May 20, 2006
Voters here endorsed the leadership of incumbent Mayor C. Ray Nagin Saturday, narrowly approving his reelection bid even though his term was marked by the apocalyptic chaos of Hurricane Katrina, his controversial "chocolate city" remarks and the stalled recovery.Nagin overcame a strong challenge by Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu, the scion of a politically powerful clan, who outspent him by large margins.
Many here, such as City Council President Oliver Thomas, considered Nagin's victory the "biggest upset ever." With all precincts reporting, Nagin had 52.3 percent, or 59,460 votes, to Landrieu's 47.7 percent, or 54,131 votes.
The vote split largely along racial lines. Nagin won by getting the support of about 80 percent of black voters and about 20 percent of white votes, according to election analyst Greg Rigamer.
Many here called the election a pivotal moment in city history. Scores of voters arrived after a five-hour bus trip from Houston. Some emerged from cramped FEMA trailers parked in otherwise abandoned neighborhoods. And even those who came from the comfort of houses untouched by the flooding said the only issues that mattered were the hurricane and its aftermath.
Let's remember some simple facts. It was Ray Nagin and Kathleen Blanco who failed to order an evacuation. It was Ray Nagin and Kathleen Blanco who failed to order those school buses to be used for evacuation purposes. And it was Ray Nagin and Kathleen Blanco who decided the SuperDome and Convention Center would be fantastic places to keep folks for the duration of the storm and beyond. But for some reason, the people of New Orleans want to keep their incompetent mayor around for another term. No doubt we will soon hear that this is george Bush's fault, just like all the failures of Ray Nagin and Kathleen Blanco.
As far as this Houston area resident is concerned, I hope that all those folks who traveled by bus from our area stay in New Orleans -- the crime rate in the area dropped significantly as they crossed the county line, and the collective IQ of texas was raised when they crossed they crossed the Sabine River into Louisiana.
Here's hoping that the people of the "chocolate city" realize that they will be getting it up the "Hershey highway" as long as they continue to select the sort of corrupt and incompetent officials that are legion in Louisiana.
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Posted by: Greg at
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Calling Blanco an idiot is an insult to idiots, so I will not defend her. And I'm not trying to defend Nagin as much as I'm trying to correct your presumptions.
I voted for Mayor Nagin in 2002. He was the candidate for business and positive change. After his election, Mayor Nagin helped root out corruption in city hall and tried to make the city more business friendly. He had more success in the former than the latter, but it was a positive first step. I had planned to vote for his re-election until he made the Chocolate City remark. The comment didn't offend me or make me feel less welcome in my home town, mainly because I understood that Nagin was trying to pander, a skill which he lacks. Instead, I refused to vote for him because 1) I voted against all incumbents given the city's lack of preparedness for Katrina; and 2) New Orleans right now depends upon the kindness of the strangers, and the rest of nation (upon whose tax dollars we depend for our recovery) viewed him as incompetent and an object of ridicule. His re-election, therefore, could jeopardize New Orleans' recovery.
Noggin's re-election, however, does not disappoint me. It is a far cry from 1991 when I had to choose between voting for a crook (Edwin Edwards) and a racist (David Duke), whose small-mindedness is surpassed only by his stupidity; yes, I voted for the thief. I believe Nagin will do a decent job while facing impossible conditions (and give comedians much fodder for jokes for as long as they look).
In sum, Nagin is many things, but he is not a Marion Barry. Your comment shows a lack of understanding of the situation in New Orleans, though your reaction does not surprise me (a reinforcement of my second reason not to vote for Mayor Nagin). While Mayor Nagin did benefit from the racial divide in New Orleans (he received a supermajority of the black vote), he still needed at least 20% of white vote. How do Nagin get this vote? By getting Republicans to vote for him. First, many Republicans refused to vote for Lt. Gov. Landrieu because his sister is a United States Senator with a liberal voting record. (It did not help Landrieu that news organizations called his family the Louisiana's Kennedy's. E.g., http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=1985216). More importantly, the lieutenant governor, for all of his gifts of glib, pandered worse than Nagin: Lt. Gov. Landrieu said that he would appoint former mayors Sidney Barthelme and Marc Moral to important city advisory committees. (http://www.nola.com/newslogs/topnews/index.ssf?/mtlogs/nola_topnews/archives/2006_05_07.html). Republicans do not view the former mayors' honesty and ability in particularly high regard. Landrieu's election, in their opinion, would be a return to the bad ol' days, or probably more accurately, the worse ol' days.
I hope and pray that you will continue to help us rebuild. If not, I hope and pray for you.
Posted by: rxwhite at Sat May 20 19:58:24 2006 (y9lOw)
Posted by: scarlett at Sun May 21 01:47:00 2006 (6yd5F)
Posted by: Dan at Sun May 21 07:29:36 2006 (aSKj6)
http://www.redstate.com/story/2005/9/2/151117/6847
Oh, and by the way, I'd like to quote one of my commenters at the time.
I agree with you that Nagin and Blanco should have ordered a mandatory evacuation earlier. I evacuated my daughter from NO on Saturday. I do blame them for that failure.
I won't be so impolite as to say anything further.
Posted by: Rhymes With Right at Sun May 21 11:07:57 2006 (q/bAI)
I could defend myself, pointing out that I didn't directly contradict myself, but, really, I think I'd do better to simply shut up and tip my hat.
Posted by: Dan at Sun May 21 14:19:36 2006 (aSKj6)
Still, it is sort of a neat artifact, showing how perceptions can change over time.
Posted by: Rhymes With Right at Sun May 21 14:38:19 2006 (q/bAI)
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