Speaking of Down Ticket …or is that a Downer Ticket?

So you think the candidates at the top of the ticket look like Hobson’s choice?  Let me show you what’s going on with the 2nd District of Louisiana Congressional District.  That district would be $Bill Jefferson’s district and the folks trying to unseat him.  I’m supposed to vote some time before 7 p.m today in the run-off. As usual, I watch the debates to try to look for clues.  I remain clueless.  But here’s some of the highlights so you can feel better about where EVER it is that you live.

Of course, you remember cold cash Jefferson.  He’s the congressman found with all that money stashed in the refrigerator in his Georgetown house. He’s currently trying to get the case thrown out because the FBI was interfering with his Congressional duties so his indictment, he argues, is unconstitutional. (For more of his escapades you can read the Gambit link below. He and family members are quite entangled with the law at the moment.)  He’s rated below all the freshmen congressman in terms of efficacy and finally, New Orleans appears ready for a change.  Here’s the alternatives to Dollar Bill.

RUSTY COSTANZA / THE TIMES-PICAYUNE

The group of contenders: Kenya Smith, front left to right, Helena Moreno, andJames Carter, Cedric Richmond, back left to right, Troy Carter, and Byron Lee listen to moderator Norman Robinson during a debate at the WDSU studios for the candidates in the race for the 2nd Congressional District on Friday.

Let me just mention first, that Cedric Richmond was once a protege of $Bill Jefferson and is currently the state rep from the northeastern side of New Orleans.  He endorsed Jefferson last time but is challenging him this time.  He has quite a following in New Orleans East and is fairly well thought of in the legislature.  Here’s some of the interesting back ground on him, however.

Step taken to suspend Richmond’s law license
Posted by The Times-Picayune October 23, 2007 4:54PM
By Gwen Filosa
Staff writer

A committee of the Louisiana Attorney Disciplinary Board has recommended a one-year suspension of State Rep. Cedric Richmond’s law license as punishment for falsely claiming in 2005 that he lived in New Orleans’ District D in a failed attempt to run for the City Council.
The committee concluded that Richmond filed a sworn statement reflecting his home address in the 2005 council race “which most fitted his need at the time but which was not accurate.”

Helena Moreno quit her job as a news anchor recently to run for this position.  She doesn’t need to fund raise since her family is quite wealthy and underwriting her campaign.  Here’s a kicker.  She’s Hispanic and is best known for being “that little white girl in the race”.  Richmond and Moreno got into at the debate.  She took a swipe at him for the action under consideration by the state supreme court mentioned above.  His retort later?

“Would everyone up here, Miss Moreno specifically, would you be willing to submit to a random drug test?” Richmond asked, noting that many job applicants face such screening

…

The nasty confrontation ended with Moreno, stung by what she called Richmond’s outrageous “suggestion” that she uses drugs, marching out of WDSU-TV’s downtown New Orleans’ studios and into a nearby clinic, where she voluntarily submitted to a drug test.

She quickly delivered the results — a clean reading — to The Times-Picayune.

Evidently, rumor had it that Ms. Moreno enjoys cocaine.  I wouldn’t know but she vehemently agreed to take any test given. I don’t even pretend to run with the beautiful people down here so this was news to me.  However, a local political talking head calls Morena Jefferson’s dream candidate … basically because she is Hispanic which puts voting by racial identity into play.  

I did see the exchange on WDSU as well as read comments later.  It didn’t put Richmond in the best light as far as I was concerned.  I will admit that I was leaning towards him before that or Morena simply because I like supporting women candidates.  The two of them appear very close to Jefferson in the polls and one or two of them may make it through tonight. 

 James Carter is my city councilman and just got the position two years ago.  He seems to be attracting some of the endorsements Moreno hasn’t received basically because he’s really done nothing that any one can take a swing at.  In other words, he has little accomplishments under his belt and has done little to offend any one as a result.  He basically goes along and gets along. Did I mention James failed out of Southern University Law School and had to take the bar six times before passing it?

 Next up is Bryon James who is the cousin of my state senator, Derrick Shephard. Shepard just got arrested for some domestic squabbling and is now living in his mother’s house under house arrest due to the fact he is also under indictment for money laundering and getting into fist fights with your girl friend violates your parole terms.  He supposedly money laundered for a client that was sent to him by none other than $Bill  Jefferson in what seemed to be a pay-off for supporting Jefferson’s run against State Senator Karen Carter (no relation to James or Troy) in 2006.  Shephard also ran against Jefferson and Carter and was peeved he didn’t make the run-off.  Bryon’s a city councilman from Jefferson Parish and considered a “political ally” of Shepard.  Whatever that means.