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

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?

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”

While Representative Don Cazayoux claims in his latest television ad that he has “taken on his own Party to get more offshore drilling”, his voting record says something entirely different.  In just a few months in Congress, Representative Cazayoux has voted consistently with his party leaders to block real energy solutions, including bills aimed at expanding domestic oil drilling:

• voted to block consideration of the American Energy Act, an “all of the above” energy bill (House Roll Call 524, 07/24/08)
• voted to block consideration of a bill that would allow energy exploration in ANWR and the Outer Continental Shelf (House Roll Call 391, 06/10/08)
• voted to block consideration of amendments that would permit oil exploration in the Outer Continental Shelf (House Roll Call 340, 05/21/08)
• voted to block consideration of amendments that would allow oil drilling in ANWR (House Roll Call 341, 05/21/2008 and House Roll Call 310, 05/14/08)

“It appears that Representative Don Cazayoux’s energy policy is empty rhetoric which does not match his consistent record of blocking efforts for a comprehensive approach to solving our nation’s energy problems,” said Bill Cassidy. “It is time to get serious about energy policy.”

 If Representative Cazayoux is serious about reducing the cost of gas, he needs to do more than send letters.  There are three things that should be done for his record to catch up to his rhetoric:

1. Sign the three discharge petitions to bring comprehensive energy plans to a vote:

   -No More Excuses Energy Act (HR3089)

   -American Energy Independence and Price Reduction Act (HR6107)
   -Deep Ocean Energy Resources Act of 2008 (HR6108),

2. Support bringing Congress back into an emergency session to vote on energy, and

3. Vote against any rule that limits amendments on the House Floor so that a substantive vote on drilling can take place.

Bill Cassidy will support comprehensive energy solutions that decrease our dependence on foreign oil, increase our domestic supply, diversify our sources of energy, and conserve the energy we produce.

Increasing our supply of oil and natural gas will lower prices at the pump. Bill Cassidy will work to accomplish this by:
-Lifting the bans on domestic offshore drilling and extracting oil from shale in the Western United States
-Opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) and other potential energy sources to drilling
-Supporting efforts to produce more natural gas and promote the use of natural gas for transportation
- Reducing the costly, complicated, and time-consuming maze of federal regulatory requirements affecting refineries.
-Increasing the capacity of existing refineries by reducing the costly federal regulations that affect them

Energy independence is essential to America’s long term financial stability and national security. Bill Cassidy will work to accomplish this with tax incentives for individuals and businesses that encourage these and other forms of Alternative Energy and Conservation:
-Promoting the development of alternatively fueled vehicles such as hydrogen cells
-Developing and expanding alternative technologies such as solar, wind, and clean coal
-Increasing fuel standards and promoting the use of hybrid and flex-fuel vehicles

From John Maginnis’ weekly column:

State Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-Baton Rouge, is the only sure challenger to Congressman Don Cazayoux, and he hopes to keep it that way, at least on the GOP side. Now that former Republican candidate Laurinda Calongne has ruled out another try, the big questions hanging over the July 9-11 qualifying period surround Woody Jenkins, who could run again in the GOP primary, and Rep. Michael Jackson, a Baton Rouge Democrat who could file as an independent. Cassidy is concentrating on raising money and appears to be having success, judging from the list of hosts for his fundraiser Thursday night. They included many of the business and professional elite who were missing from Jenkins’ campaign finance reports.

With the announcement that Dr. Cassidy will run this fall, national political analyst Charlie Cook has updated the status of the race in District 6. Originally, the race was considered “Lean Democrat”, but now it is expected to be “highly competive”. 

Read his full analysis:

Charlie Cook’s Political Report:

Competition Heats Up
June 19, 2008
House Editor David Wasserman releases ratings changes in three districts where competition is heating up. (…)

In Louisiana, Republicans received some good news when state Sen. Bill Cassidy formally announced plans to challenge freshman Democratic Rep. Don Cazayoux, who won a May special election to fill the unexpired term of former GOP Rep. Richard Baker. This race moves from the Lean Democratic column to the Toss Up column.
 
Ratings Changes
LA-06    Don Cazayoux    Lean Democratic to Toss Up
Unlike in the two other districts where Republicans lost recent special elections, the GOP isn’t stuck with the same flawed candidate for the November general election here. Although Republican Woody Jenkins has said he will run again, Republicans are high on a newly announced candidate, state Sen. Bill Cassidy.
 
Insiders describe Cassidy as close to Baton Rouge’s business community and less social-issue driven than Jenkins. Cazayoux may have six months under his belt by November, but he is not yet out of the woods. Unless Jenkins somehow convinces Republican voters to nominate him again so soon after he lost, this race will be highly competitive in November.