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| Home Front: Politix |
| Since I Know Y'all Love to Laugh at New Orleans |
| 2008-10-06 |
| I know you said all election stories are to be in 'Home Front: Politix', but this is NEW ORLEANS politics, so shouldn't it be under 'Lurid Crime Tales"? Results show voters keep the faith in Congressman William Jefferson For more than three years, critics presaging Rep. William Jefferson's political demise have derived their assumptions from the nine-term congressman's mounting legal problems, which have cost him stroke on Capitol Hill and handcuffed his ability to raise campaign money. But even his staunchest enemies marvel that Jefferson, whose trial on 16 federal charges of public corruption is set to begin in early December, has maintained his hold on a loyal bloc of voters who appear unfazed by the allegations of wrongdoing. It was the backing of those faithful, concentrated in African-American neighborhoods, that was key to Jefferson's success Saturday, when he surged ahead of a pack of well-financed, politically seasoned opponents who lined up to unseat him. With two-thirds of the district's voters registered as Democrats, the winner will be considered the prohibitive favorite in the Dec. 6 general election. Moreno was able to differentiate herself as the only female candidate, the only white candidate and the only candidate with no experience working in government. She was helped by the fact that the other five challengers closely resembled each other: All were black men with limited experience in politics and a limited base of supporters. For his part, Jefferson benefited from the personal ties he has forged with constituents across the district for nearly two decades, "Voters don't just think in terms of issues, they also think with emotions," pollster Silas Lee said. Moreno, who is Hispanic, was the only non-African-American on the ballot. In majority white precincts, she earned 45 percent of the vote, more than three times the portion of votes received by her nearest competitor, Jefferson Parish Councilman Byron Lee. Further complicating matters for Moreno is the expectation that turnout among black voters on Nov. 4 may reach record-breaking levels as Democratic Sen. Barack Obama makes his bid to become the nation's first black president. It is clear, meanwhile, that Jefferson intends to push the notion that the indictment against him is nothing more than the government's unproven accusation and does not reflect on his ability to serve. In his analysis, Chervenak said he found support for the idea that a portion of voters in African-American neighborhoods buy into Jefferson's implication that the government may be out to get him. |
| Posted by:Glenmore |
| #4 So, if Dollar Bill Jefferson gets convicted in his trial in December, will he have to give up his seat? Or will he just phone in his votes from the slammer? |
| Posted by: Rambler in Virginia 2008-10-06 20:46 |
| #3 Tribalism has sometimes been called "primitive communism." It's working well (at least for the communists) in Kenya, Zimbabwe and South Africa. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2008-10-06 17:44 |
| #2 Reminds me of DC where they re-elected Marion Barry and Providence, RI where they re-elected Buddy Cianci, both after doing time*. If you're a homey or goomba (or other such ethnic terms) it doesn't matter what you do as long as you don't dis the locals. * Buddy did a second stretch following his second tenure as Hizzoner. |
| Posted by: xbalanke 2008-10-06 17:38 |
| #1 Longtime New Orleans pollster Silas Lee said Jefferson, the first black elected to Congress from Louisiana since Reconstruction, remains popular among a strong core of supporters in the district."He comes across as someone who the ordinary citizen can relate to," Lee said. Like who? Larry the Looter? |
| Posted by: tu3031 2008-10-06 15:53 |