How About Manning Up?

The first real shot was fired in the Louisiana House District 43 race this past weekend, during the LSU-Florida game. Leadership for Louisiana, a group started by State Senator Mike Michot (R), put out an anti-Pat Leblanc ad that left my wife and I both stunned.

Pat Leblanc and Page Cortez, both Republicans, are the two candidates vying for the House District 43 seat, where current Republican Rep. Ernie Alexander opted not to run for re-election. Rep. Alexander, who I voted for when living in Lafayette, decided not to run after Michot, whom he considered a friend, appeared to support Cortez as a challenger to Alexander’s seat.

Therefore, when Ernie Alexander opted not to run for re-election, Pat Leblanc, a local businessman whose business makes money building jails, threw his hat into the District 43 race. Soon afterwards, news reports broke of Leblanc’s company being tied to a scandal with the Bexar County, Texas Sheriff. Working with government and running for the state legislature is obviously a conflict and something I don’t like, but hopefully Treasurer John Kennedy’s plan will soon take care of that problem throughout the state government.

The basic summary of the attack ad on Pat Leblanc:

The commercial uses the audio of one of Leblanc’s campaign ads, however, the video shows shots of a computer screen, where the phrase “Pat Leblanc scandal” is Googled, and highlights parts of articles tying Leblanc to the Bexar County scandal. A statement at the top of the screen displays “Paid for by Leadership for Louisiana.”

The commercial can be seen here:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=DiM42MkiHIg&mode=related&search

This ad has certainly sent waves throughout Lafayette, as both Advertiser political bloggers, Warren Caudle and Stephen Handwerk, discussed the ad in their op/eds today.

Leadership for Louisiana is a PAC started and headed by State Senator Mike Michot. As Mr. Caudle explained in another op/ed, Michot has his hands in many pots, but usually doing so “under cover.”

The anti-Leblanc ad is a perfect example. We already know that Michot is the Chairman for Leadership for Louisiana, but he was also a frat buddy of Leblanc’s opponent, Page Cortez, and one of the most recent Cortez ads, the two are shown basically holding hands and walking side-by-side as the main subject of the ad.

By his organization funding an ad highlighting Leblanc’s alleged connections with the Bexar County scandal, Mike Michot is basically calling Leblanc a corrupt businessman. However, Michot obviously does not have the guts to put his actually name and face on such an ad.

If he thinks Pat Leblanc really is corrupt and completely unethical, then Senator Michot, with all due respect, using Moon Griffon’s favorite expression, needs to “nut up” and personally tell the Lafayette voters such. That way, they can make an informed decision as to who they trust, Pat Leblanc or Mike Michot.

Of course, Michot has grown a reputation of going behind the backs up people who thought they had his support. He apparently gave money to fellow Republican Congressman Charles Boustany’s opponent in 2004, Democrat Willie Mount, and the word is he has stated that he could beat Boustany if he ran against him. I want to see that race.

Leadership for Louisiana urges candidates for the state legislature to sign a pledge, of which, one of the principles is:

Clean, Solution-Oriented Campaign. I pledge that I will conduct a clean campaign focused on solutions to our State's problems. I will not engage in personal attacks or dirty politics, and will firmly oppose those who do.

Who needs to engage in dirty politics and personal attacks when Mike Michot, though hiding behind his front group, will do it for you?

Man-up, Mike. Come on TV, show your face, and tell Lafayette voters what they need to know about Pat Leblanc. If you can’t do that, then stop with the cowardly tactics.


He Supports Term-limits, As Long As They Have No Teeth

Last Friday, I heard a radio ad for Rep. “Blade” Morrish, who is running for Senate District 25. The ad states that Morrish is a supporter of term-limits.

Sure he is, as long as the term-limit rules allow him to chamber-jump every 12 years.

The fact is “Blade” Morrish (R) and Gil Pinac (D) are both term-limited in the House, and are attempting to chamber-jump into the Senate District 25 seat, to continue their tenure in the state legislature.

In that race, which includes Iota, Mark Abraham (R) is the non-term limited candidate. In fact, Abraham has never even run for state office. We need to clean out the current system in Louisiana government, especially the long time legislators.

Guess who I’m supporting in the race.

A Time for Change