Boasso
In an article in the Times Picayune focusing on Walter Boasso, the TP depicts the gubernatorial candidate as a “big man looking out for the little man”. He is a Democrat, turned Republican, turned Democrat. The article also describes him as a “take-charge guy”, a CEO who is impatient to get things done. In particular, Boasso wants to make it a crime for insurance companies to delay paying claims. Currently, Louisiana allows for penalties for bad faith, but many insurance companies have been accused of dragging their feet or being arbitrary and capricious post-Katrina. However, Louisiana is in an insurance crises with many property owners and others unable to obtain insurance policies so it will be interesting to see how that issue plays out on the campaign. This past session, Louisiana offered an incentive program to insurance companies to do business in Louisiana, compared to Florida which allowed its version to its Citizens Insurance to compete for more types of coverage. The insurance issue is one of Boasso’s main planks in his run for Governor as he, last week, alleged Bobby Jindal had worked for a company (after Jindal left Brown University) which has been accused of specifically teaching insurance companies how to deny claims. Boasso did not specify how Jindal was involved in that tutorial.
Jindal, Religion and Money
Bobby Jindal’s campaign manager Timmy Teepell, sent out a missive warning of a “push poll” focusing upon Jindal’s religion. Along with the missive was a big red button asking for campaign contributions. Teepell said, “We have received very disturbing news that our opponents are up to their dirty tricks again - preparing for yet another assault on Bobby's Christian faith.
Early this week, we began receiving phone calls from voters throughout the state, saying their house had been called by a political attack firm named "Cooper & Secrest." The callers reported that they had been deeply disgusted when the firm asked them questions attacking Bobby Jindal's Christian faith. One question the "Cooper & Secrest" firm asked was: "Bobby Jindal wrote articles for a Catholic magazine against Protestants...Would this lead you to believe that he, as governor, would prevent Protestants from practicing their religion?"
Teepell said “Whether Walter Boasso, Foster Campbell or the Louisiana Democratic Party is paying for this push poll, we do not yet know. It is hard to believe anyone would pay for efforts to attack Bobby's Christian faith, and we certainly expect any opponent not behind this effort to immediately condemn it.”
Interestingly, Teepell left out the other major opponent as being a possible culprit, John Georges. Nor did he allege that the poll could have been paid for some other source.
Major Republican Event
The Republican Party will be hosting a major fundraiser and push for the candidates September 28. The featured speaker will be Robert M. Mike Duncan, the Chairman of the Republican National Committee. The program is featured as Louisiana Victory 2007.
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Foti Attack
James D. “Buddy” Caldwell has begun to run commercials in his race against Attorney General Charles Foti. One of the claims Caldwell is making is his reference to representing hospitals which is an indirect poke at Foti and the Dr. Anna Pou Katrina incident.
Strain and Vitter
Mike Strain, who is running against Bob Odom for Commissioner of Agriculture and Forestry said this weekend in an email, “In addition to U.S. Senator David Vitter, U.S. Congressman Charles Boustany, U.S. Congressman Jim McCrery, and the St. Tammany GOP, who have already been working to elect Mike Strain Commissioner, Mike Strain gained the support of the Louisiana Young Republican Federation, the Orleans Republican Parish Executive Committee, and the Jefferson Republican Parish Executive Committee over the weekend.” Many have wondered with the controversy surrounding David Vitter whether the U.S. Senator would be playing a roll in the statewide campaigns.
Jena Six and Politics
The incident evolving Jena Six has become a national story, but, not a major political
campaign issue. At the core of the controversy is raw racism and reaction. National civil right leaders are planning to converge upon Jena on September 20 to shed light on the controversy and presumably the unfairness of the legal action against minorities reacting to a provocative measure of whites placing nooses on a tree that was impliedly designated as a “white tree”. On Friday, one of the defendants, who has been a local football hero had his case reversed by an Appellate Court stating that the trial should have been in juvenile court and that the defendant should not have been charged as an adult. The defendant also had major criminal charges lodged against him which had been reduced to “battery”. Still, the case is super-charged with racial issues and it will be interesting to see if any of the candidates running for office use the incident in any of their respective campaigns.
