NAGIN WINS !!! - There IS Hope For America !!!

[WillyT]

:bounce::woohoo::bounce:

Ya just gotta feel good about this one!

:shrug:

[GOPNotForMe]

1. Sarcasm?

I hope...

[WillyT]

6. No... Not At All...

Why???

:shrug:

[Name removed]

7. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[WillyT]

42. Wow... You Didn't Just Call Me A Freeper, Did Ya ???

You realize of course, that pretty much against the rules y'all?

Need a copy of the rules?

[niyad]

2. why?

[LA lady]

8. Funny

There are threads here happy about Nagin and others claiming it was fraud!!

Are we going to get united or slug this one out!:crazy:

[Dorian Gray]

171. I think it'll be a slug out!

I'm not voicing my opinion on this one. I don't like in NO or Louisiana, so it's not my fight, anyhow.

[Lost-in-FL]

48. I was happy he won the election until...

He basically kissed Bushitler's ass during the speech. That was where I :puke: 'd and change the channel and any good opinion about him.

[WillyT]

58. I Didn't Say I Liked Him, I Just Said There's Hope For America !!!

And curiosly... nobody has asked what I meant by that.

Weird, huh???

:shrug:

[Lost-in-FL]

64. I'm ashamed to say this but I

Had not a clue he was a freeper! :puke: :puke:

There's hope for America but not in NOLA. At least not today.

[WillyT]

68. Um... WHO Was A Freeper, LOL !!!

Seriously... Nagin???

Or Me?

:rofl::shrug::rofl:

[Lost-in-FL]

69. Not you...

Nagin!!! :blush: :pals:

[WillyT]

72. LOL !!! - Alrighty Then !!!

:pals::hi::pals:

[Joe Fields]

101. My deep condolences for the people of New Orleans.

Theirs was a lose/lose situation. Nagin should be locked up for criminal neglect. Talk about big brass balls, even showing his face in New Orleans, let alone running for mayor again.

[WillyT]

107. And Yet... The People Of New Orleans Re-Elected Him !!!

Joe... you don't believe in Democracy???

:shrug:

[Joe Fields]

137. Like I said, you have two totally incompetent people running

for office. One of them had to win, but the people of New Orleans are the losers in this election.

[Joe Fields]

138. And where do you come up with the assumption ....

that I don't believe in democracy?

[Zynx]

148. Democracy can periodically fail.

Not every result democracy produces is good.

[WillyT]

157. LOL !!! - Democracy Is A Horrible Form Of Government...

the only problem, is that all the rest are worse!

To paraphrase Sir Winston Churchill.

:shrug:

[Donald Ian Rankin]

168. Hang on, hang on...

Surely by that argument disapproving of Bush is indicative of "not believing in Democracy"?

Just because someone *was* elected doesn't mean that they should have been.

I emphatically don't have absolute trust in the judgement of the people of New Orleans, or any other electorate; most people anywhere are idiots, and having convinced an electorate that one is the best candidate, while it gives one a mandate to govern, is only weak evidence that one deserves it.

[theHandpuppet]

126. Exactly my thoughts as well

Don't know what else to say at this moment.

[Name removed]

3. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[LouisianaLiberal]

13. Oh, and he hid out in a high rise hotel with electricity

for the entire week after Katrina. Landrieu has his faults, but he would have been worlds better for the city than Nagin. I don't understand the OP - is it because Nagin is African-American?

It is not racist to vote for a white candidate if he is by far the better candidate. Oh, and if he is a real democrat.

[Ecumenist]

16. There was no way in hell that a republican was going to win that

election. That party's done far too much to ordinary, regular folks to get anything without cheating. Even though Ray Nagin is something of an opportunist in that he changed parites to get elcted, better us than them. At least, there's a chance of getting something done with a democrat in power than would ever with a pub.

[pitohui]

25. a republican DID win that election, NAGIN WON, that is the POINT

read the news, read the posts

there is no hope now, i abandon all hope

they've got everything fixed

[Ecumenist]

122. Nagin is NOT a republican, Pitohui

Alot of my family is from New Orleans, even lost a great aunt who has yet to be found. Nagin may have been a pub at one time but he isn't now.

[Hippo_Tron]

142. Here are some of Nagin's political trends

Nagin was a Republican until he decided to run for Mayor in 2002. He supported Chimp for President in 2000. He was elected in 2002 on a pro business platform, winning the white vote (84%) but not the black vote. In 2003 he supported Bobby Jindal (R) for Governor. In 2004 he supported John Kerry for President. During his four years in office he has been very very friendly with the city's business community.

I'm not going to say whether you should consider Nagin to be a Republican. But look at these trends and decide for yourself.

[Ecumenist]

160. I understand that he supported the grand idiot in 2000

but alot of people, (i'm definitely NOT one of them),supported him back then and learned the error of their ways. The thing is that the black folks,(I'm one of them although I do not live in the state but have bloodties to New Orleans that date back at least 2 hundred years), are going to hold his feet to the fire. These people have NOTHING to lose by forcing him to live up to his rhetoric and committments. As I've said before, I lost a greataunt, literally AND figuratively, we have yet to find her body and have assumed that we never will. Again, I understand what he has been and what he'd said in the past BUT he'll not be able to get away with playing lip service game. :hi:

[WillyT]

34. Take A Brown Paper Bag, Take A Deep Breathe, And Exhale Into It...

Repeat, repeat, repeat...

And if ya really wanna know where the rubber hits the road on this one, ask politely!

I don't suffer knee-jerk fools all that well.

Peace

[Name removed]

41. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[dramachick]

54. Republican Party endorsed Landrieu

"As the runoff campaign took shape, the city’‘s ingrained political and racial patterns began to break down. Landrieu was endorsed by the third-place finisher, Audubon Nature Institute chief executive Ron Forman, a Democrat who had attracted the support of many white conservatives. Nagin countered by landing the backing of Couhig, the leading Republican in the primary, and Boulet, a liberal Democrat, both of whom are white. He was also endorsed by firebrand minister the Rev. Tom Watson, who is black.

Landrieu, meanwhile, picked up endorsements from the Republican Party, a large contingent of elected officials of both races, and Bishop Paul Morton, pastor of the state's largest black church."

http://www.nola.com/newslogs/tpupdates/index.ssf?/mtlogs/nola_tpupdates/archives/2006_05_20.html#143116

[LouisianaLiberal]

73. If Nagin had been endorsed by the Repugs,

if would have hurt him with African-American voters. And the repugs are known for scheming to their advantage. If Landrieu, who was a little to obsequious to Bush during the debates, was endorsed by the repugs, I'm sure there was method to their madness.

[Maddy McCall]

76. No way was Bush's party going to endorse his scapegoat for Katrina failure

No way was Bush's party going to endorse Nagin--he was Bush's scapegoat for Katrina's failures. Republicans would have appeared quite idiotic to endorse the man who Bush blamed for his own failures.

Having said that, I do believe that blame for what happened in NOLA before, during, and after Katrina can be placed at both the local and federal level.

Much information has come out since Katrina, and I hold Blanco less to blame than the others.

[Maddy McCall]

4. Yes! There is hope for people who switch parties merely for...

political opportunism!

At least Landrieu is a Democrat, and always has been. :)

[LA lady]

9. is he?

or would he be a DINO like Mary??

[Maddy McCall]

19. Was a republican who only switched parties in 2002 before he...

entered the mayor's race.

He donated to Bush, and he stumped for Bush in 2000.

[Tarheel_Dem]

128. could it be that nagin is merely....

trying to make nice with the administration, because he knows that without assistance & appropriations at the federal level, nola will never be able to pull itself back? i'm not saying that i'm happy or unhappy about his reelection, but it stands to reason that he has to play nice with washington as long as repubs control the white house & congress?

[WillyT]

26. There's Apparently Hope For The People Who Still Support Him...

And not so much for the...

people who who tried to "Uncle Tom" him...

people who tried to "Cracker" him...

people who Have No Idea what they'd do in a similar situation...

people who would try to deny the entire vote of the minorities relocated on the Gulf Coast...

and especially... the people who didn't like his "GET OFF YOUR ASSES AND DO SOMETHING, NOW!!!"

I will forever be grateful to a politician, who actually says what's on his mind once in a while. And yeah, I know, he regretted it somewhat later. But given the current wimpiness of politics in general these days, he stands head and shoulders among most!

:shrug:

[Ecumenist]

124. AMEN!! Willy!!!

:applause:

[magnolia]

129. I second that...Willy!

If you "clean up" New Orleans too much, you ruin it. They need their levees fixed. If that requires ass-kissing the higher ups, then good for him. Beyond that...leave it alone.

[itzamirakul]

130. I agree, Willie ...I am delighted that Nagin won!...

I don't know how many politicians have changed parties in order to win office, but I can tell you one...
Rudy Giuliani was a Democrat until he was beaten at the polls by African American mayoral candidate, David Dinkins. Giuliani changed parties immediately, becoming a Republican and was elected mayor in the next election. He has been a holy terror ever since and displayed his Hitler-like behavior from the start.

Racism does raise its ugly head in these things, doesn't it?

In the following article, the writer calls on Nagin to be "humble" in bringing healing to the city. When is the last time you ever read a newspaper article suggesting that a white winning politician be "humble?" If there was anything that made NYC supporters of Giuliani happy was that he was very aggressive...especially in racial matters. Giuliani has never been "humble" about a damned thing. But the underlying racism that gurgles in America's bosom has different standards for black and white politicians. It shows up on these message boards also as people proclaim that they are racially inclusive, yet continue to display deep-seated racist beliefs.

The Democrats do take the black vote for granted and are certainly not appreciative of it.

http://www.bayoubuzz.com/articles.aspx?aid=7125

[Hippo_Tron]

146. Here's what I disagree with

Nagin ran a campaign with a message that was sadly about race. His message was that because he was black, he could best represent black people. See my post #141 about why I think this is complete crap and why I think that Mitch would have done a great job representing African Americans even though he is not one himself.

And I don't believe that race is as big of a factor as you make it in the case of Rudy Giuliani. You know as well as I do that Giuliani is another piece of the Republican 9/11 propaganda machine. They use him to show that "Republicans stood strong when our country was facing a time of crisis." The GOP rank and file and the corporate media worship Giuliani because their masters tell them that they should.

[itzamirakul]

152. One of the major points I was making about Giuliani was that he switched

parties because of a defeat by a black man and four years later, the party he had switched to elected him mayor of NYC.

Since that time you have heard ABSOLUTELY NO REPUBLICAN castigate him for once being a Democrat.

Nor has the Catholic Church expelled him for being divorced twice and married thrice. You don't hear the Religious Right castigating him for that either.

Giuliani also ran a racist campaign, but more than that, he ran a racist police dept...a dept that went wild in their abuse of African Americans.

Perhaps Landrieu would have done a great job in representing the African Americans in NOLA, but from what I see of his sister's Republican ass-kissing idea of being a democrat, I would think that he is cut from the same cloth.

There are many instances of black people voting for white politicians to represent them...we have one up in the midst of Harlem, but when black people elect a black politician it just COULD BE that they think he is the best man for the job.

[WillyT]

39. Wow... And So Is James Traficant, And Zell Miller, And Joe Lieberman...

ya seein a pattern here?

:shrug:

[Maddy McCall]

47. That you support conservative Democrats or former Republicans?

Good for you! :woohoo:

[JanMichael]

52. Yeah a bunch of shitheads.

Wow. How inspiring.

[WillyT]

55. Do You Guys Ever Read Up-Thread ???

Like, to the one I was responding to?

Just asking.

:shrug:

[JanMichael]

62. Only When I Care.

Or Only When I Have The Time.

Or Only When It's Convenient.

K'?

PS~ Why CAP The First Letter Of Every Subject Line Word? It's like whisper yelling.

[WillyT]

70. No Man... It's Like A Headline, Or In Essay... A "Subject Line" !!!

All caps is yelling, no caps is just... rude, man.

:evilgrin:

[WillyT]

77. here... i'm yelling now... READ UP-THREAD ONCE IN A WHILE !!!

I feel better, you?

:evilgrin:

[JanMichael]

81. Thread or Tread?

Is this a Car Talk thing or a sewing issue?

You lost me in the ambiguous world of the web.

[WillyT]

87. Hey...Thanks, Fixed Now...

And sorry about those caps man...

:evilgrin:

[Mr_Spock]

80. Not sure why people are being so rotten to you

One Dem won over the other - not sure I like Nagin, but he was blamed for "the busses" so I don't see why people think the repukes would have endorsed him :shrug:

[WillyT]

90. Me Neither, LOL !!! - It's Crackin Me Up Severely Though !!!

If folks here, are actually looking to a Nagin\Landrieu race as some sort of bell-weather for the future, then they really need to do some more research.

Cripes!

And BTW - Thanks Mr-Spock!

Peace...

[Mr_Spock]

93. NP - didn't want a couple of hot heads to beat you down

...sometimes it may seem like opinion is generally against you - but it's just a few who REALLY HATE Nagin who are making the most noise. Just thought I'd help out :pals:

[Lithos]

5. He's a republican

Why do you think this is a good thing?

[pitohui]

10. because the boot will be stomping on our face forever

and i guess that's what some people want

everything orwell wrote was true

i am heartsick

the GOP can fix anything if they can kill this many people and still fix even a local election for their man

why even bother trying any more

:cry:

[rooney]

12. I have heard Nagin

criticize Bush, a lot, several times on TV.

[pitohui]

18. he endorsed bush

i don't care what you heard him tell the stupid people

you don't live here, do you?

it doesn't affect you, does it?

[Maddy McCall]

23. And donated $1000 to Bush's 2000 campaign, BEFORE he decided...

to run for mayor, and he knew that the only way he could be elected was to jump parties and become a Democrat.

[LA lady]

66. Republican Part y endorsed Landrieu

You do know that the New Orleans Parish Republican Party endorsed Landrieu???

And we don't know WHERE you live, your profile is disabled

[WillyT]

75. Bless You Lady... I'm Proud To Know Ya !!!

:hi::yourock::hi:

[Maddy McCall]

91. Nagin received numerous Republican endorsements, himself.

The Republican endorsement that Landrieu received was the very first in his career.

Nagin, as already established, has been quite cuddly with the Republican party.

http://new.neworleans.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=227&Itemid=145

[Mr_Spock]

83. Please!! This post is for bashing O/P only! No facts are allowed!

:sarcasm:

[lastliberalintexas]

173. Maddy lives near the Mississippi coast

I believe she had storm damage from Katrina, and there were many DUers who were severely impacted by Katrina. Funny that the majority of posts I've seen from people who were actually personally affected by the storm supported Landrieu. Maybe they know something the rest of us don't?


And where in LA? You could be in Shreveport for all people know, not really affected by the storms of last year. :shrug:

[WillyT]

96. "The Stupid People" ??? - Ya Mean The Ones That Just Re - Elected Him ???

You get the 'Democratic' of the Democratic Underground don't you?

:wtf:

[Hippo_Tron]

35. See below what I posted about Nagin being a Republican...

I agree that he is basically a DINO and Landrieu is clearly more of a Democrat than Nagin is. But technically, Nagin has been a Democrat in his political life and to his credit he did endorse and campaign for John Kerry in 2004. Frankly I think that was just political opportunism, but he did do it.

[WillyT]

46. Racism Confounded... Plain And Simple...

:shrug:

[LouisianaLiberal]

85. What? That's not at all plain and simple.

Are you saying that whites and blacks should only vote for members of their own race?

Or are you saying that in a city with a black majority a black candidate must win?

Should Blackwell win in Ohio?

Do you think that Landrieu's supporters were racist?

I don't understand what you mean. I hope.

(BTW - I have never been called a racist. Ever. I would vote for every member of the congressional black caucus if I could. But I'm disturbed by what you seem to be implying.)

[WillyT]

95. First Of All...

I never called you a racist. And no, I do not agree with ANY of the litany you have provided above.

What I do tend to believe, is that setting aside the locals who know far more about this than I do, the NATIONAL impetus against Ray Nagin seemed to be very racist indeed. And although Ray didn't do himself any favors with his "Chocolate City" speech, he seemed to be responding to the fact that it looked like the federal government was not going to allow displaced Orleanians to vote in this race.

Ergo... in my puny conspiratorial mind, it seems as though even the best\worst laid plans of rePublicans and men, can still get turned on their ear when the people get to speak their minds, and vote despite obvious obstruction.

Therefore... Nagin is a GREAT sign for the coming November elections.

Did that make any sense?

And BTW - Blackwell is a racist punk.

[LouisianaLiberal]

108. I see what you mean.

Thanks for your response, and I think I understand your position. To some extent I will admit that you are justified in celebrating within the confines of this particular argument. However, I still think that race should not be a relevant factor in this case when one considers the background of the two candidates.

I didn't think in terms of what you perceived as racism on a national level concerning this race. I see that you didn't mean to imply that posters here are racists, or that race should be more important than a candidate's worth, although, at least for me, that wasn't clear from the post.

I also think that at this point repubs will take power in any form they can get, and that race plays less of a role for them than it used to. Many may still be closet racists, but if they can gain power using African-Americans they will.

[WillyT]

111. And Thank You For Yours !!!

:pals::hi::pals:

[Leopolds Ghost]

118. What's wrong with "Chocolate City?" DC has been called that for years n/t

[itzamirakul]

132. As an aside...DC won't be called the "Chocolate City" for too much

longer because from my understanding from friends and colleagues who live and work there, properties are being bought up, renovated and rented out to the primarily white politicians and lobbyists who work in DC.

It used to be that such people lived outside of DC and commuted in daily, but with the great number of lobbyists coming from our top political families (their children are interns, young lobbyists, etc)who do not want to commute, the Chocolate is being drained out of the city.

Also, for years, people living in DC have not had the right to vote. Now that the city is becoming more and more "Vanilla" talk is swirling around about allowing city residents to vote.

[Hippo_Tron]

143. Since when have they not had the right to vote?

The 23rd Amendment gives them 3 electors for President. They also elect a Mayor and a city government. Are you perhaps talking about them not having representation in congress?

[itzamirakul]

153. You know, I am not positive enough of my facts to give you a decent

argument here. But I am nearly poszitive that the residents of DC do not have the same voting rights as in the rest of the country. And that is because the city has always been primarily African American. But times, they are a-changin' as the lobbyists from overseas as well as those from the GOP heartland take over the city.

[donheld]

166. DC is a Chocolate City with a marshmallow center

and a Graham Cracker crust of corruption. Just ask Steve Colbert. :evilgrin:

[Kagemusha]

11. Wait, let me get this straight, re: the posts above...

Any support for Nagin is a breach of Democratic Underground rules and those who demonstrate support for him will be singled out and examples made of them?

Am I reading this right?

[pitohui]

15. this site is to promote democratic candidates

it is not to support republican candidates

it is not to support george bush or men who have endorsed george bush

it is not to support bobby jindal or men who have endorsed bobby jindal

it is not to support *co playing the guitar and eating cake while people drowned and ray nagin went to dallas and wept

this is a terrible day for democracy

indeed it is proof enough that democracy is dead

there is no hope not even on the local level, nothing too small for the GOP not to steal

i am not a moderator but my understanding is that in theory posts supporting GOP should not be posted here

they've got everything else

now they even have DU?

[rooney]

27. why did you not get on DU and inform everyone

about the things that you know about Nagin. Staying in the hotel, I have heard, but being a repub, I had not heard. Just heard him criticize the AD .

[niyad]

40. welcome to DU--since you are evidently new here, you might not have

realized just how much that information WAS out there--certainly just about everyone on DU knew that he had switched parties. all you have to do is look at his bio.

[itzamirakul]

135. I don't see any Republicans bashing Rudy Giuliani for switching parties

and he was a Democrat until he was defeated by African American mayoral candidate David Dinkins. Rudy became an instant Republican and just look how "adored" he is by that party. Why, he even goes and speaks in front of known white supremacist groups and holds hands with their leaders, yet the Republicans are not bashing HIM for once being a Democrat.

Why are we bashing Nagin? Oh, no...of course it is not about race...(sarcasm intended)

[bananas]

They did

Read these two posts.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=1000967&mesg_id=1000990
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=1000967&mesg_id=1001231

[Hippo_Tron]

31. Alright, lets be fair

Nagin is technically a democrat and saying that supporting him violates DU rules is not the case. Nagin DID support John Kerry in 2004. Whether that was political opportunism or not, is a different story, but he did it.

He did endorse Jindal and he did endorse Bush in 2000 and he has been very pro business and frankly I think that Landrieu is a much better Democrat but Nagin still technically is not a Republican and thus it is okay to support him on DU.

[The Straight Story]

119. So if Jeb Bush runs as a dem next presidential election, you vote for him?

Is it the letter or the ideals we back?

[Hippo_Tron]

120. No, I'm just trying to be fair...

I voted for Landrieu and am very disappointed in the results. I just don't think that discussion of supporting Nagin should be forbidden on DU in the same manner that supporting a Republican is.

[WillyT]

53. Dude... Your Gonna Blow A Valve, Relax...

We're all friends here, right?

:shrug:

[Mr_Spock]

84. You are WAY out of line here - take a chill pill please!

...before you blow a gasket :(

[ghostsofgiants]

89. Question...

How exactly is this proof that democracy is dead? Is there any significant evidence indicating that the election was rigged? Someone you don't like getting elected to office is not indicative of a lack of democracy.

[itzamirakul]

133. Just wondering....Do you happen to know where Landrieu (sp?) was

during the storm and levee disaster? Did he stay in town and help or did he leave town? Also, where was his sister, the Senator, during this time of agony for the people of the city? I'm just asking, because to tell you the truth, I don't remember anyone telling where these folks were and they are city and state officials also.

[LouisianaLiberal]

22. Nagin is a collaborator. And an opportunist.

New Orleans matters. It should not be a matter of black or white, but who will look out for NO, and not for their political future.

[Maddy McCall]

24. I posted a congrats thread for him. I don't have to like him...

to be civil about him winning.

:shrug:

[rocktivity]

14. I think the majority saw Nagin as being unfairly victimized by Bush

and that he's their only chance of holding on to the "old" New Orleans.

:headbang:
rocknation

[Name removed]

21. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[rocktivity]

33. Never mind me--it's what the VOTERS thought that should concern you

I simply offered a theory as to why Nagin won. Why do YOU think so many of THEM "didn't have a clue?"

:headbang:
rocknation

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

144. Meanwhile, in his victory speech, Nagin was giving the Shrub kudos.......

[newsguyatl]

17. and you just gotta be fuckin kidding

right? ..... right?


nagin's a freakin' tool... a nutcase.

[WillyT]

97. And Mayor... Apparently !!!

Those pesky people voting again.

Damn.

:shrug:

[Joe Fields]

104. Well, if D.C. was stupid enough to re-elect a crack head.....

[WillyT]

112. Damn... What DO We Do With Stupid Voters ???

I know... we could rig an election!

Whada ya think?

:bounce:

[Leopolds Ghost]

121. Ship Em All To Houston! Make New Orleans Look Like America Again!

:sarcasm:

Chip the levees and crack the gates! Blunt the manners and bend the backs!

That's what Mayor Nagin hates! Smash the sandbags and burn the sacks!

Cut the funding and tread on the fat! Pour the fuel on the grocery floor!

Leave the bones on the bedroom mat! Splash the paint on every door!

Dump the crooks in a boiling bowl; Pound them up with a thumping pole;

And when you've finished, if any are whole, Send them down to City Hall!

That's what Mayor Nagin hates! So, carefully! carefully with the votes!

[Recursion]

123. Since my city takes a lot of heat for Barry...

Look back and see who else bothered to run against Barry and you'll see why he was the least vomit-worthy choice. Once Williams ran, people were more than happy to vote for him. And what did we get? Box stores all up and down Connecticut Ave. and 14th St. A huge hoodwinking by professional baseball to get us to buy then-unnamed owners a damn stadium that we can't afford. Barry passed up baseball (and baseball passed up Barry) because he wouldn't have fallen for that.

Also keep in mind he was (and basically still is) the only politician who will set foot east of the Anacostia River and talk to people (half the city lives there. Specifically, the poor black half).

Yes, he got caught on camera smoking crack.

Yes, he went to a whorehouse.

And yet when he ran for city council again last year, nobody could beat him because, again, he went east of the river (which is where 90% of the ward he was running for is).

And, yes, since then he has been mugged in his apartment by someone who was delivering "groceries" (*cough*). But he's still the only guy who cares about the "other" half of the city.

[Leopolds Ghost]

127. Hear, hear

dmesg -- you in DC?

[Recursion]

134. Representin' 11th street, NoFlo

Holla

[Mojorabbit]

20. I'm ok with him winning

If there is another storm at least he has been through the fire and will have a clue on what needs to be done next time. Nothing teaches like experience and making mistakes in a situation like that.I bet that is what a lot of the voters were thinking and I don't begrudge them that.

[Pirate Smile]

28. I'm a bit depressed. I'll snap out of it. I have this weird feeling that

even in a race between two Democrats, the Dems still lose.

I guess the status quo was OK.

[rooney]

37. pitohui, why in the world did you not post on DU

during the past several weeks, I do not recognize your name at all and also I know that DU posters asked several times "who should we be for"? I am not living in New Orleans and I definitely would never have supported a repub.

[Maddy McCall]

49. There have been several in-depth and UGLY discussions previously...

on DU. :(

[Asgaya Dihi]

29. Strong feelings here I guess

I don't know enough detail about them to have strong opinions one way or the other, but personally I haven't liked Nagin much since I first heard about him when the flooding started. About the first thing I heard about the whole disaster was a clip on the Air America Place blog of Nagin shouting about drug crazed gangs roaming the streets terrorizing people.

Of course with the Mayor shouting like that the stories we heard from other sources sounded so much more reasonable so aid was delayed for security reasons and when it did go in it did so at gunpoint. Turns out the vast majority of those rumors never happened.

Nagin cost lives that day because he fed hysteria instead of checking facts. Unless he has something pretty good to recommend him otherwise, I wouldn't want to depend on him when it counted.

[Janice325]

30. I used to live in New Orleans years ago.

I'm sorry Nagin won. Had I still lived in New Oreans I certainly would have voted for Mitch. I voted for his dad Moon for Mayor in the 1970s.
I'm wondering how many people posting here on DU are from New Orleans and and actually voted for Nagin. No flaming at all intended, but I really think it's up to the voters in New Orleans to have the ultimate say, even if I don't agree.

[Maddy McCall]

32. You are right.

That's why I won't condescend to the voters.

I wonder, though, how many of them knew who he was before he ran as a Democrat?

[Bridget Burke]

170. I'm from Houston, not NOLA....

Quite a few evacuees still live here. Houston voting rights folks either helped them vote absentee or set them to New Orleans by bus. These were mostly Black voters.

The people of New Orleans made their choice.

[dramachick]

36. the people of New Orleans

have spoken. If they're happy, I'm happy.

Nagin has an uphill battle ahead of him. I wish him the best because a lot of people are counting on him to keep them from being forgotten and discarded.

[WillyT]

82. BINGO Dramachick !!! - And Welcome To DU !!!

:toast::bounce::hi::bounce::toast:

Glad ta have ya aboard!

:yourock:

What's really scary here, is that nobody has asked me to explain the way I feel. Usually, we're all much calmer than this, but the last several weeks have had us all in melt-down mode. We could use a calm, intuitive mind like yours. Glad you're here.

:hi:

[niyad]

99. excuse me, please refer to post #2, where I did, in fact, ask you WHY?

you did not answer.

[WillyT]

110. You're Right... I Had No Idea This Thread Would Get So Big...

My main point would be in post #95.

Hope that helps.

:hi:

[Joe Fields]

105. The people didn't have much to choose from. Pity.

[moobu2]

38. Bush supported Nagin

And I've heard Nagin talk of Bush in glowing terms. I dont know, I get bad vibes from Nagin.

[niyad]

43. please see the latest thread where nagin praises bush on fox.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x2637553

[JanMichael]

44. Why? He's a f'ing Republican.

He switched parties so he could win thus giving some validity to the One Party system theory. Or the flip-side theory.

[giordanomosso]

45. Most Americans approved Nagin's Katrina response over Bush and Blanco

Bush:
Aproval 43%-Disapproval 54%
Blanco:
Approval 32-Disapproval 35
Nagin:
Approval 43%-Disapproval 34%

Sorry Nagin haters. Truth hurts.

[Maddy McCall]

50. Welcome to DU.

Are you from New Orleans?

Welcome. :toast:

[giordanomosso]

51. No

why?

[Maddy McCall]

59. Because I live near NOLA, and was wondering if you were a neighbor.

[Janice325]

56. Excuse me??

Welcome to DU. I see by your profile you just joined.

[alittlelark]

61. Americans are woefully ignorant of FACTS

Sorry, Truth hurts.


They saw him on their God (TV) and therefore deem him worthy.

It is just sooo embarrasing.

My forefathers fought the Revolutionary War....methinks they would disapprove of Nagins' opportunistic predatory practices.

[giordanomosso]

67. New Orleans residents also saw him worthy

You forgot that.

[alittlelark]

78. HA HA HA..... you mean the 35% allowed to VOTE!

Get a star, and get a life.

[WillyT]

139. Your Fore-Fathers Fought In The Battle Of Los Altos ???

Must have been scary.

:evilgrin:

[GOPNotForMe]

74. A majority of Americans reelected Dubya.

And what?

[alittlelark]

79. No - they did not. Please refer to ANY Statistician in the country.

Bushco has yet been able to pay one off that will say the election was valid.

The global warming denying cronys are now down to 3-5.


Science is proven.
Faith is whatever you choose it to be.


Whatever..

[alittlelark]

57. Uh.... WHY would I feel good about that?

The 10's of thousands that were not able to vote likely don't feel good about it either.

[WillyT]

65. The Tens Of Thousands That Were Not Able To Vote...

were mostly un-volunteered dislocated poor folk, mostly minorities, mostly Black.

I will try not to presume how they would have voted given the chance, but apparently others thought they knew EXACTLY how they would vote, and disenfranchisement became the coin of the realm.

Hey Dems and progressives, question: Have we seen anything like this (vote-fucking) in recent history???

Huh???

:wtf:

[McCamy Taylor]

60. Buxh Co. tried "Blame the Victim" in NOLA. Nagin HAD to Win.

[giordanomosso]

63. 1/3 of blacks could not vote

Nagin's win was remarkable, if we consider the fact that The Washington Post reported a month ago that

"While black and white voter turnout on Saturday is difficult to predict, many here are assuming that the number of black and white voters will be about equal. Before Katrina, about two-thirds of the city's voters were black."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/19/AR2006041902515_pf.html

[dramachick]

71. Nagin got 80% of the black vote

"Nagin took over 80 percent of the African-American vote and just over 20 percent of the white vote in defeating Landrieu. The totals are in contrast to four years ago when Nagin got 84 percent of the white vote in his race against Richard Pennington."

http://www.wwltv.com/local/stories/WWL052006tptooclose.79a5c4c.html

[Mr_Spock]

88. That fact alone makes me wonder what all the hate is about

If the blacks who live there like him - who are we to question them?

[Hippo_Tron]

116. Nagin got 80% of the black vote

Because of his supporters running propaganda campaigns that said that having a white mayor means that white people would prevent blacks from returning to the city. Nothing could be further from the truth about Mitch Landrieu. If anything, Mitch would've been able to get more money out of congress than Nagin for low income housing developments.

[itzamirakul]

136. I gotta ask..."WHY?"

You write that

"propaganda campaigns that said that having a white mayor means that white people would prevent blacks from returning to the city. Nothing could be further from the truth about Mitch Landrieu. If anything, Mitch would've been able to get more money out of congress than Nagin for low income housing developments."

1. How do you KNOW that having a white mayor would NOT have meant that white people would prevent blacks from returning to the city?

2. WHY would Landrieu be able to get more money out of congress than Nagin for low income housing developments?

[Hippo_Tron]

141. Here are my answers

1) There is no prominent white political family in Louisiana that has been friendlier to African Americans than the Landrieus. Moon Landrieu (Mitch's father) was the last white mayor of New Orleans and despite the overwhelming opposition from white conservatives, he forced integration in the city, and paved the way for Dutch Morial to become the city's first African American mayor. Mitch reached out to the African American community during the campaign in hopes of continuing the legacy his father built.

Nagin has been utterly pro business for the last four years. He supported Bush in 2000, was a Republican until he ran in 2002, and supported Jindal for Governor in 2003. He was elected in 2002 with mostly white voters and the support of the business community. So, when all of a sudden he starts talking like a champion of the rights of poor black people, it makes one think that perhaps he is being a political opportunist because he hasn't really given a damn about those people up until now.

Mitch Landrieu has been supporting the causes of African Americans long before Ray Nagin was even in politics. I would agree that electing certain white people as our mayor (like Peggy Wilson) would definately be a step back for African Americans. But Mitch Landrieu would stand up for the African Americans who want to return to this city just as much as anybody that would be elected to that office, regardless of skin color.

2) Landrieu is more connected and more articulate than Nagin. This will help tremendously with getting money out of the state and federal governments, where Nagin has made far too many enemies. People in the state and federal governments have also had a lot of trouble taking Nagin seriously after the chocolate city speech. In my opinion, it's a no brainer that having Mitch as our ambassador to Washington would result in us getting more money to rebuild our city including low income housing developments.

[itzamirakul]

156. Well, Hippo_Tron, you've made your point and anything that I say past

this point will be useless arguing.

You feel as you do and I feel as I do and I am delighted that Nagin won.

[Hippo_Tron]

162. Agree to disagree then

Nothing wrong with that

[WillyT]

158. Sorry... Gotta Ask...

When you say, "There is no prominent white political family in Louisiana that has been friendlier to African Americans than the Landrieus."

Are you coming to that conclusion as an African-American, or by some other means?

:shrug:

[Hippo_Tron]

161. No I'm not an African American

But I do live in New Orleans and I do know a good bit about Louisiana politics.

You seem to be asserting that there was a national conspiracy, mostly by the Republicans, to throw Nagin out of office because he was black. I find this notion to be absolutley absurd. If you can f

Before the runoff between Nagin and Landrieu, there were about 7 major candidates in the race. With the exception of perhaps Tom Watson, Mitch Landrieu is about the last person that the RNC would want to pick if they were going to mount an effort to unseat Nagin. Rob Couhig, Peggy Wilson, and Ron Forman (who came very close to getting as many votes as Mitch in the primary) were all much more friendly to the GOP. Mitch and his family embody the Democratic party in this state. There is no way that the GOP could possibly have any control over Mitch because he is and always has been a loyal Democrat. Not only that, but Mitch was the rising star of the party in this state. Having Mitch as Mayor of NO was not in the GOP's interest because if he were to succeed in rebuilding the city, he would be the candidate of their nightmares if he were to challenge Jindal for Governor or Vitter for US Senate.

Here's the other thing. Nagin did not have the support of the black community until he started courting it, which began with the chocolate city speech. He was elected four years ago mostly with white votes and has been very resented in the black community. The process of determining how displaced people were going to be able to vote (and when the election would be held) began long before the chocolate city speech. Basically, if the Republicans were partly responsible for making it more difficult for black people to vote, there is no way that they could have been assured that doing so would end up hurting Nagin.

All of this said, I agree with you on one point. I am very happy that displaced voters, most of which were African American, turned out to vote on election day. Personally I was in favor of having satellite polling places in areas with large amounts of displaced voters. I think that this turnout will bode very well for us in November.

[qanda]

150. Because DU, in general, is as out of touch with black people

As Bush and the Republicans.

[WillyT]

159. WORD !!!

Anonymity diminishes the amount of shame, no???

:shrug:

[NoodleyAppendage]

86. Repuke shill "pseudo-historian" Brinkley can KISS HIS ASS.

The smear campaign from a so-called "historian" didn't work!!!! Awesome!!!!

J

[mars67]

167. Doug Brinkley is a great man and world class historian

Wow, where to begin here? You just really have no idea what you are talking about. "Repuke shill"? Hardly. Mr. Brinkley is a die hard progressive left leaning Dem. and has been for many years. He was Jimmy Carter's biographer, wrote a very positive/truthful book about John Kerry's vietnam experiences, written extensively about FDR and the New Deal era- the Kennedys- Hunter S. Thompson etc... I was his student and he was my adviser at the University of New Orleans...I know the man and your characterization of him is both ill-informed and mean spirited. The book he has recently penned regarding Katrina is based upon his experiences and in-depth research of N.O. politics and Ray Nagin specifically. Try not to exhibit knee-jerk reactions (like the freeps and rethugs) to information which challenges your beliefs.

[yankeeinlouisiana]

92. Well, I hope I don't get flamed too

badly...but my husband and I live in New Orleans and we voted for Nagin. I genuinely feel he has done some good for the city. Before Katrina hit, they were filming a lot of movies down here (and beginning to again). He saw an opportunity for job creation and he was working on a plan to have training for local residence in set building, electricians, carpenters, etc. (Hey, maybe we can get the unions back down here!) :-)

Katrina should of never happened. The levees should have never broke, but they did. I don't think anyone could have foreseen the Super Dome falling apart. None of this was supposed to or should have happened. The levees are under the federal government.

Also, some people in the African American community felt it would be going back wards to vote for Landrieu. It was stated that after a generation of Black leadership in New Orleans they couldn't vote for someone who was white. This was mentioned on a local radio station, WWL 870am. So, yes, race was an issue.

There still is a lot of work to be done and Katrina simply added more work. I hope the best for Nagin and for the City of New Orleans.

Personally, I hope Landrieu runs for governor.

[LouisianaLiberal]

100. I'm definitely not flaming you.

But one of the guys working to create jobs in the film industry is Stephen Rue, a local Republican attorney who was beaten by Landrieu when he ran for Lt. Gov. And Rue is no friend of unions.

[yankeeinlouisiana]

106. I know you're not flaming me, I just

wasn't sure how people might respond after reading the other posts. And hey, if Rue was beaten before maybe we can get some well paying jobs and the unions. One can always hope.

:bounce:

[Hippo_Tron]

113. Do you agree that having a white mayor is going backwards?

I don't, because race shouldn't matter. Not only that, but the Landrieus have always been leaders in moving us into the future with regard to race relations.

One of the reasons that I wanted Mitch was because I believe that he could've united the city with regard to race because of his strong support from the African American community. I think that Nagin decided to be an opportunist and pander soley to the African American community and establish himself as the "black candidate", which exactly the opposite of what he did when he ran four years ago.

I think that our chances of ending the race issue would have been best if there had been a black candidate who could have recieved support from both black and white people. I don't think that Nagin was that person, and certainly Tom Watson was not that person.

I hope that I am wrong about Nagin and that he can unite the city, but right now I am skeptical.

I wish that Mitch would run for Governor too, but I don't think that he can recover from this for quite some time.

[yankeeinlouisiana]

114. No, I don't think that would be going

back wards, it's just what I heard on the radio. I'm not really sure if this was such a terrible loss for Mitch. Mitch still has his job as Lt. Gov. and I have a feeling he'll be rather vocal in the coming months in regards to rebuilding NO.

PS: Hey, we're neighbors, almost. I'm in the Gentilly area. We should have a drink or a cup of coffee sometime.

:-)

[Hippo_Tron]

117. Sounds good to me

BTW, we voted Jay Batt (Bush loving Repuke) out of his city council seat today. No matter where we stand on the mayor's race, at least there was a victory for ALL Democrats today.

[Swamp Rat]

164. YAAY MIDURA!!! ... DOWN WITH JAY BATT!!!!

:kick:

Let me know if y'all come Uptown. ;)

[drthais]

94. ok everybody calm down now....

yes, Nagin did some ass-kissing in his acceptance speech
all of us cringed, I am sure

yes, Nagin used to be a Republican before he was a Democrat
yes, Mitch Landrieu is a Democrat

but, folks, this is one time
when Rep-Dem takes a back seat

if you lived here in Louisiana
you would have had to deal with Mary Landrieu
and her DINO constant ass-kissing in the Senate
she is no Dem, my friends

and if you watched her brother's ads on TV for mayor
you would know that he is cut from the same cloth
these ads made me ill...
they reeked of every stilted one-liner political TV ad I have ever seen
go away, Mitch, just go away
I have had it UP TO HERE with baloney
give me someone who says what he really thinks
backlash be damned
but enough of the phony crap

I don't know that Nagin is the right guy either
but I will tell you this:
not one of you out there would have wanted to be Nagin
during those terrible days and nights
and every day that dragged into months since the storm
it's easy to pick on him
look what went down during his watch
a freaking huricane that destroyed his city

he's tired - we're all tired

I don't care who thinks what
I'd rather, at the end of the day
have Nagin carry on, and try to get these people home
and try to figure out where they can live
and try to help salvage what can be salvaged of this city
and be there when and if this happens again in the near future
than to have the Landrieu dynasty step in at this moment
it's a David and Goliath thing
the corporate evil-doers are salivating at the edges of the city
waiting for the go-ahead to bulldoze and build god-knows-what
and, IMHO, Nagin has a better chance of holding them off, albeit temporarily
than does Landrieu, who had probably cut deals with them all

will all government entities please just evaporate now?
and all of you people quit arguing and dissing this and that person

it's a matter of pulling together
if we've learned anything from Katrina down here, it is this:
it all comes down to one person helping another
we are on our own
and I'll bet that applies nationally as well
no one is going to ride in on a white horse and save us
we have to save ourselves

the people of New Orleans have spoken
and they are not caught up, as are you and I,
in the daily quiblle about national politics
they are just trying to survive
if this is what they think is best, then let it be

[yankeeinlouisiana]

102. Thank you and very well said.

"the corporate evil-doers are salivating at the edges of the city
waiting for the go-ahead to bulldoze and build god-knows-what
and, IMHO, Nagin has a better chance of holding them off, albeit temporarily
than does Landrieu, who had probably cut deals with them all"

This is one of the reasons I voted for Nagin.

[WillyT]

103. drthais... THAT, Was Perfect !

Good luck, and long live New Orleans!!!

:yourock:

[radio4progressives]

98. that's great news. I really didn't want to see the Landreaux dynasty

So I started rooting for Nagin... glad to see he won.

I haven't heard or read any other reports, were there any "irregularities" other than the obvious problem of the diaspera not having access to ballots or a means to cast a ballot..

[Opening_Day]

109. Chocolate City!

Oh yeah baby! I love the chocolate!

[JackDragna]

115. Don't be too happy

Nagin's not a bad man, but he's in over his head. He cannot manage the disaster New Orleans has become.

[lies and propaganda]

125. bet he will do a better job than the nothing

that the feds are.

[Chomp]

131. There are more texts and subtexts

going on in this thread than my brain can process.

[zulchzulu]

140. Watch...Nagin will get caught up in a hurricane money swindling scandal

If you don't know New Orleans politics, you will soon. Nagin is no Edwin Edwards. And you can bet the friends of Edwin Edwards (there are many in power) do not like an uppity negro running the town.

It's going to be messy in the Big Easy for many, many years.

[theHandpuppet]

145. Nagin's acceptance speech sounded like a Bush rally!

No kidding -- just saw the clips on MSNBC. God, what a shameless exhibition of Bush worship. :puke: Well, if Nagin ever retires he can always get a job as a FOX commentator.

[kentuck]

147. So, are we supposed to cheer this win by an obviously incompetent...

and untrustworthy politician? I don't understand? Cannot compute??

[theHandpuppet]

149. I thought I was the only one

Welcome to the club, kentuck. There are at least two of us.

[slackmaster]

151. Make that at least three of us

The city of New Orleans deserves much better than Ray Nagin.

[WillyT]

154. D-E-M-O-C-R-A-C-Y !!! - The People Of New Orleans Have Spoken !!!

And I rejoice in this as an anti-Diebold story. Unless something comes out soon, about some major fraud, I take this as good news.

I'd refer ya to my post # 95, but since nobody bothers to read the discussions within the thread anymore, here ya go (Me, Post #95):

"...What I do tend to believe, is that setting aside the locals who know far more about this than I do, the NATIONAL impetus against Ray Nagin seemed to be very racist indeed. And although Ray didn't do himself any favors with his "Chocolate City" speech, he seemed to be responding to the fact that it looked like the federal government was not going to allow displaced Orleanians to vote in this race.

Ergo... in my puny conspiratorial mind, it seems as though even the best\worst laid plans of rePublicans and men, can still get turned on their ear when the people get to speak their minds, and vote despite obvious obstruction.

Therefore... Nagin is a GREAT sign for the coming November elections.

Did that make any sense?"

Hope that helps.

:shrug:

[NJ Democrats]

155. Hope!?

What!? Nagin is a horrible mayor. Plus, I'm convinced he switched parties just so he could win the mayor's job. Landrieu is so much better and would have been a better mayor.

[jonnyblitz]

163. you seriously need to read the book on Katrina by Douglas Brinkley

to find out about Nagin. He is pathetic. I wouldn't even know where to begin on that fool. :puke:

[Swamp Rat]

165. No, I don't feel good.

Do you live here?

Though I hope for the best, I think electing Nagin is NOT good for the future of New Orleans.

x(

[brindis_desala]

169. Although I find your enthusiasm

may be a tad optimistic there are a lot of issues that were at play in this contest. As I mentioned in another thread there was a great deal of symbolism driving the black vote to Nagin's corner and only time will tell whether that parlays into genuine progress. Ever since Reconstruction NOLA has been like a corrupted beauty whose talent has been sold to the highest bidder. Historically, the black community divided between the mixed race progeny and favored servants of the plantocracy and the offspring of the field hands who were sealed out of the power structure by folks like the Landrieus. Real or imagined Nagin seems somewhat less beholden to the status quo, a point that was underlined by his disparagement by the corporate press. Crafty voters that they are the down home folks decided that rather than letting Nagin be scapegoated as a symbol of black failure they would, give him pass, hold their noses and put him notice that his feet would be held to the fire.
Here's one analysis: By Keeping Nagin in Office, Big Easy Blacks Were Making a Larger Statement
Date: Sunday, May 21, 2006
By: Deborah Mathis, BlackAmericaWeb.com
http://www.blackamericaweb.com/site.aspx/sayitloud/math...

[Bridget Burke]

172. The Houston Chronicle said Landrieu didn't separate himself from Nagin.

Nagin and Landrieu did not differ significantly on any of the issues of concern to voters — education, housing, rebuilding neighborhoods and attracting jobs. If people disenchanted with Nagin were looking for a change, analysts say, Landrieu likely could have benefited from finding a way to present himself as a candidate with different ideas rather than a candidate with a different style of implementing the same ideas.

"I don't think Landrieu separated himself enough from Nagin," said Ed Renwick, director of Loyola University's Institute of Politics.

"There was no fire-in-the-belly reason why people should vote Landrieu. Landrieu trying to get both races, was good for governance of the city, but it wasn't the best way to get votes."

www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/special/05/katrina/3878784.html

I believe there are term limits--Nagin can't run again. Landrieu still has a political future. But I don't see that he's "new blood"--he's just in the family business.

Some of the anti-Nagin forces here still blame him for the Katrina aftermath.