[StBernard] Melancon criticized for lack of meetings

[Westley Annis]

Melancon criticized for lack of meetings

Jeremy Alford
Capitol Correspondent


Published: Monday, August 31, 2009 at 11:09 a.m. 


BATON ROUGE - U.S. Rep. Charlie Melancon may be the first major political
candidate from Louisiana to announce a bid for office from his dining-room
table. 

That all of his supporters, the state's media and other political onlookers
were able to fit into his Assumption Parish home was even more remarkable. 

But that, as they say, is the magic of the Internet. 

On Thursday, Melancon, D-Napoleonville, told the world via e-mail that he
would challenge U.S. Sen. David Vitter, R-Metairie, on the ballot next year.

His message also provided a link to a YouTube video posted on his campaign's
site, and one click of the mouse was all that was needed to set the piano
score and announcement speech into action.

"Hello. My name is Charlie Melancon," he says. "I'm a businessman who's been
an ambassador for our state's sugar industry, and I've owned and run several
successful businesses. I'm a proud family man, the father of two great
children, and Peachy and I celebrated our 37th wedding anniversary just last
week."

The video announcement, while technologically-advanced for Louisiana's
political landscape, played into the image of Melancon that his GOP
opposition has floated recently: that of a detached U.S. congressman
avoiding town-hall meetings.

Presently, Melancon represents the 3rd Congressional District, which
includes all of Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes. 

"In his announcement video, Charlie says that he wants to listen to his
constituents," Vitter said. "Yet he is holding zero town-hall meetings in
Louisiana during this August recess." 

For his part, Vitter said he'll have conducted 19 by the end of the recess.

Here and elsewhere, Congress is in the throes of its most volatile recess in
recent memory, thanks to President Barack Obama's controversial health-care
reform plans and an unstable economy 

While Melancon held regular town hall meetings in the past, only telephone
town-hall meetings have been offered lately, where voters have to dial in to
participate.

The strategy makes Melancon look like an incumbent, when he's actually the
challenger, said Joshua Stockley of Thibodaux, a political-science professor
at the University of Louisiana at Monroe who has extensive knowledge of the
district.

On the other hand, Stockley added that Melancon's decision to announce via
the Web - "it's cheap and accessible" - and his strategy of steering clear
of town-hall meetings shows the campaign's skill at "crafting an image and
controlling the setting," even if it could potentially backfire. 

"Charlie Melancon has been very visible in the district recently without
holding town-hall meetings, which is perhaps a good strategy," Stockley
said. "A lot of the town-hall meetings being held right now are very
animated and anti-health care, and while Melancon hasn't endorsed Obama's
plan, there's a risk that the cameras would roll on the anti-health care
sentiment, and the viewers would interpret that as anti-Melancon sentiment."

Melancon has every reason to be weary of town-hall meetings.

Earlier this year, The Daily Iberian wrote of one contentious gathering:
"U.S. Rep. Charlie Melancon 'took a beating' from a crowd of fiery residents
Thursday night as he defended his recent voting record on several bills in
Congress, including the economic stimulus package, corporate bailouts and
the federal budget."

In Houma earlier this month: "More than 200 people protested proposals for
national health-care reform [in front of Melancon's district office and]
there were chants of 'We want Charlie,' 'Chicken Charlie' and 'Where is
Charlie?' " 

Robin Winchell, Melancon's D.C. spokeswoman, said the congressman was never
informed of or invited to the event.

Winchell also issued a prepared statement from Melancon, prior to the Houma
event, about his lack of town-hall meetings.

"This August, I have been driving around south Louisiana, attending dozens
of public events and meeting people where they are - at festivals, Rotary
Club meetings, schools, and community centers - and listening to what they
have to say," the statement says. 

Information obtained from Melancon's scheduler confirmed nearly daily events
throughout the recess.

While Vitter has conducted several face-to-face gatherings around the state,
Democratic Party operatives say he has carefully choreographed them by
having his staff pre-screen audience questions.

Last week, Vitter was asked not to address a Metairie Tea Party event that
he had partly billed as his own because organizers didn't want him using it
as a campaign photo-op.

Columnists, editorials and pundits have also urged Vitter to address more
directly his connection to a Beltway-based prostitution ring that was run by
a madam who killed herself last year.

When questions about the sex scandal have arisen, Vitter hasn't strayed far
from his original, vague reference to a "serious sin," which is how he
described it when the story first broke in 2007.

When The Courier asked Vitter earlier this month how he plans to address the
inevitable comments during his re-election bid, the junior senator said
he'll approach it as always.

"By very sincerely saying it was a serious sin in my past, 10 years ago, and
asking for forgiveness beginning with the folks who were hurt the most by
it," Vitter said. "So I think I've done that in a real straightforward way."

Vitter has also been drawing blood at his own town hall meetings for weeks,
usually at the Melancon's expense.

As soon as Melancon released his video, Vitter fired back with what has
become his standard line when attacking the congressman, linking him to
so-called liberal D.C. figureheads.

"After Charlie endorsed President Obama in the election and voted with him
84 percent of the time, this is no surprise," Vitter said. "We now know that
the Obama money machine will be filling our opponent's campaign coffers with
liberal contributions."

Observers like Stockley argue that if Melancon's low profile does indeed
represent a strategy, it's probably a short-term approach.

Sources close to both campaigns say the mud could start flying later this
month, when lawmakers reconvene in Washington.

To be certain, the subtext in Melancon's announcement this week made it
clear that he'll hit Vitter where it hurts. He called himself a "family man"
and stuck to a values theme.

It's a message voters are about to hear a lot of, and it marks the end of
Melancon's low profile and the beginning of a long, hard fight for Vitter's
seat.

"Louisiana needs a different approach," Melancon said in the video. "More
bi-partisan. More disciplined. More honest and with a whole lot more common
sense."