Its Super Bowl And Mardi Gras Time

The sprint to the New Orleans election finish line is on. 

If we think that four years ago was crazy, it is hard to fathom a more chaotic way to do an election.

Four years ago only approximately six months after Katrina, many of the polling locations were difficult to reach. In some cases, New Orleans’ citizens had to travel hours to vote.  Many complained about the absentee voting process. We even had a super poll site where various precinct locations were put in one venue.   At that time, we thought it was the strangest of times. 

Now with the Super Bowl and Mardi Gras in full bloom the key to the elections could be neighborhoods are not blocked due to parades and who is still in town or focused due to the football game.   

This election is supposed to be one of the most critical decisions in the history of our city.  New Orleans is a city with a budget problem deeper than all the New Orleans potholes put together.   So, on one of the most important days for New Orleans, what do we do?  We throw a party. 

Instead of getting the election out of the way, we make it very difficult for voters to go to the polls.   

By contrast, Jefferson Parish cancelled its “Family Gras” because it, in part, the event fell on the weekend of Super Bowl Sunday.  So, Jefferson Parish can cancel a frivolous event in respect to the fear of conflicting with the New Orleans team going to the Super Bowl, but, New Orleans stacks Election Day with even more parades than the city can handle on the day of the day that could change the city’s course

Thankfully, the early voting has been very strong which according to Greg Rigamer of GCR, is counter-intuitive and shows a strong interest in the election.  

Yet, with many New Orleans citizens impacted this week with Super Bowl and Mardi Gras distractions and even obstacles, it remains to be seen if voters continue to engage in the election process. 

On election day, as a community, we will see exactly where are our priorities.   

Throw Me Something Mister

Now that we must live with the confluence of Mardi Gras, Super Bowl and the elections, what does it mean to the candidates? 

It changes the entire ball game.   

It means that you can basically throw most of the polls out of the window. 

The polls matter in terms of getting the big ‘Mo as in money and momentum.  But, in reality, especially now, they mean very little in terms of who might win the elections. 

There probably is one certainty as judged by the polls.  From all polls, Mitch Landrieu has a significant lead and the key questions are will he win in the general election and if not, who will he meet in the runoff. 

While polls absolutely have played a role in most of the races this year, these New Orleans elections, once again are very unique.  Now, what matters than the polls are the candidates getting the citizens to vote.  The challenge has been mobilizing the “advance voting”.  Now, the focus of the candidates is to help motivate, mobilize and navigate their potential supporters through the Mardi Gras traffic, and the Super Bowl fog.   

Polls will help candidates make decisions and will influence the voters actions.  But, getting out the vote during this most challenging time, means just about everything. 

The Name Game

Now is the time that candidates are touting their endorsements.

A number of the major candidates have some big marquees.

Some of the endorsements have been somewhat predictable.   Mitch Landrieu has gotten some major endorsements with the Times Picayune leading the pack.  John Georges has received the nod of the Tribune (a black-oriented paper) and perhaps the most powerful politician in New Orleans, the District Attorney (Leon A. Cannizzaro).   Troy Henry has the New Orleans Democratic Party.  Jason Perry garnered the Nation.  Rob Couhig pulled Crime Fighters.   Plus, the other candidates for other offices are branding their futures with familiar names.  

I hope that before citizens vote they consider the process of endorsements.  Ask yourself these questions:

Do you know how the endorsing organizations or individuals selected the endorsed candidate?

Do you know who was involved in making the endorsements?

Do you know exactly why and how the endorsements were made?

I do not value any endorsement unless the endorsers transparently provide this information.   I think citizens should consider these factors:

Do the candidates advertise in those publications?

Do the candidates lobby individuals in the endorsing organizations?

Do the endorsed candidates pay those organizations money so those organizations advertise their endorsements?

Do the endorsed candidates the organizations to help get out the vote? 

Who Dat Political Nation 

While I think the NFL should totally back away from their over-reaching claim, don't you  find it interesting that both Charlie Melancon and David Vitter (candidates for US Senate for Louisiana) sent out e-mail campaign letters with their own petitions or letters criticizing the NFL.  The e-letters help direct us to "contribute links" to fund their campaigns.  They could have sent out press releases only or even just emailed non-campaign letters to their constituents showing their support for this cause. Why Dat? And, Geaux Saints.    

O’Keefe Statement
James O’Keefe has issued a statement on the Internet on the same site where he posted his ACORN pimp videos.  In the recent statement, he is claiming he was engaging in investigative journalism in attempting to uncover facts associated with claims involving Senator Landrieu’s phones.  He has also blasted mainstream media for getting facts wrong and has said "The public will judge whether reporters who can’t get their facts straight have the credibility to question my integrity as a journalist."