Saturday, January 27, 2007
Something You Won't Read in The Dead Pelican
I didn't see this when it was posted at Acadiana and SW Louisiana Democrats last month:
That obviously calls to mind the Oyster-Adrastos theory; without rehashing that, I'll note one item in the Advocate story mentioned above:
When no-bid contracts and reconstruction fraud were briefly mentioned in last month's news, conservative bloggers played up The Shaw Group's connections to the state Democratic Party. The Dead Pelican even linked to a Torygraph story that prominently featured a photograph of Kathleen Blanco. While it would be dishonest to deny (Shaw CEO) Jim Bernhard's past involvement in the La. Democratic party, it's equally dishonest for conservatives to ignore the fact that the Shaw Group's* campaign contributions have always been evenly split between the two parties and that the Shaw Group employs's Joseph Allbaugh's lobbying firm.
While I'm on the subject, I'll once again ask if it's possible to find film or video of local TV stations' election coverage. On the night of the election, Jeff Crouere clearly stated that the White House told the Greater New Orleans Republicans that Nagin was its candidate. As a former GNOR treasurer, Crouere would be in a position to know. I don't want this to sound more critical than it should, but my only objection to the Oyster/Adrastos theory was that it left out The White House. Though a comment I made about Alphonso Jackson trying to help Nagin might have been over-the-top, Bush did have obvious reasons for wanting to see Nagin reelected. To the rest of the country, Louisiana Republicans behaving behaving badly seems more like LOUISIANA Republicans behaving badly than Louisiana REPUBLICANS behaving badly.
FWIW, I would have posted this a few weeks ago, but I had hoped to finish touching up a blogger New Year's resolution post about talking points that the early January murders caused me to put off before writing this. I sometimes think that New Orleans bloggers (myself certainly included) don't emphasize key points often enough because they don't want to repeat what somebody else has already said. If you give credit, it's not poaching. This was an entirely partisan talking point*, but the principle applies even to New Orleans bloggers who prefer to stay away from party politics -- assuming it's possible to keep politics out of any reconstruction discussions. Also, it seems that conservative bloggers who used to criticize the sate,local and federal governments have lost all desire to criticize the federal government.
*The other three companies in the article contribute almost exclusively to Republican candidates and PACs. It's not an entirely partisan point, conservatives often use The Shaw Group's connections to the Louisiana Democratic Party to imply that all aid to the state is wasted, while ignoring Haley Barbour's ties to companies like Ash-Britt.
The Baton Rouge Advocate reported on Tuesday that the national Republican Slime Machine has opened its Louisiana franchise with the stated goal of gaining GOP control of the Louisiana Legislature in the 2007 elections.
The group tips its hand by all but naming itself after Tom DeLay's disgraced operation. The operating moniker: "The Louisiana Committee for a Republican Majority."
New Orleans developer cum post-Katrina land-grabber Joseph Canizaro is the head of the group, but it's clear that this is the Louisiana version of the national operation that was so successful in the earlier portion of this decade but which has fallen on harder times in 2006. Canizaro is a Bush Pioneer.
That obviously calls to mind the Oyster-Adrastos theory; without rehashing that, I'll note one item in the Advocate story mentioned above:
Headed by New Orleans developer Joseph Canizaro, the committee already has more than $600,000 in the bank, with a goal of $2.5 million by candidate qualifying.
Baton Rouge-based companies and individuals; including The Shaw Group and Mockler Beverage; are among the donors.
When no-bid contracts and reconstruction fraud were briefly mentioned in last month's news, conservative bloggers played up The Shaw Group's connections to the state Democratic Party. The Dead Pelican even linked to a Torygraph story that prominently featured a photograph of Kathleen Blanco. While it would be dishonest to deny (Shaw CEO) Jim Bernhard's past involvement in the La. Democratic party, it's equally dishonest for conservatives to ignore the fact that the Shaw Group's* campaign contributions have always been evenly split between the two parties and that the Shaw Group employs's Joseph Allbaugh's lobbying firm.
While I'm on the subject, I'll once again ask if it's possible to find film or video of local TV stations' election coverage. On the night of the election, Jeff Crouere clearly stated that the White House told the Greater New Orleans Republicans that Nagin was its candidate. As a former GNOR treasurer, Crouere would be in a position to know. I don't want this to sound more critical than it should, but my only objection to the Oyster/Adrastos theory was that it left out The White House. Though a comment I made about Alphonso Jackson trying to help Nagin might have been over-the-top, Bush did have obvious reasons for wanting to see Nagin reelected. To the rest of the country, Louisiana Republicans behaving behaving badly seems more like LOUISIANA Republicans behaving badly than Louisiana REPUBLICANS behaving badly.
FWIW, I would have posted this a few weeks ago, but I had hoped to finish touching up a blogger New Year's resolution post about talking points that the early January murders caused me to put off before writing this. I sometimes think that New Orleans bloggers (myself certainly included) don't emphasize key points often enough because they don't want to repeat what somebody else has already said. If you give credit, it's not poaching. This was an entirely partisan talking point*, but the principle applies even to New Orleans bloggers who prefer to stay away from party politics -- assuming it's possible to keep politics out of any reconstruction discussions. Also, it seems that conservative bloggers who used to criticize the sate,local and federal governments have lost all desire to criticize the federal government.
*The other three companies in the article contribute almost exclusively to Republican candidates and PACs. It's not an entirely partisan point, conservatives often use The Shaw Group's connections to the Louisiana Democratic Party to imply that all aid to the state is wasted, while ignoring Haley Barbour's ties to companies like Ash-Britt.
Comments:
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I'm not a Repug or a freakin' Demo. I am a Progressive and a Jeffersonian Democrat.
I'm just waiting for folks to destroy their party cards, rip those crosses from their necks, and then become Americans and vote their true conscience.
Understand me?
I'm just waiting for folks to destroy their party cards, rip those crosses from their necks, and then become Americans and vote their true conscience.
Understand me?
# posted by 
: 10:38 PM
: 10:38 PM
I understand your point of view, actually I'm registered Independent -- with our open primary system and the fact that the party nominees are always decided by the time we have our presidential primary, I've never bothered to change it to Democrat; I couldn't register as a member of the Citizen's Party when i was 18.
I used to think that party labels didn't matter at the state level, but then I saw what Republican Secretaries of State did in Ohio and Fla. Also, let's face it Republicans won't let go of their religion. I'm not talking about Christianity, I'm talking about market worship"
Unfortunately, though you can't separate politics from rebuilding. The Repubs keep trying to exaggerate Shaw's connections to La. Dems, even though most of the no-bid contracts have gone to firms with Repub connections. At least one even uses Barbour's lobbying firm.
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I used to think that party labels didn't matter at the state level, but then I saw what Republican Secretaries of State did in Ohio and Fla. Also, let's face it Republicans won't let go of their religion. I'm not talking about Christianity, I'm talking about market worship"
Unfortunately, though you can't separate politics from rebuilding. The Repubs keep trying to exaggerate Shaw's connections to La. Dems, even though most of the no-bid contracts have gone to firms with Repub connections. At least one even uses Barbour's lobbying firm.
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