NEWS ARTICLES | November 11, 2008

Landrieu's Time to Shine

By Editorial  |  The News Star  |  Link to article

If President-elect Barack Obama was sincere during the campaign about wanting to end the partisan bickering in Washington "and only time will tell" Sen. Mary Landrieu is well-positioned to serve the nation and the state of Louisiana.

Campaigns are filled with heated rhetoric, and in recent years Republicans have painted Democrats with a scarlet L, lumping them in with Sen. Edward Kennedy, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

State Treasurer John Kennedy tried to do that to Landrieu in his bid to unseat her. It didn’t work, and Landrieu won her third term in the Senate by her most comfortable margin yet.

Landrieu won re-election for a couple of reasons. The first, she worked for it. Landrieu crisscrossed the state, appearing in northeastern Louisiana on several occasions. The area saw little of Kennedy.

But it appears state voters also recognized the political realities. Obama led in the polls. A freshman senator would have weakened the state’s clout in the Senate; a Republican freshman senator would be even worse.

Louisiana’s House delegation is relatively new to Washington, and majority Republican. The state’s junior senator, David Vitter, is also Republican and still repairing his reputation after his involvement with a Washington call-girl service.

Landrieu’s re-election offers the state some traction in the coming Congress with important committee positions. Landrieu sits on the Appropriations, Energy and Natural Resources, Small Business and Homeland Security and Government Affairs committees. Each of these are of vital important to Louisiana. The state is a significant supplier of oil, and is home to a major Army base and Air Force base.

And despite the rhetoric, Landrieu’s record and reputation is that of a centrist.

Landrieu is a founding member and co-chairwoman of the Common Ground Coalition, a group of senators seeking nonpartisan solutions to problems. That group has joined forces with another, similar group, the Bipartisan Policy Center.

If Washington is serious about tearing down the partisan walls, Landrieu’s reputation as a centrist looking for compromise will increase her influence.

That can only help Louisiana as the state tackles serious problems such as its eroding coastline, hurricane damage and economic development.

Landrieu says she will resume her push to get aid for Louisiana farmers whose crops were devastated by Hurricanes Gustav and Ike. She expects Obama to be more receptive to Louisiana’s needs for coastal restoration and hurricane protection. She believes the state should be an "energy leader," both in oil and gas production and in the development of alternative fuels using agricultural products.

She also is positioned to lead the fight for Barksdale Air Force Base to get as much of the cyber command pie as possible.

Louisiana has returned Landrieu to the Senate. State voters should expect to benefit from their decision.