Despite the fact that most everyone in the media was anointing Mitch Landrieu as the next mayor of New Orleans, Ray Nagin is now the projected winner of today’s election.
We’ll now proceed to have people who got it dead wrong tell us what happened like they understood it all along.
In the mean time if you’d like to understand what really happened, read my post from April, Misunderstanding the New Orleans Vote – And Why Whites Will Re-Elect Ray Nagin.
To give just one example, there is a bellwether precinct in Lakeview which is about 98% white. In 2002 Nagin got 96% of the vote in the district. In the 2006 primary he got only 4% — but in the run-off he got over 20% of the vote in that precinct. The same whites who voted for someone else in the primary disliked Mitch more than they disliked Nagin.
Nagin -again- owes his term to the whites in New Orleans. He got over 20% of the white vote and Mitch failed to get more than 20% of the black vote.
Nagin started his first term very well. Here’s hoping he can do the same in the second.
Update before I finish typing As I type, Mitch is conceding.
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Clearly God does intends for NO to be rebuilt as a Chocolate city.
Tob
Interesting outcome to say least.
I suppose the people disliked Mitch–much more than ‘schoolbus Nagin’–even considering Nagin’s negligence led to the death of 1000’s of people.
In all honesty, I don’t understand why Nagin isn’t locked up somewhere charged with negligent homicide. But, then the prosecutor in NO is black too.
Instead, Nagin is re-elected.
It is true…people get the government they deserve.
GERALD if you want to blame someone for over 1500 deaths, blame the people who caused it. The Army Corps of Engineers.
Nagin got elected again? Man, New Orleans just can’t catch a damn break, can it?
Congrats to the Mayor on his re-election.
As a New Orleanian, I echo Paul’s hopes that Nagin does well in his second term.
To be fair, he can’t really do worse in his second term.
Just goes to show the intelligence level of MOST New Orleans voters. Apparently racist, stupid, and Brain Dead:(
It’s not really surprising that he won. He was running against the brother of the idiot governor. What’s really surprising is that both idiots managed to finish in the top two in the primary.
Sounds like you needed some better candidates down there.
What will Nagin do about the housing projects, anyway?
There’s so many idiots in LA politics, I got the governor and Senator mixed up. He’s the brother of the idiot Senator. *g*
I wonder if Bobby Jindal is really that smart or if it’s just that he’s the only LA politician with all his brain lobes working. It’s easy to be a super genious when your surrounded by the dain bramaged.
As usual , democrats don’t vote democrat on merit. Kill us some more Mr. Candyman kill us alot. Looks like Katrina didn’t take enough idiots with her. What shit for brains people to re-elect the killer of their pa and grandma who was tired of hearing helicopters and wanted to hear some Jazz.
There is no better example than this that the democrats should never be allowed anywhere near a Majority or in the Presidency ever again. The dumbing down of America must stop.
Hmmmm.
Paul I realise that you want to give Nagin a pass on this stuff. And yes the Army Corps of Engineers did screw up pretty massively. But the Army Corps of Engineers didn’t call for a voluntary evacuation. And then a mandatory evacuation, but without any available transport. Nor did they leave the various school and transit buses in areas vulnerable to flooding. Nor did they cause the city’s administration to lose the keys to the buses. Nor did they fail to take charge of the emergency.
These are all the things Ray Nagin has done, or rather failed at.
Considering that it’s going to be hurricane season soon I can’t see why you’re pleased. If another Katrina hits NO, but dead on this time rather than a glancing blow. Then you might have a reprise of the conditions from last year. Considering how badly Nagin mucked things up. Do you really want him in charge for this season?
And if you do and Nagin mucks things up again. Then what? Will you get offended if people are derisive about living there?
New Orleans, permanently stuck on stupid.
For those who are “outsiders”, who are judging on the face of things, you really should go back and read Paul’s earlier post on this Mayoral race. Suffice it to say, it’s rather complicated. The LAST thing you should be worried about, I believe, is party affiliation. The candidates’s political alliances and networks are much more salient issues, for good or for ill.
IMHO, if you vote by party affiliation only, or you don’t bother to understand what groups your favored candidate is connected to, then you really DO deserve the government you get.
Let the pandering continue…
I have to admit that this election had me torn. I desperately wanted to see a change, but it was extremely hard to tolerate another Landrieu as the mayor of New Orleans. I wish that Ron Forman would have made it to a runoff instead of Landrieu.
One local talk radio host was actually advocating that people not vote for mayor – I didn’t actually understand the reasoning behind it other than he didn’t like either candidate and assumed many others felt the way that he did.
I agree that Nagin started off his term on the right foot (no pun intended). I also supported him immediately after the storm. He seemed to have some good ideas to jump start New Orleans’ recovery; however, as time went on, it became apparent that he was a lot of talk and no action.
It will be interesting to see how this all plays out locally and nationally.
P.S. I am glad to see Jackie Clarkson got defeated.
Nagin got re-elected because of his new evacuation plan, which included the use of school buses.
Wait a minute….wasn’t that the old evacuation plan?
>Paul I realise that you want to give Nagin a pass on this stuff.
Ed, (to put it bluntly) What THE FUCK are you talking about? Have you read this blog?
IF you think I’m a Nagin supporter you are beyond ignorant and up to stupid.
But even Nagin’s failures are statistically insignifigant compared to the Corps of engineers. — You know the FDNY accidently sent some guys the wrong way on 9/11 and it probably cost another 100-200 lives. Why not blame them for the whole day?
You have no concept of reality.
——-
>Considering that it’s going to be hurricane season soon I can’t see why you’re pleased.
I’m not. He is however the least bad of the two. Short of a 3 month window he was a very good major who would have SAILED to reelection. I think his performance in those 3 months was so poor he should not be reelected. — BUT compared to Mitch I would have held my nose, (and taken a double dose of Phenergan) and voted for the asshole.
Ed, do me a favor. Get your head out your ass, learn a bit and get back to me. — Na, skip the getting back to me part.
From Forbes, quoting Nagin’s post-election speech:
“This is a great day for the city of New Orleans. This election is over, and it’s time for this community to start the healing process,” Nagin said Saturday in a joyful victory speech.
From New Orleans Times Picayune, quoting later in the same speech:
In his trademark style, Nagin left his script and spoke off the cuff, telling those who voted for Landrieu: “To some of the folks who went on the other side, you went to the red-light district. I forgive you.”
Nice healing, Noggin. Trust? Not so much.
Why does He need a script in the first place? He forgives them? how arrogant can a guy get!!
>Sounds like you needed some better candidates down there.
Yes and no. In a way, Katrina worked against change. We had so many people on the ballot none of the reformers got momentum. — NOW if you added all the reformers votes from the primary together, they still would not have made the runoff BUT if one of them had taken the lead early, the dynamics might have been CONSIDERABLY different.
We had a few great candidates but with 23 people on the ballot, they got lost in the crowd.
>What will Nagin do about the housing projects, anyway?
That is the 100 Billion dollar question. (literally) We don’t kow who Ray Nagin is. For the first 3/4 of his first term, the blacks hated him because he was so pro-business and unresponsive to their demands.
***Before Katrina if Nagin gave his Chocolate City speech we would have thought someone kidnapped him and replaced him with a space alien.*** It just was not like him.
Fastforward to Katina.
Who is the real Ray Nagin today?
Was he a brilliant (pragmatic) businessman who conned the black people into thinking he was a brother long enough to get their votes then he will lead as a CEO again?
Did the “business” Ray Nagin die and get replaced by “Soul Brother” Ray Nagin?
If Monday he fired every white in the city goverment and started wearing an afro wig until his grew out, I’d belive it.
If Monday he announced a bold new plan that bebuilt the city but leveled the lower 9th I’d belive that too.
–So big was the change in the mayor after Katrina that some started specualting he was on cocaine.– I normally don’t write on rumors but that was how odd his behavior struck people. Many were convinced it had to be drugs talking.
So to answer your question, “What will Nagin do about the housing projects?” I have no freaking clue.
drjohn that was funny
Paul:
The Army Corps of Engineers has to work within the budget given it by congress. If you must blame someone other than the idiot govenor and mayor, try the politicians in Washington. By the way, why is it everybody elses responsibility to put money into that cesspool of a city.
Paul’s comment: “… BUT compared to Mitch I would have held my nose, (and taken a double dose of Phenergan) and voted for the asshole.”
Wow. Landrieu must be some piece of work for Noggin to be considered the lesser evil. With – what, 1500? — N’Awlins residents having taken the Mary Jo Kopechne Memorial Water Taxi, Senator Beyotch’s bro must be a real zero. Paul, is he really that much of a tool?
>The Army Corps of Engineers has to work within the budget given it by congress. If you must blame someone other than the idiot govenor and mayor, try the politicians in Washington.
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE buy yourself a clue. The Corps basically set their own budget THEN blew it by a factor of 10 THEN flodded the city and killed 1000+ poeple.
Spend about 2 hours reading our Katrina archives and perhaps you’ll understand just how incrediblly stupid that comment was.
Mike O’Neill please read my previous post linked above.
I am confused, how did the Army Corps of Engineers stop people from evacuating a below sea level city with an approaching storm that the weather service said could top the levies? Wasn’t the storm a CAT 5 when approaching shore? Hell, even we evacuated during Wilma, and we aren’t below sea level.
Maybe they screwed up building the levies, but this is beyond the pale. Anyone with a brain would have left, those that couldn’t should have rode the bus — except for …
Paul:
They had help.
Paul, you advised: “Mike O’Neill please read my previous post linked above.”
Um-kay. Done. Now, I presume your essential point is:
“So what do you think the FIRST thing Mitch is going to do if elected? Rebuild the housing projects! — Of course he’ll do it under the guise of trying to help them or trying to bring the city back. Blah. Blah. Blah. The REALITY is that the Landrieus’ need mass quantities of blacks living in squalor or they get voted out of office.”
Ah. Racial bloc pandering, bring-out-your-dead voting fraud. Got it. Huey-style corruption. Check.That crap never happens in Chicago, Bed-Sty or South Central, so I’m shocked, shocked I tell you, to find it in N’Awlins. Who knew?
Paul, I guess I was hoping for something more — how to put this – substantial. By that I mean more substantial than, say, “moron”, “get your head out of your ass” and similar instructions to commenters.
I just wonder which is the more contemptible: A) corrupt political hack with a family comprised of like-minded carnivores, or B) race-baiting scumbag whose singular accomplishment involves the negligent homicide of 1500 fellow citizens due to the withholding of available bus transport. Hard to see why column B (Nagin) is the lesser evil. Hey, call me crazy.
Hmmmm.
Of course I have. You’ve seen my name on here plenty of times. So stop playing asshat.
Did I fucking call you a Nagin supporter? No I fucking well did not. What I did say was that you gave Nagin a pass on this. Sure the Army Corps of Engineers fucked up. But what Nagin did and did not do made everything worse.
That was my fucking point and your jumping down my fucking throat for making that point just shows what a fucking humorless asshole you’ve become.
Insignificant or not, they were there and palpalable.
And yet for another fucking time I am not saying that Nagin was solely fucking responsible you humorless asshat.
Because they weren’t the fucking mayor of fucking New Orleans.
Or isn’t that fucking obvious enough you humorless asshole.
And you have no concept of how to actually discuss things with people in a reasonable and human manner.
Frankly you’ve become an absolute shithead lately. Nobody can disagree with you without your coming down on them for the slightest reasons. If you’re incapable of having a reasonable discussion, then perhaps you should rethink your fucking participation in a fucking blog.
This shit you keep doing is really fucking getting old. I don’t give a good goddamn what kind of crap you’re dealing with and whether or not that’s making you crabby.
I DON’T GIVE A FUCK.
Understand? Because if you can’t deal with life’s problems in New Orleans, then fucking move. Everybody’s life sucks ass. I have to endure kidney dialysis three times a fucking week and puke my guts out every fucking morning. Every day I face the prospect of ending up in hospital from some infection. Every day that passes I face the possibility of having my fucking limbs amputated because of loss of blood circulation. And last fucking Friday I lost three pints of blood because the damn machine clotted up.
But when I come here I try to be as pleasant as possible. Right up until someone tries to jack my ass like you’ve done. And when that happens, then the fucking gloves come right the fuck off.
Now THAT’S a fucking reasonable response.
And one that I would’ve accepted without comment. Why couldn’t you just have written that?
And I suggest you take a hiatus in blogging because frankly, you’re dragging this blog down the shitter.
Personally I’m tired of your shit and will simply ignore any future posts by you. You want to act like a shithead, that’s your problem.
To Gerald! When you posted “school bus” Nagin I knew right then you are one of Limbaughs dittiots!You just keep spewing the addicts one liners and the rest of America will continue to pas you by!
Not suprising that Mayor Nagin got back in again in the Big Easy. I hope Mayor Nagin has learned enough from his mistakes and does the right thing by truly leading as mayor of New Orleans.
>Now THAT’S a fucking reasonable response.
>And one that I would’ve accepted without comment. Why couldn’t you just have written that?
Ed I did give him a resonable response becasue he gave me a reasonable response.
You answered like a dumbass so you were treated as such.
You fit the patterern of many other commenters…
Say something completely stupid then when I call you on it, whine that I’m grumby.
Yes, I’m grumpy. Not because the feds destroyed my cty. But becasue I distane jackasses like you who don’t know shit pontificating like you do.
If you say something intelligent then I’ll reply in kind.
So far you’re in no danger of that happening.
Carrick there is a fatal flaw in that theory.
The corps couldn’t design a concrete wall that would hold up its own weight. (literally, search the archives)
Do you really think they could have figured out massive floodgates that would withstand a hurricane?
>Hard to see why column B (Nagin) is the lesser evil. Hey, call me crazy.
You’re not crazy, you’re ignorant. If you don’t understand it you don’t understand it.
I explained it to you but I can’t understand it for you.
Is this Naginomics? or Naginitis fever spreading across the Big Sleazy?
I see Paul’s point. I’m from Chicago and I see Landrieu as a cog in the Democratic machine down there. Replacing Nagin with Machine politics would simply sweep New Orleans problems under the rug. Nothing would get done. Nagin’s glaring ineptitude will shine a light on the real problem with Louisiana. Not Nagin, not the Army CoE but the machine.
Hmmmm.
There was not a damn thing in my response that was unreasonable.
Frankly you’re just an asshole that I’m going to ignore. If anybody else wants to deal with your shit, then good for them. For all I care:
Fuck you and the horse you rode in on.
ed-1, paul-0.
I’ve got two words on why Landrieu was not elected IMHO: Morial(1 and 2) and Barthelemy. They were the ones that helped entrench the corruption and incompetence that was so fully on display post Katrina. I can only be thankful that both Landrieus won’t have an opportunity to get their fingers on the reconstruction monies that are headed here at some point. It would have been just another excuse to go on a vote buying spree for ol Mary. I wonder how she’ll do with the DEAD voters this round?
Paul, I indicated that many of us view Noggin as less than admirable (“Hard to see why Nagin is the lesser evil. Hey, call me crazy.”) Now, that’s hardly a personal attack. And your response? “You’re not crazy, you’re ignorant. If you don’t understand it you don’t understand it. I explained it you but I can’t understand it for you.”
Paul. Dah-ling. Deep breath. Good air in. Bad air out. Repeat.
Understand this: the only explanation necessary is why you’re so self-involved, how you decided upon the size of the stick to shove up your ass, and exactly when you discontinued your meds.
Your point seems to be that the feds destroyed your city. WE GET IT, NUMBNUTS !! Army Corps of Engineers bad, Paul sad. Move on, for the love of God.
Stop responding like a petulant child who’s lost a favorite rattle.
The point many were trying to make — sans profanity, insults, or the literary equivalent of holding our breath and stomping our feet — is that NAGIN’S ACTIONS DESTROYED LIVES. If the Corp placed your city in danger, Nagin exacerbated that danger. That was it.
My curiosity about New Orleans, its political dynamic, voting patterns, etc. was simply that — curiosity. From your responses, I’ve gained valuable new insight into the psyche of Big Easy residents, and developed a sure-fire plan for it’s economic recovery. The plan goes like this:
Step 1: Fuck Off and Die. The End.
I re-read my latest response to Paul, and realize that an apology is in order. To all the commenters here, I regret my intemperate remarks. Its the same old story: when insulted, we eventually respond in kind. We claim that we want principled debate, then fail to live up to our principles. Our excuse: he did it first, waaaaaaah.
Well, duh. But so what?
Just so we’re clear, this isn’t a Dan Rather/Dixie Chicks type apology. You know the one: Sorry we ‘got ahead of the story’ / ‘if you took offense that’s regrettable’, yadda yadda yadda. Negative. I wish this viewed as a sincere apology, not another-subtle-attack-veiled-as-empathy head fake.
To commenters: I apologize. Paul has a right to his view. He’s posts, we comment. Dialog, baby.
To Paul: I apologize. You have a right to your view. You posted, we comment. Dialog, baby.
IS THERE SOME KINDA CONTEST HERE FOR WHO CAN SAY THE ‘F’ WORD THE MOST TIMES?
A win win situation. Dig a moat the length of the Mexican border, take
the dirt and raise the levies in New Orleans, and then put the Florida
alligators into the border moat! Any other problems you would like for
me to solve?