Allan Katz and Danae Columbus
Excitement was definitely in the air at the Windsor Court Monday night as 150 well-heeled donors patiently waited for an intimate concert by the great Stevie Wonder to begin. Attorney Tim Francis convinced Wonder, his old boss, to perform at the big ticket fundraiser for Mary Landrieu and served as master of ceremonies. Wonder told the crowd he and Landrieu “shared the same values” and that’s why he came.
Hosted by Darryl and Louellen Berger, who savored every minute from their front row seats, the crowd included such Wonder enthusiasts as Paul Flower, Joe Jaeger, Elie and Daniella Khoury, Marcel Wisznia, Bill and Susan Hess, Buddy Bart, Rico Alvendia, Sandy Rosenthal, Conny Willems, Bart Kelly, Helena Moreno, Jared Brosssett, the Walt Legers (father and son with Danielle), Blake Jones, C. J. Blache, Justin Augustine, Vincent Sylvain, Shelby LaSalle, Vaughn Fauria, Angela O’Byrne, John Etter, Peter and Meg Babin, Roland and Mary Von Kurnatowski, Bobby Major, Ronnie and Shelia Burns, Winston Burns, Ruth Kullman, Michael Valentino, Madlyn and Robert Schenk, and Karen Carter Peterson with husband Dana, sister Tara C. Hernandez and mother Gwen. Wonder also shouted out fondly to his old friend, longtime New Orleans producer and engineer John Fischbach, with whom Wonder had worked.
The crowd was quickly spellbound. Audience and artist came together as one. That evening was among the few times during the campaign when racism — no matter how subtle — was not the elephant in the room. Put more succinctly, an undeniable surge of racism has been permeating this U.S. Senate race for months.
Pundit Ron Faucheaux says Cassidy is averaging a 17-point lead in the runoff polls, taking 75 percent of the white vote. It is not as if those voters really believe Mary Landrieu hasn’t done a good job of bringing home billions and helping create thousands of jobs in Louisiana. Those voting against Landrieu are doing so as an expression of rage against a black president and his lackluster, often misguided, if not failed administration.
Republicans say not only has Landrieu been too close to Obama, she refuses to denounce Obamacare even now. Democrats say the race should be about Landrieu and Cassidy, not Obama. It really doesn’t surprise us that there is not more outrage about Bill Cassidy and his LSU timesheets. Cassidy is enjoying a Vitter-like free ride he doesn’t deserve.
Several consultants who are just casual observers of this race agree that Mary’s team and message are much more on point now, due in large part to Ryan Berni and Norma Jane Sabiston taking the lead. They should have come on board sooner. Landrieu’s television is better and she has been on the attack rather than constantly playing defense.
Landrieu hosted a breakfast last week with key loyal supporters and elected officials where she bore her soul. She will always stay true to the ideals upon which she was raised, Landrieu said. Whether in or out of office, she will continue to fight for causes important to women and working families — education, the environment, jobs, and health care. She is proud of her many accomplishments and her family’s legacy of service to the citizens of Louisiana. “We’ve always fought the good fight and we are not giving up now,” Landrieu told the cheering audience.
Mary Landrieu shares the same values as many Louisiana voters. It will be a national shame if hatred for the president is the big winner on Saturday.
The polls open Saturday at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. Other items on the ballot include a school millage, a juvenile court race between Desiree Cook-Calvin and Freddie Charbonnet, a domestic court race between Monique Barial and Janet Ahern (whom Danae has worked for), and in some Orleans precincts, the highly controversial PSC race between Eric Skrmetta and Forest B. Wright. Republicans are fighting hard for Skrmetta. While some don’t like him, they do like controlling the patronage and contracts the PSC routinely hands out.
Allan Katz spent 25 years as a political reporter and columnist at The Times-Picayune, and is now editor of the Kenner Star and host of several television programs, including the Louisiana Newsmaker on Cox Cable. Danae Columbus is executive producer of Louisiana Newsmaker, and has had a 30-year career in public relations, including stints at City Hall and the Dock Board. They both currently work for the Orleans Parish School Board. Among the recent candidates who have been represented by their public relations firm are City council members Stacy Head and Jared Brossett, Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne, former Sheriff Charles Foti and former Councilwoman Cynthia Hedge-Morrell.
“Vote for Landrieu or else you’re a racist”. Pretty feeble. Feeble and shabby.
That all you got?
Louisiana is a Pro Life state and Mary Landrieu is Pro Abortion. Bill Cassidy is Pro Life. That is the main reason why Bill Cassidy is so far ahead in the polls and why Bill Cassidy will win.
What arrogance and apparent fear. If one disagrees with how Landrieu has represented Louisiana in the Senate these two pundits claim they are racist. Mary said we were also sexist! It won’t be a national shame if Mary is defeated it will be good for the nation and Louisiana. There is a lot to disagree with in the positions and record of Ms Landrieu and it has nothing to do with racism or sexism.
YOU TWO are the race baiters. Republicans don’t like Mary because she was the deciding vote for socialized medicine. She never met a tax or government program she didn’t like. Her party and the president ignore the law when it comes to the IRS, immigration, and the EPA. And anyone who complains is somehow racist? With zero evidence presented in this article?
I don’t expect anything from these two status-quo “journalists”, but I liked the Uptown Messenger until now. I never thought they would stoop to fake-controversy trash like this article.
Your title implies that the majority of Louisiana voters are simply racists. Blaming racism for a Landrieu loss is an insult to the people of Louisiana. It’s 2014, I’d like to think that people have evolved past voting for someone based on the color of one’s skin. I was independently employed and my Blue Cross/Blue Shield coverage was to go up more than double over a three year span due to Obamacare, which Landrieu supported. Luckily, I now have employer provided coverage so I don’t have to take that financial beating.
Landrieu will lose because of her relentless support for Obamacare, a bill that was passed due to “the stupidity of the average American voter”, per Obama’s own consultant. Please refrain from using this outlet to bash the people of this state and accuse us of being racists
“I’d like to think that people have evolved past voting for someone based on the color of one’s skin.”
It’d be a nice thought. But this is no post-racial country. Not by a long shot.
Sadly, you’re right.
Nice straw man. That all ya got?
Unintentional irony alert.
So only the white people who vote for Mary are not racist and the rest of us are? What a superficial patronizing analysis. So if we oppose a black president’s policies, unilateral legislation, redistribution of wealth and anti free market capitalism mantra, and Mary Landrieus support of him, that makes us racist. You both know better.
If Obama is ‘Failed and lackluster” what was George W Bush but a total disaster. Obama had to fix the mess Bush left us. He got the economy out of the ditch Bush drove us into, he saved General Motors, he took out Osama Bin Laden which Bush failed to do. Then he passed major healthcare legislation which millions of Americans are benefiting from. Louisiana is horribly governed by Jindal, who is denying Medicaid for ideological reasons, who can’t make up his mind about Common Core, who can’t balance a budget, and who has tried to wreck our retirement systems and steal from Group Benefits to plug his budget. If this is the kind of governance we can expect from Republicans— God help us all.
If you want God to help you perhaps you should begin by trying to help yourself and put down the Kool-Aid.
You almost worked in every tired, worn-out cliche of the left.
What? You couldn’t work in anything about “global warming” or “Reagan hates gay people”?
Louisiana is a Pro Inequality state and that is the main reason Cassidy is ahead and why social and economic ethics will lose.
Louisiana has high rates of domestic violence, sexual assault and occupational gender discrimination indicating it is in fact very sexist and misogynistic. It has everything to do with racism and sexism.
There is nothing anti free market capitalism about Obama or Landrieu. Both the Dems and the Republicans have become so aligned with the big corporate Oligarchs that we no longer have a democracy here in this nation anymore. Louisiana is so bad in this arena that one could easily assume we are now the nation’s leading Fascist state.
Everything is racist when you have no other excuse to use. Liberals go through the four phases of grief when they lose an argument or have no rational thought.
Racist
Sexism
Bigotry
Homophobia
Grab a tissue son. You have 3 more to go
We vote AGAINST LANDRIEU BECAUSE SHE DOES NOT HAVE OUR VALUES
No one in the STATE of LOUISIANA CAMPAIGNED harder
against MARY LANDRIEU than U.S., the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION for the ADVANCEMENT
of WHITE PEOPLE
Find out more: https://uptownmessenger.com/2014/12/allan-katz-and-danae-columbus-undeniable-surge-of-racism-trying-to-block-mary-landrieus-re-election/
The NAAWP is GREATFUL for all the SUPPORT we received
from the VOTERS of the GREAT STATE of LOUISIANA
MERRY CHRISTMAS LOUISIANA,
mark N STARLA TRAINA and NAAWP STAFF MEMBERS