Our Views: A welcome to candidates

Louisiana is hardly in political jeopardy in terms of the Republican ticket in the fall, but it’s nevertheless a good thing that the presidential candidates are at least setting foot in the state.

Republican candidate Mitt Romney lunched Monday with 40 big fundraisers — either donors or those who have raised $50,000 for his campaign — at Baton Rouge’s City Club.

Next week, President Barack Obama will talk to the Urban League in New Orleans.

It’s not actually campaigning in Louisiana — both campaigns have seen the state more as a place to raise money than as an actual campaign venue — but at least it is some exposure of the president and his challenger to Louisiana issues.

Romney expressed admiration for the education changes that Gov. Bobby Jindal has pushed in the state.

He also took note of the expansion of public charter schools in New Orleans.

“Those kids have seen a doubling of the number that read and do math at grade level now that they’re in charter schools over the last five years,” Romney said. “A doubling in their success rate. It’s really remarkable.” For the Democrats’ part, party Chairwoman Karen Carter Peterson said the Obama administration has fulfilled the president’s pledges to support the state’s recovery.

At the Press Club of Baton Rouge on Monday, around the corner from the Romney event, she said that the parade of Cabinet secretaries — transportation, housing, education and so forth — to the state has meant high-level backing for Louisiana projects.

“He’s made good on that,” she said of the president’s pledges to support the state’s recovery from the devastating hurricanes of 2005.

We were happy to see Romney in town, and hope that the president will also have a visit here which at least touches on our parochial concerns in Louisiana.

Comments

1) Comment by DMJ - 19/07/2012

How do you earn being poor?

2) Comment by Whatnow - 18/07/2012

@tradewinns, yes they should have. I would have liked to have been told about in more in advance so I could have attended. Some of my co-workers felt the same way.

3) Comment by tradewinns - 18/07/2012

DMJ, i'm retired that's how i could be there. (now i'm poor, but by God i earned it!) there were lots of democrats there, are they going to support romney? no the local democrat party organized them. the republicans SHOULD have done the same thing. either overconfident or unorganized, both bad.

4) Comment by DMJ - 18/07/2012

So...the people who DO show up to Romney's events are what....unemployed? Please. No one showed up because no one cares about Mitt Romney...even those planning to vote for him.

5) Comment by Being_Stupid - 18/07/2012

Why are the Republican States considered Red States? If anything, the Democrat Socialist States should be considered the Red States. Red has traditionally been the color most favored by the Socialists and their parties throughout history. Lenin's Bolshevik Party, Hitler's German National Socialist Party, Mao's Communist Party, Fidel's 26th of July Movement , Allende, Hugo Chavez, the 60's Hippy Movement, Weather Underground, and Occupy Wallstreet Loons have all used the color red. I can't think of any Socialist Party, other than the Black Panthers that didn't use RED to symbolize their violent socialist movements. Yet somehow, the Republican States are called the Red States? Doesn't make a lot of sense if you ask me. Republican States should be called the Blue States by the media, because the Democrat Socialist States are truly the Red States. The whole terminology of referring to Republican States as Red States is confusing and makes total opposite sense.

6) Comment by Being_Stupid - 18/07/2012

I gave $50 to Romney's Campaign yesterday.

7) Comment by Whatnow - 18/07/2012

Maybe his supporters were working and couldn't take off.

8) Comment by DMJ - 18/07/2012

Louisiana's one of the reddest states in the country. It's a given that Romney will win here. That's why no one came to see him speak. That, and he's not an exciting person.

9) Comment by tradewinns - 18/07/2012

all political candidates have these types of functions. the things i was disappointed in was not the donor response, but the "little" republicans lack of support. i was told romney was coming to speak at a park, so i went down to hear him. it wasn't a public speach however, there were plenty of democrat protestors and (as far as i could tell) no republican supporters outside showing their support for the candidate. so i stayed for 2 hours in the heat, listening to democrap talk, because i wanted romney to know he had some support of the regular people in BR. he came out, i shouted my support for him (along with the 30 or so democrat protestors so i don't know if he heard me or not. but i tried). i dabbled in politics in jax, fl (believe it or not i retired to BR) and the local republican party is suppose to insure the candidate is well supported visually. who is suppose to be in charge of that, republican party of BR?

10) Comment by 8point6 - 18/07/2012

An unbiased article from "our views".....Thank you.

11) Comment by 8point6 - 18/07/2012

"Romney expressed admiration for the education changes that Gov. Bobby Jindal has pushed in the state." Where are all my "progressive" friends on this?? There should be at least 17 negative comments on that statement by now.