Tue, 25 Jul 2006 20:16:49
In Monday’s Picayune there was a front page story about Dollar Bill Jefferson’s political future by Frank (I Won’t) Donze. Donze thinks that everything’s coming up roses for Dollar Bill’s re-election bid. Maybe so but to paraphrase Robert Cray the long range forecast calls for pain. Yes local black pols are timid about challenging Dollar Bill but I think that State Senator Derrick Shepherd won’t be the lone major Democratic challenger for long.
There were several astonishingly provincial quotes from NOLA poltical “experts.” Political consulant and former aide to Mary Landrieu Cheron Brylski said something pretty dumb to Donze in the second paragraph below:
“There’s a perception among some black voters that African-American elected officials are targeted more harshly than white officials ” said political consultant Cheron Brylski who added that many of Jefferson’s constituents may be wondering why the government which appears to have ample evidence of wrongdoing has not formally charged the congressman after an investigation that has lasted 16 months.
“It’s amazing it’s taken this long to resolve this matter ” Brylski said. “Is the man guilty or not? Is he being charged with crime or not?”
Anyone who follows national politics closely knows the answer to Ms. Brylski’s last sound bite. Unless the US Attorney for Northern Virginia stops playing ball with the White House Dollar Bill is unlikely to be indicted until some time in late September or early October. Why? The scandal riddled Congressional wing of the Republican party wants to use Dollar Bill’s legal plight as a way of saying: “Everybody does it not just Republicans. We’re all crooks together.” The Republicans are desperate to retain control of both houses of Congress: they know there will be endless investigations if they lose power. They’re hoping that using Dollar Bill as a whipping boy can help them hold on. They could be right too.
My message to all the timid NOLA pols who are reluctant to challenge Dollar Bill unless he’s indicted is this: take the plunge and file. Dollar Bill *will* be indicted this fall. To the bold goes the gold. Dollar Bill is more vulnerable than Frank Save The Last Donze For Me thinks.
Adrastos 