LA-02: The Re-Election of Jefferson Was Predictable

Today we know that Karen Carter, by all accounts a good candidate, lost against ‘nearly indicted’ Congressman Jefferson.  And throughout the Blogsphere people with no experience in Louisana politics are stunned.

‘How could a man with $90,000 in his freezer, with staffers who have plead guilty still get elected?” Personally, I thought he would win all along. That prediction was based on my experience in LA-1.

Louisiana, based on my consulting with Stacey Tallitsch, a defeated candidate for LA-1 and a terribly good man, is the most unusual political place in America. One simple statistic will bear out my comment:

  After seeing their brothers and sisters die in Katrina and Rita,
  After seeing their city nearly destroyed,
  After the maladministration of help at State as well as Federal levels… 

In the election of 2006 not one incumbent in the State House or in Congress was replaced. Every single one that was in office when the disasterous decisions where made is still there enjoying the perks of office!

Do I understand this statistic? No. Even with nearly 40 of political experience I don’t get it! I can only say that I don’t have the live-in-New-Orleans experience to help me understand.

I hope we have some New Orleans citizens that can bluntly help us understand.  It is a mystery to me. Frankly, when I took on Stacey Tallitsch as a client I assumed this would be a cake walk! Who would keep the incumbents in office after such a tragedy? I was wrong.

The incumbent won with 88% of the vote and announced his run for Governor less than a week later. So LA-1 won’t really have a Congressman…only a candidate for higher office. And Stacey has a big campaign debt. I never would have guessed at the outcome.

And now Congressman Jefferson continues on his path.

I hope someone from NOLA can bring some light to all these things that are so hard for the rest of us to understand.