Louisiana Screwed Again!!! Congressman Richard Baker May Not Run again

This is not good news. My rant below the story that is now breaking.

Rep. Baker Considers Leaving Congress
Published: 1/4/08, 10:46 PM EDT
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - U.S. Rep. Richard Baker is considering leaving his congressional seat to lead the main lobbying group for the hedge fund industry, the Republican said Friday.
Baker, who was elected to serve Baton Rouge in 1986, said he will soon decide whether to become the next president and CEO of the Managed Funds Association.
"I don't see these discussions taking weeks or months. I see it more as a matter of days," Baker said Friday.
An after-hours message left at the association's Washington, D.C., headquarters was not immediately returned Friday night.
If he takes the job, Baker said, he would leave Congress to avoid a conflict of interest between the wide-ranging hedge fund industry and his position on the U.S. House Financial Services Committee.
The governor would have to set a special election to fill Baker's seat if he resigns. Baker said he will run for re-election in the fall if he doesn't take the job.

Well that is just lovely. Louisiana has one of the weakest delegations in the Country. Despite producing much of the nations food and energy supply our numerical numbers are dismal.

What makes this worst is that the other most powerful Congressman Jim McCrery of the North Louisiana District is retiring. That was a body blow enough. Now Baker. S basically the only Congressman that has seniority (and thus power and influence) is William Jefferson who is being avoided because he is likely to go to jail.

We now will have a Congressional Delegation that will resort to begging for the state.

It seems Louisiana has had a habit of the political god's noticing when a Louisiana politician gets into a position to help his state and correcting that.

Hale Boggs Speaker of the House disapperars in plane Crash in Alaska
When Bob Livingston comes within a day of being Speaker of the House he is derailed by a silly phone sex scandal
Jim McCrery comes within days of being Chairman of Ways and Means and the Republicans lose control of the House

Now this. We shall have three open seat when we include Gov Elect Jindal's. When we need all the possible influence we can get for our fair share of Off Shore Oil Revenue Funds and money for Coastal Erosion projects this cannot happen at a worse time. I hope State Republicans talk sense into him

By the way Republicans, Democrat Senator Mary Landrieu has another compelling argument to use for people to put her back into office. She will argue and I think in a successful manner that defeating her would cause major problems as to Federal Funding in Louisiana and to speak up for our interest in such things as to the two major Military bases in this state.

Mood- Depressed