Election day....

it is election day here in New Orleans. Ray Nagin seems to have an air of inevitable loss to him,
and that he can take it or leave it. There hasn't been a white mayor since 1978, Mitch Landreau's father: Moon Landreau.

It is almost all about race. There are adds on the radio from civil rights people saying that if Landreau gets elected "we" will lose 1300 jobs at city hall. The "We" being black people. I wonder where racially mixed people are classified? What is refreshing is people talking about race openly, as opposed to Boston where it is not discussed very frankly and usually with buzz words like "progressive".

Landreau has blacks talking about how great he is on his ads. There have also been a whole number of debates, with substantive dialogue, so people really do know where candidates stand.
Nagin also has an ad that sounds like a suburban white husband and wife making fun of all the Landreau's in State Government: sister is judge, sister is senator, aunt is school board, etc, etc. They are like the Kennedy's of Louisiana. Where were they before the storm trying to help this obviously broken city.


It feels like Landreau will win with 55 to 60 percent of the vote.

Meanwhile, there are still piles of trash all over the city, crime is on the rise, abandoned cars and boats around.

It is clear that on a local, state and national level the government has failed the people of this city. No leadership is evident and the people know it, but unfortuneately they have nowhere to turn.