Tag: Louisiana

Cross posted over at Daily Kingfish and Daily Kos

Secretary of State Jay Dardenne, (R-Baton Rouge) in testimony to the House Government Affairs Committee on 2 May 2007 used a racist code word in support of his position to deny Louisianans displaced by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita the right to vote in Louisiana elections. 

He was invited to give his opinion on Jalila Jefferson-Bullock’s HB 619, which would extend the right of displaced persons to vote in Louisiana elections for the upcoming gubernatorial election this fall. 

The code word used by Secretary Dardenne?  Chaos.

UPDATE: Don’t believe this?  Then click here
and go to 2 May 2007, and click on House Gov Affairs.  It’ll launch Real Player, and in the interest of saving you 3 hours, skip to 2:40, and watch from there.

Many younger folks won’t remember this, as they weren’t alive for it … (I wasn’t) … but Richard Nixon, back in 1968, used the words “law and order” in campaign commercials while showing scenes of riots in urban areas.  In other words, the commercial showed scenes of African-Americans rioting in the urban centers of America the summer after Dr. King was shot, and the voice-over said, Richard Nixon will restore law and order to America, or some variation of it.  This was the beginning of the Southern Strategy for the Republicans, one which emphasized white power over people of color.  And Secretary Dardenne is proudly following that script. 

For Secretary Dardenne to use the word “chaos” in describing the use of satellite voting locations during the New Orleans Mayoral election in 2006 is ingenious at best, racist as hell at worst.  Obviously, most of the displaced folks in New Orleans that haven’t been able to return are African-American, as the only section of the city that is still largely uninhabitable is the 9th Ward, which includes the Lower 9th, which is still a ghost town today.  And guess who most of the residents of the 9th Ward were?  African-Americans. 

During his testimony, he constantly changed his reasons for not being supportive of this bill … First, it was that his office has no money to conduct early voting, then it was that there no one to run the effort, then it was that his office didn’t have any voting machines, then it was that his office spent too much money on the voting machines, then it was that it took too much time to count ballots, then it was the whole process was chaos, and too difficult to implement, and too susceptible to fraud. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?

Of all those “reasons,” the fraud one is most serious one.  The way to combat such fraud is simple … making sure that every Registrar of Voters office throughout the State of Louisiana has access to the voting records for the 11 Parishes affected by the bill, and OVERSIGHT.  Each displaced person who comes forward to vote in a different parish has to sign a statement stating that they are the person they claim to be, and leave some current contact information.  If it turns out that someone is committing fraud, guess what?  By signing that statement, they are essentially saying, “If I am lying, you have the right to prosecute me for misrepresentation.”  And if someone commits fraud in such an instance, then, by all means, Mr. Dardenne, prosecute their lying behind.

For someone who makes no secret about his desire to be Governor, running an election is difficult?!  Mr. Dardenne, running an election is a cakewalk compared to governing Louisiana.  Perhaps you better stick to the Secretary of State’s office for awhile.  Or better yet, just go home when your term is up.

The bottom line is that Secretary Dardenne objects to having to spend some MONEY for early voting in satellite locations throughout Louisiana for voters who say they have been displaced from their parish of residence. We’re not even talking about going to Atlanta, or Houston, or Denver, where quite a few of our citizens were displaced to.  We’re talking about putting a freaking voting machine in the Registrar of Voters offices throughout the state of LOUISIANA, in the event that a displaced New Orleanian, or a displaced resident of Cameron, shows up in another parish’s Registrar of Voters office to vote in the gubernatorial election.

Guess what?  Democracy ain’t free.  Over the last 204 years, Louisianans have shed their BLOOD for our right to vote, and are currently doing so in Iraq and Afghanistan, and our lovely Secretary of State is opposed to spending some MONEY to allow some of our citizens to exercise their right to vote. 

Give him a call … and let him know he’s WRONG on this issue.  1-800-883-2805 … and make him spend some more money while you’re at it.

If there is any truth to this, then the Louisiana Democratic Party is more screwed than I previously thought.

Gov. Kathleen Blanco would not deny she is considering re-entering the governor’s race when questioned by TV reporters Thursday at the Governor’s Mansion.

“This is Louisiana and lots of exciting things can happen between now and the election,” Blanco said when asked if she was reconsidering.

Marie Centanni, Blanco’s spokeswoman, said later, “The governor is certainly enjoying her current status and she expects it to stay the same.”

We don’t need this. If you’re in, you’re in, if you drop out, you should stay out for the good of the party. Perhaps she is exacting some kind of revenge on the party for pushing her out. Regardless, someone needs to straighten her out.

First posted at Daily Kingfish, a Louisiana political blog started by two SSP members from Louisiana.

This election cycle could not be more frustrating and confusing, and I hope I am the only one who is already exhausted.  But at least our state Party has not stacked the deck in favor of one candidate who has a vague campaign message full of platitudes with no solutions and no unifying theme, unless an identity suspended in quotation marks, “Bobby,” constitutes a theme.  To me it appears to be a floating signifier, a mere vocalization that refers to no mental concepts and to no objects that exist in the tangible world.  Republican bloggers must be really bored with the rehashed and revisited rhetoric of 2003 with all the same tropes of Democratic corruption and all the same idle crowing about the wonderful ideas ready to spring from the intelligent mind of “Bobby,” as if he were a modern day Zeus.  How many times can a blogger type, “It is not who you know; it is what you know?”  How many times can one beg readers “not to vote for ideology but for competence?”  How many times does one have to avoid discussing the legislative record of someone who mindlessly voted for the national GOP’s disastrous policies 97% of the time?  How many times can one use the same sheet of toilet paper? 

Because Ryan has already penned a diary on Public Service Commissioner Foster Campbell, I will deal with the rhetoric surrounding the latest Democratic candidate to announce: Walter Boasso, former Republican but now Democratic state Senator from Arabi, St. Bernard Parish.

Louisiana politics is never boring, and this cycle will be no exception.  So the Southern Strategy is ready to enter phase 4 and swallow Louisiana once and for all.  Democrats, the LCRM claims, will lose seats or be pressured to switch parties, and “Bobby” will be rewarded with a Republican majority in the state House on the day of his coronation, a ceremony to be funded with the precious budget surplus the Republicans ostensibly want to protect.  Republican realignment, we are told, is dawning over the horizon.  But how does this square with the novelty of a Republican state Senator in a Deep South state switching to the Democratic Party?  Boasso’s move is somewhat anomalous, and if one chooses to think about this phenomenon historically, it may signal the obsolescence of the 40 year effort of the Republican Party to colonize the South.  And Boasso may be in good hands.  For on the other end of the South, we have a new Democratic US Senator in Virginia named Jim Webb, who switched from the Republican Party to the Democratic Party last year, when he won his Senate race by a nailbiting 7,000 votes.

So Boasso’s switch may have a broader significance lost on those who are focused on the empirical and on the partisan and not on the historical.  Do not expect LSU – Shreveport Political Science Professor Jeffery Sadow to engage in such an abstract mode of thinking, for that may require some thought and effort.  But to return to the point of this essay, will Boasso exploit it?  Will Boasso use his party switch to his advantage and to the advantage of the Louisiana Democratic Party?  Is his switch a harbinger for something much larger than himself? 

According to Boasso,

[T]oday I have rejoined the Democratic Party because [sic] I believe that running as a Democrat will give me the best opportunity to push an agenda for change and reform.  The people of Louisiana, regardless of party affiliation, are in search of a leader, and are [sic] eager to stand side by side with someone willing to challenge the establishment and reform our state.

An interesting transvaluation of Republican tropes: reform, change and leadership are now in the purview of the Democratic Party, and the values of the silent majority are to be found underneath the Democratic umbrella, not the dysfunctional, slipshod apparatus brandished by the Republicans.  And state Democratic Party Chairman Chris Whittington is right there in Boasso’s big tent.  Responding to a question about Boasso’s party switch, Whittington quips, “The more the merrier.”  Boasso continues:

The political deal makers have run this state for too long at the expense of so many of our people who need affordable healthcare, quality education and the opportunity to secure a good paying job.  I will not be silenced by the status quo or by those unwilling to embrace a new direction for our state.  The challenges are too large and [sic] we have no time to waste.

Now this is a powerful paragraph.  Corruption and cronyism are placed squarely on the lap of the Republican Party, as are inflexibility, the status quo and useless dilatory tactics, a coded phrase that can be translated to mean inefficient government that enjoys wasting time. 

These are the words of a fighter, and Boasso is not taking any prisoners.  This must have grated on state Republican Party Chairman Roger Villere’s nerves.  And Villere’s response?

Some politicians switch parties because of philosophy and principle. … Walter has made it clear that he is just the opposite. He’s switching because he hasn’t been successful as a Republican candidate.

This is a petty response more befitting a schoolyard bully than a Party Chairman who locked a credible candidate named Walter Boasso out of the political process.   Actually, it does befit Roger Villere, for he is a schoolyard bully.  But if Villere desires to discuss principle and philosophy, let us discuss the many southern Democrats who switched to the Republican Party during the last three decades of the twentieth century as a result of their opposition to Civil Rights legislation.  Let us discuss the southern Republican Party’s use of coded and overt racism to increase white, Republican turnout in close elections.  Let us discuss the southern Republican Party’s roots in figures such as Strom Thurmond and Jesse Helms. And let us discuss some of its more recent incarnations, George “Macaca” Allen, David Duke and LSU – Shreveport Professor Jeffrey Sadow, who claims Boasso “is even more off the reservation than Campbell.”  If Boasso is the opposite of those who adhere to racist principles and philosophies, I am more than ready to embrace his candidacy.

But notice what else Boasso mentions in this paragraph:  Boasso switched to the Democratic Party, as Boasso hopes to address the problems of healthcare, education and un(der)employment.  This is not your typical Republican menu of wedge issues with “family values,” guns and tax breaks as your main entrées and a gratuitous jab at the Landrieus as the lagniappe; this to me reads as the domestic agenda of a Democratic candidate.  Although I am still awaiting the specifics, I am impressed with what I see thus far.

Do you believe Boasso will propose a Democratic social agenda?  How many of his positions do you believe he will modify?  And how do you believe the Democratic Party should handle Boasso’s switch?  Should Chris Whittington make this into a world historical event, or should he allow Roger Villere to frame it as so much political prostitution?  And how should Boasso explain his decision to switch parties?  Should he mention President Bush’s approval ratings?  Should he mention Iraq?  Should he mention the disaster that was the 109th Congress?  Should he discuss how Jindal was one of the reasons the 109th Congress is named the “do nothing” Congress?  And should he mention Jindal’s failure to “get it done” for Louisiana? 

Feel free to quote from other news sources in the comments thread.  And be sure to read Jeffrey Sadow’s insane meditation on Boasso’s switch.  Sadow is so unglued, leather restraints cannot hold him back. 

 

As you can imagine, I am stunned. 

http://blog.nola.com…

Two potential candidates now are former US Rep. Chris John and Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu.

I apologize for the brevity of the diary, but I desire to read online reaction to Foti’s decision.  Here are two sources:

http://blog.nola.com…

ryan at Daily Kingfish also has an analysis:

http://www.dailyking…

Breaux will make his decision in a couple of days.

We shall wait some more.

Everyone here should be aware of the following advertisments on YouTube smearing John Breaux.  He has not yet annouced, but the Louisiana Republicans are already prepared to bombard Louisiana citizens with falsehoods and distortions.

Here are the You Tube videos:

This is full of falsehoods.  Has anyone ever heard of the Breaux Act, an act that secures millions of dollars every year for coastal restoration and wetland protection projects?  And what of David Vitter’s citation of Breaux’s healthcare plan in his proposal to transform the Charity Hospital system of LSU?  I can go on and on.

This is just vacuous.  And since when is Jindal, who took money from DeLay, Abramoff and former Rep. now lobbyist Livingston? 

Jindal used these quotes in 2003, and he still lost to Blanco.

Republican Party of Louisiana video on television:

By the way, Jindal moved from Baton Rouge to Kenner in order to run for Vitter’s former House seat, LA-01.  Jindal is the carpetbagger, not John Breaux.

I hope this helps.  And let us use the comments to invalidate these claims and to perform opposition research on Piyush “Bobby” Jindal.

John Breaux may run, even if Blanco decides to remain in the race.  Visit this website for more details, especially if you want Breaux to run:

http://www.johnbreau…

The Louisiana Democratic Party now has an account with ActBlue for their state legislative races.  Visit their fundraising page at this website:

https://secure.actbl…

Bobby Jindal, who plans to run for Governor in 2007, is ranked 432 out of 435 in terms of effectiveness in Congress.  Visit this website for more details:

http://www.congress….

Progressive reformer and grassroots activist Deborah Langhoff, who missed the runoff in the special election on 10 March by 89 votes, plans to run for LA-HD 94 this November.  Here is an excerpt from New Orleans City Business:

LCRM race role

In the March 10 legislative election in District 94, four pieces of mail attacking leading Democratic candidate Deborah Langhoff arrived the day before Election Day.

The mail was produced by the Louisiana Committee for a Republican Majority, a new organization dedicated to electing a Republican majority in the Louisiana Legislature this fall. LCRM is heavily funded by GOP donors Boysie Bollinger and Joe Canizaro and supported by Sen. David Vitter, R-Metairie.

The mailers “exposed” Langhoff’s liberalism and quoted her as saying “I loathe Bobby Jindal.” Langhoff said the “hit pieces” hurt her vote total and kept her out of the runoff. For that reason, Langhoff will not endorse marketing representative Jeb Bruneau nor attorney Nick Lorusso, the two Republican runoff candidates. She plans to run in the fall against whoever wins the general election March 31.

UPDATE: BLANCO OUT

WWL TV New Orleans writes the following:

Governor Kathleen Blanco has requested television time tonight for a gubernatorial address that will be carried live on Eyewitness News at 6 p.m.. Sources tell Eyewitness News that Blanco will announce she is not seeking re-election.

The DCCC has posted this article from Roll Call entitled “Louisiana Lightning.”  I recommend everyone read it in its entirety, as the article discusses Republican and Democratic strategy for 2007 and 2008.  Here are some of the more interesting passages from the article:

Democratic officials believe that demographic changes in one of the South’s few remaining competitive states – for instance, many former New Orleans residents now live in Baton Rouge and Shreveport – could put Rep. Richard Baker’s (R-La.) seat within their reach.
“Baker is definitely on our radar screen,” DCCC spokesman Doug Thornell said. “We believe whether Baker runs for governor, Senate or seeks re-election, we believe he’s vulnerable.”
Baker’s 6th district is based in Baton Rouge, which swelled from 225,000 residents before Hurricanes Katrina and Rita hit in 2005 to somewhere between 275,000 and 325,000 today, according to local officials.

The DCCC also is casting a glance at Rep. Jim McCrery (R) in the 4th district.Neither district seems like particularly fertile ground for Democrats on paper – President Bush carried both districts with 59 percent of the 2004 presidential vote – but a lot has changed since then.
Shreveport just elected a black Democratic mayor in November, Democrats are quick to note.
McCrery represents a big chunk of the Pelican State’s western side in a district that extends from Northern Shreveport almost to Lake Charles.

Former Rep. Chris John (D-La.), who lost a 2004 bid for Senate, said he thinks Democrats can not only rebound but can even make gains in his home state.
“The DCCC has hit the ground running,” John said. “I was called [for advice] five weeks after the [midterm] election by the DCCC recruitment committee.”
John said committee officials are “just trying to get a real lay of the land … just trying to get a real macro-picture with what they’re dealing with.”
He also said that Rep. Rodney Alexander (R) always has to consider himself a target given that he switched parties just before the state’s filing deadline in 2004.

Who should we recruit for LA-04, LA-05, LA-06, LA-07?  Which elected officials in Louisiana do you believe have the capacity to unseat one of these incumbents?  Which prominent people in Louisiana do you believe should run?  I have a few in mind, and I will post them in the comments.  I look forward to everyone else’s suggestions.

(Judging by Breaux’s statement, does anyone get the sense that he’s feeling a bit more inclined to sit this one out? – promoted by James L.)

Crossposted to BlueSunbelt.Com the Southern netroots site.

Gov. Kathleen Blanco has signaled she will not drop out of the race for Governor in Louisiana even if former U.S. Senator John Breaux enters the race. Many political analysts see Breaux as possibly the only chance Democrats may have to hold the state’s highest office. GOP Congressman Bobby Jindal has so far been outpolling Blanco by landslide proportions.

Gov. Kathleen Blanco said Wednesday she plans to run for re-election regardless of whether former U.S. Sen. John Breaux jumps into the race.

“My decision is predicated on me and my experience and not on anything that Sen. Breaux and anybody else might be interested in doing,” Blanco said at the State Capitol.

Meanwhile, Breaux, who still is silent on whether or not he is running for governor, issued a statement of support for his fellow Democrat.

“I’ve always said that Gov. Blanco has earned the right to run for re-election. She has a good story to tell the people of our state about how hard she has worked against incredibly difficult circumstances,” Breaux said through his spokesman.

http://www.2theadvoc…

Race Tracker: LA-Gov

(I’m working on what seems to be shaping up to become an all-nighter of a research paper, so please use this thread to discuss the latest goings-on in Louisiana. I’m heartened to hear that Breaux’s legal team believes that “citizenship” isn’t much of an obstacle–and indeed, “citizen” as a legal term is a much broader requirement than “resident”. – promoted by James L.)

1. John Breaux Is A Citizen

Highlight:

Breaux said there’s no question that he meets the state Constitution’s requirement of being a “citizen” of Louisiana for the past five years, even though he changed his voter registration to Maryland in 2005.

“I don’t just own two lots in Crowley. It is my family home. When my mama died, I inherited half of it. My dad lives there. We pay taxes on it. My wife, Lois, owns property in Louisiana,” Breaux said. “I never revoked my citizenship in Louisiana.”

Lawyers have looked at the constitutional requirement and determined he meets the citizenship requirement, Breaux said.

Breaux will announce in the “very near future,” or after he has a discussion with Blanco.  Foster Campell will still run, and Jindal’s supporters have hijacked the comments thread attached to the article.  But this is my favorite comment:

But his citizenship is not the issue, he said.

“The issues are health care, education and rebuilding. That’s what it is all about,” Breaux said.

2. Mary Landrieu Is Above 50%

Highlight:

GOP Sets Sights on Landrieu

The National Republican Senatorial Committee released a poll yesterday aimed at demonstrating the vulnerability of Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) in her 2008 reelection bid.

Fifty-one percent of the sample said they would vote to reelect Landrieu and 42 percent said they would consider someone new — a sign, according to pollster Glen Bolger, that Landrieu is a “vulnerable Democratic incumbent.”

Although Bolger writes that “when voters are given a choice between Landrieu and a Republican they know, they invariably choose the Republican,” the poll memo includes data for only one statewide head-to-head matchup: Rep. Bobby Jindal (R-La.), who is running for governor this year, led Landrieu by 55 percent to 39 percent. No matchup between Landrieu and Rep. Richard H. Baker (La.) — the Republicans’ preferred candidate — is mentioned in the memo.

Landrieu won her seat in 1996 by 5,788 votes and was reelected in 2002 with 52 percent of the vote.

One problem to consider is the NRSC’s decision to poll Landrieu against Jindal, especially as Breaux is still considering a gubernatorial bid.  Another is the inherent bias of this Republican poll: Is Landrieu more popular than the results claim?  And would Jindal really have a chance if Breaux defeats him in 2007?  And lastly, is Landrieu as vulnerable as the RSCC claims when over 50% of Louisianans want her reelected?

Race Tracker: LA-Sen

Polls will open on Saturday for the special open primary for LA-HD94, and the ballot is set.  Here is how the ballot will appear on Saturday:

State Representative, 94th Representative District
0 of 53 precincts reporting
Click here for Results by Parish
0  0% Philip C. Brickman, R –
0  0% “Jeb” Bruneau, R –
0  0% John M. Holahan, Jr., D –
0  0% Deborah J. Langhoff, D –
0  0% Nicholas J. “Nick” Lorusso, R –
0  0% William “Bill” Vanderwall, Sr., D –

Deborah Langhoff, the grassroots Democrat who is running on a compelling message of government reform, has been running an aggressive campaign as evidenced by this mailer, one directed at her most redoubtable opponent, Jeb Bruneau:

Such mailers are designed to keep Bruneau on the defensive, and it appears to be working, as Peppi, Jeb’s father, the Republican who abandoned this seat before the last legislative session of his 32 year term in order to bequeath it to his son in a rushed special election, must now answer the uncomfortable questions of constituents and reporters.  Langhoff effectively shaped the main theme of this race, and everyone, including the Bruneaus, both père and fils, must react to her claims and to her message.  These quotes from a Times Picayune article demonstrate the success of Langhoff’s media campaign:

Peppi Bruneau (R)

On the campaign trail, Bruneau’s resignation is being portrayed as a “political handoff.” Peppi Bruneau, however, says the sniping is only rhetoric.

“I have always said I didn’t intend to be term-limited,” he said. “I didn’t want to do that. It was like being a lame duck, and I didn’t want to be a lame duck.”

In a response to a constituent who questioned his motives, Bruneau wrote that the winner of the special election stands to gain instant seniority over the 50-plus new House members who will be elected in the fall.

“I think that this will provide an advantage for our area, and that is why I have resigned,” he wrote. “I do not find this to be an awkward moment.”

But Peppi Bruneau scoffs at any notion that anything nefarious is afoot.

“How can you sneak something through when there are five opponents?” he asked. “I’d say interest is pretty high in this race.”

Deborah Langhoff (D)

“I’m not saying they did anything illegal, but they definitely manipulated the process,” Langhoff said.

Nick Lorusso (R)

Lorusso said Bruneau — who will step down on April 30, the first day of the regular legislative session — abandoned the devastated district for his final term of office to bolster his son’s chances of election.

“It’s outrageous,” said Lorusso, echoing the feelings of most of the other candidates. “When this district needs Peppi Bruneau the most, we won’t have him.”

Jeb Bruneau (R)

For his part, Jeb Bruneau says his father did not urge him to run for a position he feels he is prepared to hold, having served nearly two years as president of the Lakeview Civic Association and having helped to coordinate the ongoing recovery of his neighborhood.

“If you want to be upset with Peppi, be upset with Peppi,” he said. “But judge Jeb on Jeb.

“This was not my idea. I understand what it means to be part of a political family. Let’s face it, my decision to run would have been an issue in the fall, too.”

Philip Brickman (R)

For example, on his Web site, Brickman refers readers to a newspaper article on what he calls “our district’s last-minute special election.”

The cost of holding an election on that day was anticipated when lawmakers adopted the state budget last year, Peppi Bruneau said. Whatever the cost, Brickman said, “it is a waste of taxpayer money.”

John Holahan (D)

And as part of his platform, Holahan is pledging to introduce legislation to eliminate special elections when legislators resign with less than a year left in a term. Instead of incurring the expense of an election, Holahan’s proposal calls for the House leadership to fill the vacancy on an interim basis with the appointee barred from running for the job.

Langhoff shaped the terms of this election, and she has the heir apparent cornered.  As the Times Picayune reports, “While crime, education and the slow pace of the hurricane recovery are integral parts of the campaign debate, references to the incumbent’s resignation are inescapable.”

Although Deborah has effectively defined this election, she still trails in fundraising.  According to the Times Picayune,

State campaign finance reports that cover activity through Feb. 28 show that Jeb Bruneau had raised about $85,000, significantly more than any of his opponents.

Raising the next-highest total was Langhoff, with about $15,000, followed by Brickman with $5,500 and Holahan with $4,500. No fundraising was reported by either Lorusso or Vanderwall.

For a grassroots candidate with no support from the Democratic establishment, Langhoff is performing really well.  If she qualifies for the runoff, I imagine Louisiana Democrats will be forced to support her campaign.  More egregious, however, is the lack of support Langhoff is receiving from local Democrats, particularly City Councilwoman Cynthia Hedge-Morrell, state Sen. Ed Murray and state Rep. J.P. Morrell, who are all inexplicably endorsing Republican Jeb Bruneau. These three elected officials should reconsider their endorsements,especially as Democrats may lose their majorities in the state House and Senate.

But Deborah has secured the endorsements of the AFL-CIO and the New Orleans Coalition, a Hurricane Katrina relief organization.  And even though Jeb Bruneau managed to secure the endorsement of establishment Democrats in New Orleans, he failed to capture the endorsement of the Alliance for Good Government, of which Jeb is a member.  That endorsement went to Republican Nick Larusso.

Because this race is not yet over, I ask you to contribute to Langhoff’s campaign.  Not only has she managed to shape the terms of this election on very limited funds; she has a real chance of qualifying for the runoff.  Early support will catapult her ahead of her presumptive runoff opponent Jeb Bruneau for this crucial Louisiana House seat.  Also visit her website, where one can view her videos.  This candidate understands the issues facing her district, and she will recreate and reactivate the Louisiana Democratic Party from within.  Let us back Deborah Langhoff.