Two polls for U.S. Senate in an approximate two week spread have shown an amazing change.  This is assuming one accepts the results of either the Zogby poll or the Rasmussen polls.  Zogby which was an opt-in online poll showed Kennedy with a lead for the first time within the margin of error, but still a lead.  A few weeks later, a poll commissioned by Mary Landrieu showed her with a sixteen point lead over John Kennedy.  That would mean an approximate twenty-two point differential within a matter of a few short weeks.  Interestingly, we did not have the drama of a media blitz against Kennedy as we saw against Jindal during the pay raise issue which showed his numbers tumble.  So, what gives?

Either both polls were right and there has been a dramatic shift for Landrieu, or both are incorrect in some way, or one is right and one is skewed.

Without doubt, the Landrieu machine is playing to her strength whether one accepts the poll findings.  She has more money and is using the media to her benefit.  Assuming that the recent Rasmussen poll is correct and she does now have a commanding lead, it would be less likely that she will engage in many debates during this electoral season.  She has said she would debate in October and has committed to at least one debate but feels she needs to spend time in Washington to work on last minute Congressional legislation prior to the election season.

The Republicans would have little ammunition to complain.  John Kennedy and the Louisiana GOP did little to put Governor Bobby Jindal’s feet to the fire last year to force him to the debate table and would look a tad inconsistent if they took up that banner now against Landrieu. 

However, Bayoubuzz, notwithstanding what might be a sizeable lead by Landrieu is again strongly urging debates on television and other media and forums, even if the current US Senator is in Washington.  While I definitely do not agree with the Kennedy camp that Landrieu has been liberal (she won the endorsement of the US Chamber of Commerce) and firmly feel she has been fighting very hard for Louisiana post-Katrina, I admit that we should discuss the differences in style and substance of the two candidates.   Also, it is true that John Kennedy ran in 2004 as a Democrat and could have been a liberal Democrat to boot at that time, but, people’s opinions do change based upon the circumstances and the issues.  Who would have thought that Joe Lieberman would be strongly supporting Republican John McCain after sharing the ticket with John Kerry whom Kennedy supported?  So, politics do change and events sometimes evoke those swings.  Only with the crucible of debates will we be able to see the real ghosts of the US Senate past, present and possibly the future of this Louisiana US Senate Story.  So, my dickens, let’s get it going.

David Vitter

David Vitter might have evaded another bullet as the the Federal Election Commission decided on party lines on whether the Louisiana US Senator could use campaign money to pay for legal costs in connection with the Deborah Jeane Palfrey, D.C. Madam Case.  The 3-3 decision deadlocks the issue for now preventing a solid resolution.   Vitter notes that it is his notoriety that caused him to incur the attention in the Palfrey case which resulted in legal and other fees.  Without doubt, Vitter was a target, but, in many respects, that is the price he should pay as a U.S. Senator.  He did not publically reveal any of this information prior to his run as US Senate.  Had he done so, running on a campaign of “family values”, it is quite doubtful that he would have won the election at the time.  In essence, he hid his past and his identity from the public.  Also, as a US Senator he has a substantial edge in raising money in a legal defense fund.  It will be interesting to see who has funded that defense and if they received any federal contracts.   This is a sorry saga brought on by the US Senator who refuses to face the public and explain his actions including wanting to take the 5^th while writing criminal legislation that requires witnesses to talk in order to prosecute.  It will likewise be interesting to see if after the elections this year if statewide Republican elected officials decide to go with a different horse.  Should they lose against Mary Landrieu this year, they will need to find a candidate they know can win.

Governor Jindal

Way too often, speakers at National political conventions bash the other candidate or other party.  Louisiana should be proud that both Mary Landrieu and Bobby Jindal at the upcoming convention will have speaking engagements and that Jindal will speak the night of the new Vice President’s acceptance speech.

Bayoubuzz hopes that both Landrieu outlines the differences in the parties but do not engage in party bashing.  Louisiana is so needy at this time that identification as being a party hack will only aggravate the other party who we need for their support in this recovery.  Jindal absolutely should speak to the values of John McCain.  The Governor might even want to explain why he finds the Republican Party values so compelling.   While Jindal is not going to be vice president or get the keynote address, he hopefully will take a page out of the Barack Obama’s playbook from the Democratic Convention 2004.  Jindal’s election epitomized bringing republicans and democrats together and much of what he has done so far this year has done the same although there are absolutely strong differences in policies such as the decision not to extend the “state government discrimination ban” enacted by Governor Blanco.