KUDOS to Senator Mary Landrieu (D) Louisiana: ABC This Week

[The Cleaner]

Senator Landrieu was on ABC's This Week w/George Stephanopolous. Landrieu is one of the most poised, most truthful, most hard-hitting Senator in Congress today. I can't say enough good things about her.

On the program this morning, she explained how and why the money isn't getting to where it should be going. She has a serious knack for communicating to the people in easy to understand terms. There's a lot I didn't know about the distribution of money and the hideous beaurocracy inherent in the Bush administration. Landrieu implied that Bush's visits to Louisiana were lacking in substance - she said something like "It's not the quantity, it's the quality." But we all know exactly what it REALLY is - pure photo ops. Shameless.

One more thing - didn't Bush promise to reduce the size of government when he was installed back in 2000? Seems to me he's done the complete OPPOSITE.

[WCGreen]

1. Clark/Landrieu in '08

[FARAFIELD]

16. THE THING ABOUT MARY

Actually two moments, one was her getting he head handed to her by Anderson Cooper, back in the wake of Katrina when she thought "her" president would swoop in and save the day. The the appearnce on "THIS WEEK" when her and George Steph. flew over the levee and she cried when she said "look at that one little back hoe". She sums up what is wrong with my party. People like her KNOW that Bush let her down, and she still votes with him at every opportunity. She said herself that morning that they flew in all these backhoes and cranes for the preisdents photo op and took them away the next day. She knows she got screwed and still votes with the reps every chance she gets. As Brando said, She had a chance to be a contender, she had the media when she started crying that morning if she had followed up she could have been an instrument of change. Instead she acts like she scared of Bush or something. SHe is a waste of space.

[Toots]

2. Doesn't she vote with the Republicans at every opportunity?

I prefer someone with more Democratic Ideals and less Corporate connections...

[KingFlorez]

3. No

[Riverman]

8. Ah, Yes, at almost every opportunity. A "Lieberman" psuedo

democrat. Her father "Moon Landrieu" was a mayor of New Orleans and he was one of a long string of mayors who did nothing about improving the levees around the city. Her brother is the Lt Gov and recently lost the election for Mayor New Orleans to Nagin. She did nothing in her years in the Senate to protect New Orleans. Notice who she is supporting for Senate in Connecticut. She has always been one of those Southern Democrats "Dixiecrats" who has voted regulary with republicans. In most other states she would be a republican. She is also one of the many politicians in Louisiana that has contributed to ignoring the extreme poverty that has persisted there since the Civil War, that Bush the other day said the Katrina floodwaters uncovered. Unfortunately, the people who do vote in Louisiana keep voting these fools into office.

She, like Lieberman, is one of the handfull of democrats in the Senate that the Democratic party needs to run out of the party. Everytime I see her on the TV I want to spit at it

[KingFlorez]

9. You need to check her voting record

Trying to run everyone out of the party that doesn't do every single thing you think they should is not helping us win.

[Generic Other]

19. Backing a turncoat like Lieberman is a bit much even for a Dem lite

Sorry, Landrieu is a DINO.

[KingFlorez]

23. Maybe she just doesn't trust Lamont

[Generic Other]

24. And that's why I don't trust her

She may be da bomb in Louisiana, but she's a bomb in more progressive areas of the country.

Her voting record has paralleled Zell Miller's in the past few years.

[KingFlorez]

27. That's not true

http://www.vote-smart.org/issue_rating_category.php?can_id=BC037760&type=category&category=Liberal&go.x=15&go.y=11

[Generic Other]

29. These are pretty important votes where Landrieu voted with the GOP

But Mary Landrieu also has been a supporter of the President. Her voting record in the Senate shows she has sided with him 74 percent of the time, including votes in favor of the President's tax cut package, homeland security legislation, and his use of force resolution against Iraq.

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/politics/july-dec02/bayou_12-06.html


Landrieu voted YES:

Vote 189: S J RES 12: This vote would have given Senate approval to a proposed constitutional amendment that would give Congress the authority to ban 'desecration of the American flag.'

Landrieu supports eliminating the estate tax permanently, and voted for the tax cut passed in 2001. On November 17, 2005, she was one of only four Democrats to vote against repealing the portions of the tax cuts passed in 2001 and 2003 that more liberal Democrats have charged unfairly benefit the wealthy.

Vote 29: H R 3199: Reauthorized 2001 USA Patriot Act.

Vote 245: On the Nomination: Confirmation of John G. Roberts, Jr., to be Chief Justice of the United States.

Vote 44: S 256: Made it harder for people to erase debt by declaring bankruptcy.

http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/members/l000550/

[flyarm]

36. Mary has a record of voting with the dems only 25% of the time..look..

http://bushwatch.com/demwatch.htm

Mary has the distinction of being in the three worst dems..in voting with the dems..she votes more republican ..and only one other votes as bad as she does , and one worse!!

Dems at 25%: Johnson (D-SD)5, and.Mary Landrieu (D) of Louisiana (only 5 Dem votes).

only one worse..and that is Nelson of Nebraska!

[KingFlorez]

39. Based on what criteria?

That site appears to base the ratings on things that shouldn't really factor into the rating. Liberal organizations give her great ratings.

[flyarm]

41. what liberal organizations?? name them,..and put the proof for all to see!

i posted what the percentages are..so if you have proof of liberal orgs. giving her great ratings..lets see them..simple right??

fly

[KingFlorez]

42. I posted a link

http://www.vote-smart.org/issue_rating_category.php?can_id=BC037760&type=category&category=Liberal&go.x=15&go.y=11

[Hippo_Tron]

53. Just so you know, her father integrated city hall in New Orleans

And he is the reason that African Americans have been able to be elected to office in New Orleans. Every racist Republican in the city still hates the entire family for it. So I would check your facts before calling her "Dixiecrat".

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

4. She is a Republican in Dems clothing. eom

[Horse with no Name]

6. yep.

Another DLC operative.
I understand why Lousiana needs her...however, she definitely needs to stay just where she is.
She is Lieberman in a dress.

[Neecy]

5. She loves Joementum

She's one of the few Democrats in the Senate supporting Lieberman over Lamont.

[Cha]

10. That's a bad move and I don't

see why they aren't smart enough to see that. Is it a corporate thing?

Like corporate scum stick together? I'm guessing.

[OzarkDem]

7. Far too often

I don't understand her. She votes with the GOP fairly often, yet she gets nothing in return for her constituents. Wonder when she's going to figure this out? I hate to say it, but sometimes I think she's not the brightest bulb.

[nosillies]

11. You're right, I don't understand her either.

I've voted for her before, but I've never been able to figure out why she does what she does sometimes. She confuses me.

[BOSSHOG]

15. Would you rather have

Susan Haik Terrell representing Louisiana?

[nosillies]

21. Nope, that's why I said I've voted for her

SHK is crazy looking. Want to see a scary picture?

[stepnw1f]

14. yup (nt)

[kentuck]

12. She talks the talk but she doesn't walk the walk...

Her actions have contradicted her words more times than we can count.

[madrchsod]

13. she`s a neoliberal

her voting record is not all that great

[BOSSHOG]

17. Mary is a flaming lilberal

compared to the Nazi whore bitch republican conservative fucking monster that ran against her in the last election. Have Susanne Haik Terrell serve in the U. S. Senate representing Louisiana for six years and you will be begging those citizens to repent.

[WCGreen]

18. Seantors do have an obligation to represent their states

now....

The oil industy, where ML get's most of her critism for supporting them, is perhaps the largest employer in the state....

You want her to vote against that...

[BOSSHOG]

20. Mary does a fine job of representing Louisiana

she does support the oil industry and that's one large part of the economic engine of the state. I'm fine with her; the republicans have nothing but constitution hating neanderthals to run against her but they are always well funded and backed by the citizens of northern Louisiana who would rather still live in the 1940's (as well as a large segment of those who live in South Louisiana.) I do love to see her campaign. No nuance, and if you want to get in the mud, she'll join you.

[dae]

35. You got it right BOSS, give me Mary over any Repub. She's

a whole lot more liberal than her voting record but she needs to get reelected hence some votes I'm not fond of. Her staff is also top notch.

[Nutmegger]

22. I wish she'd support Lamont

instead of LIEberman.

What, she thinks supporting Lamont, an anti-war candidate, will make her look bad?

HELLLLO DEMS, 60% of Americans don't support this ugly war that you voted us into!!!!

[AnnInLa]

25. She's a conservative Dem for sure, but

she accurately demonstrates the make-up of LA. She has an excellent voting record on pro-choice, but supports more restrictions on abortions for minors. That makes her more palatable to the voters of LA. She votes against the consumer and for the Big Oil interests....Big Oil is what keeps the economy of LA going (altho poorly at the present time.) She doesn't support Lamont, because in Louisiana, Lamont is considered a little left of Communism, which we know differently, but the LA voters do not.

Our other senator, Vitter, a repuke, has said that his machine will take her down in favor of a repuke, when she is next up for re-election. So, how fine a line does she need to walk here?

Another thing I do not like about her is her inclusion in the Gang....altho I think whether or not the decision to save the filibuster will be decidedd in the future.

I do remember one time when I was so proud of her.....during the Dem Convention, she bitch-slapped Larry King and Tucker Carlson all over the place by saying that the repuke attempt to paint Dems as unpatriotic was all bullshit. She really made the case for us that night.

She's not quite a DINO, but tries to reflect all of the voters of LA, and alas, the voters of LA are mainly conservative.....except for the people of New Orleans, which is now pfffft.

[globalvillage]

26. Her voting record is pretty atrocious

[merh]

28. For those of us trying to "see" the money that has been allocated

the red tape we have to fight through and the circles we have to run in are exhausting.

First there was the FEMA monies, limited in amount and not as forth coming as the government and the media would have the public belief. To obtain more than just the initial $2000, you had to go down to the FEMA offices (during working hours, so you lose time from work, work you need to try to survive to rebuild). You go through the interview process, then a claim's representative comes out and inspects your damage or remains, asks you if you owned a vaccuum cleaner and other assorted household items, then they process that back at their office somewhere between here and DC, and then you wait.

In the meantime, you learn that there is the offer of low interest SBA loans (SBA is the agency doing the paperwork and lending chores for home owners, in addition to businesses). So you go to them and you apply. You find out that if you get the SBA loan, you aren't entitled to the monies from FEMA and FEMA tells you that if you are denied the SBA loan, to come back to them so they can see if you are entitled to the rest of the FEMA monies.

You chase your tail from one agency to the next and you keep apply and keep trying. You interview with the SBA people, you fill out the application, again, another claim's adjuster visits your lot and the wheels are in motion. Now imagine, being out of work due to your business or the business you worked for being destroyed. Your insurance company denies your claim because it was the storm surge that destroyed your house and not the wind (or for some with flood and not wind insurance, it is the reverse.) So you apply to SBA and one of the provisions they require is that you have insurance, both wind and flood, on your home. Well, you have no home, but you still have to have insurance. And of course, there are the zoning restrictions in the newly designated flood zones that require you build your home at a certain height before you can get flood insurance, thus since you have no home, you can't even buy the flood insurance that you have to have to be approved for an SBA loan. So, let's say you do have a job, but it doesn't pay what you had before the storm and your credit is stretched because you were given a 6 month deferment, but yet it wasn't really a deferment, it was more like a balloon note, and you are paying for insurance for nothing, but yet, you are finally able to convince the SBA that you can swing it. Part of that loan are the monies to pay back FEMA, so you are paying interest on the money FEMA "gave" you. In addition to signing all the paperwork and the liens on your property, all that you have left from the storm, you also sign papers promising that any monies you recover if you win your suit against your insurance company that has failed to pay the claim that would have alleviated the need for the SBA loan in the first place.

Then they offer the grant monies and you go through the paperwork, application process all over again. You have already given the information to a government agency at some point, either FEMA or the SBA or both know more about you and your losses and your financial status than you know yourself, yet you have to go to yet another governmental agency and complete the interview and application process all over again. Once you have done that, yet another "claims adjuster" contacts you to make an appointment to come inspect your home to determine your damage. If you are like me, you repeat for the brazillionth time that you have no home, their records should reflect that, but they are more than welcome to come out to inspect your lot and photograph your dirt and weeds.

And again, you sign papers stating that the grant monies you may be awarded will be first used to pay off the SBA loan and whatever money you may recover after suing your insurance company will go to pay back someone, at this point you can't remember which agency, but you know they get paid back.

So you wait and you wait. I had my interview with the grant folks and made my application in June. I have yet to hear from them. I have been sort of approved by the SBA, but I'm trying to get that paperwork complete and there is a question about my paying for the title report they require and then I'm not sure about the last packet they sent me, so I'm still trying to do what I can to get something that can help me get somewhere.

Once I have been approved for the loan or the grant, the struggles continue. I have to find a house plan and a contractor that is available, won't gouge me and will complete the job. Electricians, plumbers, brick layers, flooring laborers and sheet rock hangers are in high demand, the contractor has to be able to find these specialists that can fit the job in their schedule. The costs of building supplies have gone up tremendously from a year ago and continue to go up (cost of gas and availability add to the costs), so my project may be estimated at X, but at the end of the job, should I be so fortunate, it may end up costing X plus yyyyyy.

Nothing is easy in this "new norm" and limbo is no longer a concept for the after life, between heaven and hell, it is a reality.

Some times you have to wonder if folks just want you to give up and go away. It definitely is an option you consider, but then again, where would you go and how would you get there? :(

[sandnsea]

37. I wish I could recommend

This is an intentional failure of government as far as I'm concerned. It has been stunning to me that every aspect of government I've had the misfortune of butting up against the last year has been the same failure that you describe. Either mounds of paper work or you don't qualify for anything anyway or you get an appointment months in the future. And it all costs ten times more than it did 5 years ago too. Looks like all the money has gone to "privatization", biggest rape of the people in the history of the world, by my estimation.

[merh]

38. Oh, didn't I mention that the group doing the CDBG state grant application

work, interview, application process, review and award, is a private corporation hired by the state to do the job. The private group hired private claims adjusters to review the damage to determine the extent of same.

The SBA is doing the loans for Home Land Security/FEMA, yet FEMA didn't share it's information with the SBA until the loan is approved and only then to determine the dollar amount of monies given so that the money can be recouped.

It's a fine kettle of fish, the sad thing is, the fish are rotting before they can be given to feed those in need.

[The Cleaner]

51. Wow...post recommended (if that were possible)!!

You should seriously consider contacting the media with your story. Maybe a LTTE or something like that.

I empathize with your situation, wow. I wish you the best.

[merh]

55. Thank you for the kind words, but you have to realize,

most of the local media are going through the same things I am.

Thousands of us share the same nightmare and the same dream, thanks to Katrina.

[Greyhound]

30. Just another corporate politiwhore, giving lips service while

simultaneously doing nothing good. The latest in a long line of racist, ruling class authoritarians.

[long_green]

31. I want to like Mary but I don't think I can support her after she

turned her back on the Democratic voters of Connecticut. The voters, not Lamont. She's had some crazy votes too, like siding with the GOP on the cloture vote during the Alito confirmation and then, after assuring that he would be confirmed, voting against his nomination. Which vote do you think will be broadcast to the GOP voters of Louisiana? I get some satisfaction knowing that after all the votes she has cast for the Administration, she will still be cast as "more liberal than Ted Kennedy" during her next campaign. Sorry, Mary.

[Hippo_Tron]

32. If you don't like Senator Landrieu, you should consider the alternative

Her opponent in the last election, Suzanne Haik Terrell flooded the airwaves with every possible sleezy attack ad. She ran ones saying that Senator Landrieu goes around and gives condoms to kids in schools. During the debate she said "Mary Landrieu has lost her Catholicism." The entire election was abortion this, abortion that.

Yea, I disagree with the way that Senator Landrieu votes a lot of the time, but when you look down the ballot at the alternatives, they will send you running to the polls to vote for her.

[Generic Other]

33. But she supports the GOP 78% of the time!

Do you mean to tell me that Louisianans can't twist this woman's arm to vote with her party more often? You would think after what you all have been through, you'd have transformed into the bluest state in the union. I can't even imagine anyone thinking the GOP has done a "heckuva job" for your state. So why is she afraid to be a strong Democrat? She voted for ANWR, IWR, PatAct, Homeland Security...How do we hold these leaders feet to the fire if we continually give them free "Kiss Bush's ass" passes?

[Hippo_Tron]

43. We've lost a substantial amount of our African American population

And their turnout has been crucial to democratic victories over the past few elections. Also, Katrina only directly effected a portion of our state. The GOP base up in shreveport didn't directly feeling the effects of shrub's incompetence. In reality Katrina devistated the entire because of the budget and economic problems, but many people don't think enough to realize that. Senator Landrieu does alwas seem to be running for re-election and often appears to be lacking courage and conviction. But when it comes election time, Republicans like Suzanne Haik Terrell get on the stump and begin a full-out assault on everything that I believe in and suddenly you have no choice but to vote for people like Senator Landrieu in order to keep these fascist thugs out of power.

[nosillies]

45. You're absolutely right.

From talking to many of the GOP base in S'port myself, I would say Katrina made them even more red. Harsh words here, but I'll relay the gist of their sentiments: Katrina only proved how stupid, lazy, and lawless minorities and c-a's are, and we need more conservatives around to keep them in line. We're in the shape we're in because they've been elected Dems like Blanco and Nagin down there. That's almost a direct quote a heard from someone last week!

I don't live in LA right now, but I was born and raised there, and have friends and family all over the state, and will probably return. So I still have a vested interest in LA politics. But I'm afraid, especially with the diaspora, that it's going red.

[benny05]

48. DINO

And still supports Lieberman.

[Greyhound]

46. Then she must lose her next primary.

We have to stop being held hostage by these fixed elections where the only choices are tweeddle-dee and tweedle-dumber, or dare I say turd-sandwich or douche-bag.

[Hippo_Tron]

47. I'd much rather defeat David Vitter

Louisiana isn't Connecticut where we can toss out one of our own incumbents and still keep it a safe seat for the Democrats. Any Democrat who has a decent shot at a Senate seat should be saved to challenge David Vitter. He is a lot worse for Louisiana and for the country than Mary Landrieu is. Also, unlike Joe Lieberman, she's not a national figure and doesn't go on television to constantly undermine Democrats.

[Greyhound]

50. I think this is a valid point

for this cycle only due to the chairmanships etc. that will go back to the Dems.

I do hope however, that the Democrats realize that spending the next two years conducting "business as usual" is not acceptable.

[Hippo_Tron]

52. Well, getting the majority back is a big IF right now

With Harold Ford looking much more competative and George Felix Allen J. making idiotic remarks, it is looking like more and more of a possibility. But everything must go right for us on election day if we are to reach 51, and we have to count on the possibility of Ken Blackwell's dirty tricks putting DeWine over the top in Ohio (although fortunately with Strickland's 25 point lead, he won't be putting himself in the Governor's mansion).

Also, once we are in the majority, it still helps to have more seats because we get more seats on the committees.

Again, I don't think we should be outing Mary Landrieu until we have outed David Vitter, who is far worse for our state than Senator Landrieu. Then after that, if you can find a Democrat who...

1) Is more progressive than Mary Landrieu

2) Can win in Louisiana

Then I would consider the idea. But I'm telling you that this will not even be close to as easy as outting Joe Lieberman was. Louisiana is not Connecticut. I can speak from first hand exprience that you will have a hard time finding a better Democrat down here than Mary Landrieu.

[Geek_Girl]

34. The Problem with Landrieu

Big Oil contributes to her campaign and she tends to vote for their interests.

http://www.opensecrets.org/industries/recips.asp?Ind=E01&Cycle=2002&recipdetail=A&Mem=N&sortorder=U

[RB TexLa]

40. Louisiana is an oil and gas producer, that is our interests n/t

[KharmaTrain]

44. When Your House Is Blown Away...

...ya think ideology means much? I sure don't. Whatever partisan role Mary's played in the past went out the window the day Katrina hit and the state's social and financial infrastructure went to hell. In the best of times, Louisiana was a purple state trending further red as most of the state's Congressional delegation either flipped (Tauzin) Repugnican or were elected. You're not gonna survive long with a depressed (and this was before Katrina) black vote and fewer white ones if you play an East Coast liberal.

Landrieu, unlike the other lump of shit Senator, is delivering for her state. She's one of the few voices that can get heard on the corporate media and has kept the focus on the hurricane disaster and what its done to her state (and the many refugees it created) while the corporate media would rather chase another dead white girl. Yep, she's sided with the oil companies...but to get a share of their profits to help rebuild. She's sided with Repugnican, but the needs of her state supercede all else and this is what should be expected of a leader during such a crisis. Trust me, very few in NOLA give a shit if she supports Liebermann, but they sure do when she goes after this regime for its corruption and ineptitude.

Landrieu must dance on the head of a pin. With a hostile regime in Washington, they're not gonna do her any favors and sure aren't gonna give her a cut of the profiteering that has been going on. She gets what she can and has to play the beltway game to get it done.

[Justice Is Comin]

49. Are you kidding? Landrieu is a one horse loser with

republican written all over her. Thank Mary for Alito kids. Thanks Mary. :thumbsdown: pfffftttt.

[Hippo_Tron]

54. If I might offer an explanation as to her support for Senator Lieberman

Senator Lieberman played a key role in getting Disaster Unemployment Benefits passed for hurricane victims. I'm not saying this is why she is supporting him, but I have a hunch that this has something to do with it. I'm also not suggesting that this justifies her support (Senator Lieberman is truly an ass and needs to be retired).