William Jefferson is not what I would call a 'better Democrat.' We all know his sad tale of wads of cash in the freezer, even if in retrospect that looks like a good investment move.
Seriously, the Louisiana democratic party should be embarrassed to have not defeated this guy in the primary. But, in a heavily blue district, there is an alternative to the crooked Dem.
That alternative is Green Party candidate Malik Rahim. A former Black Panther, Rahim has been a tireless community activist and hero to thousands of New Orleans residents in the wake of Katrina. He co-founded the Common Ground Health Clinic, which was the first health clinic in N.O to open after Katrina, and continues to offer free health care to N.O. residents without health insurance.
More after the flip
Malik Rahim has:
# Co-founded Common Ground Health Clinic in September 2005 with Sharon Johnson. After hurricane Katrina, it was the first health clinic in the city of New Orleans. The clinic enlisted emergency medics to run a first aid station and help develop a permanent health clinic. The clinic continues to offer free health care for people without health insurance or means to see their health provider.
# Co-founded Common Ground Relief in September 2005, with Scott Crow and Brandon Darby. Since Hurricane Katrina, nearly 13,000 volunteers have gutted over 3000 homes in the Ninth Ward of New Orleans through their efforts.
# In 1984 helped found and operate the Algiers Development Center and Invest Transitional Housing, a program for ex-offenders which has housed more than one thousand former inmates.
# Founding member of the Louisiana anti-death penalty group Pilgrimage for Life, with Sister Helen Prejean.
# Founding member of Housing is a Human Right a San Francisco, California citywide non-profit affordable housing advocacy organization, in 1996
The next election round is on December 6, 2008 (thanks to hurricane Ike, which pushed back the primary). Jefferson and Rahim will also face Republican candidate Anh Cao, Libertarian Party candidate Gregory Kahn, and independent Jerry Jacobs, in this bluest of blue districts.
Malik was a featured speaker at the Green Party Convention in Chicago in July, and his speech still lives with me - he is the real deal. Go check out his site, and give him some love. We need to have a congress without Democratic crooks, and New Orelans needs a truely progressive voice.