Posted on 02/03/2008 8:32:21 PM PST by BerniesFriend
Blanco asked to battle Vitter
By PATRICK COURREGES Advocate Acadiana bureau Published: Feb 2, 2008
LAFAYETTE — Former Gov. Kathleen Blanco said this week, among the many things on her post-governorship schedule, she’s been fielding phone calls from people asking her about a 2010 run for the U.S. Senate seat held by U.S. Sen. David Vitter, R-La.
Blanco, a Democrat, chose not to run for a second term for governor in 2007 and turned over the reins of state government to Republican Gov. Bobby Jindal in January.
She said that she’s been enjoying herself in the weeks since Jindal took over and, between speaking engagements, has been taking calls from people interested in recruiting her as a candidate for such things as the U.S. House District 7 race coming up this fall.
U.S. Rep. Charles Boustany Jr., R-Lafayette, holds that seat and has announced his intent to run for re-election.
“The other race people call me about getting in is Senate against Vitter, because he’s embarrassed the state,” Blanco said.
Vitter made national news in the summer when he acknowledged using a Washington, D.C., escort service linked to prostitution.
He was not charged with any crimes linked to use of the service and said he had asked for and received forgiveness from his wife and God for his “sin.”
Vitter and Blanco also traded barbs during the winter when he wrote letters critical of her handling of hurricane recovery, her plans for spending recovery money in the state’s charity hospital system and his view that she had not been accessible when he sought to work with her.
Vitter did not personally respond to Blanco’s “embarrassed the state” comment, but Vitter spokesman Joel DiGrado released a statement Friday.
“Sen. Vitter’s focus continues to be on securing our borders, reforming health care, improving education and continuing our hurricane recovery work — something the former governor said she wanted to focus on when she announced she wouldn’t run for reelection. It’s a shame she’s playing politics again,” DiGrado wrote.
Blanco said that she is far from making any kind of decision on a future political run, and that a potential challenge to Vitter would be a couple of years in the future in any case.
University of Louisiana at Lafayette political science professor Pearson Cross said that Blanco would likely have difficulty in a such a race against Vitter.
He said that, while both Blanco and Vitter have suffered through public relations disasters, the intensity, duration and level of scrutiny of Blanco following 2005’s hurricanes Katrina and Rita would make for high hurdles for her to overcome in a statewide political race.
“As time goes by, I think Sen. Vitter’s past sins would be likely to be forgiven,” Cross said.
He said that Vitter’s public image problems were not directly related to his duties as a U.S. senator, while the criticisms of Blanco have everything to do with her handling of the job of governor as the state reacted to and recovered from the hurricanes.
“I think that’s a crucial distinction,” Cross said.
Quite true. He’s making a lot of $$ now out of office. I don’t think he’d want to take the pay cut.
He did. Vitter acknowledged that his own behavior was sinful.
Any mention of sin embarrasses the Senate.
Oh please! Let her run!
The US Senate is beyond embarrassing.
But I do agree with your tagline.
I heard Blanco is Creole for “failure”.
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