My Evening With David Vitter

I helped out Vitter tonight at the historic Homer/ Haynesville game. By the way who let the heat back in. It felt like July!!

It seems like north Louisiana is still Vitter country. As I commented to someone tonight it took Gov Blanco to show south Louisiana politicos that if they pay attention to north Louisiana and just showed up they would vote for you. Now we have a large parade of South Louisiana politicos and want to be politicos that make regular appearances. The best at this is Jindal. I think my little Parish went over a decade if not more seeing the Governor. In Jindal's 3 years we have seen him like 6 or 7 times at the very least.

Vitter has been the same way. Further David Vitter has put a very competent , young , and dynamic staff in his north Louisiana offices which has helped him big time. I cannot state that point enough. He made sure that north Louisiana gets the same attention as the more powerful political south. When you have competence in your district offices such as returning phone calls and acting like you give you a damn people remember that when they go the polls.

When Vitter had his problems people waited for the "conservative" north Louisiana voters to turn against him. It never happened because of the above facts. In other words north Louisiana voters have felt that Vitter listens to them , and have made the logical conclusion they want more of that. Who would not.

Anyway the reaction to Vitter was very positive tonight. I have no reason to think it is anywhere else different in north Louisiana. He got a good reaction from the crowd, he got a good reaction with the people he talked too. My individual interaction with people tonight that are in the demographic that Vitter and Charlie Melancon are fighting over was very Pro-Vitter. "No need to give me that push card young man I am voting for him " was the response I got a good bit tonight. Again this is a personal experience that seem to validate what I am hearing around North Louisiana.

As to Melancon let me say upfront I like him. I think he is a pretty decent man. However for a democrat he is entering the fight at the worst possible time that I can ever recall. This race is very nationalized.

The problem with Melancon in the north is voters still don't know him. All the average voter knows about him is he slams Vitter in ads. As I said a year ago I thought this would backfire and appears that is prediction is coming true.

Melancon went negative way too early. He should have spent that time in the north showing his personal side which I think would have been effective to some degree to be honest. One gets a sense his campaign staff has steered him in all the wrong directions as to strategy up here. In fact, it seems DNC people are running his effort that have no idea of the local lay of the ground. Vitter on other hand because he is TRULY a statewide Senator knows it.

The result is if Melancon cannot make any gains in the north the race is over. Vitter wins. There is no where else for him to pick up the votes. I suppose anything could happen but no doubt the democrats that hold the national money purse strings are running internal polls. If there is not a radical improvement in the next two week for Melancon the money will dry up.