It's outrageous that he has been re-elected.

He should get no committee assignments.

unfortunately, he's a terrible congressman, and we should work ten times as hard to beat him in two years, or less if he's indicted and resigns, calling a special election. but we shouldn't pull all his committee assignments, he's been democratically elected, and nancy pelosi doesn't have the right to disenfranchise the voters of New Orleans because he's so corrupt. give him crap assignments, strip him of his seniority, but give his constituents some service too.

so embarrassing is right.  But not unlike the mayor's race where the challenger (Mitch Landrieu) didn't give a reason to vot for him.  

I hate our race based politics here.  And this was a "black" vs. black race.  

Ugh indeed.

It will be another major dilemma for Pelosi as it was with Harman and Hastings. Louisiana desperately needs his influence on the committee assignments he had. If Pelosi does not reappoint him and does not replace him with someone from  the LA (or perhaps even MS) delegations she will be seen as slamming the door on Katrina victims which will look bad on Democrats at a time when Katrina will be a major issue in the LA and MS statewide races in 2007 and the Senate and presidential race in those states in 2008. Voters in those states are angry at the Bush administration and the GOP and the Democratic control of both houses is a golden opportunity for Democrats to make gains in those states. Another very hard decision for Pelosi to make.

One of the worst things about this situation is that the re-election of Jefferson makes it harder for the Democrats in Congress to pursue allegations of corruption by the Republicans.  When a party features people who got caught hiding $90,000 in cash in his refrigerator, they aren't in a great position to cast stones at anybody else.  Even thought the Republicans are guilty of many more ethical lapses, the media have always tried to portray corruption as a bipartisan affair; this will only encourage them to push that narrative.

This is another failure of the Democratic leadership, similar to what happened in the Lamont-Lieberman race.  They could have stepped up and supported Carter with all the resources at their disposal.  Now they have an embarassing mess on their hands, and this isn't going to make the Congressional Black Caucus look great either.

Oy.

If he's indicted between now and 1/3/07, must the 110th Congress certify his election and seat Jefferson?

Is that the progressive community in LA don't know how to play hardball in the black community down here.  

Carter's strategy in a majority black district was to get the endorsements of white politicians?  Yeah, for a community that is still dealing with the effects of Katrina, and is incredibly mistrustful of the federal government, getting endorsements of WHITE FEDERAL politicians is going help.

Carter's campaign should have been about getting more help for New Orleans, not running ads about a corrupt congressman in a city that's used to corruption.  And for a measly 90k?  Heh ... I know of 200k used on election day as walking around money for elections in New Orleans.  

And what the hell do you people think happens when someone gets elected in New Orleans?  They get help their family and friends by funneling money  to the charity they create to give them all jobs and new places to live.  

I don't feel a bit sorry for anyone who voted for Jefferson. They got the person they wanted and I wish them all the joy of him.

I do feel for all the other residents of the district even those who didn't vote.

I can't say I am surprised. I am curios did the other campaign combat the whole "white candidate" meme? If so, how?

Pelosi has it in for Jefferson, and apparently all of Louisiana.

Jefferson proposed that Charlie Melancon (D-LA) take his place on the Ways & Means committee, and Pelosi ignored him.  This would have been a great compromise for everyone: Pelosi gets him off the committee, and Louisiana doesn't get fucked.  Oh well.

And where's the word "levee" on that first hundred hours thing.

Secession.  We've been utterly abandoned.

He'll go to jail soon enough.

Abandoned is right.

One of the worst things about this situation is that the re-election of Jefferson makes it harder for the Democrats in Congress to pursue allegations of corruption by the Republicans.

You think?  Come down and drive around this city and tell us that this is the worst thing.

Corruption was never the most important issue in this election, and y'all never got that.

Have a safe trip home.  See you again in two years when we matter again.

The guy was caught with 90K marked bills in his freezer, period. Don't make excuses. Those who voted for Jefferson made a mistake.

Have you lived in Louisiana before? Katrina had nothing to do with it; a freakish acceptance of corruption is the only explanation.

This is just such good fodder for the wingers who will charge the democratic party for keeping him rather than the voters stupid enough to vote for him.  The party cannot throw him out and now he is going to be there and nothing can be done.  I just hope Pelosi puts him somewhere in a corner or in bad committees to keep him from embarassing us more than it already is.

Louisana is Louisana. Ain't no hurricaine gonna change that corrupt culture.

Look at all the incumbents who got voted in after the Katrina disaster. I would have booted almost everyone out at the state and federal levels after the disaster.

Now Jindal, who did crap, is a frontrunner for GOvernor?

Mary Landrieu continues to be safe. THis state seems to have had high tolerance for corruption.

I am getting a little impatient with feeling sorry for a bunch of people who are unwilling to do what is necessary to fix their state.

It's simple. He should not get on any committee as long as there's a cloud over him. That's in the interest of the country. Corruption is something our elected reps must not do. So, even if there are alegations, pro-active measures must be taken. Likewise, if a person is accused of molesting a kid, he is put on "desk duty" or something. You can't leave him in place until he's convicted. Com'on.

This looks really bad for the Dems, so Pelosi should step up to the plate and deliver. And, yes, the people elected him, but anyone who puts $90,000 in his freezer has something to hide...

The Dem party should stand on principle and deny him any position of power. What if tomorrow, somehow a David Duke gets elected? The party shouldn't be such a wide tent that bigots, and corrupt pols can find a home!

I have to say that some of the comments along this thread have more than just a little bit fo the smell of being holy than thou, and potentially a wiff of racism. ie, statements like voters there shouldn't "whine" etc. Do I think this was the right vote? No. Do I agree with the attitude being exuded here? No. I can only hope that the people here to not represent the strategy of the campaign against Jefferson there. I can understand where these voters are coming from. That many of you can not is disturbing more so than the vote.

I doubt Jefferson is going to get a standing ovation. Jefferson ( like Wynn and others) are embarrassments but Bad as this is it still doesn't compare to lierman (Sen. -CFL) getting a chairmanship.

The entire Senate embarrassed itself then.

Plus it is being sold as "honest" graft v. "dishonest" graft. No misunderstanding here.

Not like Biden's unhealthy symbiotic relationship MBNA but that's legal.
Not like Pharmaceuticals campaign/legal/pac contributions.

Hell Jefferson had petty cash in a freezer.

The serious money - 10's of millions of dollars $10,000,000.00's-was getting laundered through Abernoff and Grover Norquist. While Norquist, Reed and others are still being treated with respect, held to be "serious" people by the liberal media, and not in a holding cell for ....(money laundering, Fraud, bribery, racketeering, missuse of the mails, something, anything; take your pick. Hey - they used tax's to get Capone)

Meanwhile a Congressman from Louisana is shown to be corrupt ( Horrors - a corrupt congressman, NO,  from Louisana - Neveh)

Several years ago there was a dubious FBI "investigation of the Mayor of Philly in the middle of an election. Not that that could be seen to poison the perspective of a NOLA resident.

Gotta be a bit paranoid about differences here.

Don't get me wrong I think Jefferson is exactly the image and reality that we in the country can no longer endure and the following is meant as parellels of "local" perspective only but having been a Chicago resident I still think that Rostenkowski was not a bad Congressman. Perhaps I have an unhealthy tolerance for petty corruption.

Remember Rostenkowski was the head of Ways and Means he was popped for selling stamps. This was like hearing of a Corporate executive being busted for shoplifting. He could have gotten more from Corporate "contributions", as has his successors at that position.

Crimes have been committed. But shouldn't they be pursued on levels of seriousness, $ value/cost/involvement, lost social and political oppurtunity. Get the bank robber first, catch the shoplifter later.

"This situation is just so embarrassingly awful."

And that's an understatement.
Anybody wondering why the world doesn't trust the US?
Face reality, folks! About half of US citizen are stark raving mad.
|-[

whats even more auwful is the fact that theres evan a question as to weather or not he will get back on the committee.

Wow.  A lot of angry young white folks out here today.

Pravin has a new approach to Congress.  If anyone is elected who doesn't pass the Pravin smell-test, they should be given discriminatory treatment by the Party leadership.  If the people of their district suffer, well that's OK because those residents don't deserve vigorous representation.  

How about trying a democratic model instead.  The people get to vote the way they want and we treat the person they elect with great respect as their representative.

Jefferson hasn't even been indicted.  He is under investigation, as is not terribly uncommon.  Black people in America have ample reason to distrust law enforcement, specifically in regard to planted evidence, "testilying" and prosecutorial misconduct.  
Although I wouldn't have voted for Jefferson, I understand why voters in that district don't care a lot about federal investigations at this point.  But no matter, he is elected and should be returned to his committee assignments, with appropriate seniority, until and if he is ever indicted.

We didn't win the election. I don't think anybody here, had they had the chance, would have voted for Jefferson. But for whatever reason, alleged corruption wasn't a big enough reason to sink him and he has to be seated.

Preferably seated somewhere out of the way, certainly, but if you screw over Jefferson, you screw over his whole district, including those who voted for Carter or (the vast majority) who weren't able or weren't motivated by either candidate to vote.

And I don't quite see how screwing over the victims of Katrina shows superior progressive morals.

Not so long ago, folks on these blogs
were crying that the voters in the CT
Democratic primary had chosen Ned Lamont,
and that the party leaders should respect
that choice.

Same deal.

The Democratic voters in New Orleans have
chosen Wm. Jefferson in this election,
and the party leaders should respect
that choice.

You guys are all right.  We're just a bunch of ign'rnt fuckmooks.  Because Jefferson Parish picked the wrong guy, you shouldn't rebuild New Orleans.

Rot in hell.