He might be boring and even offensive and he also wants to make Seniors suffer:Democrats contend that Cassidy — who rarely raises his voice or changes his tone, even when confronted with criticism — is such a snoozer that his party affiliation alone won’t be enough to carry him in this hotbed of discontent for the president and his party. As former Sen. John Breaux (D-La.) put it in an interview: “Louisiana, let’s face it, has always liked personalities.”Rep. Cedric Richmond, a dapper politician from New Orleans and key Landrieu supporter, was more blunt. “He’s weird. Dude is weird,” Richmond said. “He’s not what Louisiana is. He’s not personable, he’s not charismatic.”
Republicans don’t dispute that Landrieu, who comes from a family of charismatic pols, is more in line with the Bayou State’s outsize political lineage. But her willingness to confront Democratic leaders and propensity to embrace Louisiana’s party culture might not be enough to earn her a fourth term.
“She’s a better candidate than Cassidy. But no one’s going to compare her to John Breaux, Edwin Edwards or Billy Tauzin,” said Bob Mann, an LSU professor and former Democratic operative. “He’s a grilled cheese sandwich. She’s maybe a shrimp po’ boy. Edwards is a big bowl of gumbo.”
Cassidy’s singular focus on linking Landrieu to the president hasn’t been free of controversy: In a state with the second-highest percentage of African-Americans in the country, he has compared Reid’s Senate to a plantation and said poor people are unable to read Obamacare forms, apologizing for neither.
“It’s the worst campaign,” said Richmond, who is African-American. “They just want a picture of a black man and a white woman up there in Louisiana to stoke fear and all the worst feelings in people.”
Cassidy’s disposition, collaborative record with GOP leaders and middling record on conservative scorecards has also upset some Republicans. Sarah Palin, Mark Levin and the Senate Conservatives Fund are backing the long-shot candidacy of Col. Rob Maness.
In an interview, Maness said he would get behind Cassidy in a runoff if it came to that. But other conservatives aren’t willing to offer such an assurance.
“Cassidy is as vanilla, run-of-the mill liberal establishment politician there is,” said SCF President Ken Cuccinelli, who lost the Virginia governor’s race after being portrayed as extreme. Gov. Bobby Jindal, who is eyeing a presidential run, has declined to endorse Cassidy, though that may be a blessing given the termed-out governor’s low approval ratings. He said last week that he will endorse the Republican who emerges from November’s “jungle” primary. - Politico, 10/15/14
Emphasis Mine.Most Democratic ads have featured seniors worrying aloud about the Baton Rouge congressman on entitlements. Rather than tone down his past comments, Cassidy offered a full-throated defense of the need to gradually increase the retirement age for people who are not currently on Social Security in order to save the system.“Ideally, you do it as low, as young, as possible — like someone who is not yet born. But the reality is you’ve got to make changes someplace, and we’re all living longer,” he said.
Cassidy twice invoked his mother to reassure seniors that those currently receiving benefits would not be affected by his plans.
Asked about Medicare, he said: “My 92-year-old mother lives with me. I know the importance of Medicare.”
About 45 minutes later, when Social Security came up, he responded: “My mother lives with us. She’s 92 years old. So I understand the importance of Social Security.”
Landrieu attacked, noting that in some of Louisiana’s poorer parishes the average life expectancy is only about 70.
“Social Security is not an entitlement,” she said. “It is an earned benefit.”
Even the tea party-linked Maness opposed raising the retirement age. - Politico, 10/15/14
Well said. This race may go into a runoff but no one should write Landrieu off. Especially because of this:
Lets prevent Cassidy from hurting our Seniors by helping Landrieu win her race. Click here to donate and get involved with Landrieu's campaign:Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., will report raising $2.728 million in the last quarter, while Rep. Bill Cassidy, R-Baton Rouge, her leading GOP challenger, will report contributions of $2.486 million, according to the respective campaigns.Republican Tea Party challenger Rob Maness reported raising $1 million during the quarter, ending Sept. 30.
The Landrieu campaign said the three-term senator ended the quarter on Sept. 30 with $3.492 million available cash, saying 98 percent of the money is available to spend on the Nov. 4 open primary. The Cassidy campaign reported $4.43 million in available cash, as of Sept. 30.
The Maness campaign said the retired Air Force colonel had $387,839 in available cash.
The Landrieu campaign said the senator has now raised over $16 million, compared to $10.487 million for Cassidy and $2.295 million for Maness.
The 2014 Senate campaign seems likely to be the most expensive ever, especially when spending on attack ads by outside groups is included in the totals. - The Times-Picayune, 10/15/14
