Washington Briefs for June 25, 2012

Mardi Gras, Super Bowl conflict in D.C.

Washington Mardi Gras and the NFL’s 2013 Super Bowl are colliding in an unfortunate scheduling mishap.

Once the Super Bowl was slated to return to New Orleans on Feb. 3, the Mystick Krewe of Louisianians that heads the annual Washington Mardi Gras Ball wanted to change its Feb. 2 date for the ball on the same weekend.

The goal was to change the ball’s date to Jan. 26 so people could travel to Washington, D.C., and more easily attend both major events. But that effort has failed.

“Several months ago, the Hilton informed us that they were experiencing difficulties in getting a final sign-off for the date change by the other conference, but they expressed optimism that they would be successful in obtaining approval of the date change,” the Krewe stated on its website. “For a number of reasons outside their control, the other client was unable to get a final approval for this change by their association members.

“While we are disappointed that the original Jan. 26 date did not work out, we feel that we have a significant lead time to address any issues presented by this date change.”

Cassidy picked

U.S. Rep. Bill Cassidy, R-Baton Rouge, delivered the national Weekly Republican Address this past weekend and he mostly focused on attacking President Barack Obama’s health-care law.

The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to rule on the constitutionality of the law as soon as today.

Cassidy, who is a physician, continued to criticize what he calls ObamaCare.

“Unless the court throws out the entire law, we should repeal what is left and implement common-sense, step-by-step reforms that protect Americans’ access to the care they need, from the doctor they choose, at the lowest cost,” Cassidy said in the address.

If all or part of the law is overturned, Cassidy said, “it’s important to know that Republicans will not repeat Democrats’ mistakes. We won’t rush through a massive bill the American people don’t support …”

Lackluster politicians

LSU communications professor Bob Mann takes this generation of politicians to task for dull and frequently false political advertisements in a new opinion column in Politico.

Mann, who previously worked for former Gov. Kathleen Blanco and U.S. Sen. John Breaux, wrote that politicians would win many more successes if they stuck to the facts and used creativity, rather than focus on “Lots of money. Little message.”

“Sadly, too few political consultants and their candidates seem intrepid enough to pursue an approach that relies on their intuition and experience as much as the polling data. Based on what’s being aired, we can’t expect to see this very often this fall,” Mann wrote.

“In fact, most presidential campaign spots should be banned by the FCC — not because they’re filled with half-truths but because they represent an abject failure of imagination. If technically professional, too many ads look like a candidate is running for student body president,” Mann added. “Whatever happened to using the truth to craft creative spots that not only attract attention but cause viewers to stop, contemplate, grow angry — or sad or joyous — and be engaged enough to take action?”

Mann is the author of the new book “Daisy Petals and Mushroom Clouds: LBJ, Barry Goldwater and the Ad That Changed American Politics.”

Duke again

Former Ku Klux Klansman and Louisiana gubernatorial finalist David Duke is back in the news for bizarre reasons yet again.

Duke is actually supporting a black politician. This past week, he endorsed New York City Councilman Charles Barron in a congressional race, even though no such endorsement was sought.

The tie-in is presumably because Barron has been accused of making anti-Semitic comments in the past.

An online video endorsement by Duke for Barron starts out with Duke saying, “The possible election of a dedicated anti–Zionist to the U.S. Congress has thrown the Zionist influenced media and the Zio-political establishment into a tizzy.” He also complains about the “Jewish-controlled New York media” and calls Israel a “rogue terrorist state.”

But Duke also insists he is not racist. Um, OK.

Compiled by Jordan Blum, chief of The Advocate’s Washington news bureau. His email address is [e-mail].