Next Tuesday New Orleans businessman Gary Landrieu officially joins the race for Governor of Louisiana. Landrieu, who has previously run for U.S. Congress as a Democrat, changed his party identification to Independent. Currently, there are 1.3 million Democrats, 900,000 Republicans and over 775,000 Independent voters in Louisiana. The fastest growing segment of the electorate in the past year has been Independent voters.
In 1999, I launched a career on radio and television, and started writing regular political columns. A frequent guest on my programs was Steve Sabludowsky, attorney and founder of Bayoubuzz.com. While we disagreed on some issues, we both agreed that there was a need for much more political humor in our state.
In Louisiana, our politicians, usually unwittingly, regularly provide plenty of comic material. Thus, along with our friend Betsie Gambel, we started Politics with a Punch, Louisiana’s version of Politically Incorrect. While the old show with Bill Maher is long gone, our program is still rolling along. Tomorrow night, we will be celebrating our 17th anniversary at the Eiffel Society, 2040 St. Charles Avenue.
by Jim Miller The Pelicans' hiring of David Griffin as GM and head of basketball operations has a chance to be the best hire for a New Orleans sports team since Jim Finks in 1986. The reason? Because Griffin is the first GM since Finks to come to New Orleans with a proven record at assembling championship teams.
New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell is a left-wing Democrat who espouses the progressive platform of her party. Thus, it should surprise no one that today she is visiting a country that is ruled by leaders who espouse a similar ideology. Today’s Democrats are embracing socialism which has many of the same dangerous attributes of communism. As Cantrell and her entourage enjoy their five-day junket to Cuba, they should try to talk to average Cubans about the impact of this dangerous ideology on the island nation. Of course, a real conversation with Cuban citizens is not allowed for any criticism of the regime is punishable with prison time.
New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell won, even though she may not have had anything to do with it.
Last weekend, dozens of local measures peppered ballots across the state for voter assessment. Perhaps the most prominent was a proposal to increase property taxes on New Orleanians designed to pass through to fund operations of the New Orleans Council on Aging.
Spring is in the air. Flowers are blooming, birds are singing and the kickoff of the Politics with a Punch season is about to begin. So is our Louisiana statewide elections season.
Politics with a Punch is the very popular political-comedy impromptu event held at the Eiffel Society at 2040 St. Charles Avenue. The next date is Thursday March 28, 2019.
by Jim Miller
Only New Orleans can turn abject disappointment into a party.
Of course, just about anything that happens in New Orleans is reason enough for a party. Even deaths are celebrated by jazz funerals in which the sorrow of passing is replaced by a celebration of a life well lived. And that’s what happened Sunday when thousands of fans turned off their televisions and descended downtown to protest the game they should have been in. The impromptu Blackout and Gold parade marchers second-lined at Jackson Square, down Canal and Poydras streets and gathered at Fulton Street in a massive display of anger. And the world noticed, especially after a relatively dull Super Bowl that featured the least points and the most punts in the game’s 53-year history.
The New Orleans Saints have been in operation for 51 years and have only delivered one Super Bowl championship to their faithful fans. Nevertheless, the most loyal fans in the world still bleed black and gold and are passionate about supporting their team. Maybe it was because of the fact the team was announced on All-Saints Day in 1966 but supporting the team has become a religious experience.
There are three ways to lose a game. First, you get beat by a better team. You can understand that and you go back to the drawing board to get better. Second, you can lose a game with poor execution or an ill-timed mistake. But stuff happens and you can understand that. Third and the worst of all is when you do nothing wrong, your execution is good enough to win but you get it taken away from you. And that’s the one you can’t understand nor forgive. And that’s what happened to the Saints Sunday in the Superdome.
Does Mitch have the itch?
Former New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu, that is.
Is he itching to put his name in the Democratic Party pool of wannabees who are launching presidential campaigns, it appears, now by the droves. Over the past two weeks, starting with Elizabeth Warren, the names of presidential campaign “expectees” are jumping in or making it known that their respective campaigns are under serious consideration.
Saints must win, ‘cause I really hate the Eagles!
I hate the Philadelphia Eagles, I really do. I know it’s fashionable in New Orleans to dislike any team that dares to think they can beat the Saints. After all, our local heroes are the top-ranked, first-seed, most wonderfullest team in our National Football League playoff pantheon. Just ax anybody! So Who Dat Say Dey Gonna Beat Dem Saints? Who Dat? Who dat, indeed!
President Donald Trump’s net approval rating of Louisiana voters has plummeted over the roughly two years that he has presided over the nation.
According to a Morning Consult poll of registered voters, released Monday morning, Trump’s net approval sits at 13 percent, that is, positive minus negative rating.
His overall rating nationwide sits at 44 percent approval, versus 52 percent disapproval.
Louisiana Business shorts news for today: the Important event at the convention center in New Orleans IAEE; New Orleans technology; NOLA Christmas Fest