Louisiana U.S. House Rep. Bill Cassidy who is challenging U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu in this years race is running TV commercials trying to tie Landrieu to President Obama by pointing out she votes 97% of the time in support of his position. Cassidy wants to make sure Louisiana voters think Obama is on the ballot.
The fact of the matter is most parties support their own party's positions as pointed out by Times Picayune staff writer Bruce Alpert in his article dated 2/5/14. According to a Congressional Quarterly Study of 2013 on votes cast by the House and Senate Bill Cassidy voted the GOP position 96% of the time. Landrieu voted her party's position in the Senate 90% of the time. Cassidy supported the President's views only 8% of the time.
Republicans Cassidy, John Fleming and Steve Scalise, all from Louisiana in the U.S. House signed a letter along with 80 republicans during the government shutdown to vote against anything that did not defund Obamacare. Those three and David Vitter voted against the CR that ended the government shutdown. It is old news but one has to remember it was the republican party that gave the country and its people the second great republican depression and 8 straight years of budget deficits plus the very first ever single year budget deficit that exceded one trillion dollars. That single year deficit record still stands today.
That is the state of affairs Cassidy's party left President Obama and his administration. One would think that Bill Cassidy would have the character and courage to vote with the President more than 8% of the time for the good of the people and would never support the House's position 96% of the time especially when the President was trying to create jobs and bring back the economy. Going so far as to shut the government down is over the edge.
This writer in past commentaries disagreed with Senator Landrieu's position on several issues but her over all record of voting for those issues that move the country and its people forward is a better record for the people of Louisiana than Bill Cassidy's record of negative votes and the record of the do nothing attitude of the U.S. House who Cassidy voted with 96% of the time.
The truth will never set some politicians free but hopefully the voters of Louisiana will understand the truth and will make things more clear when voting time comes. Senator Landrieu is not perfect but she has demonstrated she is a better candidate to represent Louisiana and the national interest.
This commentary written by John Lucia.
