Liberty and Justice for All!

Steve Scalise and Tim Burns are going to face each other in an April runoff for the Republican nomination while Gilda Reed gets two months to bring her message to the voters.

When it comes to the issues, there is not much difference between the two gay hating embryo lovers. Both irresponsibly support keeping the Bush tax cuts. Both would sell out the American worker by reauthorizing NAFTA. Both would shield telecoms who violate the law.

The only real difference I can see is that Tim Burns may support the troops more than Steve Scalise. See, Burns would vote to support a bill that would mandate rest periods for the troops, which would prevent our President from overworking our brave men and women in uniform. Scalise sees such a protection for our troops as micromanaging military operations. Protecting our troops is not micromanaging them. However, I am sure that Burns and Scalise agree on most other issues with the military. And the way that this administration has abused their authority and abused the men and women who so bravely serve our country is disgusting and pathetic. We need a representative in Congress who will fight for our troops, not the misguided policy of the Bush Administration. We need a representative in Congress who will stand up and fight for the working men and women in America, not one who will open up unfair “free trade” treaties with countries that do not have equitable labor laws. We need a Congressional representative who will not blindly support cells in a petri dish over finding modern cures for those people who are sick and need the help that comes from scientific advancements. In short, We Need Reed!

I proudly endorse Gilda Reed for LA01. If the rest of LA01 was smart, it would realize that extremist conservative Republicans like Burns and Scalise will not get anything done for LA01 in a Congress controlled by Democrats. It would also realize that the Republican party is NOT the party that supports the troops, all it does is blindly support the failed Iraq policy of this failed administration. I call on the rest of the New Orleans Blogosphere to unite behind Gilda and help propel her to an election that will make history. Gilda Reed not only needs our help, but she deserves it as well. Let’s buck the political trend and make a difference in LA01 this time.

On my lunch break I called into the Spud show on WWL. Clancy Dubos was on discussing the LA01 race and I decided to call in and add my $0.02. This is when I came up for my new term for the socially conservative springboard from which the three Republican candidates for this election are coming from. From Steve Scalise and his push to ban gay marriages (and gay civil unions) in our state, to Tim Burns plastering his name all over the radio as having a 100% pro-life record, to Ben Morris and his website where he also discusses how he loves “family values” and wants to defend our Judeo-Christian heritage (as if Ben Morris really respected Jews when he supported the lone picture of Jesus in the Slidell courthouse), all of these candidates are basically trying to stand up and proclaim who loves embryos and hates homosexuals more.

So I call in and ask when the LA01 voters are going to stop voting against their best interests. Sure, the three Republican candidates are showing that they are gay hating embryo lovers. However, the family values track has not shown a very good record in LA01. First you have Bob Livingston (who is backing Steve Scalise), whose family values included having an affair. Then you have David “Vitty-Cent” Vitter, whose family values included sins with prostitutes while married. Then you have PBJ, who ran for governor on an ethics package and is now has an ethics investigation no less than 1 month into his term. Finally, all three Republican candidates for Congress won their respective 2007 elections and will not be able to perform their jobs to their best ability because they will be focused on their new campaigns. So again, you have three candidates who are worried about their own gains and ignore the needs of their constituents. It also seems to me that collecting a paycheck for a job you are not doing is not very ethical or fiscally conservative. I guess that point is lost on the voters who happen to be GHEL as well.

Of course, Clancy’s response was pretty much a comment on how Democrats also do the same thing so I should be careful what I wish for. Well, I wish that all politicians (Democrat and Republican) follow the same set of rules and that includes committing to complete the term you are elected to and if you cannot, resign immediately. I hold Democrats to the same standards that I do Republicans.

There is also the issue that Louisiana tends to “zig” when the rest of the country “zags” politically. I brought up the idea that perhaps with a Democratic Congress and a Democratic President that it might benefit Louisiana to have more Democratic representatives. Again, Clancy said that I should be careful what I wish for because when the country went to the right and elected Bush and a Republican Congress, we elected Blanco and Landrieu. And if Clancy was trying to point out Louisiana’s folly in those choices at the time, well, perhaps it is time to learn from past folly and now that America is “zigging”, perhaps we should continue to “zig”  as well! That would require us to reelect Mary Landrieu later this year and to perhaps replace the obstructionist Republicans with Democrats who can get the job done for Louisiana.

Speaking from personal experience, I am not surprised at the media bias in Louisiana’s First Congressional District when it comes to reporting of Democratic candidates. I ran for the seat in 2004 and saw first hand how frustrating it can be when the media fails the public and does not embrace their duty to inform. The media coverage in the 2004 election was so completely irresponsible that I was twice listed as a Republican on the ballot in the T-P.

Gilda Reed, candidate in this special election, is facing the same frustrations I faced almost 4 years ago. Here is a message from her. I guarantee you that this woman has more integrity and is more likely to stand up for the people in LA01 than any other announced Republican in this race.

I have no horse in this race and I cannot vote in that election (because I have moved into LA02). However, she has sent out a press release and since the regular media wont cover her campaign I feel that others have a responsibility to pick up the slack.

First a Times-Picayune article on December 23rd and then a WDSU News interview on the same night ignored the viable Democratic candidate in Louisiana’s 1st District race for the U.S. House. I am angry. The
Democratic candidate is me. WDSU News spent several minutes covering Republican candidates, including those who have not made a decision yet and even those who have opted against the run. An afterthought
was added at the end saying that there was one declared Democratic candidate. Indeed, they underestimate my threat.

I do not offer polished promises that I cannot keep. Anyone who claims to know all the answers is pompous and non-credible. But I do  claim to know most of the questions. I have campaigned hard for the
past year traveling through all 6 parishes contacting mayors, police chiefs and everyday citizens. I have the determination, resiliency and intellectual capacity to leave no stone unturned as I search
tirelessly for all possible solutions. Representatives are not supposed to accept NO for an answer. They are supposed to fight tooth and nail, beating on Capitol Hill doors, making a persistent clamor
until urgent constituent needs are met. For less urgent matters, a representative needs to be a skillful, unpretentious negotiator.

I am a fighter who is primed to expand my public service to include my whole district. On a smaller scale in a university classroom, I have learned the tremendous impact one person can have. After Katrina, I
informally counseled students and tried to comfort and assure them. One of these came up to me at a recent event and told me I literally saved her and that she will never ever forget me. Another student
because of me did not quit school and is now graduating with plans to attend graduate school in the Fall. I remember Jackie who at 57 and with ADHD was finally getting her dream diploma until her estranged
husband murdered her 3 days before she was to walk across the stage. Jackie drew strength from me but would not take my advice to cut her 21-hour semester in the face of the harassment she was enduring. And
I received strength from her as I weathered the tragic loss of a second beautiful grandbaby at the same time.

In 1949, I caught polio in a major N.O. epidemic. My fever spiked at 107 and nurses said the Werner baby, me, would not make it through the night. Then doctors said I may never sit up or walk again. All were
wrong. Well-meaning neighbors told my parents that if Santa gave me a 2-wheel bike it would be a cruel tease. I was riding with daddy running alongside me in no time. I did not just learn to swim at Audubon Park, I dove again and again off of the high diver. There were murmurings that I may never have children. I gave birth to 5 and then adopted 2 more. I was labeled crazy for returning to college with 7 children in tow, but then I earned my Ph.D. and silenced the skeptics. My pediatricians tried to hide their misgivings when I
adopted a baby who had the worst brain hemorrhage possible and yet live. He was born in February and not due until June almost 26 years ago. This baby, who was not supposed to have any intellectual
development, is now a college graduate. So I am used to hearing “it can’t be done”. This familiar sound fell
on deaf ears once more a year ago when I announced my candidacy for the U.S. Congress in Louisiana’s 1st District. Now with every day that passes, I inch closer to victory. I have broad bi-partisan appeal with members of both parties supporting me emotionally, asking for signs, and promising me their votes. 2 of my hardest workers are Republicans. 2 of my 7 children are Republicans. (We must have dropped them on their heads when they were little!) So I love Republicans, too, and can represent well all Americans. I am the
people’s candidate all ready to use my well-practiced skills to fight for the working woman, the working man, the small business owner, our veterans, our senior citizens, our children, dairy farmers, cattle ranchers, tree farmers, shrimpers, fishermen. People are disgruntled with the aftermath of Katrina, the Iraq War, and the hypocrisy of some politicians claiming to be all about “values”.

The thing I like least about running for political office is not the pace or the frenzy or the invasion of privacy. It is phoning to hawk for dollars. I am a Southern-bred lady with manners and this is just downright rude.  Besides, I resent spending precious time this way when my time and talent could be better spent researching the issues, discovering solutions, and meeting people to hear their suggestions. I did not write the rules and until campaign finance reform is a reality, I must abide by them or suffer defeat. The majority of those
responsible for legislating a change are multi-millionaires who are satisfied with the status quo. They do not want populist candidates murking the waters of their domain.

My most memorable donations, from those not related to me, did not require me asking. They came from people who gave of their substance on their own. A busboy at a sandwich shop pulled a wrinkled $5 bill
out of his pocket and gave it to me saying, “Ma’am, fight for me.” (When I get discouraged over raising funds, I just resurrect this poignant image.) The second memorable donation came from a retired priest on a limited income who trusts me implicitly to do what is right. A donor who does not live in my district and has never met me, is giving a fundraiser dinner in her home. This is how determined she is that a fellow Democrat wins this seat. I will make these folks proud and not let any of them down.

I am in this race for all the right reasons-to make a positive difference in the lives of mainstream people in District 1. Having lived in this district my entire life, I have a vested interest in what happens to us. I am not a political opportunist who plans to abandon this job for a more politically savvy one in the future like most of my Republican opponents. They were recently elected to other offices, and before even being sworn in, they are grappling for the next rung on the political ladder.

So much work to be done! Hwy 25 needs to be widened into 4 lanes from Covington to the state line. This is a major evacuation route and is sadly only 2 lanes wide. Franklinton and Bogalusa desperately need to
have long overdue FEMA commitments paid to waiting contractors. Our dairy farmers and cattle ranchers are in trouble. We need forest restoration and nutria laws renewed. Our levees need to be re-engineered and our wetlands and coasts restored. We need to lessen our dependence on foreign oil and encourage business. Louisiana is sitting on a wealth of sugar cane which can be converted into ethanol cheaper and with more return and less waste than corn. (This is not an experimental process but tried and true, as Brazil has been
converting sugar cane to fuel for 30 years successfully.) Our public education system leaves a lot to be desired. Our senior citizens are forced to decide between taking their medicine and eating because they
cannot afford both. Too many of all ages have little or no access to affordable health care. Property insurance rates and rents have skyrocketed. Criminy-in some places, it is as if Katrina happened yesterday. Indeed, so much work needs to be done and much of it at the state level.

I envision smart government not big government. Smart government manages funds more equitably. It enables its people to provide for themselves without unneeded giveaways. It is efficient government
that is run responsibly. Smart government reverses the class warfare policies in Washington that give tax breaks to the upper 1% and give a raw deal to the remaining 99% of us. Smart government earns back
world respect via diplomacy. Smart government protects the rights of American workers and does not export jobs or import inferior products.

We need a smart government which stays out of our bedrooms, out of our emails, out of our telephone conversations, out of our bank accounts. We need to stop the stripping away of our Constitutional
rights before we become like the complacent frogs which boiled because they did not notice or object as the water temperature slowly increased. Government is supposed to be of, by and for the people, not of, by and
for a few large corporations and those who make over $200,000 a year.

I represent the pulse of mainstream people-not special interests. I am a determined, hard-working Louisianian who will fight vocally and legislatively for what we need. I have a strong voice and I am not
afraid to use it. Time is of essence. The primaries are on March 8th. Being ignored in the monopoly Times-Picayune and being ignored on a major television venue are big deals. So I am spontaneously venting to fellow Louisianians, regardless of party, for a sense of fairness and justice. This is not how democracy in action is supposed to work. Shamelessly, I am also asking for every possible donation.
www.WeNeedReed.com