The Fund for Louisiana's Future released a video highlighting Jay Dardenne's and Scott Angelle's support for higher taxes today.
Jeff Landry Files for October 24th Election
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tuesday September 8, 2015
CONTACT: Millard Mule, 337-313-4537 or news@landryforlouisiana.com
BATON ROUGE, LA - Joined by his wife Sharon and their son JT - former Congressman, veteran, and attorney Jeff Landry today filed the paperwork to seek election as Louisiana's next Attorney General. After qualifying, Landry issued the following statement:
"I have served our nation in uniform, kept our neighborhoods safe as a law enforcement officer, and employed hundreds as a small business owner. I have worked with job creators as corporate lawyer at one of the state's top firms. I have written and defended laws as a conservative Member of Congress. As the next Attorney General, I will utilize my vast experience to protect our families, our freedoms, and the rule of law. I will end Caldwell's scandalous era of corruption, nepotism, and cronysim; and I will bring honesty, integrity, and hard work to the Attorney General's Office."
Landry has already been endorsed by the Republican Party of Louisiana, Congressman Steve Scalise, Congressman John Fleming, Colonel Rob Maness (retired), Family Research Council Action, and other local and national conservative leaders. He is expected to announce several other endorsements as Election Day nears.
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Solution Fund PAC Fundraiser Scheduled on 9/24/15
On 9/24 at the Camelot Club in Baton Rouge, LA, the Solution Fund PAC, who is supporting Jeff Landry in his bid for Louisiana Attorney General, will be holding a fundraiser. The details of the event are below:
9/24/2015 5:30 PM TO 8:00 PM
CAMELOT CLUB
FLOOR 21
CHASE SOUTH TOWER
451 FLORIDA ST
BATON ROUGE, LA
Information on Solution Fund PAC can be found at WWW.STOPTHEBUDDYSYSTEM.COM.
Vitter Again Urges Mayor Landrieu to Focus On Murders, Not Monuments
For Immediate Release
Contact: Luke Bolar
September 4, 2015
504-779-3771
Vitter responds to Landrieu mass email
(Metairie, La.) – David Vitter today sent a letter to New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu urging him to unite our community by focusing on murders, not monuments. The letter is in response to a racially charged email blast by Mayor Landrieu this week.
A copy of Vitter’s letter from today is below.
September 4, 2015
The Honorable Mitch Landrieu
1300 Perdido Street
New Orleans, LA 70112
Dear Mitch:
A friend forwarded me your mass email, attached.
Really, Mitch?
I have said many times, and I repeat again, that I think you should unite our community by focusing on murders, not monuments.
114 of our fellow citizens have been murdered in New Orleans already this year. Lester Johnson was gunned down in his driveway in New Orleans East on Wednesday morning.
Rather than taking strong, bold action on the out-of-control crime problem, however, you send out a hateful email to create a distraction and play the race card. It attacks and insults not just me, but countless concerned citizens who feel as I do. That's not leadership, it's pure political cynicism.
Wake up, Mitch. The monuments aren't murdering our family members and neighbors. Focus. Lead. Unite. Track down those who are.
Sincerely,
David Vitter
A copy of Landrieu's email from September 3rd is below:
"Yesterday, a panel of New Orleans residents on the Vieux Carré Commission took a big step towards removing the Liberty Place monument.
However, at the same time, Senator David Vitter and David Duke, the former Ku Klux Klansman, doubled down on their efforts to keep this monument, fighting to preserve the last vestiges of white supremacy rather than honoring the great diversity that defines us today.
Tell David Vitter and David Duke that this monument has no place in New Orleans.
The history of the Battle of Liberty Place monument goes back to 1874, when a group of radical ex-Confederates launched a coup against the racially-integrated Reconstruction government of Louisiana, forming a militia and storming New Orleans. The mob attacked a force made up of the integrated Metropolitan Police force and state militia and killed police officers and innocent bystanders.
In 1886, private groups erected this monument to honor the members of the White League that were killed in the Battle of Liberty Place — not the police officers or the innocent bystanders.
Why David Vitter and David Duke are defending this monument is beyond me.
Our state has always been a place that honors the lives of law enforcement officers lost in the line of duty. But this monument stands in direct contrast to those ideals.
The ideals represented in this monument never belonged in a city as great as New Orleans, where diversity is our lifeblood. It’s time we chart a future of togetherness, not division.
Sign on now to add your support in removing this monument erected in honor of those who killed police officers.
We have to make our voices heard over the noise of opponents like David Vitter and David Duke.
Let’s start by removing the Liberty Place monument.
Sincerely,
Mitch Landrieu
Rick Santorum in Lafayette This Week for Fundraiser
Rick Santorum, Republican candidate for President, has announced a fundraiser in Lafayette for the 10th of September at the Petroleum Club. Information on the meeting can be found here.
Ditch Qualifies for Iberia Parish President Race
David Ditch, Republican candidate for Iberia Parish President, qualified this morning in New Iberia for the election this fall. Pictured with Ditch is his father, Dr. Carl Ditch.
New Iberia– David Ditch officially qualified as a candidate for Iberia Parish President today at the Clerk of Courts office in New Iberia.
Ditch, a 38-year-old Republican and lifelong native of Iberia Parish, is running to fill the position being vacated by current parish president, Errol Romero. Ditch is the current Iberia Parish council member representing District 7. The primary election will be held on Saturday, October 24th.
“It’s going to take innovative conservative leadership in order get our parish back on a track towards economic stability, to provide our children a quality education and to create better jobs for our families. I’m eager for the chance to share my conservative vision with the voters and I am looking forward to the weeks ahead,” Ditch said.
David Ditch is a graduate of Louisiana State University where he earned his degree in Business and his Master in Business Administration. Following graduation from LSU, Ditch has built two small businesses in Iberia Parish; Home Instead Senior Care, which provides opportunities for seniors to remain independent in their homes, and Private Workforce Solutions, which provides labor alternatives for the industrial, agricultural and oil and gas sectors.
Ditch is a Conservative Republican who believes in protecting the right to life, the 2nd Amendment, traditional marriage and protecting families and businesses from an overreaching federal government.
In addition to serving on the Iberia Parish Council Ditch has actively served the community as a board member of Kiwanis, PepperPlex, Bourgeois 2030 and Ducks Unlimited. He is also an avid hunter and fisherman.
Ditch is the son of Iberia Parish Coroner Dr. Carl Ditch and the late Lynn Ditch. David and his wife Jessica have three children, Kate Avery Walker and Sawyer.
For more information about David Ditch or the campaign, please visit www.davidditch.com
Solutions Fund PAC Supporting Jeff Landry in AG Race
A newly formed PAC is coming out in support of Jeff Landry in his bid to defeat Buddy Caldwell in the Louisiana Attorney General's race. This group touts Caldwell's liberal past and Landry's conservative credentials.
Information can be found here on this group.
The Truth Behind State Cars
For Immediate Release
Contact: Luke Bolar
September 2, 2015
504-779-3771
On August 31, an Advocate article entitled, “Gubernatorial candidates focus on reducing state vehicle fleet,” featured David Vitter’s TV ad talking about eliminating thousands of unnecessary state cars. There are currently 10,832 state cars costing Louisiana taxpayers $232 million.
Vitter’s Republican Opponents, Scott Angelle and Jay Dardenne, both chimed in on state cars.
What Angelle Says:
Public Service Commissioner Scott Angelle, R-Breaux Bridge said, “I know how to manage an auto fleet. We’ll be lean, efficient and maximize our resources.”
What Angelle Does:
- Angelle drove a state Dodge Durango paid for by Louisiana taxpayers as DNR Secretary. [1]
- Angelle receives an $8400 ($700/month) annual taxpayer funded car allowance as a PSC Commissioner. [2]
- Comparable: Leasing a Toyota Camry costs roughly $1500 per year ($130/month for 36 months)
- Comparable: Leasing a Porsche starts at $7200 (depending on model, ranges between $600-$1000/ month for 27 months)
- Figures based on truecar.com for Louisiana.
- Angelle voted to keep all of the Public Service Commission cars which are paid for by the taxpayers. There are five PSC Commissioners, but they have 14 cars. [3]
What Jay Dardenne Says:
Republican Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne, of Baton Rouge, warned against pursuing a one-size-fits-all approach. “We should examine every cost-saving possibility and implement those that save taxpayers the most money,” he said.
What Jay Dardenne Does:
- Dardenne receives $8400 ($700/month) annual taxpayer funded car allowance to drive 3.4 miles to work. [4]
- Dardenne continues to receive the allowance even though he gets driven around Louisiana by State Police. He even uses the police escort for campaign events. [5]
- Since 2007, the total Dardenne has received for his car allowance exceeds $70,000.
- Comparable: In Baton Rouge a 2016 Ford F-250 King Ranch costs $64,000
- Comparable: In Baton Rouge a 2014 Porsche SUV costs $64,000
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Citations:
1) Advocate, “Shortfall costs officials raises,” May 24, 2009.
2) Louisiana Human Resources Fringe Benefit Report, 2014
3) Link to vote
4) Letters from Dardenne to the Commissioner of Administration Paul Rainwater, November 17, 2010. Letter from Dardenne to the Commissioner of Administration Jerry Luke LeBlance, October 30 2006.
5) Link to LSP driving Dardenne; Link to LSP driving Dardenne; Link to Dardenne admitting he uses LSP for campaign events.
Jeff Landry Endorsed by Rob Maness and GatorPAC
Photo source: NOLA
BATON ROUGE, LA - At a press conference this morning in front of the Pentagon Barracks, Colonel Rob Maness (retired) - GatorPAC founder and a former Republican U.S. Senate Candidate who earned more than 200,000 votes - endorsed Jeff Landry for Attorney General.
"The Attorney General race is an opportunity to elect a proven conservative Republican to fight continued Federal overreach, protect religious liberty, and fight corruption in statewide politics," said Maness. "I endorse and GatorPAC endorses Jeff Landry for Louisiana Attorney General."
Highlighting Landry's record of military service, law enforcement experience, and his conservative voting record in Congress - Maness continued, "I know Jeff will aggressively take on the big issues that affect Louisiana."
In accepting the endorsements, Landry declared: "I am humbled to have the support of Colonel Maness. Like him, I am not a politician.; rather, I am a husband and father who started a successful small business in the oil and gas industry. I am attorney who worked for one of Louisiana’s top 10 law firms. I see the destruction liberal policies have on our country, and I am running to fight back."
"While Colonel Maness and I stood together to oppose Mary Landrieu, Buddy Caldwell twice offered his support to her last year... even in the runoff," added Landry. "No conservative would do that. No Republican would do that. No one who is truly pro-life or pro-second amendment would do that."
"The purpose of GatorPAC is to keep the grassroots army we built during my 2014 U.S. Senate campaign engaged and to build upon that base. We look forward to mobilizing our troops to support Jeff Landry’s campaign for Attorney General," concluded Maness.
New Vitter TV Ad Highlights Plan to Get Louisiana Out of Common Core
“As governor, I’ll cut the amount of money spent on bureaucracy, and put that money right in the classroom where it belongs. I’ll advance early childhood development and work to increase teacher pay, so we can have the best. And we’ll put parents back in charge," says Vitter. "That's not Common Core. That's common sense!"
Vitter has passed legislation to stop Washington’s dangerous plan to take over how we educate our kids. His legislation, the Local Control of Education Act, will prohibit the federal government from mandating, incentivizing, or coercing states to adopt Common Core standards. It would allow Louisiana to opt out of Common Core and still remain eligible for key federal funding.
LSU College Republicans Endorse Jeff Landry for LA Attorney General
Photo source: Facebook
In a Facebook release, the group had the following to say regarding their endorsement of Landry over incumbent Buddy Caldwell.
"The LSU College Republicans are pleased to announce that our board voted unanimously to endorse Jeff Landry in his bid to become Louisiana's next Republican Attorney General. We hope you'll join us in supporting Jeff Landry and see as we do that Jeff is THE Republican in this race and is eminently qualified to serve as our Attorney General. "
Pro David Vitter PAC Releases "Reformer" Video
The Fund for Louisiana's Future has released the "Reformer" video highlighting Vitter's fight against Obama's policies and his vision for Louisiana's future.
Ernest Freyou Endorses David Ditch for Parish President
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: David Ditch
Thursday, August 27, 2015
Phone: (337) 364-6686
info@ditchforparishpresident.com
Former Parish President calls Ditch “our best hope” to unite our
citizens and provide new leadership for Iberia Parish
New Iberia – Former Parish President Ernest Freyou announced today that he will not run to seek the post he held for 4 years. Instead, he is endorsing David Ditch.
“Now more than ever, we need new leaders; people who understand how to run a business, meet a payroll and a budget. We need leaders who will watch over our tax dollars and implement a smart plan to move Iberia Parish forward. David Ditch is that leader and our best hope to unite the parish. I’m honored to be supporting him,” said Freyou.
Freyou’s endorsement comes just weeks before the beginning of qualifying on September 8th.
“From our rural communities to our municipalities, we are uniting Iberia Parish by one common theme: it’s time for bold leadership, swift action and conservative principles to put Iberia Parish on a solid footing for generations to come. Support from leaders like Ernest Freyou is yet another indication that our message is gaining momentum and I’m honored and humbled to have his support,” Ditch said.
For more information regarding the campaign, please visit www.ditchforparishpresident.com.
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Sen. David Vitter Releases New Campaign Video - "The Right Team"
What in the World is Wrong with the East Baton Rouge GOP
Today, the East Baton Rouge GOP will announce their support of Buddy Caldwell in his run for re-election for Louisiana Attorney General. In the response from Woody Jenkins, "we were impressed with his positions on substantive issues.”
Photo source: Think Progress
What substantive issues would that be, Mr. Jenkins? Would it be Caldwell's support for government takeover of healthcare? Caldwell even went so far as to say that “I trust the government more than insurance companies.” Does this sound like someone with conservative values that Jenkins has referenced to in their endorsement?
Photo source: WWL TV
Also, Caldwell has lined the pockets of some of his donors with taxpayer money while working on the settlement following the BP disaster. $38 million in fees have been paid to these donors, who are politically tied to Caldwell, which take a significant chunk out of the settlement being paid to the State of Louisiana. Does this sound like someone who is ethically qualified for this office, Mr. Jenkins?
Photo source: YouTube
Finally, the faux-Elvis who've serenaded the likes of Mary Landrieu during a recent Mardi Gras celebration in Washington, DC has been found in the company of noted liberal Democrats in the state during an election announcement. Sen. Barbara Norton's announcement came with the likes of a photo op with our "conservative" Attorney General, according to Jenkins' determination of conservative.
Photo source: KTBS
What is the real reason for this endorsement? What is the parish GOP party really endorsing this RINO for? Could this be a pay-for-play, for which Caldwell is notorious? Only time will tell.
Buddy Can't Have it Both Ways
Photo source: Flickr
After reading Sam Hannah’s article last week in the Ouachita Citizen, I had to check to make sure I clicked the right link. I thought that I had somehow gotten to a Buddy Caldwell campaign press release. There was no mistake. I understand opinion editorials, but I was surprised to see that it lacked any pretense of objective journalism.
Apparently, Buddy Caldwell should be applauded for his magnificent leadership in reaching the settlement between the state and BP over the oil spill. The outside lawyers that Buddy hired are only getting $38 million in fees, while firms representing other states are getting close to $700 million. It does seem like a good deal, but hardly anything is as it seems.
No matter how much Mr. Hannah may want to simplify it to cast Buddy in a nice light, there are few facts that I think he and his readers should be reminded.
The reason the lawyers are getting paid $38 million instead of close to a billion has nothing to do with the leadership of Buddy Caldwell. In fact, shortly after the spill, the Attorney General tried his hardest to see that his friends and campaign contributors would be enriched just like the lawyers of those other states.
Since Mr. Hannah didn’t, let me put on my journalistic cap and offer a little background so you can be truly informed. Louisiana law provides that outside lawyers hired by the AG to represent the state be paid on an hourly rate instead of being allowed a contingency on the reward won by the state. But shortly after the BP spill, Buddy teamed with the Senate President to offer SB 731 in the 2010 legislative session. The bill would have allowed the lawyers Buddy hired compensation based on a contingency agreement instead of an hourly rate. Fortunately for us, he wasn’t successful. But had he been, the campaign contributors he hired to represent the state would have made a killing just like those lawyers representing the other Gulf States.
This notion that man should be applauded for something he fought against is ludicrous.
Rhetoric vs Results
Photo source: Bloomberg
Time and time again I hear or read about some Conservative commentator either question the Conservatism of Jeb Bush or outright call him a RINO. But at the same time, I hear or read hardly any of those commentators question Bobby Jindal’s Conservatism, which begs the question, what exactly are we defining Conservatism as based on? Is it rhetoric or results? Is being a Conservative based on governing principles or is it based on a few particular issues and whether one falls on the right or left of those issues?
Anyone being objective has to plainly admit that Jindal has been a colossal failure as Governor of Louisiana. Here is a man that was elected with a mandate in 2007 and an even larger mandate in 2011. Yet I’ve been racking my brain and can’t think of one generational change he has made that substantively places Louisiana in a better place than when he took office. Not a single one!
Granted, he has supposedly changed the culture of corruption and instituted ethical reforms that look good on paper. Yet it is entirely disingenuous to say that it has actually changed things, which is evident by state legislators earmarking tax dollars to their favored NGOs and the Edwineseque pay to play scheme of Buddy Caldwell’s Attorney General office.
Everyone knows that Louisiana has way too many four-year universities which cause our limited resources to be spread too thin in order to prop up colleges that should have been shuttered long ago. Louisiana infrastructure is still underfunded with better days nowhere in sight. We still have an unfair tax structure that is too dependent on business and in particular, the oil and gas industry.
On top of that, Jindal has being using budget gimmicks and one-time money continuously to “balance” the budget. Just look at this past legislative session. All 144 legislators knew they couldn’t do anything to truly fix the finances of this state until the next governor arrives. This is after seven years of “Conservative” Jindal governance! But they went ahead and passed unconstitutional tax increases and what was Bobby’s only concern? It was making sure that it wouldn’t be scored by Grover Norquist as a tax increase, in deference to his campaign for the Presidency. I’m not sure when it became okay for a son of Dixie to have to clear something with a Yankee elitist in regards to his own state but I digress, back to the point. Seven years under this apparently Conservative governor and our budget is more screwed than when he took the reins.
Now Jeb Bush institutes the first voucher program in the country and puts in place tax credits for companies that donate for private school scholarships. He cut taxes in Florida by almost $20 billion and ended affirmative action preferences in universities and state contracting. He enhanced Florida’s concealed carry laws and signed the Stand Your Ground law. It didn’t take a video release and public outcry for him to revoke state contracts with Planned Parenthood. On top of all that, he balanced the budgets and left his successor a rainy day fund of almost $10 billion.
Jindal leaves a pile of crap for the next guy and Bush leaves a huge surplus, so again I ask what are we basing Conservatism on? Is it the actual governing or just the rhetoric about governing? Is Jeb not conservative enough because he thinks there ought to be an avenue for granting legal status to certain segments of the illegal immigrant population and because he supports Common Core? Let us not forget that both David Vitter and Jindal supported Common Core before they flipped. So is Bush less Republican because he has a spine and doesn’t let the polls dictate his positions, whether its immigration or Common Core? Is he less conservative because he doesn’t go around speaking in sound bites of red meat for the base like Jindal?
Granted, Bobby did cut taxes with the repeal of the Stelly tax, even though his support for the repeal was half-hearted at best. But is Bobby simply more conservative because he’s unapologetically pro-life, stands for traditional marriage, and wears his faith on his sleeve? Is he more conservative because pastors have an easier time getting a hold of him than state legislators? Those particular issues are the only strong convictions Jindal apparently has of which he won’t back down from and rightly so, but what about the rest? When he wanted to revamp the tax code and repeal the income tax, where was his conviction then? He folded on the first day of session. When some wanted to take a common sense step of merging SUNO with UNO, the Legislative Black Caucus gives a little push back, and once again, he folds. He’s flipped-flopped on Common Core. He bashed the stimulus while travelling the state for check-granting ceremonies. Is this really conservative governing? All rhetoric but no real results?
Give me a break with all this RINO talk. Bush governed Florida a hell of a lot better than Jindal has in Louisiana. It’s not even close! If Bobby’s Administration is that of a Conservative and Bush’s Administration is that of a RINO, then I for one pray our next governor is a RINO. Maybe then we could actually move forward instead of treading water.
David Vitter Releases First TV Ad
John Kennedy's Latest Re-Election Campaign Video
Photo source: YouTube
It's vintage Kennedy reminiscing on his upbringing and the values learned in small town Zachary, LA that he's brought to Baton Rouge.
State Representative Stuart Bishop's Re-Election Announcement
State Rep. Stuart Bishop (R-Laf) announced his intention to see reelection in his district yesterday. Accompanied by Rep. Joel Robideaux and former Congressman Mike Michot, Bishop released the following statement:
I’m honored to represent Lafayette Parish and am thankful for the opportunity to continue serving our community. Over the past four years, I’ve worked hard to pass common sense legislation to bring greater transparency to state government, strengthen ethics standards, cut bureaucratic red tape for families and businesses, protect our oil and gas industry, improve voting opportunities, access and technology and sustain our sportsman’s paradise. I’m ready to continue moving our Louisiana forward.
Photo source: Facebook
Photo source: Facebook
Photo source: Facebook
