Louisiana Democrats Pounce on Vitter's House Deed

New Orleans, LA, Times-Picayune ^ | 10-22-04 | Walsh, Bill

[Theodore R.]

Demos pounce on Vitter's house deed Front-runner calls wording abhorrent Friday, October 22, 2004

By Bill Walsh Staff writer

U.S. Senate race front-runner David Vitter is under attack from Democrats for buying a house in Old Metairie in 1996 with a deed that specified it could only be sold "to people of the white race," a decades-old provision Vitter said he didn't know about.

Vitter said he never saw the exclusion. He condemned the use of such covenants, once relatively common on residential properties in the New Orleans area, and said they would be illegal anyway.

"As we speak, I don't know if it's in there," Vitter said. "It's completely abhorrent and has been struck down as unenforceable for decades."

The provision, dating to the 1940s, was removed four years later when Vitter and his wife, Wendy, sold the Metairie Road house.

The provision was made public in an Internet political newsletter and credited to Democratic operatives working to defeat Vitter in the U.S. Senate race. The Republican congressman leads three Democratic opponents heading into the Nov. 2 primary election.

Democrats, who have stepped up on attacks on Vitter as he has moved above 40 percent in recent polls, said the restrictive covenant is further proof that Vitter is out of touch with African-Americans. Democratic officials assailed him recently for missing two candidate debates sponsored by black civil rights groups.

[Theodore R.]

This is a no-issue matter designed by Democrats to boost minority turnout on Nov. 2 and Dec. 4 against the Vitter candidacy.

[anniegetyourgun]

This guy has worked so hard through the years to keep taxpayers from having to see their money go to abortions and abortion providers. No wonder the lib/dems hate him. Abortion is, after all, the altar at which they worship.

[Stashiu]

Talk about hypocrisy. The party of trial lawyers knows that those old covenants exist on millions of properties AND are rendered irrelevant because of ensuing Federal Law.

[processing please hold]

You're right, it is a non-issue.

The dims think we are stupid to fall for dirty tricks this far into the game.

[Minute Swat]

Must have been David Duke Real Estate agency.

[lnbchip]

Must have been David Duke Real Estate agency.

Actually, the Old South laws of discrimination in Louisiana were founded deep in this State's Democratic tradition. The Democrates in Louisiana created and ran the segregation train in Louisiana. David Duke is a symbol - the Democratic Party in Louisiana was the root cause.

[lepton]

and has been struck down as unenforceable for decades."

This is true, which makes the charge pure demogoguery.

[steve in DC]

BINGO!