A gander at the Louisiana Senate Race

I shall now take a gander at the senate race in Louisiana, seeing as it is very likely the Republicans’ only pick up opporunity.

Mary Landrieu is one of the more conservative Democrats in the Senate, and part of a prominent political family in the sstate.  She has been elected twice by very narrow margins, her 2002 election notable as it was due to a last minute December run-off assistance by Bill Clinton phone-banking to get the black vote out.  Her vulnerability increased as Harricane Katrina dispersed the Democratic base of New Orleans, and in particular poor black residents.  Her campaign is largely focusing on the issues of her procuring Hurricane assistance and rebuilding funds, which does her the service of side-stepping national party issues in a state that was trending Republican even before the disaster.

Running against Landrieu is a former Democrat who was personally persuaded by Karl Rove to switch parties and run for the seat.  The candidate running against Landrieu is none other than John Kennedy.  This is a very fascinating turn of events, considering that John Kennedy is something of a legend and an icon amongst Democrats nation-wide, and seeing as he was rabidly opposed by the National Review for botching the Bay of Pigs, sliding forward with civil rights, and for the belief that he stole the election from Richard Nixon.  Over the years, some conservatives have warmed up to him, believing that he was “strong on Communism” and praising him for lowering the top marginal tax rate from a really high level to a merely high level.  Another interesting about John Kennedy’s candidacy which I wonder how it would play out is the controversy which surrounds his assassination, an event that swarms with many speculative theories involving any number of powerful forces.

I think it will be difficult to defeat John Kennedy, and I wonder if a whisper campaign could be employed regarding the newly discovered Marilyn Monroe sex tape — the man being obscured but Jay Edgar Hoover wished to pin down on Kennedy.  However, this is Louisiana, and you have to consider that David Vitter’s poll numbers increased after being exposed to have had sex with a rather anonymous prostitute, and Marilyn Monroe is a popular culture icon.

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