Donna Brazile has good words for former GOP president Donna Brazile, who ran Al Gore's 2000 campaign for president, hasn't had much good to say about the winner of that race - Republican George W. Bush. But in a CNN.com column, marking the recent opening of the George W. Bush Library and Museum, Brazile says the former president "was good...
Donna Brazile has good words for former GOP president
Donna Brazile, who ran Al Gore's 2000 campaign for president, hasn't had much good to say about the winner of that race - Republican George W. Bush. But in a CNN.com column, marking the recent opening of the George W. Bush Library and Museum, Brazile says the former president "was good as his word" when it came to Hurricane Katrina.
"He visited the Gulf states 17 times; went 13 times to New Orleans. Laura Bush made 24 trips. Bush saw that $126 billion in aid was sent to the Gulf's residents, as some members of his own party in Congress balked," Brazile wrote. "Bush put a special emphasis on rebuilding schools and universities. He didn't forget African-Americans: Bush provided $400 million to the historically black colleges, now integrated, that remain a pride, and magnet for African-American students."
Katrina, Brazile wrote, was personal.
"Every member of my family was displaced by Katrina. Last year, I lost both my father and sister. But I had them with me that much longer because they were rescued from the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. My father, Lionel, left New Orleans only two times in his life. The first was to serve his country in Korea. The second was when FEMA evacuated him to San Antonio, Texas."
Bush, she said, responded to the pain in her hometown. She expressed a wish that more politicians would respond to great tragedy by working together -- rather than continuing with partisan politics.
"So far, not even disasters or tragedies that have united the American people -- Hurricane Sandy, Sandy Hook, and Boston -- have moved the politicians," Brazile wrote. "Not enough, anyway."
Politico: Biden takes credit for Landrieu gun vote
Politico, the Capitol Hill newspaper, is quoting an anonymous law enforcement official as saying Vice President Joe Biden is taking credit for getting Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., to vote for legislation eliminating loopholes from background checks for gun purchases. The article said Biden told law enforcement officials he has plans to bring back the measure, which fell six votes short of the 60 needed to overcome a GOP filibuster. He mentioned polls showing some opponents have taken a big dip in their public support.
Here's how Politico quoted a law enforcement official on Landrieu's vote: "He (Biden) said, 'I used my long relationship with her father and her brother and her to get her to vote with us.'"
There's been no comment from the vice president's office. Biden recently hosted a fund-raiser for Landrieu. A recent poll by a Democratic polling firm found that Landrieu is benefiting from her yes vote. The poll said 72 percent of Louisiana voters, including a majority of Republicans, support closing loopholes that allow guns to be purchased at gun shows and on the internet without background checks.
Donors to Landrieu/Cassidy leadership PACs
No need to report what everyone knows - special interest money is awash in politics. But it's far more than contributions to candidates, or even the Super PACs, where wealthy Americans spend unlimited money to attack candidates they don't like.
Most members of Congress have what are called Leadership PACS, which they can use to dispense campaign cash to other pols - perhaps currying some good will, The same groups that contribute to candidate's campaigns also give to the leadership PACs.
Because it's so hard to keep up with the hundreds, often thousands of pages in donations to major candidates, the contributions to leadership PACs often go unreported in the press. Here's a quick summary of recent donations to the Leadership PACS of the two major Louisiana Senate candidates - incumbent Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., and Republican Rep. Bill Cassidy of Baton Rouge:
Landrieu got $5,000 donations each to her JAZZ PAC from Pontchartrain Partners LLC Principal Danny Blanks, attorneys Antonio Clayton, Anthony Gelderman, realtor Ross McWilliams and Shreveport investor Carolyn Nelson. PACS giving $5,000 to the JAZZ PAC were the American Association of Orthodontists, Comcast Corp., Northrop Grumman Corp. employees, Federal Express, Goldman Sachs, Honeywell International, Huntington Ingalls Industries, and Independent Community Bankers of America.
Cassidy's Continuing America's Strength and Security PAC received $5,000 donations from three PACs, the American Association of Neurological Surgeons; Merck Employees; and United Parcel Service; plus $2,500 each from the National Association of Spine Specialists, the US Oncology Inc., Network and the American College of Radiology Association. Cassidy, a physician, has received donations from fellow doctors and medical associations.
Koch brothers rep: Don't read too much in Cassidy donations
Koch Industries PAC gave two $5,000 donations to Rep. Bill Cassidy's campaign - the group's largest donation to a single candidate over the first three months of 2013. But a Koch representative said that doesn't mean David and Charles Koch, the billionaire brothers who head the privately held company, are backing Cassidy in his Senate race against Democratic incumbent Mary Landrieu.
The money was donated to Cassidy's House campaign, the Koch official noted, before the physician-turned politician announced his Senate candidacy. And he said, Koch Industries PAC has a history of donating to both candidates. In 2011, it gave $5,000 to Landrieu's Jazz PAC. In 2008, it gave $2,500 to Landrieu's re-election campaign.
Scalise: Jobs report not good news
Economists were pleasantly surprised by Friday's economic report that pegged job growth at 165,000 in April - more than most had expected. And it said job growth in February and March was higher than it first reported. The stock market responded favorably.
Rep. Steve Scalise. But Rep. Steve Scalise, R-Jefferson, reflected the view of other Republicans that the news isn't nearly good enough. "On the heels of March's lowest workforce participation in more than 30 years, today's April jobs report shows there's still much work to be done," Scalise said. "According to recent reports, private sector job growth, the backbone of our economy, slowed to a crawl in April as companies hired fewer employees than they had each of the last seven months. Contrary to the popular belief among Washington liberals, a bigger federal government is the problem not the solution."
Alan Krueger, chair of President Barack Obama's Council on Economic Advisors, agreed with Scalise that "more work needs to be done." But he saw reason for optimism. The employment report, he said, "provides further evidence that the U.S. economy is continuing to recover from the worst downturn since the Great Depression."
For Uddo, politics in New York/Louisiana not so different
Joseph Uddo III, 26, a Metairie native, got the political bug during his last year of college when a good friend asked him to help with a St. John the Baptist Parish president's race. Apparently, he can't kick it. He went on to work for Rep. Steve Scalise, R-Jefferson, and after Scalise dispatched him to help with some New York State congressional races, Uddo decided to stay -- at least for now. He's now the political director for the New York Republican Party -- working out of both New York City and Albany, the state capital.
New York is a blue state, where even the Republicans tend to be moderate. But Uddo said it's not as different as one might think. "While there might be some differences, and maybe some of our Republicans are more moderate than in Louisiana, the core issue remains the same - a belief that government isn't the answer to all of our problems and that the private sector needs to step up and not be shackled by government," Uddo said.