Senator Mary Landrieu: News Articles

Landrieu meets with homeland security pick

Mon, 05 Jan 2009 00:00:00 -0800

NEW ORLEANS -- U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu says she had a positive meeting with President-elect Barack Obama's pick to be homeland security secretary.

Landrieu met with Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano on Monday. She said Napolitano, who faces a confirmation hearing, committed to visiting the Gulf Coast region before hurricane season.

Landrieu, a Louisiana Democrat and frequent critic of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said the two discussed what Landrieu sees as a need for continued FEMA reforms.

Landrieu also said she recommended extending the office of federal coordinator for Gulf Coast rebuilding if the office were given clear powers to finish the work. For example, she believes appeals on project funding levels should be made outside FEMA and that there should be nonbinding arbitration for such matters.

Landrieu Makes History

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 00:00:00 -0800

From Washington Watch

U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., took part in making congressional history last week when she was appointed chairwoman of the Senate Small Business Committee.

Landrieu and ranking Republican Olympia Snowe, of Maine, become the first two female lawmakers to lead a full committee in Congress.

Landrieu wasted little time in contacting Obama about her concerns for the 25.8 million small businesses in the nation. Landrieu, who also is a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, noted the incoming administration will inherit an SBA that has been drastically cut in terms of funding and staffing between 2001 and 2008.

The agency was slashed by $499.5 million, or 26 percent, according to outgoing Small Business Committee Chairman John Kerry of Massachusetts, who will now lead the Foreign Relations Committee.

“For this agency to truly realize its mission — particularly in supporting our small businesses through the current economic crisis — SBA needs funding increases to carry out its lending, technical assistance and entrepreneurship programs,” Landrieu said in a statement.

Landrieu Outlines Priorities, Pushes for SBA Cabinet Seat

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 00:00:00 -0800

The push to get the Small Business Administration a seat at presidential cabinet meetings got another boost last week when incoming chair of the Senate panel overseeing small business matters called for the elevation.

Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.), who will take the helm of the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee in January from Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), included the idea in a letter to President-elect Obama outlining her priorities and recommendations.

"I believe that your first step for the SBA must be to elevate it to cabinet-level status again," Landrieu wrote. "If empowered by a return to proper rank, the SBA administrator can be a more effective champion for our small businesses." The SBA briefly held cabinet status under the Clinton administration.

Landrieu said the SBA should be a key lifeline for small firms, which make up more than 99 percent of all U.S. employers. There are about 27 million small firms in the United States, according to the SBA's Office of Advocacy. A stronger SBA also would create more opportunities for minority and women-owned businesses, she added.

Landrieu, who also sits on the Appropriations Committee, said the SBA needs funding increases to effectively deliver its lending, technical assistance and entrepreneurship programs. The agency was slashed by about $500 million, or 26 percent from 2001 to 2008, according to Kerry.

Sen. Landrieu also wrote that small businesses should be part of any economic stimulus package that will be considered next year.

Landrieu worked with Kerry and Sen. Olympia Snowe of Maine, the top Republican on the small business panel, to enact disaster reforms after the SBA's poor response to hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Snowe also has been pushing for an SBA upgrade to Cabinet status.

Snowe and Landrieu next year will be the first two female lawmakers to ever lead a full committee in the U.S. Senate or House.

Landrieu to head business panel

Tue, 16 Dec 2008 00:00:00 -0800

U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu has been chosen to chair the Senate's Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship.

The assignment, announced Monday, will take effect when the new Congress convenes next month.

The Democrat currently sits on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee and chairs disaster recovery and appropriations subcommittees.

Obama's homeland chief to tackle disaster housing

Thu, 11 Dec 2008 00:00:00 -0800

WASHINGTON (AP) — As homeland security head, Janet Napolitano wants to establish a long-term plan for housing disaster victims, said a senator who spoke with the Arizona governor.

Such housing is an important issue for Sen. Mary Landrieu, a Louisiana Democrat whose state was battered by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Landrieu said Wednesday she spoke with Napolitano for 15 minutes by telephone last Friday and was pleased to hear that President-elect Barack Obama's nominee also backs a strong housing plan.

The 2005 hurricane season highlighted the federal government's inability to find appropriate housing solutions for people driven from their homes for more than just a few months.

A draft plan from the Federal Emergency Management Agency in July left it largely to the next administration to figure out how to avoid Katrina-like problems, which including sending disaster victims to toxic trailers. Landrieu said the draft was a "strategy without a plan."

In their conversation, Napolitano said "she was concerned about the lack of a comprehensive housing strategy for survivors of catastrophic disasters," Landrieu said. She heads the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs subcommittee on disaster recovery that was created after Katrina.

Napolitano also told Landrieu she would seek suggestions on how the Homeland Security Department could better work with the Housing and Urban Development Department on the issue.

Katrina, which displaced 1 million people, sent thousands to trailers that later were found to have high levels of formaldehyde — a preservative commonly used in building materials. Prolonged exposure can lead to breathing problems and is also believed to cause cancer. Residents of FEMA-issued trailers reported frequent headaches, nosebleeds and other ailments.

According to the draft strategy Napolitano probably will inherit if she is confirmed by the Senate, the government may house disaster victims in trailers only as a last resort, despite promises never to use them again. Only the head of FEMA can approve the use of such trailers, and they would have to meet the agency's standard for low formaldehyde levels. Also, disaster victims could stay in the trailers for only six months.

Landrieu says farm aid part of economic stimulus package

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 00:00:00 -0800

Relief for farmers will be part of the economic stimulus package set to come before the U.S. Senate in January, Louisiana Sen. Mary Landrieu said this week.

"The crop damage in Concordia Parish is truly devastating, and I have made it my top priority to ensure that the appropriate aid reaches these farmers as soon as possible," said Landrieu. "The $1.2 billion in assistance that I have secured in the economic stimulus package, due to be acted on by the Senate in January, will go immediately to farmers who have been devastated by Hurricanes Gustav and Ike, Tropical Storm Fay, the Midwest floods and recent tornadoes, wildfires and droughts."

She said this "aid would undoubtedly reach farmers more quickly than any alternative, including the agricultural disaster relief that was part of the 2008 Farm Bill under the SURE program, for which the regulations have not yet been written."

"Moving this agricultural relief bill into an economic stimulus to boost the national economy brings the assistance one step closer to the farmers who desperately need it," she said. "With damages to crops causing about $1 billion in lost revenue to Louisiana alone, our sugar, rice, cotton, wheat, corn, sugar beet, sweet potato and other farmers cannot afford for Congress to drag its feet on providing assistance."

Landrieu said that with "this inclusion in the stimulus, the outlook for passage by early in the New Year has greatly improved, and I will be working with my colleagues to make our farmers a top priority in the 111th Congress."

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Appropriations Chairman Robert Byrd, D-W.Va., included Landrieu's agriculture relief language at her request, but the Senate is not expected to act on it until January due to pending partisan opposition to the broad stimulus legislation. .

"We have made significant progress in moving this critical agriculture relief closer to getting in the hands of our farmers," Landrieu said. "Senators Reid and Byrd have recognized the necessity of getting immediate help to our struggling agriculture community and included the funding in an economic stimulus bill to boost the national economy."

Landrieu has been working since Hurricanes Gustav and Ike to pass a bill that will send $1.22 billion in immediate assistance to farmers impacted by the hurricanes, Tropical Storm Fay, the Midwest floods, and recent tornadoes, wildfires and droughts. In Louisiana alone, the 2008 hurricanes have wrought $1 billion in lost revenue, and Louisiana's Agriculture Commissioner Mike Strain has called for help from the federal government.

The 2008 Farm Bill created an agricultural disaster relief program called SURE, but regulations have not been set yet for its administration, and farmers are unable to receive any assistance under the program until late next year at the earliest. Sen. Landrieu's language in the economic stimulus bill would make funding immediately available to farmers for damage to crops including sugar, rice, cotton, wheat, corn, sugar beets, sweet potatoes and others.

In October, Sen. Landrieu vetted the language with each member of the Senate and only Sen. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma objected. Employing a Senate procedure called a "hold" to prevent its passage, Coburn's objection to the bill came despite its potential benefit to Oklahoma farmers. The U.S. Department of Agriculture in July designated nine counties in Oklahoma as natural disasters because of drought, extreme heat and high winds. Oklahoma farmers in those counties would be eligible for assistance under the Landrieu proposal.

"What Senator Landrieu is asking for here is exactly what needs to be done - and that is a bridge program to deal with the current emergency until the disaster program that's part of the Farm Bill is in effect," said Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad, D-N.D., on the Senate floor on September 27. Conrad authored the relief program in the original Farm Bill and cosponsored the Landrieu legislation.

Sen. Landrieu's bill was also cosponsored by Sens. David Vitter, R-La.; Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas; Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark.; Mark Pryor, D-Ark.; Roger Wicker, R-Miss.; and Thad Cochran, R-Miss. Congressman Don Cazayoux, D-La., has introduced companion legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives with Reps. Rodney Alexander, R-La., and Charlie Melancon, D-La.

Victory clearcut for cautious Landrieu

Sun, 30 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0800

Nobody is calling her Landslide Landrieu yet, but Louisiana's senior senator has won the clear-cut victory that eluded her in two previous skin-tight wins for the U.S. Senate.

Mary Landrieu, 52, knows that good works will no longer get you into political heaven in a once-diverse Louisiana that now votes more and more like Republican Mississippi.

But this time Landrieu was rewarded for her good works — including lifting Louisiana up in her arms in the aftermath of two hurricanes — with a sizeable 120,000 vote margin.

That margin translated into a more than 6-point knockout of state Treasurer and Republican candidate John Kennedy, who had conveniently switched from the Democratic Party to make a tough run at Landrieu.

Though Democrat Barack Obama won the presidential election with a mandate, Landrieu as usual managed considerable adversity to defeat a Republican challenger endorsed by the hugely popular GOP Gov. Bobby Jindal.

In the end, however, Landrieu overcame adversity to win big. In fact, the senator won a stunning 84 percent of the vote in her Orleans Parish birth place and stronghold.

Perhaps even more significant, the Democrat Landrieu broke into conservative, Republican northern Louisiana, capturing Caddo, Claiborne, DeSoto, Lincoln, East Carroll and Madison parishes to secure a broad based victory.

Naturally, the senator was pleased with the "terrific" outcome. In a telephone interview last week, Landrieu said a "strong, effective, centrist message" carried the day.

"Centrist" is the key for Landrieu, who after being burned by insurgent right-wingers in two previous senatorial elections has staked out a center or even right-of-center position.

For example, when I interviewed Landrieu last spring in her Washington office, she did not even want to come out strongly against the widely unpopular Iraq War, fearing an anti-war stance would lose hawkish conservative votes.

This time, only days after a decisive victory, Landrieu was careful — it seemed to me — not to endorse President-elect Barack Obama that strongly.

Landrieu said that she knew Obama "pretty well" from the Senate. "He has a lot of promise and we need change," the senator said. "I respect and admire him," Landrieu said of the president-elect.

But Landrieu added significantly that Obama would need to "work from the center out" and that the president-elect was "new to the federal system." It was a cautionary view of Obama.

The senator showed no such caution, however, when asked about her priorities for Louisiana.

In order of priority, Landrieu listed agricultural relief, reform of the Army Corps of Engineers, improving public schools, work-force development and higher education as her immediate agenda for Louisiana.

Looking back, I think Landrieu earned — deserved — the solid majority she won.

Among other things, Landrieu has secured billions for Louisiana levees, flood controls and wetlands in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. She fought hard for a stricken Louisiana.

In fact, like Louisiana senate greats Russell Long and John Breaux before her, Landrieu is a natural resource, fighting every day for the state's working people, small business, veterans and Barksdale Air Force Base.

With Democrats controlling the White House and both houses of Congress, the Democrat Landrieu will be virtually the state's only bridge to the Barack Obama administration. We need Landrieu now more than ever.

And a solid third of America's revenue — it should be pointed out — flows through the Appropriations Committee, of which Landrieu is a member. Again, we need her more than ever.

That much said, close victories and an increasingly conservative state have converted Landrieu from being a moderate Democrat into a cautious, often center-right senator, careful not to brag too much even on Obama's historic victory.

I frankly liked the more liberal Landrieu better, but she will serve a Louisiana that needs her more than ever best from the middle, which is after all center stage in American politics.

Landrieu, Vitter meet with Air Force leaders

Mon, 24 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0800

Louisiana's U.S. senators, who cover both sides of the political spectrum, met with top Air Force leaders this week and came away feeling good about Barksdale's chances under a new administration.

Mary Landrieu, a New Orleans Democrat and the state's senior senator, is on the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee and is in line to be chairwoman of its Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Subcommittee, should movement in its leadership ranks occur.

Though she said barring illness or political developments that may not occur for another election cycle, it still gives a strong voice in national military spending and a step up to the ear of leaders in the new administration and whatever leaders the Defense Department winds up with in the next few months.

"As the home of the 8th Air Force and the 2nd Bomb Wing, Barksdale is well-positioned to host the nuclear Global Strike Command," she said. "We have the existing infrastructure to accommodate the necessary network operations, the space and accessibility. And Shreveport-Bossier is the standard-bearer of supportive military communities."

Barksdale, now 75 years old, is home to four squadrons of B-52 bombers: the 11th, 20th and 96th Bomb Squadrons on the active-duty side under the 2nd Bomb Wing, and the 93rd Bomb Squadron under the Air Force Reserve Command's 917th Wing.

David Vitter, the state's junior senator, a Republican from Metairie, said the meeting with Secretary of the Air Force Mike Donley and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz went well.

"I had a positive meeting today with Air Force leaders regarding the Cyber and Global Strike Commands and how they relate to the future of Barksdale Air Force Base," he said. "This facility has a significant and positive economic impact on the local communities, and I remain committed to doing all that I can to ensure that Barksdale has a bright future."

Both senators said they plan to confer with fellow members of the Louisiana delegation to discuss the future of Barksdale.

As for the Obama administration, "I think they're going to be very favorably disposed (toward Barksdale). I wouldn't have any reason to believe otherwise."

She said the direction Barksdale might take in terms of future missions depends on top leadership at the Defense Department.

"President Bush and Secretary (Robert) Gates are driving the policies today," she said, noting it is Gates who ultimately decided to shift energies from establishing Cyber Command to instead creating a Global Strike Command controlling the Air Force's nuclear weapons.

Ultimately, she said, that still benefits Barksdale, since the creation of Global Strike doesn't preclude Barksdale from keeping its new cyber mission, and that Barksdale is one of a handful of bases "naturally placed" to serve as the headquarters for the nuclear command.

"We're one of about five natural locations for the strategic command," she said, a number far better than the dozens of communities that sought Cyber Command once its impact became tangible.

"That would bring anywhere from 500 to 1,000 more jobs and prestige" to the local base, she said.

"The most important thing is to maintain the three-star general designation (for 8th Air Force or Global Strike), and to be as competitive and to fight as hard as we can to be designated the strategic nuclear Global Strike Command," she said. "Meanwhile, we need to continue all the upgrades that we can to the base in terms of housing and infrastructure."

She said she'll ask President-elect Obama to visit Barksdale, as well as the leaders of her committee, now to be led by Hawaii Democrat Daniel Inouye, a recipient of the Medal of Honor for heroism in World War II, in which he was wounded, losing his right arm. She said she might ask that her subcommittee visit the base as well.

"I don't think (an Obama visit) will be possible the first six months or so, but after that I'm sure he will be visiting many of the military bases and I'd love to get him down," she said.

Landrieu's Time to Shine

Tue, 11 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0800

If President-elect Barack Obama was sincere during the campaign about wanting to end the partisan bickering in Washington "and only time will tell" Sen. Mary Landrieu is well-positioned to serve the nation and the state of Louisiana.

Campaigns are filled with heated rhetoric, and in recent years Republicans have painted Democrats with a scarlet L, lumping them in with Sen. Edward Kennedy, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

State Treasurer John Kennedy tried to do that to Landrieu in his bid to unseat her. It didn’t work, and Landrieu won her third term in the Senate by her most comfortable margin yet.

Landrieu won re-election for a couple of reasons. The first, she worked for it. Landrieu crisscrossed the state, appearing in northeastern Louisiana on several occasions. The area saw little of Kennedy.

But it appears state voters also recognized the political realities. Obama led in the polls. A freshman senator would have weakened the state’s clout in the Senate; a Republican freshman senator would be even worse.

Louisiana’s House delegation is relatively new to Washington, and majority Republican. The state’s junior senator, David Vitter, is also Republican and still repairing his reputation after his involvement with a Washington call-girl service.

Landrieu’s re-election offers the state some traction in the coming Congress with important committee positions. Landrieu sits on the Appropriations, Energy and Natural Resources, Small Business and Homeland Security and Government Affairs committees. Each of these are of vital important to Louisiana. The state is a significant supplier of oil, and is home to a major Army base and Air Force base.

And despite the rhetoric, Landrieu’s record and reputation is that of a centrist.

Landrieu is a founding member and co-chairwoman of the Common Ground Coalition, a group of senators seeking nonpartisan solutions to problems. That group has joined forces with another, similar group, the Bipartisan Policy Center.

If Washington is serious about tearing down the partisan walls, Landrieu’s reputation as a centrist looking for compromise will increase her influence.

That can only help Louisiana as the state tackles serious problems such as its eroding coastline, hurricane damage and economic development.

Landrieu says she will resume her push to get aid for Louisiana farmers whose crops were devastated by Hurricanes Gustav and Ike. She expects Obama to be more receptive to Louisiana’s needs for coastal restoration and hurricane protection. She believes the state should be an "energy leader," both in oil and gas production and in the development of alternative fuels using agricultural products.

She also is positioned to lead the fight for Barksdale Air Force Base to get as much of the cyber command pie as possible.

Louisiana has returned Landrieu to the Senate. State voters should expect to benefit from their decision.

Landrieu stays centered

Sun, 09 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0800

BATON ROUGE — Just because her political party will be in control of the White House, the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, it doesn't necessarily make U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu's job easier.

"It hasn't been this way for a while," said Landrieu, still basking in her Nov. 4 re-election by the largest margin of victory in her three Senate campaigns.

"More recently, it's been all-Republican. Regardless of whether it's a Republican majority or Democratic majority, it's still a challenge for those of us in the center," she said.

Landrieu and Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, co-chair the Common Ground Coalition, which has joined with the Bipartisan Policy Center, another group of senators seeking nonpartisan solutions to problem issues.

"I'm receptive to the suggestions of the Democratic Party, but I don't agree with them all the time — all the time with the Republicans, either," she said.

Working with the Obama administration to solve the nation's problems will be wonderful, she said. "We have a long list to solve." With the vast majority of Louisiana's congressmen being Republican, the delegation's success with a Democrat-controlled Congress and administration is up to them, Landrieu said.

"It all depends on how they position themselves," she said. "If they take the position of radical partisans, they won't get very far. If they're willing to work with others, they can be successful. I most certainly will help them as much as I can.

Landrieu said that even with a majority, Democrats are not likely to get everything they want because, like her, not everyone with a D behind his or her name agrees with every party position.

Also, "the minority is still very powerful in the Senate."

Landrieu said she and U.S. Rep. Rodney Alexander, R-Quitman, and former Reps. Richard Baker, R-Baton Rouge, and Jim McCrery, R-Shreveport, worked together on issues important to the state. Also, "Rep. (Charles) Boustany (R-Lafayette) and I work well together."

Her willingness to reach beyond her base of Democratic support was reflected in the election results, which show she did well in some traditionally Republican strongholds.

She credits that to "a very independent, very Louisiana-based campaign. I ran the way I serve." Landrieu said that as soon as she returns to Washington for the Nov. 17 "lame-duck" session, she will again push her bill to aid Louisiana farmers whose crops were devastated by hurricanes Gustav and Ike. U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., invoked a "hold" on the bill before adjournment in August.

Landrieu said, come January, she expects to find an Obama administration and Congress more receptive to Louisiana's needs for coastal restoration and hurricane protection projects.

She also will seek to accelerate state revenue sharing payments from offshore production. Under the bill she successfully co-authored in 2006, which for the first time gives the state a portion of revenue from Outer Continental Shelf drilling, major state income doesn't arrive until 2016.

Landrieu says the state should be "an energy leader," both in oil and gas production and in the development and production of alternative fuels using agricultural products.

T. Bradley Keith, Landrieu's state director, said Landrieu also is pushing to secure for Barksdale Air Force Base "as much of the cyber command as the Air Force is willing to allow." Barksdale appeared to be the chosen site for a Cyber Command Center until the military applied the brakes in October. But that hasn't slowed development of cyber operations at Barksdale.

Landrieu holds on to seat in Senate

Wed, 05 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0800

Democratic U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu appeared to easily win a third term Tuesday, holding off Republican state Treasurer John Kennedy all but two of the state’s 3,956 precincts reporting.

Landrieu was leading with 963,905 votes — or 52 percent — while Kennedy garnered 855,723 votes or 46 percent. The remaining 2 percent of the votes cast went to three other lesser-known candidates.

“People came back and they came together,” Landrieu said, adding that endorsements from some Republican elected officials, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the national AFL-CIO showed her win was a “victory for unity.”

Landrieu was introduced by her brother Mitch, who is lieutenant governor, and was embraced on stage by her father Moon, former mayor of New Orleans and her mother Verna. Earlier she watched election results with a wide array of relatives, including her husband Frank Snellings and son Connor, 16, and daughter Mary Shannon, 11.

Former Democratic Gov. Kathleen Blanco also joined Landrieu on stage.

In his concession speech, Kennedy likened the race to a baseball player running to first base.

“Folks,” he said. “I ran as hard as I can.”

Landrieu, whose seat had been targeted by the national Republicans, won by a lesser margin than was expected in the final days of the campaign.

Cheers and chants of “Mary, Mary, Mary” erupted shortly before 10 p.m. when a New Orleans TV station first projected Landrieu would win.

Just outside the election-night party entrance in New Orleans, a seven-member band serenaded supporters with renditions of “Hello Dolly” and other tunes.

Blue and yellow balloons were on both sides of the stage with a giant blue “Mary Lan-drieu Fighting and Winning for Louisiana” sign as the back-drop.

The mood at Kennedy’s elec-tion-night party at a Baton Rouge hotel was somber.

Until he conceded at 10:30 p.m., Kennedy stayed in his ho-tel room monitoring election results, while about 50 supporters gathered downstairs waiting for their candidate’s arrival.

Three other candidates did not actively campaign. One of them, Richard Fontanessi of Baton Rouge, a Libertarian, ran for the seat in 2004 and got less than 1 percent of the vote.

Other candidates were Jay Patel of Hammond, No Party, and Robert Stewart of New Or-leans, other party.

Landrieu swamped Kennedy in the most-populated parishes of East Baton Rouge, Jefferson, Orleans, Caddo and Calcasieu. Kennedy outdistanced Landrieu in St. Tammany, Lafayette, Bossier, Rapides, Ouachita and in nearby Livingston and Ascension parishes.

Landrieu drew about 80 percent of the vote in Orleans Parish.

Secretary of State Jay Dardenne said Landrieu winning margin indicates that she got “some crossover votes — not just the Democratic vote” if you consider the presidential contest where Democrat Barack Obama drew 40 percent to Republican John McCain’s drew 59 percent.

Landrieu, 52, portrayed her-self as a political centrist who works effectively with Democ-rats and Republicans alike.

She repeatedly cited her role in the passage of a 2006 bill that will gradually give Louisiana a share of new oil and gas reve-nue from drilling in the Gulf of Mexico.

State leaders had worked on the issue off and on for dec-ades. Landrieu contends that it will provide the state with $40 billion over half a century to help restore Louisiana’s fast-eroding coastline.

Kennedy, 56, won re-election without opposition to a third term as state treasurer last fall.

Thank You, Louisiana

Wed, 05 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0800

Two years ago they said we had no chance. But together, we did it.

The pundits and the Washington partisans underestimated us again. They doubted our fight. They doubted our tenacity. They doubted our ability to win.

Worse, they doubted you. But they got it wrong.

Together, we did it.

This was a long, hard-fought campaign. There were plenty of ups and downs. In the end, Louisiana voters decided that we need strong, effective, consistent leadership that can deliver in the Senate -- that we should march forward from a position of strength, not from scratch

You decided that we need somebody who will fight until they get the job done for our communities. Somebody who will win for Louisiana families.

Thank you for trusting me to be that person.

Thank you for giving me a chance to keep fighting for you in the U.S. Senate.

Together, we showed the world that Louisiana is a state that puts progress before partisanship; results before rhetoric and solutions before soundbites.

I want to thank everybody who has supported me as I've fought to represent you for six more years in the Senate. As I traveled throughout Louisiana many times during this long campaign, I found new inspiration at every stop.

Every bumper sticker, every yard sign and every smile from a Louisianian who came out to show his or her support kept my spirits high when the other side's goal was to keep them down.

Thank you to all the supporters and volunteers who called more than a million voters and knocked on thousands of doors to get out the vote. You have made this campaign yours, and together we will keep fighting for Louisiana.

The message Louisianians sent yesterday is that we have far too many challenges ahead of us, far too many battles left to fight and far too much work left to do to change course when we are on the path to progress.

We run for office as Democrats and Republicans, but we serve as Louisianians. I look forward to returning to Washington and fighting alongside our Governor, our Lieutenant Governor and the Louisiana Congressional Delegation.

It's time to pass a comprehensive energy plan that will finally allow America to kick our addiction to foreign oil. It's time to pass a healthcare plan that makes care accessible and affordable for all Americans. It is time to fund our schools and pay our teachers and make Louisiana's schools work for our students. Together, we have many battles ahead of us.

Thank you for trusting me to lead Louisiana through them.

God bless you, and God bless Louisiana.

Sen. Mary Landrieu wins third term

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0800

Once targeted by national Republicans as the U.S. Senate's most vulnerable Democratic incumbent, Sen. Mary Landrieu defeated GOP state Treasurer John Kennedy on Tuesday to claim a third term.

Landrieu, who won by narrow margins in 1996 and 2002, survived another tight race against the backdrop of the diminished Democratic base of pre-Katrina New Orleans.

Landrieu told supporters gathered at Hotel Intercontinental in New Orleans, just miles from the home where she grew up the eldest daughter of former New Orleans Mayor Moon Landrieu.

With her victory, Landrieu joins a widening Democratic majority in the Senate. Precise party breakdowns were not determined late Tuesday night, but available results heralded a strong day nationally for the party, headlined by President-elect Barack Obama's victory over Sen. John McCain.

As Kennedy predicted in the waning days of his failed bid, Democrats will have control of both the legislative and executive branches in Washington, for the first time since Republicans took over Capitol Hill after the 1994 mid-term elections.

It will not be the first time Landrieu has worked under one-party government -- Republicans held the advantage briefly after the 2000 elections -- but it will be the first time hers is the party in charge.

Kennedy, now a two-time loser in Senate races, once under each major party's label, will return to the state Capitol to continue his third term as treasurer.

Kennedy said in a concession speech before disappointed Republicans in Baton Rouge.

The campaign played out largely as Landrieu's team quietly sketched out months ago, when the National Republican Senatorial Committee declared her their top target in what was then a well-publicized bid to regain the majority.

With a $3 million campaign kitty at the start of the year on her way to raising more than $10 million for the race, Landrieu used her money advantage to wage a hard-nosed campaign against Kennedy from the start.

She hammered her opponent on his change of parties and sometimes-changing positions on issues, labeling Kennedy "one confused politician," while touting her experience as centrist who can build bridges and work with Democrats and Republicans to get things done for Louisiana.

She said her seniority will help the state get more federal money for hurricane recovery, while arguing that Kennedy could not do the same as a freshman.

She reminded voters that she worked with Republican lawmakers to pass a bill that will give the state 37.5 percent of future oil and gas revenues from offshore rigs, with the payoff estimated at more than $40 billion in the coming years.

She also said that she got the Senate to go along with legislation to open an additional 8.3 million acres of the Gulf of Mexico for drilling. Landrieu also said she has "delivered for the state," bagging billions of dollars for recovery after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005.

Kennedy, meanwhile, kept pace in money collections for the first two quarters of the year on his way to a $6 million-plus haul, but he was never able to close a gap that became obvious in late summer.

During those months Kennedy typically was able to air no more than one statewide television ad at a time, the first simply introducing himself to voters as a fiscal conservative.

At the same time, Landrieu was able to finance both positive ads framing her record and attack spots reminding voters that Kennedy has run unsuccessfully for other offices as a Democrat. The most recent was his 2004 Senate race as a Democrat, running to the left of centrist U.S. Rep. Chris John.

That race was claimed by David Vitter, a Republican who along with former White House political director Karl Rove helped persuade Kennedy to take on Landrieu.

When Kennedy first hit Landrieu with a negative ad, he had to suspend his campaign's positive spot, waiting until much later than Landrieu to air multiple commercials at the same time.

Those disadvantages made it more difficult for Kennedy to establish his message that Landrieu was part of a corrupted lawmaking process in the nation's capital.

"If you want to change the Senate, you've got to change the senator," he said at most campaign stops.

Whenever he or the National Republican Senatorial Committee ramped up attacks, Democrats were ready with the NRSC's opposition research from 2004, when the group cast Kennedy in the part of irresponsible liberal.

Kennedy also gained little traction in his effort to make the Senate race an extension of the presidential match-up, a strategy explained by McCain's comfortable lead over Obama in Louisiana polls.

When the Republican trumpeted his support for McCain and Landrieu's backing of Obama, Landrieu reminded Kennedy that he supported John Kerry for president in 2004; and she insisted that the Senate race "is between us."

Along the way, she was buoyed by endorsements from several Republicans, including former Gov. David Treen, St. Tammany Parish President Kevin Davis; Jefferson Parish Sheriff Newell Normand and St. Tammany Parish Sheriff Jack Strain.

Strain even appeared in a television commercial for Landrieu, who was backed by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other business groups generally associated with GOP candidates.

Landrieu said in an interview during the campaign that she expected the race to be her easiest "but not easy."

In recent polls, Landrieu led Kennedy by double digits, in one case by as much as 19 points, numbers that the Kennedy campaign discounted and margins that she hasn't come close to reaching before.

Running in 1996 for the seat left open by the retirement of J. Bennett Johnston, she squeaked past then-state Rep. Woody Jenkins of Baton Rouge, by 5,788 votes in an election that spawned claims of voter fraud and a congressional review before Landrieu eventually was seated.

Running for re-election six years later, Landrieu defeated then-state Commissioner of Elections Suzanne Haik Terrell of New Orleans, by 42,012 votes, or 52 percent to 48 percent.

Campaign Notebook: Landrieu gets endorsement

Fri, 31 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Democratic U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu has received the backing of law enforcement officers and district attorneys across the state in her bid for re-election against her Republican challenger, state Treasurer John Kennedy.

Several sheriffs, including Larry Cox, of Madison Parish, Willie Martin, of St. Martin, and Mark Shumate, of East Carroll, chiefs of police, including Perry Gallow, of Opelousas, Attorney General Buddy Caldwell and District Attorney Jay Lemoine, of Grant Parish, expressed support for Landrieu on Wednesday.

The Louisiana Sheriff's Association voted to endorse Landrieu in August but renewed that commitment Wednesday. Michael Ranatza, deputy director of the LSA, said Landrieu has fought for and obtained millions of dollars for law enforcement in Louisiana and "we'll be with you for the next six years."

Lemoine said that although the District Attorneys Association bylaws do not allow endorsement of candidates, individual district attorneys support her because "Mary Landrieu has been for law enforcement many years at the state and local level."

CALENDAR

MONDAY

The 2008 annual World's Day of Prayer and pre-election night prayer vigil will be from 7 to 8 p.m. at Morning Star Missionary Baptist Church, sanctuary side, 5340 Jewella Ave. in Shreveport. The public event is a 13th District Missionary Baptist Association observance.
TUESDAY

Election Day. Voting hours are 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Voters must present photo identification.

Daily Advertiser: Re-elect U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu

Fri, 31 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Mary Landrieu's strength in the U.S. Senate is an enormous asset to the people of Louisiana. We can ill afford to lose the benefits that accrue from her assignment to Senate committees that strongly impact our state, or the effectiveness with which she serves our needs on those powerful committees.

We endorse her campaign for re-election.

An effort has been made to paint Landrieu as the most liberal U.S. senator. The best refutation of that comes from a conservative Republican former governor. Dave Treen, who was the state's first GOP governor since Reconstruction, has endorsed Landrieu's re-election campaign.

"She is respected by Republicans and Democrats in the Senate, and she is able to deliver for our communities when we need it most," Treen said.

High on the list of significant battles Landrieu has won is her successful fight to secure revenue sharing on the outer continental shelf.

That means as much as $40 billion will flow to Louisiana to secure our coast and enhance our hurricane protection system.

In 2006, she authored legislation that opened 8.3 million acres of the Gulf Coast for drilling - the first time in 25 years that portions of the outer continental shelf were opened to energy exploration.

In 2008, the National Taxpayers Union praised Landrieu for breaking with her party to oppose new taxes on energy companies.

Serving on the Senate Appropriations, Homeland Security, Energy and Small Business committees, Landrieu's work has been highly beneficial to all of us.

In 2001, when the president cut funding for an assembly line in Slidell that produced armored security vehicles for the military, Landrieu used her position on the Appropriations Committee to secure federal funding to keep the factory running and make our troops safer.

Landrieu holds the Military Officers Association of America's Legislator of the Year Award. She has voted 25 times in favor of increasing funding for veterans' health care.

She has co-sponsored a bipartisan plan to ensure that all Americans have affordable health care. An independent analysis found that the plan would save American taxpayers nearly $1.5 trillion over the next decade.

Landrieu supported the creation and expansion of the state children's health insurance program that serves more than 115,000 Louisiana children. She is spearheading efforts to rewrite federal disaster laws, which are unsuited to deal with larger disasters and largely ignore communities that host disaster evacuees.

Landrieu secured $400,000 for the Louisiana Immersive Technologies Enterprise program at UL.

These accomplishments - and many others that we lack the space to list - are strong reasons for re-electing Landrieu. She has served us well, and earned the right to continue as our senior senator. We urge our readers to support her at the polls.

Landrieu: Now is not the time to switch leaders

Fri, 31 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Democratic U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu said Thursday that Louisianians should re-elect her because of her record of working across party lines.

"At a time like this, with a serious economic downturn, with an exceedingly expensive war in Iraq going on, now is not the time to change horses in midstream," Landrieu said.

Landrieu was in Monroe to speak at Twin Cities Community Welfare Inc.'s annual banquet.

She said electing challenger John Kennedy would not make sense for the future of the state.

"It would just be moving backward to start from a position of scratch," Landrieu said.

The two-term senator cited her independence and work across party lines and said she will be able to work productively with either Republican presidential nominee John McCain or Democratic nominee Barack Obama.

"I have been one of the most independent voices in the Democratic Party," Landrieu said. "I run independently of both candidates."

Landrieu said Kennedy was "grossly distorting the truth" when he told a group of Franklin Parish farmers earlier this week he has "always supported aid for farmers."

Kennedy's campaign sent out a press release praising Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., for effectively killing an emergency aid bill that would have delivered aid to Louisiana farmers impacted by Hurricanes Gustav and Ike.

"What he should have said was: 'I made a mistake,'" Landrieu said. "It doesn't reflect well on him when voters are looking for straight talk and honest representation."

She said if she is re-elected, her first order of business when Congress goes back into session will be to try to get the $1 billion aid package passed.

To address the struggling economy, Landrieu said she would work on lowering health-insurance premiums that pinch many families and vote for targeted infastructure projects that would help create more jobs.

"Giving people jobs can help get the economy going again," she said.

Poll finds Landrieu holding her lead

Fri, 31 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Presidential race too close to call

U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., still has a commanding lead over Republican state Treasurer John Kennedy in the Senate race, but the presidential race in Louisiana seems to be tightening, according to an independent poll released Thursday.

Conducted for WWL-TV and a consortium of five other television stations in the state, the poll showed Landrieu maintaining a double-digit lead over Kennedy, 49 percent to 34 percent, with 5 percent of those polled preferring neither and 13 percent undecided or not saying.

Loyola University pollster-political scientist Ed Renwick conducted the survey between Friday and Sunday of 500 registered voters who could be reached on land-line phones. The poll was also sponsored by WAFB-TV in Baton Rouge, KSLA-TV in Shreveport, KLFY-TV in Lafayette, KPLC-TV in Lake Charles and KNOE-TV in Monroe.

In the presidential race poll, Republican nominee Sen. John McCain led Democrat Sen. Barack Obama 43 percent to 40 percent, within the margin of error of 4.5 percentage points, with 15 percent undecided or refusing to say. Other recent independent surveys have shown McCain with a double-digit lead in the state.

A survey conducted Oct. 20 to 23 by Southeastern Louisiana University pollster Kurt Corbello had McCain at 50.6 percent and Obama at 38.3 percent, based on a sample of 503 registered voters, with an error margin of 4.46 points.

Corbello's poll, released last week, gave Landrieu 53 percent to Kennedy's 34 percent.

Renwick said that based on the poll numbers in the presidential race, the election in the state "could go either way."

"We don't know what is going to happen here between now and Tuesday evening," when the polls close at 8 p.m., he said.

Renwick's poll showed 36 percent of white voters and 79 percent of African-American voters preferring Landrieu, while 46 percent of white voters and 8 percent African-American voters said they backed Kennedy. The poll showed that 5 percent of white voters and 3 percent of African-Americans do not prefer either, and that 13 percent of the white respondents and 11 percent of the African- Americans are either undecided or refused to express a preference.

The poll showed Landrieu getting 74 percent of support from individuals who identified themselves as Democrats and 11 percent from self-identified Republicans, as well as 51 percent of the independent vote.

Kennedy received 78 percent of supported from GOP voters, 8 percent support from Democrats and 36 percent from independents.

Renwick said the poll indicates Tuesday's vote "will be a high-turnout election," because 88 percent of voters said they have either a "very high" or "extremely high" level of interest in the elections. African-Americans said they had a 90 percent high-interest level, while 87 percent of white voters expressed the same level of interest.

In the presidential race, 61 percent of the white voters said they favor McCain, and 21 percent went to Obama; among African-Americans, 83 percent preferred Obama and 3 percent supported McCain.

Wrong about La. fearing Democrats

Fri, 31 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Louisiana state Treasurer John Kennedy, the Republican challenger in next week’s U.S. Senate race against incumbent Mary Landrieu, is now proclaiming himself “a firewall” between Louisiana and the growing Democratic contingent in Washington D.C.

“If liberals take over Washington, Louisiana is going to need a senator who’ll stand up to them.”

That message was delivered by Kennedy to Louisiana residents this week through a story in Wednesday’s edition of The (Monroe) News-Star and through a release sent out by Kennedy’s press office.

Never mind the fact that Kennedy was the very thing — a Democrat — as little as 15 months ago that he now claims to protect us from, but what is this great fear of Democrats in the first place?

In this state, there is no fear of Democrats.

Although a majority of Louisiana and this country may be conservative by nature, national political affiliation has little to do with Louisiana electoral success. So running with a motto of protecting Louisiana from Democrats with less than a week to go in the race for U.S. Senate may be a reason why most political observers are predicting Kennedy will lose to Landrieu.

The fact is, Louisiana is a politically neutral state.

Case in point: Our current governor (Bobby Jindal) is a Republican. The previous one (Kathleen Blanco) is a Democrat. The one (Mike Foster) before that is a Republican. The one (Edwin Edwards) before that is a Democrat, and the one (Buddy Roemer) before him was both a Republican and a Democrat.

Of the two current United States senators, Landrieu is a Democrat and David Vitter is a Republican. According to the U.S. Senate Web site, before Vitter there had not been a Republican U.S. senator in Louisiana in more than 120 years.

Moving to presidential preference, in the previous eight presidential elections, the state has gone three times (1996, 1992 and 1976) to the Democratic nominee and five times (2004, 2000, 1988, 1984 and 1980) to the Republican nominee.

Kennedy, of all people, should know playing on conservative hysteria does not work in this generation’s Louisiana.

In 2004, when he was still a Democrat, Kennedy finished a distant third when he ran for the U.S. Senate seat Vitter eventually won. However, as a Democrat, he ran unopposed for state treasurer numerous times.

Now, Kennedy has switched parties and hopes to join Vitter as a Republican U.S. senator from Louisiana, which would be a first in this state since the 1870s.

Kennedy continued his “firewall” speak Thursday when a story in The (Alexandria) Town Talk quoted him saying, “Senator Obama is easily the most liberal member of the Senate. And if he’s elected president, he will be the most liberal president we’ve ever had.”

Kennedy continues to play on a perceived Louisiana fear of Democrats.

The tactic does not seem to be working. A Southeastern Louisiana University poll conducted Oct. 20-23 showed Kennedy 19 points behind Landrieu. The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 4.46 percentage points.

Kennedy’s campaign spokesman said those who did the poll must be “smoking crack.”

History says it is not the pollsters who are missing the point.

Houma Courier: Vote Landrieu for Senate

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Louisiana voters will have a tough decision to make on Tuesday, one that will bear consequences for the next six years.

The campaign for U.S. Senate has been long and often bitter.

Personal attacks on the candidates – often from outside political groups – have obscured the fact that this race features two imminently qualified public servants.

Republican John Kennedy and Democrat Mary Landrieu each boasts a long record of service and unquestionable credentials attesting to their work on our behalf.

Our decision in this race turns primarily on the fact that Landrieu has 12 years in the office and she has spent that time tirelessly working on issues that are crucial to our future.

Her most remarkable achievement has been her ability to secure a federal commitment to share with energy states the money from oil-and-gas tax revenue that is generated in them or off their shores.

For Louisiana, that will eventually mean hundreds of millions of dollars coming in to pay for coastal work that could determine whether south Louisiana continues to be viable as a place to live and work.

Our state’s importance to this nation’s energy supply is well known here, but it took a lot of legwork and persuasion to get Congress to share the oil-and-gas money with the states that help produce it.

We are proud of the work Landrieu has done and we look forward to her continuing advocacy for Louisiana and the Gulf Coast – a role in which she has been comfortable and efficient.

It is that dedication to and show of results for Louisiana’s most pressing issue that put us on Landrieu’s side of the ledger.

More recently, Landrieu has been a fierce critic of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, particularly as it relates to the corps’ response to hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005.

Many fundamental flaws were exposed by the 2005 hurricanes and Landrieu has been correct to dwell on them – not to make political hay, but to make sure that the next time Americans need the corps, it is better prepared to answer the call.

Landrieu has a long and detailed history of working for the people of Louisiana, both here and in Washington, D.C.

We urge you to support Landrieu so she can continue her important work in the nation’s capital.

She has proven that she is up to the challenge and she deserves to keep her seat.

Although we are glad to see a race that has two well-qualified candidates, we are convinced that the wise choice here is with Landrieu.

Editorials represent the opinions of the newspaper and not of any individual.

Landrieu backs aid for first responders

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Sheriffs association has endorsed her

U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., told law enforcement officials Wednesday that if she is re-elected, she will push for passage of a bill to give financial aid to police officers, firefighters and other first responders who are "seriously injured in the line of duty."

Landrieu's comments came at an event sponsored by the Louisiana Sheriffs Association, the Louisiana District Attorneys Association and other law enforcement groups. The sheriffs association has already endorsed Landrieu; the prosecutors' group does not endorse candidates, but most DAs individually have backed Landrieu, association spokesman Ellis "Pete" Adams said.

"When a person puts on a uniform, whether in a city of 200 or 2 million, they are entitled to the support of an entire community," Landrieu said.

She said the proposed legislation calls for "expanded disability benefits" for those injured and greater educational benefits for the children of first responders killed in the line of duty.

Landrieu reminded the prosecutors and law enforcement officials present that she has gotten $82 million in federal funds for a crippled criminal justice system in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita as well as "tens of millions of dollars" for vehicles and equipment destroyed by the two storms.

Landrieu said her opponent, Democrat-turned-Republican state Treasurer John Kennedy, "took the opposite view" in 2006, recommending to then-Gov. Kathleen Blanco that she trim $1.5 million in the budget for law enforcement and fire agencies, including $185,000 for "emergency generators."

Kennedy campaign spokesman Leonardo Alcivar said Landrieu's statements "just reminded conservative Democratic and independent voters that she sides with the failed policies of Kathleen Blanco over the conservative reform agenda of John Kennedy and (Gov.) Bobby Jindal.

"Louisianians want a new direction, not more of the same in Washington."

Jindal has backed Kennedy and has cut a television commercial for him.

. . . . . . .

BLACK CAUCUS PAC BACKS LANDRIEU: A year-old political action committee of the Louisiana Legislative Black Caucus has endorsed U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., over state Treasurer John Kennedy in next week's election.

Rep. Rick Gallot, D-Ruston, chairman of the committee, said the caucus' support will mean members will talk up Landrieu and do local media on her behalf. He said the PAC has also donated $200 to her campaign.

. . . . . . .

CRACK ABOUT CRACK: Officials of the state Democratic Party called on Republican U.S. Senate candidate John Kennedy to repudiate a remark by a top campaign aide ridiculing a poll taken by Southeastern Louisiana University pollster Kurt Corbello and his students last week.

State Democratic Party Chairman Chris Whittington called on Kennedy to apologize for remarks made by campaign communications director Leonardo Alcivar after the university's poll showed Landrieu leading Kennedy by 19 percentage points. In disputing the numbers, Alcivar said those who took the poll must have been "smoking crack."

"Defaming students and faculty at one of our state's proud public universities shows a total disrespect for the people of Louisiana," Whittington said in a written statement. "John Kennedy knows better; it appears he has lost control of his campaign."

Whittington also called on state GOP Chairman Roger Villere to apologize on behalf of the party. Villere said through party spokesman Aaron Baer that the Democrats are trying "to distract voters from the issues that matter."

Villere called SLU "a fine institution of higher learning, but their latest poll does not reflect the dynamics of the Senate race."

Alcivar painted Whittington's statement as a last-minute attempt "by liberal special interests to make up phony sideshows. It is the oldest trick in the book. Elections should be about competing visions for our future, not the politics of personal destruction."

. . . . . . .

DOOR TO DOOR: Get-out-the-vote efforts are in full swing in the U.S. Senate race, with the John Kennedy and Mary Landrieu campaigns culminating months of targeted efforts with a final push of door knocking and phone calling.

Both campaigns described the process as multiphased: first identifying potential supporters based on party registration and voting trends, then contacting those voters to lobby for their support and finally coming back at least another time to those who have pledged their votes.

Through Wednesday, the Landrieu campaign said its volunteers, working with the coordinated Victory 2008 campaign of the state Democratic Party, had called 819,951 households and knocked on 27,906 doors trying to drum up votes for Landrieu's third term.

The Kennedy campaign said its Republican volunteers had knocked on 534,000 doors and made 139,000 telephone calls on behalf of the challenger.

Law enforcement backs Landrieu

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700

BATON ROUGE - Democratic U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu has received the backing of law enforcement officers and district attorneys across the state in her bid for re-election against her Republican challenger, state Treasurer John Kennedy.

Several sheriffs, including Larry Cox of Madison Parish, Willie Martin of St. Martin and Mark Shumate of East Carroll, chiefs of police, including Perry Gallow of Opelousas, Attorney General Buddy Caldwell and District Attorney Jay Lemoine of Grant Parish expressed support for Landrieu Wednesday.

The Louisiana Sheriff's Association voted to endorse Landrieu in August but renewed that commitment Wednesday. Michael Ranatza, deputy director of the LSA, said Landrieu has fought for and obtained millions of dollars for law enforcement in Louisiana and "we'll be with you for the next six years."

Lemoine said that although the District Attorneys Association bylaws do not allow endorsement of candidates, individual district attorneys support her because "Mary Landrieu has been for law enforcement many years at the state and local level."

Landrieu said she was pleased with the support and called it "one of the most important endorsements I have received in this campaign."

She said the earmarks she secured for law enforcement have provided needed equipment and programs and when she returns to Washington, she will push legislation she introduced to set up a fund to help first responders who are disabled on the job.

Landrieu was asked about a poll by Southeastern Louisiana University that showed her up by 19 points over Kennedy and his campaign spokesman Lenny Alcivar's reaction that whoever conducted the poll must have been "smoking crack." Landrieu's campaign immediately issued a release criticizing the comment.

"When I first read that, I thought 'Oh my goodness,' " Landrieu said. "That was an insult to a reputable university and an insult to Louisiana. It's typical of his (Kennedy's) campaign, which has been off base since the beginning."

Alcivar responded Wednesday evening, calling the Landrieu campaign reaction to his comment "silly political games from operatives trying to get you to write about a poll even Mary admits is crazy."

He later added, "Their press release uses my response to their phony poll as pretext to attack Kennedy. That's all this is."

Poll: Landrieu maintains lead in US Senate race

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700

A new independent poll in Louisiana's U.S. Senate race released Thursday continues to show Democratic incumbent Mary Landrieu with a double-digit lead over her Republican challenger, state Treasurer John Kennedy.

Forty-nine percent of the voters surveyed by pollster Ed Renwick of Loyola University backed Landrieu, compared with 34 percent for Kennedy. Seventeen percent said they were either undecided or wouldn't answer the question.

Landrieu led Kennedy in all areas of the state, except for the Baton Rouge region, according to the poll, which was conducted for a consortium of TV stations.

"The poll is certainly encouraging and shows that Sen. Landrieu's message of fighting and delivering for Louisiana is resonating with voters, but it is still just a poll. The only poll that matters will be on Nov. 4," Landrieu campaign spokesman Scott Schneider said.

The numbers differ greatly from internal tracking poll numbers Kennedy cited earlier in the day, which he said show he and Landrieu only 1 percentage point apart. Kennedy campaign spokesman Lenny Alcivar said the Renwick poll results were absurd.

Alcivar pointed to part of the survey that showed Republican presidential nominee John McCain with only a 3 percentage point lead over Democratic nominee Barack Obama — in a state where Obama has never campaigned, where several other polls have showed a large margin of victory expected for McCain and where political analysts don't believe Obama could grab a win.

"The notion that John McCain is only leading Barack Obama in the state of Louisiana by three points is Democratic happy talk at best, and at worst, wild miscalculation on the part of this pollster," Alcivar said.

But the Renwick poll numbers on the Senate race closely mirror an independent Southeastern Louisiana University poll released earlier this week that indicated Landrieu had a 19-point lead over her opponent.

In the Renwick poll, the two-term senator trailed Kennedy among white voters but picked up support from an overwhelming number of black voters. Of those surveyed, 36 percent of white voters and 79 percent of black voters said they would vote for Landrieu, compared with 46 percent of white voters and 8 percent of black voters for Kennedy.

"Landrieu is getting major black support and sufficient white turnout for her to win the election," Renwick said in the poll results.

The poll of 500 voters was conducted from Friday through Sunday. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.5 percentage points. It was conducted for six TV stations: WWL-TV in New Orleans, WAFB-TV in Baton Rouge, KSLA-TV in Shreveport, KLFY-TV in Lafayette, KNOE-TV in Monroe and KPLC-TV in Lake Charles.

Earlier Thursday, Kennedy cited internal tracking poll numbers that he said showed 45 percent of voters surveyed supported Landrieu, compared with 44 percent for himself.

"It's tightening up greatly," Kennedy said of the race at a campaign stop in Baton Rouge.

Schneider said he expects Landrieu will win by a comfortable margin, given her leads in independent polls.

Despite those poll results, Landrieu's campaign asked for donations in an e-mail to supporters last week, saying the race would be close, "more likely to be a nail-biter than a double-digit blowout."

Health plans call for big changes

Wed, 29 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Senate candidates' ideas differ drastically

Trolling for votes on the campaign trail, Democratic U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu and her Republican challenger, John Kennedy, each advocate a major reshaping of an American health-care system that often gets low marks for cost, fairness and quality.

With nearly one-sixth of the population uninsured, and health-care costs rising faster than the rate of inflation, there is widespread agreement among experts that the next administration and Congress will need to reshape the health care landscape in fundamental ways.

Landrieu and Kennedy have responded to the challenge with plans that differ markedly from each other and from the ideas offered by their parties' presidential standard-bearers.

Kennedy, the state treasurer making his second run for the Senate, favors shifting more responsibility for obtaining health coverage onto individuals through changes to the federal tax code and by erasing federal barriers that prevent people from buying insurance across state lines.

Landrieu, who is running for a third term in the upper chamber, is pinning her hopes on a bipartisan bill, the Healthy Americans Act, that would dismantle the current system of employer-based health coverage in favor of requiring people to buy health coverage from a pool of state-regulated private plans.

--- Kennedy's plan ---

"I think we can achieve everything we need to achieve (through) the private sector," said Kennedy, whose plan would offer a tax credit of $2,500 for individuals and $5,000 per family that could be used only to buy health coverage. To help individuals find cheaper coverage, Kennedy's plan would let people seek policies in other states rather than be limited to the offerings in their state.

"If I want to buy a policy in Pennsylvania, I should be able to do it," Kennedy said.

Unlike a similar plan offered by GOP presidential nominee John McCain, the Kennedy plan would not seek to offset the new tax credit by eliminating the tax breaks companies receive for offering health benefits to their workers.

Kennedy also would seek to expand market-based health care plans popular with Republicans, such as health-savings accounts and expanding high-risk insurance pools for people who cannot get coverage because of pre-existing conditions.

--- Landrieu's plan ---

Under Landrieu's approach, people would be offered a choice of plans similar to what is now provided to federal workers, with subsidies offered to those who make less than four times the federal poverty level. Most people would pay for their coverage via paycheck withholding.

Businesses would initially be forced to redirect the money they were spending on health benefits into increased salaries for their employees. Businesses that were not offering coverage would be required to pay a new tax that would vary based on the size of the company and its ability to pay. Eventually, all employers would be required to pay the tax.

"It's a very different model than the industrial age model that the country is using now, which in my view stifles entrepreneurship, it stifles mobility and it is, in its present form, extremely wasteful and inefficient," Landrieu said.

It also is an idea that differs starkly from the proposals offered by Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama, who would seek to build on the current health care system by adding new mandates on insurers and creating a low-cost public plan to compete with private-sector offerings.

--- Pros and cons ---

In a campaign where Kennedy has styled himself as a budget-balancing fiscal conservative and criticized Landrieu for excessive spending, analysts say his plan would likely cost the federal government more money in the long haul than the approach favored by Landrieu or McCain.

"It would cost more, because you're providing a tax credit to people who don't currently receive one now without changing the tax preference for (employer-sponsored) insurance," said Jennifer Tolbert, a principal policy analyst with the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonpartisan health policy research group.

Kennedy said he does not favor tampering with the employer-sponsored health insurance system, since most people who get health coverage through their job are happy with the status quo.

"I don't think you ought to fix a system that's not broken," Kennedy said.

According to the Congressional Budget Office, which did an analysis of the Healthy Americans Act favored by Landrieu, the plan would be budget neutral in its first full year of operation and would eventually save taxpayers money.

While the bill has attracted a bipartisan cast of Senate co-sponsors, with 10 Republicans, six Democrats and one independent, critics have also materialized on both the left and right. Some labor unions have complained that it would eliminate health care benefits negotiated through collective bargaining with employers; some on the right have said it would put too much control in the hands of government and force people to buy insurance whether they want it or not.

Still others complain that it would eliminate programs such as Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program, since everyone would be covered by the new private offerings.

Critics of the Kennedy plan, meanwhile, said the elimination of insurance barriers between states would result in healthy, young people who are less expensive to insure seeking coverage in low-cost states, leaving those who are older and sicker in expensive plans offered by states that require insurers to cover pre-existing conditions.

"If you are older or sicker, you're going to have a lot more trouble affording health insurance under McCain," said John Shiels, a senior vice president of the Lewin Group, a health care consulting group that helped develop the Healthy Americans Act.

--- Unchartered territory ---

Tolbert, of the Kaiser Family Foundation, said the easing of insurance barriers could undermine consumer-protection laws, potentially leaving people with no recourse if they have a dispute with an out-of-state health insurer.

"It's not been tried before, so we don't know whether it would be possible to create that kind of national market," Tolbert said.

On health care issues closer to home, the differences between Kennedy and Landrieu are more subtle. Both candidates support efforts to build a new teaching hospital in downtown New Orleans to anchor a burgeoning biosciences district, but Kennedy has been a critic of the process and has urged state officials to also explore alternatives that might be less expensive.

"To me, this issue is about health care," Kennedy said. "It's not about economic development. It's not about turf. It's not about spending money here as opposed to there."

Landrieu said she favors the project, which calls for the state and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to build adjacent hospitals near downtown, and said she would work to unclog the backlog of recovery projects that are still waiting for federal reimbursement.

"I intend for FEMA to pay the state of Louisiana everything the state believes it's owed," Landrieu said. "I've been working on that, project by project by project, with a great deal of success."

La. Democrats complain about "crack" comment

Wed, 29 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700

A flippant remark about a poll in the U.S. Senate race has raised complaints - and calls for apologies - by the Louisiana Democratic Party.

The party's chairman wants the Republican candidate, State Treasurer John Kennedy, to apologize for his campaign spokesman's statement that those who did a new poll showing Kennedy 19 points behind Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu must be "smoking crack."

The Kennedy spokesman, Lenny Alcivar, said the poll numbers weren't realistic and that the campaign's internal polling showed a much smaller gap between the two candidates.

But Chris Whittington, chairman of the state Democratic Party, said the remark was insulting to the students and faculty of Southeastern Louisiana University who conducted the poll.

"John Kennedy's D.C. handlers have once again proven to be an embarrassment," Whittington said in a statement Wednesday. "Defaming the students and faculty of one of our state's proud public universities shows a total disrespect for the people of Louisiana. John Kennedy should know better. It appears he has lost control of his campaign."

Asked to respond, Alcivar didn't suggest an apology would be forthcoming. He called Whittington's demand "desperate, last minute attempts by a campaign in freefall like Mary Landrieu's. To take false umbrage is the oldest trick in the liberal play book."

In the university's poll of 503 registered voters, conducted from Oct. 20-23, more than 53 percent favored a third term for Landrieu, compared to 34 percent backing Kennedy. Nearly 12 percent either refused to say who they supported in the Senate race or were undecided.

The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 4.46 percentage points.

___

Meanwhile, Kennedy has added a new twist to his campaign stump speech.

In a north Louisiana campaign stop, Kennedy touted his conservatism, saying he would be "a firewall" to temper what could be a Democratic-controlled White House and Congress.

Kennedy, who is on a statewide tour in the final week of campaigning, said he still believes Republican presidential nominee John McCain will win the White House. Then he added, "But If I'm wrong, I think Louisiana now more than ever needs to send a conservative voice to Washington who will stand up for our state's values and principles."

Kennedy is trying to keep Democratic incumbent Mary Landrieu from a third term.

___

Landrieu touted her law enforcement endorsements Wednesday, as the campaign in the Senate race entered its final days.

Landrieu, who has received the backing of the Louisiana Sheriffs' Association, stood with a dozen sheriffs, district attorneys and police chiefs and talked about the millions of dollars in earmarks she's drawn for law enforcement causes as a two-term senator.

"It was an easy decision for us as an association to endorse Sen. Landrieu," said Mike Ranatza, deputy director of the sheriffs' group. "We enjoy a very close relationship with our United States senator."

Ranatza said Landrieu delivered $82 million to law enforcement after Hurricane Katrina struck in 2005, money that Landrieu said was used to help replace equipment and keep police departments running in areas that had lost all their tax revenue because of the storm.

Louisiana Weekly Endorses Mary Landrieu

Wed, 29 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Senator Landrieu has our unanimous and enthusiastic support.

Mary Landrieu is likely the next Chairman of the Homeland Security Committee which overseas FEMA and our recovery dollars. She has become a senior member of the Armed Services Committee, which funds a large portion of our local economy, and has driven recovery dollars to Louisiana in the wake of four devastating hurricanes.

To replace this seniority with a junior member of the minority party who cannot decide whether he is a Democrat or Republican, Progressive or Conservative, Pro-War or Anti-War, would be foolish in the extreme. Senator Landrieu has been the epitome of a public servant in Washington, and to replace her at this critical juncture would be suicidal to the state’s influence on Capitol Hill.