[StBernard] Countdown To Obama Visit - Day 1

[Westley Annis]

Good Afternoon -
 
On Thursday, President Barack Obama will make his first visit to Louisiana since his appearance prior to our primary election in early 2008.  It will be brief, as he's urgently needed at a $500 to $1,000 per person fundraiser <http://lagop.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=81f80dfae08a15f3629eabdeb&id=966de8b923&e=e293a5ac38>  for the DNC in San Francisco that evening, but the lead up to the trip has already garnered a great deal of attention.

Who Is Invited?

During his visit, Obama will hold a town hall meeting at the University of New Orleans and visit the Dr. King Charter School.  Anyone interested in attending the town hall meeting can register for tickets on the White House website <http://lagop.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=81f80dfae08a15f3629eabdeb&id=95e3e4c07b&e=e293a5ac38> , but be forewarned - seating is limited.  Which makes us wonder: how many tickets are available to the public as opposed to how many are being distributed to donors, Democrat party big wigs, union bosses, and "community" organizations like ACORN?  Will this audience be reflective of Louisiana or will it be a hand selected group of stage props for a President known best for his words rather than actions?  Follow this link <http://lagop.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=81f80dfae08a15f3629eabdeb&id=1ec4bc5d9f&e=e293a5ac38>  to apply for tickets today.

Louisiana Delegation Concerned Obama’s Visit To Short

Additionally, Obama has already come under fire from Louisiana's delegation in Congress for the brevity of his Louisiana stopover.  Congressman Charles Boustany is urging <http://lagop.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=81f80dfae08a15f3629eabdeb&id=5110652cc0&e=e293a5ac38>  Obama to add southwest Louisiana to his itinerary, Representative Steve Scalise is calling <http://lagop.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=81f80dfae08a15f3629eabdeb&id=8fdf4c22bd&e=e293a5ac38>  for more time in southeast Louisiana, and Senator David Vitter is encouraging <http://lagop.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=81f80dfae08a15f3629eabdeb&id=8980f94f19&e=e293a5ac38>  visits to several sites as well as “helicopter tours of areas affected by coastal erosion.”  Even Democrat Senator Mary Landrieu is looking for a more extended visit.  Specifically, Landrieu said <http://lagop.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=81f80dfae08a15f3629eabdeb&id=e93c53f81e&e=e293a5ac38> : "I cannot overstate the importance of the president seeing Louisiana's challenges in four critical areas - flood protection and coastal restoration, housing, education, and health care."  Sadly, it appears Obama was only able to schedule one event out of the requested four.

Congressional Leaders Not Alone In Their Concern

Yet criticism of Obama's trip has come not just from Louisiana's elected leaders but from members of the academic community as well.  Lawrence Powell, a historian at Tulane University called <http://lagop.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=81f80dfae08a15f3629eabdeb&id=b96ab4343f&e=e293a5ac38>  it a "mystery why Obama appears to be giving this trip such short shrift," but he didn't stop there.  "I don't know what the hell they are thinking," Powell said.  "He shouldn't come at all if he's coming for a glorified layover."  Meanwhile, Tulane's Thomas Langston and retired Marine Gen. Douglas O'Dell are speculating <http://lagop.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=81f80dfae08a15f3629eabdeb&id=3480153185&e=e293a5ac38>  Obama is short changing Louisiana because of how poorly Obama did in last fall's presidential election.

Where Else Might Obama Go?

Not to be left out of the mix in the demand for Obama's time, the Times-Picayune <http://lagop.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=81f80dfae08a15f3629eabdeb&id=a7ea32e696&e=e293a5ac38>  on Saturday editorialized a suggested itinerary for the President's visit and in that spirit we'd like to offer a few more ideas we haven't seen noted elsewhere:

*	Obama could visit the levies and neighborhoods devastated by Hurricane Katrina and explain to the residents there why a vacation <http://lagop.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=81f80dfae08a15f3629eabdeb&id=65f0340661&e=e293a5ac38>  to Martha's Vineyard was more important than a presidential visit to Louisiana on the August 29th anniversary of the disaster.
	 
*	Last month, Obama told <http://lagop.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=81f80dfae08a15f3629eabdeb&id=6a8e0213a5&e=e293a5ac38>  ABC's George Stephanopoulos that the various scandals involving ACORN are "not really something I've followed closely."  Now is the perfect opportunity to remedy the situation and visit a few of his most ardent (and notorious) grassroots supporters.  There's plenty of literature out there on all of the allegations of voter fraud, tax evasion, and embezzlement, but perhaps Obama would want to visit ACORN's worldwide headquarters in New Orleans to investigate first hand.
	 
*	This one may be a bit of a reach, but perhaps Obama should visit the Old U.S. Mint <http://lagop.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=81f80dfae08a15f3629eabdeb&id=9949630306&e=e293a5ac38> .  Funding for the mint was discontinued in 1909, and the machinery was transferred to Philadelphia upon decommissioning in 1911, but if Obama keeps printing money at his present rate, the facility just might be necessary.
	 
*	Last Friday, Obama dubbed <http://lagop.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=81f80dfae08a15f3629eabdeb&id=73c74681c2&e=e293a5ac38>  his stunning victory of the Nobel Peace Prize as a "call to action," and his visit to Louisiana provides an occasion to flex that laureate muscle.  Obama could meet with the Louisiana Shrimp Task Force to discuss how foreign companies <http://lagop.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=81f80dfae08a15f3629eabdeb&id=9b7821dceb&e=e293a5ac38>  are engaging in potentially unfair trade practices to manipulate the U.S. shrimp market.  Surely, as a Nobel Prize winner, Obama can bring all sides to the table and end the shrimping wars peacefully.

That's it for today - stay tuned tomorrow for questions Louisianian's want answered at President Obama's town hall meeting.

Must Reads:

Times-Picayune: Obama has failed to match Bush's multiple visits <http://lagop.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=81f80dfae08a15f3629eabdeb&id=9273e35387&e=e293a5ac38> 

Times-Picayune: President Barack Obama's visit to New Orleans should be more than 'a town hall,' senators say <http://lagop.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=81f80dfae08a15f3629eabdeb&id=a2e7468e15&e=e293a5ac38> 

WWL: News conference to urge President Obama to extend visit <http://lagop.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=81f80dfae08a15f3629eabdeb&id=5dcfc89bc1&e=e293a5ac38> 


Aaron Baer, Communications Director
Republican Party of Louisiana