[StBernard] In Case You Missed it - Lafayette Newspaper Says John Breaux Should Not Run

Westley Annis westley at da-parish.com
Thu Mar 22 21:10:07 EDT 2007


In Case You Missed it - Lafayette Newspaper Says John Breaux Should Not Run

Breaux should not run for governor

"In announcing she would not seek re-election, Gov. Kathleen Blanco said:
"There is nothing more important to Louisiana's future than a strong
recovery, free from politics."



We agree.

For that reason, we believe it is in the state's best interest that former
U.S. Sen. John Breaux not run for governor at this time.

His emergence as a potential candidate already has distracted state
political leaders from concentrating on our recovery.

The Democratic Party leadership has long been pre-occupied with gracefully
pressuring Blanco to withdraw and strategically pressuring Breaux to jump
in.

The state Republican party leadership has spent recent weeks plotting to
derail a Breaux candidacy. The television advertisements questioning
Breaux's residency and eligibility might be the first to sling mud at
someone who hasn't declared for office.

Imagine how heated, nasty and distracting the fight will get if Breaux runs.


Leaders of the state's two major parties lack the self-discipline to focus
on recovery if Breaux runs against the already-declared U.S. Rep. Bobby
Jindal. They will focus on personal attacks, not public needs.

Asking Breaux to not run is a significant request, but he proved during his
tenure as a U.S. senator that he could set aside partisan politics for the
good of the state and the nation. His legacy is his ability to build bridges
and help rival sides reach consensus. His reward for that talent has been
his post-political career as a Washington lobbyist.

So, we appeal to Breaux to reflect on what is good for Louisiana - on what
Louisiana needs right now. It doesn't need a fight. It doesn't need
partisanship. It doesn't need political activists plotting dirty tricks,
calling opponents names, avoiding true debate on issues and distracting the
voters.

As The (New Orleans) Times-Picayune said in an editorial Wednesday, the
state needs "coastal restoration; the creation of sustainable, well-paying
jobs; top-quality public schools; an efficient and responsive health-care
system."

We welcome debate on those issues, as well as how to spend, invest, save and
refund to taxpayers the state's surplus revenues. That question should not
be resolved by a lame-duck governor and a legislative session filled with
politicians jockeying for their own re-election or figuring how to dodge a
term limit by moving from House to Senate.

We fear that if Breaux runs for governor, despite his qualifications, we
will never hear those debates. Instead, the campaign will be hijacked by
political power brokers and dumped into our courts in a fight over what the
word "citizen" means. We will waste months that could be better spent
devising strategies to help our state recover.

We salute Kathleen Blanco for putting recovery ahead of politics. We ask
Breaux to do the same because the leaders of our major political parties
don't have the discipline to do so in an election year."

Link to the Daily Advertiser article -
<http://www.acadiananow.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070322/OPINION01/70
3220328/1014/OPINION>













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