Down De Stretch Day Come

A few months ago, we used de racin’ term dat usta be de slogan for Evangeline Downs in Lafayette — “Il son partit” — which means dar day go.

An’ dat’s what all de candidates wuz doin’ at de time. Day wuz gettin’ cards printed, orderin’ pollin’ lists, gettin’ signs made an’ pickin’ up money for campaigns.

Now we gonna use anudder horse racin’ term … “down de stretch day come.” If you don’t play de ponies, dat means de horses are near de end uf de race. An’ dat’s certainly de case in de races we’ve been follerin’ de las’ few months.

Mos’ uf de local candidates have done a good job an’ are exhausted from all de summertime neighborhood walks an’ de bar bequests an’ forums an’ all dat goes into runnin’ a race. You tell dem what’s never run befo how tough it iz because you have to be on your toes at all times or you might lose dat one vote dat will cost you de election.

We’ve looked at de latest campaign finance reports, an’ it doesn’t look like any one donor haz thrown in a buncha money to influence a race. Now, dar iz dat better education bidnessmen’s group, which haz given $1,000 each to several school boad candidates. We have not seen dar “approval list,” but we do know dat in two districts, de incumbent did not get de money.

Now $1,000 certainly helps a school boad candidate, but, az de new candidates have learnt, it haz gotten awfully expensive … wit’ printin’ and sign-makin’ an’ stuff like dat goin’ up bigtime. Dat $1,000 will not influence dem races very much.

Dat’s unlike in Baton Rouge, whare one feller haz given over $160,000 to candidates and political action committees.

Az de election iz jus around de corner, we would like to remind you to vote. Remember, dis election iz on a Tuesday, so voting may be difficult to fit into your schedule or you may vote absentee. But please vote. Some very important races are on de ballot — races dat will determine de outcome uf very important issues.

Gun Groups Fired Up

Not too many Democratic legislative candidates ever get the support uf de gun lobby, but it iz radder unusual for dem to trow money against dem.

Dat ain’t de case in de U.S. Senate race in our state. De NRA haz been attackin’ former New York Mayor Micheal Bloomberg, who has put up beaucoup cash to change gun ownership laws. NRA TV spots marry Bloomberg to Mary Landrieu. Now, in a gun state like ours, we can only assume dat kinda message will influence some voters.

De latest reports show de NRA spendin’ $14.7 million in key states like ours since Sept. 1. De pro-gun control group  haz also spent millions, but none in our state … yet.

Folks, if dar iz a run-off in dis U.S. Senate race, like many experts are predictin’, you gonna see mo advertsin’ from outta state folks who have an interest in de outcome. In fact, de Landrieu and Cassidy camps are already buyin’ time for de runoff. But in addition to what we see now in de way uf candidate commercials, we gonna see tons uf money from PACS and groups like de NRA.

Dem Versus Republican Factor Big

Anyone who’s spent a few years in dis state can remember a time when someone who said he or she wuz a Republican wuz automatically labeled a whacko. You would have a governor’s race where de Democrat won, an’ den had to face Charlton Lyons or some udder Republican who would get boorayed big-time.

Dat all started to change in 1980, when Treen became de first Republican governor in nearly a century.

Now, all but one uf de congressmen in dis state are Republican. Every statewide elected official except for Mary Landrieu is Republican. An’ now for de first time, de issue uf party affiliation could affect  a whole buncha races. In dis area, you can watch for it to be a factor in de races for judge an’ school boad.

Now, for years you’ve had folks registered as democrats who haven’t voted for a Democrat in 30 years. Dat trend iz changing. Yes … party does matter.

Ball Uf Confusin’ Amendments

If you like mos’ folks, you hate votin’ for all dem amendments dat’s on de ballot in every major election. Now, everyone complains about dem. But now someone iz doin’ sometin’ about all de confusion.

State Rep. Mike Danahay, from de Sulphur area, haz sent out a printed piece dat’s a must for everyone votin’ in de Nov. 4 election. De piece lists each amendment on de ballot an’ gives a short explanation uf what a yes vote an’ a no vote means.

What a great public service dis iz. ‘Cause when you vote, you can have your Danahay mailer in your hand an’ jus’ speed-vote trew dem amendments.

Gropers Grabbin’ Votes

Vance McAllister, de congressman from de Monroe area who wuz caught on camera gropin’ his female aide shortly after he took office, may have survived de media blitz. You recall at first he sed he wuz gonna resign. Den he sed he wuz gonna finish hiz term an’ not run.

Well, he’s runnin’ an’ runnin’ quite well. Recent polls show him in second place for de Nov. 4 election — only a few points behind de only Democrat in de large field, Monroe mayor James Mayo.

When de gropin’ reports came out, a whole bunch uf politicians jumped in de race, an’ now day are seein’ dar poll numbers drop big-time. It’s a buncha Republicans fightin’ each udder to face Mayo. Again … Democrat versus Republican.

De udder gropin’ candidate, former Gov. Edwin Edwards, iz runnin’ for Congress in de 6th District. He hasn’t spent a dime on TV advertisin’,  claiming he didn’t have de money. Latest campaign reports show him wit’ 145 grand in de bank.

My, how times have changed. In any case, considerin’ de amount uf media attention he’s gettin’, Edwards may not need TV. He’s expected to make de run-off against one uf several high profile Republicans in de race.  Dar again … Republican versus Democrat.

Edwards still haz great quotes like, “When I ran for governor in 1971, no one knew me, an’ dat was bad. Now I’m running again, an’ everyone knows me, an’ dat’s bad.” On de issue uf medical marijuana, Edwards said, “It’s the only forbidden thing I’ve never been accused of.” An’ de groper continues to campaign.

Plan Iz Dog Dat Ain’t Gonna Hunt

When Huey Long was runnin’ for governor, his opponent wuz proposin’ toll roads to connect de northern portion uf our state wit’ de southern portion. Long encouraged him to build hiz toll roads, while sayin’ he would build free roads. An’ Long promised de toll roads would become de mos’ expensive buzzard roost in our country.

Today we find DOTD folks an’ state officials talkin’ about a toll road to pay for de completion uf I-49 trew de southern parishes an’ into New Awlins.  Now, we can all predict what kinda football dis is; it’s gonna be costin’ folks a whole buncha money. An’ who knows, we may see mo buzzards dan ever before it’s all over wit’.

McNeese Really Lookin’ Good

Me and my wife Sedonia went to dat Rouge et Blanc party dat Banners helt recently. It wuz nice to see such a clean campus wit’ all sorts uf new construction completed an’ some ongoing. Looks like de president, Dr. Phil Williams, haz de school headin’ in de right direction.

Now, we know dis just didn’t happen overnight. It’s taken a lot uf money, both public and private, to make dis happen. An’ it will continue to take money from both uf dem sources to keep dis goin’.

So, if you’re able to give to a good cause, remember MSU. Money invested in dis university will be money well spent. By de way, de Banners line-up for dis season looks great again.

Deep Taughts While Watchin’ Dr. Phil

10) Whar do day find all dem whackos dat come on shows like Dr. Phil?

9) Can de Saints start cookin’ or iz de season over?

8) Instead uf wearin’ pink sweat bands, towels, etc., why don’t dem football folks show dar support for de fight against breast cancer by playin’ wit’ a pink football?

7) Will we have enough water to have a good duck season dis year?

6) Ain’t it great what’s goin’ on at Sowela?

5) Who keeps “borrowin’” my duck calls?

4) Iz Axiall ready for de Maplewood folks who iz gonna show up at dar public meetings about dar expansion?

3) Ain’t it great de way de Golden Nugget iz shapin’ up?

2) What new ways can de Houston Texans figure out to lose?

1) Just how many new school boad members will we have servin’ wit’ a superintendent day didn’t vote for?

Final Shot

My fran Lefty haz a fran in Houston who’s very wealthy. An’ dat franz daughter iz gettin’ married an’ he invited Lefty an’ hiz wife. De invitation sez black tie for men. So Lefty went out an’ rented a tux. After he wuz fitted for it, he wanted to know if he could wear hiz black cowboy boots wit’ de tux. Dat Lefty, he iz such a fashion guru.

‘Til next time, lache pas la patate.