Wednesday, March 10, 2010
   
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PoliticsLA.com welcomes you to a new look and new blogs from around Louisiana and Washington, D.C., keeping you up to date on what's happening in the always exciting landscape of Louisiana politics.  
 
PoliticsLA.com has been a trusted, non-partisan source for Louisiana news since its launch in 2002 – and by the 2003 election cycle it had become the “must read” website for anyone serious about political news in Louisiana.
 
Our new format features top news stories, a blog community and the same great forums -- still a front row seat to the best political debate in Louisiana.
 
Welcome to a new decade of Politics in Louisiana.

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 Last week Democrats gloated over California State Senator Roy Ashburn's gay outing and encounters of the DUI kind driving from a gay bar and this week the talk on the Hill was of New York Congressman Eric Massa's resignation amid charges of groping male staffers and sharing small quarters with single males.   As the practice of "don't ask, don't tell" claims more victims in high places, the ill fated policy of lying about who one may be shows the darker side of politics and fame while truth suffers.
 Crisscrossing the nation demanding that more Americans need better healthcare, President Obama has come out swinging at the insurance industry with a final plan for health reform.  From senior citizens to students, the President said we can no longer afford to avoid festering problems with health care and wants Congress to take an up or down vote for all to see.
Opponents Susan Guidry and Jay Batt have not spoken since Saturday's night election of Guidry to the Council District seat Batt once held, and Guidry has offered no olive branch to her rival who outspent her four-to-one, investing over $450,000 in an attempt to regain his seat.  Batt issued a short written note of congratulations Saturday night but did not call Guidry, who appears to still be stinging from accusations by Batt of race baiting. 
Governor Bobby Jindal's Chief of Staff Timmy Teepell is quietly meeting with leaders of the hospitality industry to drum up support for moving the duties of the Lieutenant Governor to the Governor's Office.  Meanwhile, opponents of eliminating the post, including former Governor Kathleen Blanco who served in both positions sees it as a power grab that would diminish support for building the tourism industry.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) blasted the Republican National Committee on Sunday for producing a fundraising presentation that mocked the President and congressional leadership as cartoon villains and socialists.

Asked about the document -- which outlines how "ego-driven" wealthy donors could be persuaded to take out their checkbooks -- the Kentucky Republican called it "certainly not helpful" to the Republican cause.

"I can't imagine why anybody would have thought that was helpful," McConnell added. "Typically the way parties raise money is because people believe in the causes they advocate. I think the way we raise money from donors across America is to stand for things that are important for the country."

Huffington Post

 Former Vice President Dick Cheney's daughter, Liz Cheney, has critics seeing red, comparing her attacks on the U.S. Department of Justice to McCarthy era tactics that ruined lives by questioning the patriotism of thousands.  While the more volatile emotional issues have given rise to a new brand of air wave far right conservatism in radio and tv formats, some conservatives see this latest move as dangerously close to the edge.
Observers believe the six votes needed to send the decision on deconsolidation of Lafayette Parish government do not exist, giving hope to a recommendation to delay the issue for 90 days -- a step that would delay a public vote until Spring of 2011 if at all. 
 It is a telling sign of the times when the social secretary for the White House is the President's top rainmaker.  News that Julianna Smoot, fundraiser extraordinaire for Obama, will replace New Orleans native Desiree Rogers says that keeping a keen eye out for White House visitors helps to know top donors.  Rogers was often in the news sporting high fashion in designer settings and the less flashy Smoot's credentials include one of the best run fundraising operations for a national campaign in history.
In the latest round of claims over the ownership of "Who Dat", two New Orleans brothers who own "Who Dat, Inc." have sued the New Orleans Saints, the NFL and the State of Louisiana claiming they received a trademark for "Who Dat" in 1983 from the Secretary of State and have been wrongfully damaged in their right to profit following the Saints Super Bowl victory. 
Senate President Joel Chaisson is aiming at giving the state's rainy day fund a "common sense definition" by introducing legislation that would allow the state to tap the rainy day savings when federal funding declines.  Currently the fund can only be used when state revenues fall below a certain level.   Chaisson is looking for some relief as the state faces a $3 billion budget shortfall over the next two years. 
 In the latest writings of political operative, Karl Rove, his pursuit of recasting events surrounding Hurricane Katrina and moving blame around for the  federal response continues with hints at deconstructing history with his version.  Rove, who was the Bush Administration's spin doctor and behind the scenes operator, staunchly defends the administration in a new memoir entitled "Courage and Consequence."
A proposed constitutional amendment would bar government employees or elected officials from collecting taxpayer-financed retirement benefits if they are convicted of work-related crimes.  Two Metairie lawmakers have filed bills that will require a two-thirds vote of the legislature before they can go before the voters on the November 2 ballot.
 (AP)  Sarah Palin says she's going to play Tina Fey in an upcoming Las Vegas show. 

Just kidding. 

The former Republican vice presidential nominee turned into a standup comic on Jay Leno's "Tonight Show" Tuesday, dropping one-liners about the White House, Congress and Fey — the "Saturday Night Live" star known for her impression of the former Alaska governor. 

The Pelican Republic debuts as a compilation of diverse viewpoints from different places and ideologies.  You may find that The Boiling Frog frets over societal values while The Purple Veil delves into personalities; Politique Deux Centimes digs around Acadiana while Anonymous Rex keeps Louisiana in the DC picture and The Lively Pelican weighs in with more blabber from the Crescent City region. 

For those aspiring scribes out there with something to say, send your guest  blog to pelicanrepublic@politicsla.com.
  
Pass along the site to your friends and foes alike and help keep the dialogue lively and current at PoliticsLA.com.

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