New Orleans Mayoral Election 2006

[Bleeding heart conservative, HTMLdon]

Do you actually believe Nagin is the best candidate? Or do you just enjoy supporting trash for public office?

Do I believe Nagin is the best Mayor in America?  No.
Do I believe Nagin is a great Mayor?  Probably not.
Do I believe Nagin got a raw deal just for having the bad luck of being Mayor during an epic disaster?  Yes.
Do I believe Nagin is better than his opponent?  Absolutely.

[Bleeding heart conservative, HTMLdon]

Opportunist?  He gave money and endorsed the best candidates for those offices.  That's called principle, not opportunism.

I didn't mean he was an opportunist for the contributions/endorsments. If he was a Republican and became a Democrat just to run for mayour - that makes him a blatant opportunist.

So he should have run as a Republican and collected 10% of the vote?  Obviously that would have been nice to have had a black corporate executive running in name under our banner... but I can't blame him for being a realist.

[TomC]

Opportunistic politicians! This place really is a hell hole!

[HardRCafé]

He was a registered Republican up until the time when he ran for Mayor in 2001.  He also gave a $1,000 contribution to Bush's '00 campaign and endorsed Bobby Jindal in '03.  He claimed to never have been a Republican in a Tavis Smiley interview but a number of news reports contradict that claim.

I was unsure why it would matter if he was a Republican, but a Republican and a liar is better yet.

I was unaware until this week you were a Ray Nagin and George Ryan sort of Republican.  What about Buddy Cianci and Bill Janklow?

[Alcon]

Opportunistic politicians! This place really is a hell hole!

No kidding.  Any place that has ever had poor candidates in a race should be buried under water.  It's only logical!

[Ben.]

Do I believe Nagin is better than his opponent?  Absolutely.

Is that simply because Nagin was a Republican and his opponent's second name is "Landrieu"... what every way you stack it, Landrieu would be a far more effective Mayor than Nagin. 

[Bleeding heart conservative, HTMLdon]

He was a registered Republican up until the time when he ran for Mayor in 2001.  He also gave a $1,000 contribution to Bush's '00 campaign and endorsed Bobby Jindal in '03.  He claimed to never have been a Republican in a Tavis Smiley interview but a number of news reports contradict that claim.

I was unsure why it would matter if he was a Republican, but a Republican and a liar is better yet.

I was unaware until this week you were a Ray Nagin and George Ryan sort of Republican.  What about Buddy Cianci and Bill Janklow?

I respect George Ryan for the death penalty moratorium.  I do not respect the corruption in his administration and am upset that it has cast a negative light over our Party in Illinois.

[Bleeding heart conservative, HTMLdon]

Do I believe Nagin is better than his opponent?  Absolutely.

Is that simply because Nagin was a Republican and his opponent's second name is "Landrieu"... what every way you stack it, Landrieu would be a far more effective Mayor than Nagin. 

Is that just simply because your guy is a Democrat and his last name is "Landrieu"? 

Landrieu just wants to get the credit for the rebuilding so he can go on to run for something else after LA Democrats get their asses kicked next year.

[Ben.]

Do I believe Nagin is better than his opponent?  Absolutely.

Is that simply because Nagin was a Republican and his opponent's second name is "Landrieu"... what every way you stack it, Landrieu would be a far more effective Mayor than Nagin. 

Is that just simply because your guy is a Democrat and his last name is "Landrieu"? 

Landrieu just wants to get the credit for the rebuilding so he can go on to run for something else after LA Democrats get their asses kicked next year.

Personally I'd support whoever - Democrat, Republican, Libertarian even Green! - so long as i thought they where best placed to help New Orleans.

Landrieu my be running with an eye to the long game, but he could have won re-election in 2007 he was/is a popular Lt.Gov and seems to be as motivated by a desire to salvage the city he grew up in as anything else.

[Bleeding heart conservative, HTMLdon]

Do I believe Nagin is better than his opponent?  Absolutely.

Is that simply because Nagin was a Republican and his opponent's second name is "Landrieu"... what every way you stack it, Landrieu would be a far more effective Mayor than Nagin. 

Is that just simply because your guy is a Democrat and his last name is "Landrieu"? 

Landrieu just wants to get the credit for the rebuilding so he can go on to run for something else after LA Democrats get their asses kicked next year.

Personally I'd support whoever - Democrat, Republican, Libertarian even Green! - so long as i thought they where best placed to help New Orleans.

Landrieu my be running with an eye to the long game, but he could have won re-election in 2007 he was/is a popular Lt.Gov and seems to be as motivated by a desire to salvage the city he grew up in as anything else.

Too bad that he and his sister weren't motivated to save New Orleans before the damage occured - by using their political power to bring attention to the dire consequences of inaction on upgrading the levee system.

[Ben.]

Do I believe Nagin is better than his opponent?  Absolutely.

Is that simply because Nagin was a Republican and his opponent's second name is "Landrieu"... what every way you stack it, Landrieu would be a far more effective Mayor than Nagin. 

Is that just simply because your guy is a Democrat and his last name is "Landrieu"? 

Landrieu just wants to get the credit for the rebuilding so he can go on to run for something else after LA Democrats get their asses kicked next year.

Personally I'd support whoever - Democrat, Republican, Libertarian even Green! - so long as i thought they where best placed to help New Orleans.

Landrieu my be running with an eye to the long game, but he could have won re-election in 2007 he was/is a popular Lt.Gov and seems to be as motivated by a desire to salvage the city he grew up in as anything else.

Too bad that he and his sister weren't motivated to save New Orleans before the damage occured - by using their political power to bring attention to the dire consequences of inaction on upgrading the levee system.

Hmmm… I guess the power of the Mayor of New Orleans, the Governor of Louisiana the director of FEMA and the President of the United States simply can’t compete when it comes to averting or minimising the impact of a natural disaster when it comes to the awesome power of a United States Senator and the Lt.Governor of Louisiana!

I mean come on!

In the final analysis Mary Landrieu (and David Vitter for that matter) did all they could as United States Senators, while as Lt.Gov Mitch Landrieu also did, pretty much all he could… in stark contrast to the failures at the local level by Nagin and Blanco and the subsequent failures of FEMA and the Administration.

Can you credibly argue that Louisiana’s Lt. Governor and one of her United States Senator are culpable for the reaction to Katrina while Nagin, as Mayor of New Orleans, bears no blame what so ever… do you not see how ridicules that sounds?!

Honestly Don, you r smarter that this!

[SCDem07]

I don't really understand this move by Landrieu, unless he is a) rebuilding the city of his birth, or b) attempting to build up some serious political momentum that would result from a successful turn as mayor.  Landrieu has definitely got his eyes on something big, and that could be David Vitter, the man who once said "New Orleans is NOT filling up like a bowl."  I guess he thinks it was filling up more like a pot, pan, or maybe a mug.

But anyway, I don't really know if Louisiana would ever elect a brother-sister pair.  Any thoughts on that?

[Nym90]

I support Landrieu in this race, though I wouldn't feel horribly if Nagin won. He has gotten somewhat of a bad rap for things outside of his control, but overall I feel Landrieu would be a better Mayor.

Certainly Mayor of New Orleans is a bit of a thankless job and a very difficult one right now, so it doesn't really make sense to say that someone would want it out of political opportunism.

[Gabu]

But anyway, I don't really know if Louisiana would ever elect a brother-sister pair.  Any thoughts on that?

Didn't they already do just that?  They elected Mitch lieutenant-governor and Mary senator.

[7,052,770]

when's the runoff?

[??????????]

He has gotten somewhat of a bad rap for things outside of his control....

Indeed...

[SCDem07]

But anyway, I don't really know if Louisiana would ever elect a brother-sister pair.  Any thoughts on that?

Didn't they already do just that?  They elected Mitch lieutenant-governor and Mary senator.

I meant a brother-sister Senate delegation.

[Nym90]

But anyway, I don't really know if Louisiana would ever elect a brother-sister pair.  Any thoughts on that?

Didn't they already do just that?  They elected Mitch lieutenant-governor and Mary senator.

I meant a brother-sister Senate delegation.

I don't think siblings have ever been Senators simultaneously, at least not from the same state, of course (Ted Kennedy and Robert Kennedy come to mind in the 1960s, though of course Ted represented MA, and Robert NY).

I know there was talk of Sander Levin running for the Senate in 2000 against Spence Abraham here in Michigan; we could have had both Levin brothers as Senators (Sander is currently in the House from Michigan, and Carl of course in the Senate).

[Ben.]

Anyone got an idea of what the hell is going to happen?

Also anyone seen the debate... http://video.msn.com/v/us/msnbc.htm?f=00&g=a44d8421-1e19-410f-934b-e221f613e6c4&t=m5&p=News_Comment%20-%20Analysis

[Flying Dog]

I watched some of the debate. I wasnt impressed by either of them. Landrieu wasnt very motivating and Nagin was just plain stupid. If Nagin wins I will give up hope on New Orleans. Nagin made a bunch of mistakes. He should have called a mandatory eveacuation much earlier.  He should have got buses to pick up people without cars in the poor naeghboorhoods. He also should have cooperated with Gov. Blanco instead of holding a grudge against her for winning the election. He was hiding in the Hyatt while people down on the streets were dieing.

I admit Governor Blanco made a lot of mistakes too. Like not requesting the right emergency measures from the federal government. But the things that she did right like the contra-flow traffic she put in palce for the highways nagin took credit for. She also tirelessly worked to get buses to New Orleans after the storm passed. Nagin is the scum of the earth and should be kicked out of office. Landrieu is decent man. So I support him.

[Flying Dog]

Tulane Univ. Poll

(D)Mayor C. Ray Nagin 38%
(D)Lt. Governor Mitch Landrieu 48%

[nini2287]

when's the runoff?

I believe it's Saturday.

[??????????]

If Nagin gets elected again can we blow the levees and finish the city off?

[Q]

If Nagin gets elected again can we blow the levees and finish the city off?

The next big hurricane will see to that anyway.  There's so little being done to ensure that the billions in Americans' tax money being invested in SE LA is actually being protected from future storms.

[Gabu]

I never particularly understood why they're rebuilding the place.  It's as if they just completely forgot why New Orleans was at great risk in the first place...