GOP gaining power in Louisiana
by Owen Courrèges · 11/17/2005 12:13 pmWith the population of New Orleans largely dispersed, there has been a sea change in the political fortunes of conservatives in Louisiana:
In a committee room deep inside Louisiana’s Capitol building this week, something unusual happened: A House panel rejected a funding proposal from the Department of Education, complaining that it was overly generous to New Orleans’ public schools.
Rep. Charlie DeWitt, a conservative Democrat from the rural community of Lecompte, was downright gleeful afterward. Sending that budget back, he said, was “so much fun.” [...]
Before hurricanes Katrina and Rita, there was a familiar equilibrium in the Louisiana Legislature, whose hallway still is pocked with bullet holes from Huey P. Long’s assassination. Black Democrats were key allies of Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco, and conservative rural lawmakers harbored age-old grievances about New Orleans’ grip on political power.
Now, with the city’s population dispersed — and no indication of whether, or when, most residents will return — some lawmakers hope they are witnessing a permanent reversal of fortunes, said Elliot Stonecipher, a political analyst based in Shreveport.
“Even good people are quietly sitting back, not lending their support to the rebuilding of New Orleans,” Stonecipher said. “What you’re seeing is a lot of people snickering and winking and nodding…. This is something they thought they would never see.”
What will really be interesting is seeing what happens to the government of New Orleans itself. Will New Orleans become more conservative, to the point where you actually have a credible Republican candidate? If so, you can expect me to be there campaigning.
[Hat tip: Brothers Judd]
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There’d have to be people there for that to happen…
fateelvis,
Oh, there are people in New Orleans… Just not as many.
Dont forget the downside. All those Democrats are now in conservative Republican Texas.The knife cuts both ways.Thats why Bill White wanted to take them in here. Give um a check and you have their vote till someone else gives um a bigger check. And for a bonus we also got about 300 sex offenders at no extra charge! Yeehoo Cletus!
Don’t get to cocky. The people may be gone, but there are still names on the tombstones that can vote Democratic.
The trouble is…all of them will speak Spanish.
This is exactly the reason why Jesse Jackson and Ray Nagin were so desperate to quickly repopulate New Orleans after Katrina passed. They were afraid they would lose those voters forever. From my conversations with citizens in New Orleans on the East Bank when I was there last month, I’d estimate 70% said they are not going back….they’ve escaped and it’s not worth risking everything again when the levees have not been fixed throughout the system to withstand a category five storm. Obviously the people of New Orleans, of Louisiana, and of the nation in general feel it’s not worth risking the financial capital to rebuild in a toilet bowl below sea level. You just don’t hear a big clamor of escapees desiring to return do you? Louisiana could turn dark red over the next couple of elections. I’m not worried about them voting here. One whiff of conservative policies and a view of the real opportunities here, and they’ll never go over to the dark side (liberal) again. Pretty soon you’ll see the Nawlins folks holding up fingers dipped in red after they voted!! Besides in Texas, we actually do check their eligibility.
#4, as in Duval county had dead people that voted, some time back.
Leave it to Gov. Blanco to say that New Orleans has been forgotten…..how about YOU doing constructive reorganizing, starting from top to bottom.
When will the ‘gimme’ attitude stop? ENOUGH!
Great!!!
We have lost “Tax and Spend” Democrats and replaced them with “Borrow and Spend” Republicans!
Simple
SimpleSimon #8
Do not despair Simon. Hearken now to but a few phrases from our Declaration of Independence:
http://earlyamerica.com/earlyamerica/freedom/doi/text.html
He has erected a multitude of new offices, and sent hither swarms of officers to harass our people, and eat out their substance
He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his assent to their acts of pretended legislation
Out of Texas Senate district 7 there will come a man who will form the backbone of a renewed vigor amongst the people to smite down these pretenders to power whose ego and disdain is obvious for the ordinary good citizen and our good way of life. Enumerated in those grievances to the crown (King Dewhurst?) were many more usurpations than what we’ve experience today. However, their taxation of our citizens is enough of a thorn in our side today to awaken our own sleeping giant.
#8 - I have thought for years and years that the Republicans are ‘borrow and spend’ and the Democrats are ‘tax and spend’. The commonality? SPEND. Get rid of all of the jerks…
BigIron and jimb,
History does repeat itself. I plan to vote against all incumbents in the next few elections. It is time for some good old fashioned “throw the bums out”.
Fiscal Conservatives take heart. Read George Will’s column today in the Chronicle concerning the hijacking of the Republican Party.
Simple
Ah, now I know where RINOs come from! Has anyone thought to research our RINOs in Austin to see if they were Democrats converted to Republicans? That would be interesting.