The Atomic Rural Political Wild Card of lower Louisiana?
(Amos, of the NOLA Time Picayunes, stated in a pro-Jindal national interview, that Piyush managed to rig himself into office because he got the Cajuns to vote with N. Louisiana.)
The large body of Republican and Democrat politicians, who constantly have to raise money and compete for their political futures are well aware that Independents are the folks that swing elections. In Louisiana, this awesome power falls on the folks, in the lower lying Parish areas of this state(the strip from Lake Charles-all the way across-to St.Bernard/Plaquemines Parish). Lower Louisiana, decides on what years Louisiana will be Democrat and what years, the state will be Republican but most people in lower La., aren't even aware that we swing elections.
North Louisiana, is not really Louisiana at all. North Louisiana is an area of migrated hillbillies but Louisiana has no hills! Alabama has hills, Arkansas has hills and Georgia has hills but yet we have HILL-billies in that region. These people aren't really affected by the dynamics of Louisiana Big Oil and wetland systems, so they vote on emotions and prejudices. North La. is stuck in 1910, and this results in cases like Jena 6. North La. is an embarrassment and a settlement of rejected people from Alabama and Arkansas.
The problem with having power in Lower Louisiana is that it is unrealized and unfulfilled. The people of lower Louisiana, suffer more than any other people in the U.S., due to policies out of Baton Rouge and Washington D.C. The fact that Rush Limbaugh, the drug addict Republican radio spokesperson, is spending huge amounts of money to promote his right-wing propaganda show, only proves that lower Louisiana is an area, that has taken many powerful, corrupt Republicans out of power and has also elevated the wrong people into office. Rush Limbaugh, is running ads in Plaquemines and St. Bernard Parish, because people are waking up from this propaganda daze and La. political/Big Oil Matrix of lies. State Republicans, can't have that happen, so they called in Rush.
Lower rural Louisiana, is home to the powerful, silent Majority. The folks in lower La. do not stand up and shout but have instead upset many well funded and local media backed politicians over the years. When former, Ku Klux Klan member David Duke, ran for high office, the silent majority in Plaquemines Parish, stopped him dead in his tracks, even though N. La, St. Tammany Parish and parts of Jefferson Parish thought they had that election in the bag. Mr. Duke thought that by holding meetings in West Plaquemines, that he had accomplished something but when election day came, it was the silent majority in East Plaquemines that left him broke and handing out KKK fliers on Canal street in New Orleans. Then he went on to become a jew-hater, cocaine addict, convict and fantasizing about being lord over Russia.
Then Congressman, Piyush Jindal, set out the first time around, on becoming La.'s Governor-but he was shut down by the HUGE silent Cajun majority in the Lafayette area! So, where is the real center of power in Louisiana state? Evidently, the silent majority has a history of being very quiet, while destroying the status quo, on ballot day. Never underestimate the silent, quiet majority along the lower La. Gulf and Bayou coast. These are not people, that Baton Rouge should be pissing off because history shows, that lower Louisiana can make or break political dreams and agendas. Many politicians have gone down in flames, by pissing off lower, rural Louisiana areas.
Gov. of Louisiana state, Piyush Jindal, somehow convinced Cajuns in lower-West Louisiana to vote for him, even though Jindal was clearly marketed by former Gov. Foster and Foster was a Gov. that spelled bad news for fishermen in lower La. The fact that lower Louisiana consistently swings elections, for politicians, who are clearly hostile to the well being and economic development of low-laying Parish areas, is simply astonishing and an unnerving ignorance from the people of these areas.
A perfect example of swing voting power can be seen in New Orleans. Whites in that area, tend to back any Republican, no matter what the politician is saying. Blacks tend to mindlessly back Democrats and Vietnamese do not vote. In fact, Vietnamese are considered the bottom rung of the totem pole, when it comes to Asian beliefs. Koreans, Japanese and Chinese frown on Vietnamese and Filipinos, as being the "Nig*ers" of the Asian race. NOLA Creoles and middle class blacks, swing elections in NOLA, by a perfect 10%. The District Attorney is in office due to this swing vote. A Vietnamese "no-nothing" Congressman is also in office, due to getting 10% of this swing vote.
The African American female,
from Tulane, who was a shoe-in for the D.A. position, irked Creoles when she aligned herself with CNN/ Time Picayunes and took part in a redundant "New Orleans Crime" propaganda project, hosted by Soledad O'Brian of CNN. Creoles have gotten so sick, of these deflection patterns, when there are other issues to be discussed by New Orleans officials, that this black D.A. lost out on a job of a lifetime, simply because she failed to understand the swing vote in New Orleans. Maybe if Keva Landum-Johnson, would have put down the fried chicken, being that she weighs about 400lbs., she could have researched to see that NOLA people are sick and tired of the media and even more tired of city officials, that go on the media shows, to settle personal gripes with other city officials. It may be soothing for their own egos but it embarrasses the citizens of New Orleans and they appear to seek revenge on voting day. The 10% Creole & Middle Class black swing vote-is now a fact of life in New Orleans.
Disgraced Congressman, William Jefferson of NOLA, was sitting back, on a bunch of fraud money and figured that because he was black, he was promised a re-election to the NOLA Congress. Well, simply talking to blacks in Mid-City and Lower Ninth Ward areas of New Orleans just don't cut it anymore. Simply talking to black Protestant churches isn't enough because the Creole Catholics in Gentilly, uptown area and Algiers-simply played their "10% swing vote" card and shocked his ass out of office. I mean, Jefferson had the audacity to be shocked, that he did not win his Congressional seat! I was amazed that this crook, who has given the national media more ammunition to slam Louisiana, was now acting "vexed" and pissed! Now he has been convicted of corruption and awaiting sentencing. If he would have gotten re-elected, he would have to be replaced anyway-so it was smart to just get him out of the way and deal with Congressman Cao.
Former Cajun-female Gov. Blanco, was supposed to loose to Jindal(by large numbers), but the La. media and politicians still fail to realize that lower rural La. swings each and every state-wide election.
The fact that Louisiana has never been a solid Republican, Southern state-and Republicans sweat elections- causes great stress to Republicans. Republicans slam La. every chance that they get, because Louisianians can be very independent in their thinking and the key word is "thinking"-which appears to piss off stupid Republicans, who just want followers.
Current Lt.Gov Mitch Landrieu, lost his bid for New Orleans Mayor, to Mayor Ray Nagin-due to ONE single statement. "I feel that we need the illegal immigrants to rebuild New Orleans." This did not sit well, with progressive and politically aware Creoles in NOLA, who had a shit load of phone calls from other states, regarding the shipping out of blacks and the busing in of illegal aliens on a Halliburton contract-which turned out to be a huge parasite on tax payers. Whenever I get Creoles, in Uptown New Orleans, upset and pissed over something done or said by a NOLA political hopeful, that hopeful ALWAYS ends up loosing the election. I can bank money on this, every single time. It NEVER fails. Bottom line, don't piss off people in Uptown New Orleans, if you want to win a place in Nawlins' political office.
Lafayette, Bossier City, Lake Charles, Plaquemines and St.Bernard, swinging an election to Piyush Jindal, was a brain fart. Baton Rouge has no use for lower Louisiana, except for tax revenues and winning elections. After we put in place, Republican Governors, the first round of policies always spells disaster for folks in lower La. It is this failed awareness of political clout that has placed lower Louisiana in such a dysfunctional and mind boggling position.
Senator Mary Landrieu, has been very successful, even though the larger Democratic party has not lifted one finger to help Louisiana state, even when lower Louisiana gave them a Democratic-Blue State in the middle of the Deep South! This lack of respect and ignorance by national Democrats, towards Louisiana state, is the main reason that La. has gotten more Republican in recent years. Even rural and suburban blacks, are starting to ask the question, "What in the hell have Democrats EVER done for Louisiana?"
The irony, is that Mary Landrieu is now one of the most powerful Democrats in the Senate (Blue Dog Democrat) and she can destroy policies from Obama or severely cripple policies of kooky Ca. and NY Democrats, plus she can destroy Republicans. Mary Landrieu, is "Queen of the Damned" from the Anne Rice novels, because Landrieu can just destroy policies and make it burst into flames, while Senate Democrats stand there in shock and awe.
Swing voters have all of the power in Louisiana politics, and lower Louisiana is the swing vote region. New Orleans is the heart and pulse of Louisiana not Baton Rouge, even though B.R. is the state's capital. Los Angeles is the heart of California and not Sacramento. Manhattan is the heart of New York and not Albany, even though that is N.Y. state's capital.
Having so much of misused power, means that folks in lower Louisiana have to be extra vigilant in researching political hopefuls and cautious of well marketed Republicans, like Piyush Jindal, who was clearly tied into this theology of being anti-Plaquemines, anti-Cajun, anti-land protection, anti-seafood industry and pro-Texas Oil.
Currently, in Plaquemines Parish, Jindal is trying to implement a policy that would effectively turn Plaquemines Parish into a boat parking areas for Texans and a waste ground for oil companies. This is the continuation of former Gov. Foster's policies and a further, radical insult on working class fishermen of lower Louisiana state. What did people expect, when they swung him into office? The information, regarding Jindal-Foster's policies, were plain as day! If Foster was bad for fishermen, why in the world did these people think that voting for Jindal was in their best interest? Now, fishermen in Plaquemines Parish are threatening civil disobedience and an uprising, over Baton Rogue's continued hostilities against lower rural La. seafood workers and I think it is high-time that the Good Ole Boys start getting a little scared in that area.
The men and women of lower Louisiana, have been fishing in Louisiana waters, for over 100 years, as a way to put food on the table to feed their families. In a disconnected swipe of a pen, some East Indian, Republican & oil company funded idiot, named Piyush Jindal, is trying to destroy an entire Louisianian heritage and way of life!
Due to Piyush Jindal, the Cajuns in Lafayette and Houma are feeling the effects of Jindal's policies. Will they remember this come election season, when these well oiled Republicans come over to "woo" them, and then disappear into Baton Rouge, to un-lease policies that destroy historic industries in lower La., that used to allow lower Louisiana to be very self contained and self reliant? Only time will tell.
