What It Means To Be A Democrat

 (This is a speech delivered at the Lafayette Parish Democratic Executive Committee's fourth annual Lifetime Achievement Awards Banquet which was held on October 6, 2011. I got to deliver the speech by virtue of the fact I was the Democratic candidate for Lafayette City-Parish President.)

There are a lot of people thinking about this these days, particularly in our state and in our parish. Our state party was not able to field a single well-funded candidate for statewide office this year. The so-called smart money has abandoned us. Republicans have achieved the kind of dominance on the state level that some in this room have come to accept to here in Lafayette.

While conventional wisdom has it that these are bad times to be a Democrat, I believe we are exactly where we need to be in order to put our party in working order. There is no recognizable advantage to being a Democrat, so the opportunists have left us for greener pastures.

Clearly, for our party, the time has come to get back to basics. With most of the deadwood out of the way, we can now get down to the work of rebuilding our party.

In preparing for this speech, I went back to the very basics, starting with the root word “demos” in an effort to understand literally what it means to be a democrat.

The dictionary defines “demos” as being the common people of an ancient Greek state.

But, in the centuries since it originated, Demos has come to mean “the common people” in any political unit.

That form of government based on the notion of power flowing from the consent of the governed is called Democracy. Again, based on demos.

Democracy is defined as government by the people; a form of government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised directly by them or by their elected agents under a free electoral system.

The United States and Canada are democracies, although there are some in our own country who are working hard to restrict the right to participate in our elections. They are anti-democratic in both the little “D” and big “D” meanings of the word.

Democracy is also defined as a state of society characterized by formal equality of rights and privileges. That is, there is only one set of rules that we all agree to play by and that those rules produce a level playing field where your chances for success rest at least as much on what you know as  who you know.

There can be no privileged class in a democracy. We are all equal in terms of rights, duties and privileges.

So, demos is the common people. Democracy is rule by the common people, in a place having free elections, and where people have equality based on rights and privileges.

A democrat is an advocate of democracy.

That is, a Democrat is a person who believes in the political or social equality of all people.

We know this is an accurate definition, because for the past five decades in the South, our friends in the other party have used our commitment to equality as a wedge to turn some people away from our party. It worked so well on race, that our friends in the other party have tried to turn our support for equality for women, gays and others into wedges that they can use not just here but across the country.

In Louisiana, a state where we have 32% African American population and 37% total minority population, this tactic has worked to some extent, but has no long term chances for success here, so long as we remain true to our roots.

Our party, you might have read, no longer constitutes more than 50% of all registered voters in the state. We’ve known for a long time that not all people who are registered as Democrats actually support or event vote for Democrats.

The key to rebuilding our party is to embrace who we are and to run with it.

That is, to return to our great Democratic tradition of standing up for equality for all people. We stand for equality for women, for African Americans, for Asians, for Hispanics. We stand for equality of gays. We stand up for those who cannot defend themselves. The poor. The elderly. The infirm.

But also for the people who are the foundation upon which the wealth of this nation was built and continues to be produced. The people who build our roads; who clean our schools and offices; the people who wash those fancy cars; who mow those beautiful lawns; who work two or three jobs to ensure that the lives of their kids will be better than their own; those who teach our children; who work in the oil patch; those people who work countless hours trying to turn their small businesses into a bigger one.

Standing up for those people is the work that once defined us as a party. And that history shows the way up off the canvass and back into the fight.

Our friends in the other party like to defend the people they call “the job creators.” Fair enough — although they don't seem to be doing it very well now. But, let’s call the hard working people that we defend by their true name — They are the wealth creators. Nothing more and damned sure nothing less. These are our people — The people Democrats need to stand up for, to defend, to protect and to champion.

It is the work that we were called into being to do. It is the work upon which our future depends. If this is work that you are not willing to do, then you’re in the wrong party.

This is the work that makes calling ourselves Democrats meaningful. I'm Mike Stagg and this is what being a Democrat means to me — and I hope to you, as well.

Thank you, John Kennedy — for reminding me why I support Mary Landrieu

John Kennedy did a great job of reminding Democrats why they should vote to re-elect Senator Mary Landrieu this year.

It was Kennedy's ads that reminded Democrats that Senator Landrieu does, in fact, have a somewhat progressive voting record (calling it "radical" or "liberal" was really stretching it).

Mary, on the other hand, had the fear of Jindal in her. She and her staff were apparently convinced that the only way she could win re-election in post-Katrina/Rita Louisiana was to make Republicans feel comfortable with her. There was, no doubt, some accuracy in that assessment, but with African American vote going through the roof in support of Barack Obama's historic run, the Landrieu campaign veered dangerously close to turning off core Democratic constituents to her candidacy.

So, Mary owes John Kennedy a debt of gratitude for reminding Democrats that they do, indeed, have good reasons to support our senior senator's re-election.

The LDP's Congressional District Caucus Elections Were Not Valid

The Louisiana Democratic Party (LDP) held elections for Congressional District Caucus chairs when the Democratic State Central Committee (DSCC) met in Baton Rouge on March 15 to elect the officers for the party Executive Committee.

Those Congressional District Caucus elections were not carried out in accordance with the party by-laws governing elections for those positions. The results of those votes, then, are not valid.

The party by-laws (PDF) provide specific guidance for how these 14 seats (two for each of the state's congressional districts) are to be filled. That can be found in Section 17 — Congressional District Caucuses, which reads in full:

A. Congressional District Caucuses shall be held in each of the State's Congressional Districts. These Caucuses shall be held for the purpose of electing representatives from each Congressional District to serve as members of the Executive Committee of the Democratic State Central Committee. A Congressional District Caucus shall be subordinate to the Democratic State Central Committee and shall not endorse candidates for public office.

B. A Congressional District Caucus shall be comprised of members of the Democratic State Central Committee who reside in and are registered to vote in the Congressional District. In addition, a Chairperson or First Vice-Chairperson of a Democratic Parish Executive Committee shall be a member of the Caucus in the Congressional District in which he/she resides and is registered to vote. All Caucus members shall be eligible for election as officers of the Caucus or as a Congressional District Representative to the Executive Committee of the Democratic State Central Committee.

C. The Chairperson of the Democratic State Central Committee shall call a meeting of each Congressional District Caucus no later than sixty (60) days following the organizational meeting of the Democratic State Central Committee on a date and at a place to be designated by the Chairperson. Members of the Caucuses shall be given at least ten (10) days advance notice of the date, time, and place of the meeting and shall be provided with the name, address, and to the extent possible, the telephone number of each Caucus member in his/her respective District when notice of the meeting is given. Caucus members present at the time of the meeting shall constitute a quorum.

D. Officers of each Congressional District Caucus shall be a Chairperson, a Vice-Chairperson, who shall be of the opposite sex of the Chairperson, and a Secretary. Each Caucus shall be represented on the Executive Committee of the Democratic State Central Committee by two members, one male and one female. The Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson, and Secretary of a Caucus may also be elected to serve as a Caucus Representative to the Executive Committee of the Democratic State Central Committee. (Emphasis added.)

The "shall's" that are highlighted here are crucial.

As those of us who attended the March 15 DSCC meeting learned, "shall" is a powerful word. It is, according to the party chairman (Chris Whittington), the party legal counsel (Kenny Hooks), and the party parliamentarian (Sen. Derrick Shepherd), immutable. There is, they each said at various times that day, no way around "shall."

It is not a suggestion; it is a commandment.

So, Section 17 of the by-laws directs the party to hold these caucuses and the elections in the respective congressional districts and it lays out how this is to take place.

That section directs that these caucus meetings shall be held within 60 days after the creation of the new executive committee. That is, the person who served as chairman prior to March 15 could not convene these caucuses. The could be convened only by the new chairman and after each potential participant in the caucuses had been notified of the time and place of the various caucus meetings which are to be held in their respective congressional districts. There is also a 10-day advanced notice provision that could not be exercised until after the results of the election for chairman were determined.

It's right there in the by-laws. And there are a lot of "shall's" directing how this is to be done.

Having these elections in Baton Rouge around the meeting where the executive committee elections were held does not comply with the state party by-laws.

It does not matter how the party has done it in the past. The by-laws say "shall." There is no wiggle room.

There was an admission of procedural problems with the caucus elections in the 7th Congressional District, at the Tuesday, March 25, meeting of the Lafayette Parish Democratic Executive Committee. At that meeting, DSCC members Stephen Handwerk and Mary Werner told our committee (I'm a member of that committee), that they would hold a new election at a district-wide caucus that would be held sometime in April.

It was a magnanimous gesture that speaks well for them and their commitment to fair election processes in the party.

The other good Democrats who erroneously believe they were elected to similar positions in Baton Rouge at the DSCC meeting should follow Stephen and Mary's lead and agree to step down and re-open the process so that the elections can be held in compliance with the party by-laws.

Newly re-elected party chairman Chris Whittington should act pro-actively to hold elections that will comply with the by-laws by first notifying those who mistakenly believed they were elected to these caucus chair positions on the 15th about the procedural error that allowed these caucuses to occur and those elections to take place. Then, he should work to call and convene the Congressional District Caucuses in the manner prescribed in the by-laws and call for these legitimate elections to be held at the appropriate time and place and in the way directed by the by-laws.

These are not trivial elections. They are for 14 seats on the LDP Executive Committee. Mr. Whittington says he has no agenda, that he does the bidding of the executive committee. These elections, then, are for control of the party.

Breaking a Disturbing Pattern

The casual, off-handed manner in which these Congressional District Caucuses were convened and these votes held is part of a disturbing pattern of disregard by Mr. Whittington and others on the executive committee for the sanctity and importance of elections as vehicles for conveying legitimacy.

While power, prestige and other assets accrue to the victors of elections, the victors do not win the right to pass judgment on the legitimacy of the process. That right is retained by the vanquished. It is a principle well established in international law (thus, opposition parties frequently call in international monitors to observe election processes for their transparency and fairness).

We've also seen a stark demonstration of this fact in our own country in recent years. In the eyes of the American public, Al Gore's decision in December 2000 to abide by the U.S. Supreme Court's decision handing the presidency to George Bush cast more legitimacy on that decision and Bush's ascendancy was absolutely essential to the acceptance of that decision and that outcome.

Since February, Louisiana Democrats have engaged in three elections — the February 9th party primary; the March 1 party convention delegate elections; and, the March 15 state party executive committee elections.

It is both ironic and disturbing that the election in which there was the most confidence in both the process and the result was the February 9th election that was run by the Louisiana Secretary of State's office, which happens to be held by a Republican.

The delegate selection election was a farce. One of three polling places in Lafayette never opened. There were stories from across the state of un-tended ballot boxes, of delegate candidates campaigning at the ballot boxes, and people shuttling ballots between cities.

The party executive committee elections reeked of manipulation due to the fact that 27 people were appointed to the DSCC and allowed to vote for officers even though candidates other than the incumbent chairman and his cronies knew who these appointees were. To top that off, some of the appointees were allowed to vote by proxy without ever having seen or heard from any candidates other than those aligned with the chairman's ticket.

The failure of the party leadership to provide transparent and fair processes to govern party elections undermines confidence in the results of those elections and, thus, the party itself.

Democrats believe in fair elections. The way to ensure that the party is unified is for the party to conduct its business and its elections in a fair and transparent way. That approach will build confidence in the party and its leadership.

The Congressional District Caucus elections held on March 15 do not comply with the party by-laws. The results, therefore, are not valid. The Congressional District Caucus elections need to be carried out in a manner that complies with the by-laws. Doing this is an essential step toward building new confidence in the party's leadership that recent elections have done so much to undermine.

Jindal's Ethics 'Reform' Panel Undermined by Diefenthal Inclusion

CityBusiness reports that Governor-elect Bobby Jindal has completed his appointments to his ethics advisory panel.

Based on one name, it appears that Jindal's version of ethics reform will not include campaign finance reform — an essential element of any comprehensive ethics reform effort.

Edward "Ned" Deifenthal of Metairie used a number of Limited Liability Corporations (LLCs) under his control to make a series of contributions to Jindal's campaign in late 2006 that came to a grand total of $25,000. He also personally contributed $5,000 to Jindal's campaign. He also contributed $75,000 to the Louisiana Committee for a Republican Majority, as well as a number of Republican campaigns for the Louisiana Legislature.

By naming Deifenthal to the panel that is supposed to advise the Governor-elect on his much-anticipated ethics reform package, Jindal is sending a clear signal that he is not interested in reforming Louisiana's campaign finance laws.

Through the use of multiple LLCs under their control, a group of 28 individuals or companies made more than 100 contributions to Jindal's gubernatorial campaign which totaled more than $500,000. This method of using multiple LLCs to circumvent caps on campaign contributions has never been challenged before the state Board of Ethics, although it has been the subject of an advisory ruling based on a question submitted to the board in 2006.

Ethics reform that does not include campaign finance reform — particularly, the banning of corporate contributions from campaigns — leaves the door wide open for corruption. The Governor-elect is not interested in campaign finance reform and that undermines the legitimacy of his claim to be interested in ethics reform.

Races to watch

Here is set of links to races worth watching as the returns come in tonight.

The first link is to the statewide races. Go, Foster Campbell! I will not vote for Mitch Landrieu, so I'm skipping the lieutenant governor's race in the voting booth. Has he ever lifted a finger for a Democrat not named Landrieu?

In the Legislature, let's start with the senate races.

The District 7 race on the Westbank of the Mississippi River in the New Orleans area should be interesting. Democrats David Heitmeier and Jonathan Bolar are opposed by LCRM-backed Paul Richard. This race is where I first stumbled across the LLC cluster bucks model of circumventing campaign finance laws. The race was brought to my attention by someone from New Orleans who called me after my appearance on the Jim Brown Program in New Orleans.

The District 9 race in Jefferson Parish has Democrat David Gereighty in a three-way race against two Republicans to succeed term-limited Senator Ken Hollis. It's good to see a Democrat positioned to take advantage of the ongoing war among the Republicans that is simmering in some places, boiling over in others.

The District 25 race in southwest Louisiana pits Democrat Gil Pinac against a pair of Republicans. This is a large geographic district that covers a large swath (parts of four parishes) of the 7th Congressional District. Pinac is no liberal, but he has resisted overtures to go back to the Republican Party (I hear he was a Republican at one time).

The District 28 race in the northern part of Cajun country is the race to succeed term-limited Senate President Don Hines. The leading candidate in this race is current state Representative (and founder of the Legislative Democratic Caucus) Eric LaFleur. I'm not sure that the LCRM has gone after LaFleur yet, but they have given money to groups that are opposing him. Look for them to jump in big in this race if there is Democrat vs. Republican run-off.

The District 30 race in western Louisiana pits Democrats Terry Fowler and John Smith against Democratic National Committeeman Buddie Leach. Leach is awash in oil and gas money. Terry Fowler has been working on this race for two years and has run a dogged but well-financed campaign. I'm pulling for Fowler in this one.

On to the House, again in numerical order!

House District 25 in the Alexandria area is where the LCRM bared its fangs in radio ads so vicious, deceptive and offensive that the Republican candidate they were intended to benefit had to disavow them in order to remain a credible candidate. Chris Roy, Jr., is the Democratic target of the LCRM ads. Glenn Beard is the other Democrat in the race. The squirming Republican in the race is Lance Maxwell who, try as he may, is tied to the LCRM through the radio ads and through the in-kind contributions his campaign accepted from them.

House District 31 in Lafayette and Vermilion parishes is shaping up into a close race. I thought Don Trahan would be toast here, but when Charley Buckels (who lost to Trahan by fewer than 100 votes four years ago) dropped his challenge to Trahan and opted to run for the BESE board, it was clear something was up. Since then, some Republicans have rallied around against independent Nancy Landry, but the LCRM stepped into the race this week and angered some Republicans (specifically Senator Mike Michot) by making up quotes from him in support of Trahan. Michot responded with media statements and robo-calls throughout the district saying that he had not endorsed Trahan. If Trahan loses here, he should thank the LCRM for pulling him under.

House District 39 covers northern Lafayette Parish, southern St. Landry and eastern St. Martin. Raymond "La-La" Lalonde is the Republican standard bearer here, indicating the difficulty the party has had recruiting candidates in its quest to grab majority control of the Legislature. LaLonde has gotten some support from LCRM, Bollinger Shipyards and New York real estate tycoon Howard Rich. That's provided him some cash, but it remains to be seen if an old-line politician seeking a comeback can find the votes to make the run-off against three younger Democratic opponents. The Democrats are former Carencro mayor Tommy Angelle, Bobby Badon and newcomer Stephen Ortego. A run-off is coming, it's just a question of whether there will be a Republican in it.

House District 40 sits in the heart of St. Landry Parish and much of it in Opelousas. Elbert Guillory is the incumbent, having won the seat in a special election in the spring. However, Guillory's voting record, strong support from Republican circles, and revelations that he has taken $10,000 from Howard Rich have put him on the defensive. Freshman Opelousas City Councilman Brian Thomas got into the race late, but has waged an energetic campaign. Word has it that Thomas has backing from a number of prominent St. Landry political leaders, so don't be surprised if there is a Guillory/Thomas run-0ff here.

House District 42 in Acadia and Lafayette parishes pits LCRM darling and former Crowley mayor Isabella delaHoussaye against Democrat Jack Montoucet. Montoucet comes across as a down-to-earth guy. He speaks French in his spots. All but two of the precincts in this district are in Acadia Parish. It should be a close race.

House District 43 in south Lafayette Parish. This is the race to succeed Ernie Alexander who many (including Ernie) feel was forced out of the race when Mike Michot pushed Page Cortez into the race. Much like Michot did with Mike Foster when Michot defeated Max Jordan, Cortez has clung to Michot throughout the campaign. Cortez has been helped immensely by the Michot camp's successful orchestration of a mainstream media campaign against his opponent, Patrick LeBlanc. LeBlanc and his brother are said to be players in an investigation of county officials in Texas who apparently did not report contributions and favors LeBlanc's company allegedly provided them. For the elites in Lafayette, LeBlanc's chief crime appears to be opposing the Michots. Some civic-minded group should have set up field showers outside precincts in this district.

House District 44 is on the eastside of Lafayette Parish and there are five candidates (all Democrats) vying to succeed term-limited Wilfred Pierre. This is a strong field of candidates. The main question will be how will Consolidated Government Councilman Chris Williams fare? Williams, who came to prominence with ties to Raymond Blanco, lost is cool during the effort to win support for renaming a major Lafayette street in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, defaced the council's dais, prompting charges to be filed against him. Now that the dust has settled from that, it will be interesting to see if he can still play on his perceived victim hood and turn that into votes. The candidates to watch are Fred Prejean and Terry Landry. Prejean is a community leader who has served on the planning commission. Terry Landry is the former head of the Louisiana State Police. Attorney Derriel McCorvey is a formidable candidate, who may cut into Williams' base. Ricky Hardy is a long-time member of the Lafayette Parish School Board with proven vote-getting ability.

House District 50 centers in the Franklin area but includes parts of Iberia, St. Martin and St. Mary parishes. Former Franklin mayor Sam Jones, who spent the past four years working for Governor Kathleen Blanco, heads the field in this all-Democrat, three-man race. The other candidates are Allen McEllroy and Kenny Scelfo, Jr.

House District 51 finds incumbent Democratic Representative Carla Dartez in a jam. She's got two Democratic opponents (Estelle Mahoney and Nick Morris) and a Republican. The Republican is getting help from the LCRM. The Department of Homeland Security is helping the Republican, too, arresting Dartez' husband (who happens to be a member of the Democratic State Central Committee) on charges of hiring five (count 'em, five) illegal aliens. Would this be selective enforcement with a political motivation? Nah! Not with the Bush administration! This race stretches across parts of St. Mary, Assumption and Terrebonne parishes.

House District 67 in East Baton Rouge Parish features an all-Democratic field, but with environmental attorney David Brown trying to lead a progressive takeover of the seat. The other candidates in the race are Metro Parish Councilwoman Lorri Burgess and Patricia Smith. Brown, who is white, is trying to pull together a multi-racial, progressive coalition that could serve as a model for other progressive campaigns across Louisiana in years to come.

House District 77 pits Democratic firebrand and successful businesswoman Angelique LaCour against a pair of Republicans. The district is centered in St. Tammany Parish, with some precincts spilling over into Tangipahoa Parish. Angelique has had to fight moribund Democratic Party (let's be honest; they're more like clubs) in those two parishes. She could make the run-off with a split Republican vote.

House District 78 sits entirely in Jefferson Parish and Democrat David Quidd is taking on four Republicans in this race. It will be interesting to see if David's sound reasoning can make headway for the party against this gang of ideologues spouting the conservative buzzwords of the day to what must be considered the heart of Louisiana Republicanism.

House District 94 is something of a rematch of the spring special election, but with subtle changes that could signify big differences in the outcome. Republican Nick Lorusso won this seat in the special election this spring, beating Democrat Deborah Langhoff into the run0ff by just over 80 votes. Langhoff had done all of the heavy lifting in the primary, decrying the dynastic attempt of incumbent Representative Peppi Bruneau to manipulate the election process in order to hand his seat to his son Jeb. The LCRM trashed Langhoff in the final days of the campaign, allowing Lorusso to make the runoff. But, Langhoff's campaign against the manipulation paid off for Lorusso, who handily defeated Jeb Bruneau in the runoff. Now, Adrian Bruneau is carrying the family name in what has turned out to be a much more bitter Republican family feud than the spring election. Langhoff, meanwhile, has been running the grassroots campaign she did not have the time to run in the short-cycled special election in the spring. If there is a run-0ff in this race, Langhoff will be in it and there will be a group of pissed off Republicans who might not be able to bring themselves to endorse the Republicans who trashed them in this primary.

I believe Langhoff either wins outright tonight or makes the run-off. The LCRM will come back to attack her if there is a run-off, but voters know Deborah now. She's one of them. The LCRM will have their work cut out for them. And, this time, we'll be ready!

Gambit Weekly calls LCRM "The Puppet Masters"

Gambit Weekly has a profile of Louisiana Committee for a Republican Majority in its current issue.

A good bit of the money story has been covered here, but Gambit's Jeremy Alford extracts some nuggets in his conversation with John Diez, LCRM's executive director. Among them:

Diez says the group stayed out of certain races where there was more than one Republican, but that will change in the runoffs. There are also big checks going out this week that won't be recorded until later finance reports. That means it's all about Election Day for LCRM. The group is trying to succeed in an area where Democrats have traditionally dominated: Get Out the Vote. Parties, free give-aways, buses, Mardi Gras floats and paid block captains have all been used by Dems in the past to turn out their base. Republicans are looking to create a similar system.

Then there's this bit about LCRM's use of CCR and Associates:

Presently, LCRM is spending about $20,000 per month with the New Orleans-based GCR and Associates for 'computer database services." Earlier this year, it also dropped an additional $90,000 for software development. It's worth noting the GCR holds several contracts with the state and is at least a minor player on the recovery circuit. But the database system the company is developing may change the way Republicans win elections for some time. Diez admits that's where all the money has been going, and its impact on the race shouldn't be underestimated.

Then there's this closing paragraph which indicates that LCRM is thinking long-term:

'We're building a sophisticated modeling process," Diez says. 'This is all being geared toward Election Day. I think you're going to find that our reports from the final week will be more detailed than anything else you've seen from us. That's when you'll see a lot of action."

LCRM-financed direct mail pieces hit in Lafayette today, backing incumbent Don Trahan against Nancy Landry who is running without party affiliation in House District 31. If the LCRM is supporting Trahan, I would not be surprised if they do a drop in support of Patrick LeBlanc in that family fued among Republicans in that district.

Jim Brown FM 99.5 Radio appearance

Jim Brown, former Louisiana Secretary of State and Commissioner of Insurance, hosts a daily talk show on FM 99.5 in the New Orleans market.

He was generous enough to have me on the program on Friday morning where we discussed the Louisiana Committee for a Republican Majority (LCRM).

The show is archived and available for listening as a podcast of MP3 file. Recent broadcasts are available here.

The audio for the segment I took part in is available here.

Jim mentioned that he'd had the LCRM's executive director John Diez on the show. I suggested that Jim bring Mr. Diez and I on together to debate what I believe to be the harmful impact the group he fronts is having on Louisiana politics.

I'll let you know if they take up the challenge.

Jindal's 'Hot Air Express'

Guvna Wannabe has embarked on a bus tour of the state, according to the Monroe News Star.

In an unusual move for a Republican, Jindal's tour is eco-friendly.

Word has it that the bus is powered entirely by the candidate's campaign rhetoric.

The hectic pace of the tour is required to ensure that Jindal and his rhetoric arrive in Baton Rouge in time to fill the balloons participating in this weekend's 2007 Pennington Southeast Regional and Louisiana State Hot Air Balloon Championships at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge.