The Louisiana Secretary of State’s Saga
There have been some interesting developments concerning our acting Secretary of State Al Ater. First of all, Al Ater announced yesterday that he would not seek election to the Secretary of State post in the fall of 2006. He cited as his reasons that the position should be appointed (which I agree with) and that he would the office should kept free of political pressures (which I think is impossible). You’re probably thinking to yourself, there’s got to be more to the story. I believe there is.
The big decision about whether or not elections will be held in New Orleans in February will come tomorrow. Ater has already been making noises questioning whether or not elections could be held. Ater will probably cite as his reason for delaying the elections the massive destruction of most of New Orleans’s precincts. But is that the real reason?
Today, rumors began breaking first on the Dead Pelican about Ater becoming the new head of the Louisiana Democratic Party. Now if elections are postponed in New Orleans, the party that benefits is the Democratic Party. In fact, I predicted last month that the elections would be canceled if the Democrats were afraid. There is a very good possiblity that a Republican could win the mayor’s race in New Orleans. Therefore, the party of voting rights, the Democrats, must disenfranchise the 100,000 or so who live in the ruins of New Orleans. So this sudden decision to depart the Secretary of State’s position, can be summed up as Ater’s refusal to be accountable to the people of Louisiana.
Finally, the usual suspects ie. the ones who got this state in the mess we’re in, are lining up to run for Ater’s position. If any of these clowns win, this will be a signal to the rest of the nation that we are not serious about change and reform in this state.
Crossposted To:Louisiana Libertarian
