Rep. William Jefferson (D-LA) easily won reelection
By on Dec 10th, 2006 at 12:20 pm
Rep. William Jefferson (D-LA) easily won reelection
in yesterday’s run-off against a fellow Democrat, “despite an ongoing federal bribery investigation,” the AP reports. “In complete but unofficial returns, Jefferson, Louisiana’s first black congressman since Reconstruction, received 57 percent of the vote over state Rep. Karen Carter, who had 43 percent.”
View Most Popular
Advertisement
What We're About
What We're Fighting For
What We're Fighting Against
Featured
Subscribe to the Progress Report
Topic CloudView topics sorted by popularity
Afghanistan
Bachmann
Beck
Boehner
Bush
Cheney
Civil Rights
Congress
Corporate Ethics
Dobbs
Economy
Election
Energy
Environment
Ethics
Fox News
Gingrich
Global Warming
Hannity
Health Care
Immigration
International Relations
Iraq
Justice
Kristol
LGBT
Lieberman
Limbaugh
Maddow
McCain
Media
Military
Obama
Palin
Pelosi
Public Plan
Race
Radical Right
Religion
Sports
Steele
Stimulus
Tea Parties
Technology
Women's Rights
Visit Our Affiliated Sites
Reports
In-depth studies on select topics
Got a hot tip?
Have a hot news tip? We'd love to hear from you. Use the form below to send us the latest.
ArchivesBlog Roll
I guess some people in Louisiana do not care about corruption. Boggles the mind really
I don’t care if a person is Repug or democrat, if they are corrupt they should be booted out.
December 10th, 2006 at 12:27 pmShameful. The citizens deserve punishment.
December 10th, 2006 at 12:27 pmDumbest. State. Ever.
December 10th, 2006 at 12:33 pmThey re-elected Nagin, so this doesn’t come as a surprise.
The South is slow to make changes – even when they are in their own best interest to make them.
December 10th, 2006 at 12:33 pmLouisiana is the state where Edwin Edwards was governor three times. That guy was pure corruption, and the people knew it.
Louisiana politics is at best colorful…
December 10th, 2006 at 12:34 pmDumbest. State. Ever.
Comment by Jules — December 10, 2006 @ 12:33 pm
Georgia might be a close second… We didn’t boot out any Republicans, just added more – despite the corruption.
I’m going to go to Seattle this summer to look around. If I could find a job there… :)
December 10th, 2006 at 12:39 pmSometimes there is just no explanation. Jefferson has not been charged, much less found guilty of a crime, but circumstantial evidence is pretty incriminating.
December 10th, 2006 at 12:44 pmI live here in depression. Ug. It’s like Nagin all over again.
This vote is cast on race alone for the black voter. Unfortunate but true. I have heard the talk around here, “the white people just want to put their own people in office”. Never mind the fact that Carter is black. Never mind the fact that Dollar Bill never told us where the $90,000 came from. From the black perspective, Jefferson was just robbing from the rich and giving to the poor. Except for the fact that Jefferson is the rich. There’s a rampant mistrust of white people governing here — the black population will vote against their own best interest. It’s tiring.
But then I have this feeling that every white Republican in New Orleans cast their vote for Jefferson. They knew a Democrat was going to win — no matter what — and they put the Democrat back in power that they knew would be most damaging to the Democratic party.
December 10th, 2006 at 12:46 pmI’m going to go to Seattle this summer to look around. If I could find a job there… :)
Comment by unbelievable — December 10, 2006 @ 12:39 pm
My daughter is graduating in May 2007 and we want to move to Portland OR. Hopefully the economy will have improved where we will not have to sell our house for less than it is worth. We just have to get out of Texas. Texas is definetly in the top 5 for dumbest states ever!!!
December 10th, 2006 at 12:54 pmWhat the hell is wrong with Louisiana voters?
I guess the race factor does weigh a lot, after all. In some Orwellian way, even a black woman can be portrayed as being “white”; as if the skin color really made a difference. Although I guess that after decades of discrimination, I would probably react in the same way.
On the other hand, why has this man not been indicted yet? What are the feds waiting for?
December 10th, 2006 at 12:54 pmAnother Red State shows it’s ignorance in their voting habits. First they re-elect Nagin, who bares as much responsibility as any gvt official for the debacle of terrible planning for the arrival of Katrina and now they put this crook back into office. Absolutely mindboggling.
December 10th, 2006 at 12:56 pmTexas is definetly in the top 5 for dumbest states ever!!!
Comment by Jules — December 10, 2006 @ 12:54 pm
Portland, eh? Not that far from Seattle. Perhaps we’ll one day be able to have that veggie burger lunch : )
This semester has flown! I imagine May 2007 will be here faster than you know it…
December 10th, 2006 at 1:00 pmAlthough I guess that after decades of discrimination, I would probably react in the same way.
Comment by Gregor Samsa — December 10, 2006 @ 12:54 pm
Psychologically, humans are not born with these types of instincts, but acquire them through experiences. Logic would suggest that you’re right. Sad what some people will do to others simply because of a skin color they did not choose, a gender they did not choose, a birthplace they did not choose, and so on.
December 10th, 2006 at 1:04 pmPLEASE HELP… i just received this email from my neighbor…
how do i answer this (and remain neighborly)?
Can Muslims be Good Americans? Can a devout Muslim be an American patriot and a loyal citizen? CONSIDER THIS:
Theologically, no. Because his allegiance is to Allah, the moon god
of Arabia.
Scripturally, no. Because his allegiance is to the five pillars of
Islam and the Quran (Koran).
Geographically, no. Because his allegiance is to Mecca, to which he
turns in prayer five times a day.
Socially, no. Because allegiance to Islam forbids him to make
friends with Christians or Jews.
Politically, no. Because he must submit to the mullah (spiritual
leaders), who teach annihilation of Israel and destruction of
America, the great Satan.
Domestically, no. Because he is instructed to marry four women and
beat and scourge his wife when she disobeys him (Quran 4:34).
Religiously, no. Because no other religion is accepted by his Allah
except Islam(Quran, 2:256).
Intellectually, no. Because he cannot accept the American Constitution since it is based on Biblical principles and he believes the Bible to be corrupt.
Philosophically, no. Because Islam, Muhammad, and the Quran do not
allow freedom of religion and expression. Democracy and Islam cannot co-exist. Every Muslim government is either dictatorial or autocratic.
Spiritually, no. Because when we declare “one nation under God,”
the Christian’s God is Loving and Kind, while Allah is NEVER referred to
as our heavenly father, nor is he ever called love in the Quran’s 99
names.
Therefore after much study and deliberation….perhaps we should be
very suspicious of ALL MUSLIMS in this country. They obviously cannot be both good Muslims and good Americans. Call it what you wish…it’s still the truth. If you find yourself intellectually in agreement with the
above, perhaps you will share this with your friends. The more who
understand this, the better it will be for our country.
Pass it on. The war is bigger than we know.
December 10th, 2006 at 1:09 pmUnbe – imagine living in a place where individuals with like minds are in the majority. I had that once and am dreaming of that again. People tell me I will miss my daughter too much to be able to leave. Hey, isn’t that what airplanes are built for?
Veggie burger? Pehaps you can teach me the vegan ways!!!
December 10th, 2006 at 1:11 pmtakes away the corruption on the Republican side ‘only’ issue….which is a shame and the citizens of LA are not well served by Jefferson getting re-elected.
December 10th, 2006 at 1:15 pmEvery Repundit will point to this and deter the newsmedia from not focusing on the GOP’s woeful congressional record this week……
Pass it on. The war is bigger than we know.
Comment by katy — December 10, 2006 @ 1:09 pm
If I wanted to respond, I’d reply that several of the reasons could be easily used against Catholics -they owe allegiance to the Pope and the Vatican. I would also point out that not all Muslim countries are autocratic: Turkey is a democracy, and so are Algeria, Indonesia, and Bangladesh.
For a shorter answer, I would simply reply that singling out a religious group in simply un-American. Pres Bush himself has said so.
December 10th, 2006 at 1:22 pmHard to believe people keep voting against their own self intrests, but they do…..30 some year’s ago there was a crooked comissioner that kept winning in our area….He never campaigned and was in the paper often for going against the other officers and county..He had charges brought against him several times. Finelly a reporter asked him the big question, how come he kept getting elected.?..His answer was, the public never remembers the good and the bad only the name and when they vote they remember reading something about that name….After that last front page article he never got reelected…Finelly the public remembered….
Several post’s didn’t make it yesterday….Belated Happy Birthday Unbelievable…..Hope you are able to make the move to Seattle…Blessings
December 10th, 2006 at 1:25 pmimagine living in a place where individuals with like minds are in the majority.
That’s what made it so hard to go from San Francisco where no one cared that I was a vegan Atheist liberal to suburban Georgia where people actually hate Charles Darwin… I have to say, that and the ocean are what I miss the most. :)
I had that once and am dreaming of that again. People tell me I will miss my daughter too much to be able to leave. Hey, isn’t that what airplanes are built for?
Has she definitely decided that she’s going to college in Texas?
That’s also what transfers are for : )
Veggie burger? Pehaps you can teach me the vegan ways!!!
Comment by Jules — December 10, 2006 @ 1:11 pm
Old joke… I have a great memory for things that will never make me rich :)
Hard to do anything meat-less in Texas… Isn’t it a law that you must eat dead cow there? :)
December 10th, 2006 at 1:28 pmIf you don’t think all politics and all politicians are corrupt or engage in some unethical behavior to further their (and their constituents) interests, then you really shouldn’t be discussing politics at all. Next stop, the Disney message boards.
December 10th, 2006 at 1:34 pmSeveral post’s didn’t make it yesterday….Belated Happy Birthday Unbelievable…..Hope you are able to make the move to Seattle…Blessings
Comment by Sharon Cox — December 10, 2006 @ 1:25 pm
Why thank you. You’re so sweet.
Me too. I’m going to start plotting my escape from the South… I just have to figure out how to do it. Maybe another year… I’ll keep you posted.
It’s funny, a few of my students have been saying “I cannot wait to leave this place!” I’ve been responding with “Yeah, me too!”
December 10th, 2006 at 1:36 pmHard to do anything meat-less in Texas… Isn’t it a law that you must eat dead cow there? :)
Comment by unbelievable — December 10, 2006 @ 1:28 pm
Not eating red-meat in Texas is worse than treason. I do believe this is why we put more people to death than any other state. Well that may not be true, but we do kill them pretty fast, and often!!
T wants to go to Texas Tech because they have a good medical program. she has wanted to be a doctor forever. Even though it is very conservative in Lubbock, TX, she has never been one to keep her opinions to herself, so she will be OK no matter where she goes to school. She wants to leave Texas immediately following college. She said she would never live here again. In her words, “The people are too narrow minded here.”
December 10th, 2006 at 1:38 pmIn her words, “The people are too narrow minded here.â€
Comment by Jules — December 10, 2006 @ 1:38 pm
The nut doesn’t fall far from the tree… apparently, in your case, neither does the flower : ) Smart kid.
Speaking of the legal system in Texas… I just saw some statistic on how we imprision more people than any other country in the world – 737 per 100,000. Whereas most Industrial Nations only send 100 per 100,000 to jail. I wonder what the imprisionment rates are per state… I bet the red states lock up more folks.
December 10th, 2006 at 1:48 pmthank you, gregor… i had an inspiration, after the initial shock and disbelief, and started to write a reply… your last idea was the perfect ending to my message to her:
(neighbor), please… the immigration message was bad enough…
now this… it saddens me to know that you would want to perpetuate such racism and bigotry…
and that is just what those messages were: racist, wrongheaded misinformation…
please, do the world a favor – stop forwarding such hateful and ignorant messages –
and tell those who send them to you that they are wrong for thinking and spreading such things…
it seems a very UN-CHRISTIAN way to think and act…
and a most UN-HELPFUL way to bring about peace and enlightenment in the world…
AND it is, quite simply, very UN-AMERICAN.
PLEASE STOP THE HATE AND IGNORANCE. PLEASE.
you can help now, by forwarding this to all you know…
December 10th, 2006 at 1:48 pmgive my name, i don’t care…
just stop the hating… NOW.
thanks.
http://www.angelfire.com/rnb/y/ratesusa.htm#states Texas #2
December 10th, 2006 at 1:59 pmjules – advice from a mom of a college-age daughter…
she needs you to be there for her… where ever home is…
at least for the first year or so… it’s part of your job, mom…
the best deal would be to move to washington asap and establish residency to apply to state colleges there… but barring that, she could start at community college and transfer… lots of good med programs all over the country – and med school is a LONG process…
my own daughter wanted to do med school but has since changed her plans to nursing and being a nurse practitioner… still a long challenge and process… my son is in grad school in calif. – much tougher on me than him, but also after 4 years on his own…
you didn’t ask me, so i hope you’re not upset that i offer this advice…
December 10th, 2006 at 2:08 pmi’m also aware of your girl’s recent trauma… just thought i’d pipe in…
take it for what it’s worth…
White people need to get over it. He won! You need to worry about your EVIL president who is very corrupt. White people run this country not one black congressmen. I’m sorry, let the courts do their job and Mr. Jefferson so his.
December 10th, 2006 at 2:24 pmWhite people run this country not one black congressmen.
Comment by Dale — December 10, 2006 @ 2:24 pm
The issue here is not skin color but corruption. It needs to be rooted out regardless of the racial background of the person engaging in it.
Are you from Louisiana by any chance?
December 10th, 2006 at 2:43 pm[...] “Rep. William Jefferson (D-LA) easily won reelection.” Marion Berry all over again? [...]
December 10th, 2006 at 2:58 pm#37,
It’s a reference to Franz Kafka’s short novel /Metamorphosis/. Gregor Samsa is the main character and narrator.
Your post is confusing.
December 10th, 2006 at 4:07 pmYour post is confusing.
Comment by Glenn Becker — December 10, 2006 @ 4:07 pm
His comment is ignorant, like most of the rubbish he posts here. Scrap that -I should have said “all the rubbish”.
No need to waist time explaining anything to him, he is clearly a very disturbed person who unfortunately has access to a computer. You should have read his posts for the past few days…. posting under different names, paranoid, xenophobic, homophobic comments; you name it.
December 10th, 2006 at 4:20 pm#22: If you don’t think all politics and all politicians are corrupt or engage in some unethical behavior to further their (and their constituents) interests, then you really shouldn’t be discussing politics at all.
This comment is typical of what I hear from my Republican relatives, and I think it’s a load of hooey. Yes, corruption is a problem in politics, but I think it’s dishonest to claim–without offering any proof–that “all politicians” are corrupt. This sort of logic explains why people continued to support Nixon after Watergate, Reagan after Iran-Contra, and Bush after his numerous scandals. I can think of plenty of politicians I continue to like and trust, since I’ve seen no evidence of corruption or ethical wrongdoing. Those are the people I vote for.
December 10th, 2006 at 4:38 pmUnbelievable, we will have to link up when you come to Seattle, I know a cute little restraunt in the Fremont District that serves mostly Vegan and organic food..Can’t remember the name but know where it is and BTW there are good one’s all over the state that have good food for the meat eaters and vegan’s combined….If we could get Clara, madashell and west coast Mike to join us it would be a blast….The west side of our state is predominately libral, east side conservative….Puget Sound is great, to much to list now..Bring a camera you will be glad you did….
Responding to the poster that got the reich winged junk email…….I was getting quite a few right after I retired and bull shit declared his war’s..Alway’s full of the flag, bible thumping and more text than should be allowed…..Right then I found out who were actual friend’s and just aquaintances…Never have pressed my beliefs on polatics or relegion on any one and for the most part I hang out with pretty cool people…..For some unknown reason several previous coworkers wanted to bury me with every poem, speech or song that came down the pike..This is what I did.. I hit reply and added…Dear friend…Please do not send me any more political or relegious spam…..I never send you any and request the same respect….I hope this find’s you well and happy and when you have time do keep me up dated on the latest new’s….If this doe’s not work for you remove me from you’re email list…..Blessings to you…….Guess what?….Only one had to be reminded and all of them quit sending me crap..Like troll’s, I don’t have patience or the time to play with them and their small mind’s…..Blessings all
December 10th, 2006 at 5:15 pm#
This is how 08 in USA should proceed to ensure Bush stays in office.
Where will you hide then?
Army fans out ahead of election
From correspondents in Dhaka
December 11, 2006 04:00am
Article from: Reuters
TROOPS took up positions around the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka and in all major cities and towns today after the government ordered the deployment to ensure a peaceful run-up to elections next month.
Comment by libertarian from Ala. — December 10, 2006 @ 2:01 pm
People who believe this kind of action is appropriate in a democracy should not be living in the U.S. I would encourage you to go live in a country that supports martial law (or other totalitarian/authoritarian actions) in order to hold onto power.
December 10th, 2006 at 6:27 pmThe left is way more crooked than the right. The cards are stacked that way. It takes money and influence to get things done the left is allowed to run willy nilly all over the laws without any repercussions. That’s their way of balancing things out when they are behind as well as when their ahead even their way of control and power. The only way they can be policed is by the media informing the people. And give me a break will ya that will never happen and we know it. The demoncrats biggest fear is a well informed people. If the people were properly informed the left would never again be in charge.
December 10th, 2006 at 6:31 pmjoeslogic from oppositeville – ok, sure, uh huh… w o w …
December 10th, 2006 at 6:41 pmHay Katy and all, have you noticed how the reich is dumming down their troll posters….Think they are shorting them on the sugar in their Kool aid..Where ever they are recruiting these troll poster’s from is definately low on the IQ scale…..Maybe they need to pay more and ask for refrences before they turn them loose..Or maybe it is more of the inbreeding thing, a lot of them seem to suffer from. ….LOL….Blessings
December 10th, 2006 at 7:13 pmJoeslogic —- you had some terrible typos in your post
Here is the corrected version:
Your welcome Joe
December 10th, 2006 at 8:13 pmboy, i’ll say, sharon… not sure what to make of it any more…
makes me sad though… not that i really thought things would change overnight, after the election, but i was hoping most of the ‘before’ attitude was mostly for show and propaganda purposes… seems these trolls relish the negative atmosphere of delusion… i just don’t know…
someday the truth will become more common knowledge, and those people will be even more reluctant to admit they were fools… but i suppose there have always been and will be those kind… ah well…
December 10th, 2006 at 9:25 pm…
[...] The comically corrupt “Dollar” Bill Jefferson reelection — who was filmed taking bribe money by the FBI and later found with most of that money in his Frigidaire — has been reelected in a runoff, garnering 52 percent of the vote. [...]
December 10th, 2006 at 9:47 pmComment by Vaughn D. Taylor — December 10, 2006 @ 12:46 pm
Interesting…and not outside the realm of possibility….
December 10th, 2006 at 11:00 pmComment by Vaughn D. Taylor — December 10, 2006 @ 12:46 pm
such was also the motivation behind the push for “open primaries” a few years ago…so that Republicans could cross party lines and vote for the Democrat candidate deemed the one they could most likely beat in the general election.
December 10th, 2006 at 11:03 pmCongratulations!!!! The six or eight “High-minded” Progs and Progettes REALLY, really, really seem upset that Congressman William “the Freezer” Jefferson, was re-elected. Next, you will shock me with throwing some of the Katrina blame toward corrupt Louisiana state and federal politicians…..Nahhhh…..
December 10th, 2006 at 11:07 pm*cough* twat *cough*
December 10th, 2006 at 11:38 pmAnyone have an opinion they would like to share of a Vilsack/Bayh ticket in 08?
December 11th, 2006 at 12:37 am“Dear Mr. Vaughn – - Your “conservative conspiracy theory†might be a tad interesting if black Dem voters were outnumbered by white Repubs in Louisiana. Besides, when have Dems worried about damage from corruption?????”
Aphrodite:
You retort may be interesting if you knew anything – at all – about the race between Jefferson and Carter.
First, they are both Democrats. Faced with this fact, a fair minded Republican voter would choose the candidate who they trust the most, and who is most qualified. But, the divisiveness between the parties as of late would make the not-so-fair-minded Republican voter do something that could damage the opponent. We’ve seen, clearly, that the Republicans on a whole are more interested in keeping the party in power rather than doing what is good for our country.
I’ve decided that I don’t feel like schooling you, so read this article if you are interested in more of why it was comes as a surprise to us here in New Orleans: http://www.bestofneworleans.com/dispatch/2006-11-21/politics.php
December 11th, 2006 at 9:57 amHere’s a map of the results. Don’t understand the map? Don’t understand “west bank”, orleans parish, jefferson parish? Then read up before you comment.
http://peoplegetready.wordpress.com/2006/12/10/daddy-why-did-you-vote-for-bill-jefferson/
December 11th, 2006 at 10:01 amJefferson, Hastings, Murtha, et. al. server to demonstrate a strength that Democrats have over Republicans. One can find corrupt individuals in both parties, but Democratic voters seem able to continue to return known crooks to office where Republican voters tend not to. This is one big advantage Democratic politicians have over Republicans.
December 11th, 2006 at 9:07 pm#55 correct for spelling – “serve” not “server”
December 11th, 2006 at 9:08 pm#55 correct spelling – “serve” not “server”
December 11th, 2006 at 9:09 pmWhat’s in Seattle?
December 12th, 2006 at 11:12 am