Friday, August 27, 2010
Nastiness in 3rd District
Posted by Clancy DuBos on Fri, Aug 27, 2010 at 3:14 PM
The hottest race for Congress this primary season turned out to be the Republican primary in the 3rd Congressional District, which stretches across Louisiana’s oil-soaked coastline from St. Bernard and Plaquemines parishes on its eastern edge to St. Martin and Iberia parishes on its western side. The district also includes the coastal areas of Jefferson Parish. The main controversy involved the military records of the two front-runners, former House Speaker Hunt Downer of Houma, and Jeff Landry, an upstart (and well financed) challenger from New Iberia.
- In the GOP primary, Landry called Downer, a retired major general in the Louisiana National Guard, “a disgrace to the uniform.” Downer responded that Landry has identified himself as “a veteran of Desert Storm” — even though he never set foot in Kuwait or Iraq during that war. Landry, who has support from elements of the Tea Party branch of the GOP, also blasted Downer, a former Democrat, for voting for taxes during his tenure in the state House.
- The basis of Landry’s attack on Downer’s military record was Downer’s acceptance of the Kuwait Liberation Medal for his service during the first Gulf War in 1992. Downer spent 17 days in Kuwait during the conflict; Landry was stationed in the U.S. during that same period and left the service with the rank of sergeant.
- “I have never claimed to have served in Iraq,” Landry explained to a reporter when questioned about his claim to be a Desert Storm veteran. “The only reason I didn’t go is because the war ended so quickly. I certainly never tried not to go.”
- That’s still not quite the same as actually being there, even if it was only for 17 days. Landry further accused Downer of “using political connections and rank to get promotions while the rest of us sweated it out in Fort Hood.”
- Sweating it out at Fort Hood? Gee, that must have been awful … while so many others had it so easy in Kuwait and Iraq.
Comments (4)
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Have either of these candidates for the 3rd District come up with a program for how to recover from the oil catastrophe? Or do GOP primary voters from these badly affected parishes only care about which candidate more blatantly exaggerated their service record?
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typical of republican politics across the country. All hype, no substance. No plan other then to bitch and moan.
TO DAN, A TYPICAL ONE OF DOS DUM DEMS. MORE TAXES, MORE TAXES, AND MORE LAWS THAT AREN'T ENFORCED. FROM THE PARTY WHO GAVE THE WORLD TED KENNEDY AND JOHN KERRY. ONE A MURDERER WHO NEVER HAD A JOB, AND THE OTHER A COWARD AND LIAR. TO CLANCY, NO FT.HOOD ISN'T KUWAIT OR IRAQ, BUT IT'S STILL A HELL HOLE. I WAS STATIONED THERE. NUFF SAID
