Talks Social Security, Attack Ads, and Economic Recovery with WAFB

(click on image to see interview)

Bill Cassidy believes in having an open dialogue with American people about the challenges facing our nation.  Don Cazayoux and his liberal supporters in DC have spent close to $1 million to spread lies about Bill Cassidy’s position on Social Security.  In an interview on WAFB this morning, Bill Cassidy set the record straight.

Excerpt of remarks by Bill Cassidy on WAFB:

“I have never said I wanted to privatize Social Security, and if you don’t want to talk about issues, if you don’t want to talk about the fact that I am the pro-life, pro-Second Amendment candidate who supports John McCain; who is for lower taxes – who would actually vote for lower taxes instead of just talk about it – then you make up lies about other issues.”

(…)

“Don Cazayoux voted to put the State Retirement system in the Stock Market. Now, he voted for that, thinking it was a good idea – the State workers version of Social Security – but now he criticizes me because I point out that people have done that in the past as a way to improve the financial standing.

Now again, if you don’t want to talk about the fact that 70% of your contributions are from out of state; that you want to take away the workers’ right to a secret ballot, as Mr. Cazayoux does, then instead of talk about my positions – which is to let the workers have a secret ballot, lower taxes rather than raise them, strengthen Social Security and find a way to do it – then you attack me.”

Responds to “attack ads from Washington”

(Baton Rouge, LA): Bill Cassidy for Congress will begin airing a new television ad this week, featuring Governor Bobby Jindal.  Governor Jindal endorsed Bill Cassidy early in the race and hosted the first campaign fundraiser, but this is the first ad featuring the Governor.

According to a survey of likely voters taken October 22-23 by Fabrizio, McLaughlin & Associates, the race in Louisiana’s Sixth Congressional District is a statistical dead-heat between incumbent Don Cazayoux and Republican challenger Bill Cassidy. In that poll, only 40.6% stated that they believed “Don Cazayoux has performed his job as Congressman well enough to deserve re-election”.

The ad by Governor Jindal responds to the attack ads from Don Cazayoux and his Washington DC supporters.

Chris Ingram, a spokesman for the Bill Cassidy campaign, issued the following statement:

“Governor Bobby Jindal has a proven record of reform, integrity, and conservative values that the voters of Louisiana know and trust.  The Governor was disturbed by the national Democrats’ misleading attack ads against Bill Cassidy, and he offered to help set the record straight. Congressman Cazayoux and Liberal Special Interests have spent a million dollars lying about Bill Cassidy, but the voters of Louisiana are tired of DC lies.”

From the Associated Press:

NEW ORLEANS - Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney visited here today to help raise money for a Louisiana congressional candidate, one of dozens of Republican contenders he is stumping for in the days leading up to next month’s election.

Romney, an unsuccessful candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, attended a fundraiser in New Orleans for state Sen. Bill Cassidy, a candidate for Louisiana’s 6th Congressional District seat that Democrat Don Cazayoux won earlier this year after Richard Baker stepped down.

Governor Mitt Romney was in Louisiana this morning raising money for Bill Cassidy for Congress.  Before the breakfast event, Governor Romney spoke with WWL in New Orleans to discuss why he supports Bill Cassidy, the danger of Cazyoux giving Nancy Pelosi a supermajority in the House, and Governor Jindal’s place in the next Presidential campaign.

When asked about the danger of Barack Obama and Nancy Pelosi achieving a supermajority vote in Congress, Governor Romney said:

“Our democracy was structured in such a way, as to put the brakes on some extreme policies and to keep, if you will, the monsters in each party Republican and Democrat from having sway in Washington. I am absolutely concerned that if you had a very super majority in both houses along with a Democratic President, that you see very unusual pieces of legislation.

One of which that is being supported by Don Cazayoux which is very strange thing,  that Bill Cassidy strongly opposes, is the idea of taking away from workers the right to a free and private ballot — the right of privacy. Don Cazayoux wants to just say that if a union wants to organize at a particular place of work that the other employees don’t get to vote on it. And that’s really a frightening thing in my opinion and it’s something which I think would happen if you have a supermajority vote.

I think you’d likewise see – they’ll take over our health care system with a socialized medicine style plan. I think you’d see a great expansion of government. For that, among other reasons, you know I’m going around the country campaigning for people like Bill Cassidy to try and make sure that we do have some balance in Washington.”

You can listen to the interview on WWL Audio on Demand: http://publishing.everyzing.com/wwl/m/audio/21279978/wwl-hour-by-hour-7-00am-7-30am.htm?q=harry+reid&seek=1031.629

Hiding from public forums, while using Special Interest Money to finance attacks

Yesterday, Rep. Cazayoux continued his refusal to attend public forums, while launching attack ads through TV and direct mail that lie about his opponents.  As reported in today’s Advocate, “Cazayoux said he could not attend the forum because he had already scheduled another event in advance.”  Earlier this week, after skipping another forum, Cazayoux’s campaign told the Baton Rouge Business Report, “it will be difficult to change our busy schedule to coordinate additional debates.”  Don Cazayoux has lied about Bill Cassidy’s position on Social Security, but does not defend his lies in public.  He refuses to attend a public forums where voters would have the chance to ask him about these lies or his own votes in Congress. 

His campaign has been contacted by all of the following civic groups, and Don Cazayoux has refused to attend:

·       AARP

·       League of Women’s Voters

·       West Baton Rouge Chamber of Commerce

·       People’s Voters League of Livingston Parish

·       LSU Student Government

·       Citizens for Highways and Infrastructure in Livingston Parish

·       Southern University

·       Baton Rouge Black Chamber of Commerce

Chris Ingram, a spokesman for the Bill Cassidy campaign, issued the following statement:

“Don Cazayoux is hiding behind a curtain of lies woven with the money of Special Interests PACs in Washington, DC.  Cazayoux has only been a Congressman a few months and he is already avoiding the voters of Louisiana and financing his partisan attacks with out-of-state money.

 

Cazayoux’s hoping that if he spends enough money on a big enough lie, voters will believe it, but his DC consultants underestimate the intelligence of Louisiana voters.”

The Louisiana Family Forum has released their 2008 Louisiana Voter Guide.  It is worth a read for any voter in the Sixth Congressional District that wants to know where the candidates stand on the issues important to Louisiana families.

Bill Cassidy was recently recognized by the Louisiana Family Forum for his strong record in the Louisiana Senate defending the interests of Louisiana families.

Gene Mills, president of LFF Action remarked: ”LFF Action commends these legislators for their principled positions throughout the turbulent 2008 Session. This legislative class advanced several unique reforms in Louisiana, including parental choice in education, a Stelly tax repeal, and a ban on the public funding of human cloning. We are proud of these statesmen for making excellent choices and upholding strong family traditions in Louisiana!”

Bill was one of six State Senators who received the 2008 “Outstanding Family Advocate” Award from Louisiana Family Forum Action, the advocacy arm of Louisiana Family Forum, in recognition of their commendable pro-family voting records during the 2008 Legislative Session. 

Cazayoux refuses forums because of his “busy schedule”

Civic groups such as the AARP and the League of Women Voters have been trying for months to organize debates.  When the Baton Rouge Business Report asked Cazayoux if he would be willing to schedule a debate, his campaign responded: “it will be difficult to change our busy schedule“.

At a forum in Livingston Parish, Cazayoux sent his Legislative Director (paid for by your tax dollars) to speak in his place. At a forum in West Baton Rouge, he only sent a campaign worker to record the forum attended by both other candidates, hoping to capture a “gotcha” video for his next attack ad.

Since being elected to Congress, Don Cazayoux has been too busy cozying up to Special Interest groups in Washington DC for an open dialogue with voters in Louisiana.  His liberal supporters have financed attack ads that lie about Bill Cassidy, which may explain why Cazayoux wants to avoid an honest discussion with questions from voters.

One of the attack ads led to The Advocate noting that the “demonizing of anyone who criticizes Social Security’s current state isn’t in the interest of the nation or its retirees.”  Cazayoux has made clear that he is not interested in the interest of the voters of Louisiana.  How else can you explain that over half of his campaign contributions came from out-of-state Special Interests?

Bill Cassidy opened his campaign’s Livingston Parish Headquarters on Wednesday and heard from local voters about the important issues.

DENHAM SPRINGS (AP) — A top national Republican leader was in Louisiana on Wednesday to support GOP congressional candidate Bill Cassidy, as the party pushes to retake a seat that went Democratic this year for the first time in decades.

U.S. Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., chairman of the House Republicans’ campaign committee, joined a public meeting of Livingston Parish voters to discuss issues including health care and infrastructure projects.  (read more….)

During election season candidates can say many things on TV, but they can’t hide where they raised their money.  The only poll that matters is on Election Day, and the only people who can vote in Louisiana’s Sixth Congressional District will be those people from here.

The candidates for Congress in Louisiana’s Sixth Congressional District released new financial disclosure reports this week.  If you look behind the numbers and see where support is coming from and who will have money to compete in the home stretch, the story is clear:  Bill Cassidy has support where it counts, and the money when it matters.

You can tell a lot about a candidate by where they get most of their money

Don Cazayoux is:

·         The #1 Recipient of Labor Union Money

·         The #3 Recipient of Money from Democratic Congressmen, including:

D  Charlie Rangel (National Leadership PAC) - $10,000

o   Nation’s tax-writer, currently under investigation for tax fraud.

D  Barney Frank (Barney Frank for Congress) - $2,000

o   Biggest supporter of ACORN in Congress, wants to legalize marijuana

D  John Dingell (Dingell for Congress Committee) - $2,000

o   Leading supporter of nationalized health care, organized labor, and welfare

D  Carolyn McCarthy (CAP PAC) - $2,000

o   “one of the most vocal advocates in the nation for gun control”