So Senator Mary Landrieu (D. LA) has a new ad out:
http://onpolitics.usatoday.com/...
Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu is out with a new campaign ad touting the importance of her seniority in Congress, spoken by a Louisiana shipbuilder who is also a Republican.
“Even though I’m a Republican and don’t always agree with her, Louisiana can’t afford to lose Mary Landrieu,” says Donald “Boysie” Bollinger, whose shipyard in Lockport, La., employs 3,000 workers.
Bollinger is a former state finance chairman of the Louisiana Republican Party.
Landrieu, one of the most vulnerable Democrats up for re-election this November, is chairwoman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee. Noting the three-term senator’s position as Energy Committee chairwoman, Bollinger says in the campaign ad that “it means more boats, more jobs, and more oil and gas” for Louisiana.
Landrieu’s latest ad follows one from earlier this month in which she stressed her efforts to fight the Obama administration and protect energy industry jobs. - USA Today, 4/28/14
Here's a little more info:
http://www.nola.com/...
The new ad is part of Landrieu's strategy to try and convince voters that her seniority on Capitol Hill is critical to Louisiana, a state that is heavily dependent on the federal government.
Landrieu has been good for Bollinger Shipyards and its 3,000 workers -- helping to funnel hundreds of millions of dollars to build Coast Guard cutters at the Lockport shipyard.
The funding continued to Bollinger despite a 2011 Justice Department suit seeking recoupment of money for eight vessels the company lengthened but later proved unseaworthy. U.S. District Judge Sarah Vance dismissed the lawsuit last year, and the Justice Department is now asking the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals to reinstate the lawsuit.
In his pro-Landrieu ad, Bollinger, who was finance chairman of the Louisiana Republican Party on three separate occasions and a delegate to every GOP National Convention since 1976, said Landrieu can do a lot for the state if allowed to remain on the job.
"It means more boats, more jobs and more oil and gas," Bollinger said. - Times-Picayune, 4/28/14
And of course, cue the whambalance from Rep. Bill Cassidy (R. LA):
http://thehill.com/...
"Mary Landrieu's most recent advertisements tell us a lot about how central a role she believes the government should play in our daily lives," Cassidy said in an emailed statement. "Her ad tells us that the government should pick the winners and losers and the politically well-connected benefit."
Cassidy went on to say Landrieu's ad reveals that she promotes a "Washington insider system" rather than a level playing field.
The Louisiana Democratic Party shot back at Cassidy's claims on Monday saying that it's a lawmaker's jobs to create jobs, which is exactly what Landrieu's ad explains.
"Bill Cassidy wants the government to reward millionaires and billionaires at the expense of seniors and the middle class and if he really believes it's not his job to create jobs, as his nonsensical response seems to indicate, then he ought to come out and say that," said Andrew Zucker, communications director for Campaign for Louisiana.
According to the Louisiana Democratic Party, the ship builder featured in Landrieu's ad, Boysie Bollinger, contributed to Cassidy in previous election cycles. - The Hill, 4/28/14
Emphasis mine.
Seriously, what a doofus. If you would like to donate or get involved with Landrieu's re-election campaign, you can do so here:
http://www.marylandrieu.com/