Govenor Blanco's special legislative session hits an iceberg

NOLA.com: "In Louisiana, unlike most states, governors play a key role in picking the House speaker and Senate president, and have strong influence over who gets to lead key committees. In return for the governor's support, members of the leadership traditionally sponsor the governor's bills and are expected to vote with the administration on their top priorities."

Apparently, Governor Blanco is setting a new low water mark (pun intended) for gubernatorial prowess, as her 12 day special legislative session reveals that she lacks support from even her top legislative allies.  Consider:

• The black caucus is upset over the defeat of a bill to set up voting centers for displaced New Orleanians (the mayor's election is in late April)
• The bill to create a single levee board for the metro New Orleans area is severely wounded, and the only semi-viable proposal now is to allow the Westbank area to opt out of the regional board.
• The bill to consolidate the seven New Orleans property assessors (elected officials) into one office died in committee.

Governor Blanco is probably in political shock. The signs are certainly there, as Nola.com reports:

"[The administration] sat on their hands the entire (levee) debate," said Sen. Jay Dardenne, R-Baton Rouge, who was a floor leader under Gov. Mike Foster. "This is a special session called by the governor to presumably advance her agenda, and I have seen very little effort to do that."

Blanco's approval rating right now is just below 40%, which actually seems high to me.  This whole thing is really sad.  At a time when this state desperately needs strong leadership we are experiencing quite the opposite, i.e. political chaos.

I keep saying this and people think I'm joking, but I'm not.  Right now we need a benevolent dictator, one with a clearly specified term of years.  Hell, I'm not even sure that the prospective potentate should be benevolent.

Comments

Remember Nagin's comments when General Honore showed up? Along the lines of, "he just started giving orders and telling people what to do and things started getting done." Katrina showed what happens when you don't have strong leadership (city/gov side), and a safety net that's there right away to back you up (fed side). You get what you vote for. And when the republicans take control and revive this state/city, they'll be called all sorts of names, civil rights claims galore, etc. The democratic party has become a party of empty rhetoric lead by people who can't do but have lots to say.

[Robert]

I would like to humbly nominate myself as Benevolent Dictator.

[Cade Roux]

That's what Bush thinks he is right now, ignoring FISA to "protect us", and making statements like using the military because they are the only organization capable of organizing a response to this kind of disaster. It's the slippery slope - then before you know it, DHS will be subsumed into the Pentagon, which will be subsumed into the NSA and we'll all be so safe, there won't be a need to vote.

You either believe in freedom and democracy or you're a terrorist. ;-)

And of course, there's that quote about the blood of patriots...

As far as Blanco's initiatives - your three bulleted initiatives are overwhelmingly supported by actual voters - so I think we'll see a Dover School Board election for those losers. Can't wait.

[Amy Wohl]

Indeed we need a benevolent dictator. Yesterday I was talking to a friend in Baton Rouge, with a son in New Orleans (Uptown). He says even though the French Quarter was "spared", because there is no housing for clerks and waiters and dishwashers shops and restaurants can only open "sometimes" and with reduced service.

Let's face it. Nw Orleans isn't New Orleans without workers at EVERY level of the economic spectrum. Unless there is a plan to find new entry level workers from elsewhere (Mexico?), New Orleans needs its citizens back and, in any case, it will need a place for workers from anywhere to live.

This is especially true in the case of musicians for the Home of Jazz. Zagats has started keeping track of what's open in New Orleans and the list of restaurants is long -- but they note that the sound of Jazz is still largely missing.

If it takes a benevolent dictator to put New Orleans back together I vote for one.

Amy Wohl

[castor bigleux]

Nous vous remercions Monsieur Frédéric Chognot, nous vous remercions pour tout ce que vous faites pour nous. En particulier le site info-surgeres, www.info-surgeres.com qui parle de nous avec tant de sensibilité et de clairvoyance.

Merci Monsieur Frédéric Chognot, nous voterons pour vous aux prochaines législatives.

Merci messieurs les américains, vive l'Amérique !