushed by President Bush, Kennedy said. "Do you know where they got the money to fund...

First lady campaigns in La. for Vitter By The Associated Press SHREVEPORT -- While President Bush prepared for Thursday night's debate against John Kerry, first lady Laura Bush urged Louisiana voters to send the president more Republican help in the U.S. Senate. During an appearance at a fundraiser for U.S. Rep. David Vitter -- a Republican who is running for the Senate seat being vacated by Democrat John Breaux -- Bush called Vitter "a principled, skilled legislator who's not afraid to reach across the aisle." Vitter, who did not attend, was in Washington for a vote on a constitutional amendment...

On September 30, the Chris John campaign finally decided to answer repeated questions about Medicare's bankruptcy. Track the candidates replies at http://www.geocities.com/mft1234 ______________________________ Michael, In his first year in Congress, Chris John supported the Balanced Budget Act, which balanced the federal budget for the first time in 30 years. For several years after that landmark bill passed, the budget remained in balance, and the trust fund for Social Security and Medicare maintained a healthy surplus. Now, balancing the budget is not among the priorities guiding the policy-making in Washington, and the federal government is running a $420 billion annual deficit....

"General Revenue Transfers to Social Security and Medicare as a Percentage of income taxes: 2003 – 3.6% 2010 – 8.6% 2020 – 28.6% 2030 – 52.7% 2040 – 66.4% 2050 – 76.1% 2060 – 88.0% 2070 – 101.6% Notes: Federal Income Taxes are estimated to be 10.89% of GDP, which is the 50-year average. Source: Social Security and Medicare Trustees Reports and Thomas Saving." How Are We to Pay for All This? By THOMAS R. SAVING Wall Street Journal September 22, 2004; Page A28

In war-struck Lafayette, friendly words for arriving VP By ADAM NOSSITER Associated Press writer LAFAYETTE -- Two young men, graduates of Lafayette High School, were killed recently in Iraq. They got the equivalent of a state funeral from a school, and a town, in mourning. Thousands gathered outside the school to honor the young men. When Vice President Dick Cheney stumps in the easygoing capital of Louisiana's Cajun country, mostly for a local congressional candidate, he will be on friendly ground. And not just among the paid-up audience of fans gathering for a breakfast meet-and-greet at this town's poshest private...

Poll shows Vitter in lead for Senate seat By The Associated Press Republican David Vitter is consolidating his front-running status in the U.S. Senate race, jumping to 42 percent in the latest poll by pollster Verne Kennedy. The Metairie congressman's three Democratic rivals -- state treasurer John Kennedy, U.S. Rep. Chris John, and state rep. Arthur Morrell -- are at 19, 16 and 3 percent respectively in the 600-person poll, taken while the Republican National Convention was held in New York between Aug. 30 and Sept. 2. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.1 percent....