New Orleans Incumbent Mayor Ray Nagin beat the hell out of Lt. Governor Mitch Landrieu in a landslide victory, all things considered in the first mayoral race since the devastating aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
CONGRATULATIONS TO NEW ORLEANS MAYOR RAY NAGIN!!!
Brother Ray Nagin pulled it off inspite of his most harsh critics, white racist who thought they could bully him around and a federal government who didn't even bother to pretend like they would aid him and his city in the face of the worse natural disaster since American chattel slavery of the black man, his woman and their child!
The road back to chocolate city is just that, like it or not.....THE ROAD BACK!
It is my pleasure to bring this big-time victory to you straight from our friends at america online news:
New Orleans Vote to Re-Elect Nagin By Michele Roberts, AP
NEW ORLEANS (May 21) - Voters re-elected Mayor Ray Nagin, the colorful leader whose blunt style endeared him to some but outraged others after Hurricane Katrina, giving him four more years to oversee one of the largest rebuilding projects in U.S. history.
"This is a great day for the city of New Orleans. This election is over, and it's time for this community to start the healing process," Nagin said Saturday in a joyful victory speech.
"It's time for us to stop the bickering," he said. "It's time for us to stop measuring things in black and white and yellow and Asian. It's time for us to be one New Orleans."
Nagin won with 52.3 percent, or 59,460 votes, to Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu's 47.7 percent, or 54,131 votes. While the vote was split largely along racial lines, Nagin got enough of a crossover in predominately white districts to make the difference. He also won a slim majority of absentee and fax votes cast by evacuees scattered across the country.
Nagin, a former cable television executive elected to office in 2002, had argued the city could ill-afford to change course as rebuilding gathered steam.
His second term begins a day before the June 1 start of the hurricane season in a city where streets are still strewn with rusting, mud-covered cars and entire neighborhoods consist of homes that are empty shells.
With little disagreement on the major issues -- the right of residents to rebuild in all areas and urgent need for federal aid -- the campaign turned on leadership styles.
Nagin, a janitor's son from a working-class neighborhood, is known for his shoot-from-the-hip rhetoric. After Katrina plunged his city into chaos nine months ago, Nagin both scorned and praised for his tearful plea for the federal government to "get off their (behinds) and do something" and his remark that God intended New Orleans to be a "chocolate" city.
In his victory speech, Nagin promised his supporters, "You're not going to get a typical Ray Nagin speech. I'm not going to get into trouble tonight, trust me."
He reached out to President Bush, thanking him for keeping his commitment to bring billions of dollars for levees, housing and incentives to the city.
And as for Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco, with whom he feuded in the wake of the storm, Nagin thanked her "for what she's getting ready to do."
"It's time for a real partnership," he said. "It's time for us to get together and rebuild this city."
Landrieu, who served 16 years in the state House before being elected to his current post two years ago, had touted his polished political skills and his ability to bring people together.
He's the scion of a political dynasty known as Louisiana's version of the Kennedys_the brother of Sen. Mary Landrieu and son of of New Orleans' last white mayor Moon Landrieu, who left office in 1978.
In conceding the race, Landrieu echoed the theme of his campaign -- a call to unity.
"One thing is for sure: that we as a people have got to come together so we can speak with one voice and one purpose," he said.
Fewer than half of New Orleans' 455,000 pre-Katrina residents are living in the city.
Evacuees arrived by bus from as far as Atlanta and Houston to vote. More than 25,000 ballots were cast early by mail or fax or at satellite polling places set up around Louisiana earlier in the month.
Turnout appeared to be on-par with the April 22 primary, when about 37 percent of eligible voters cast ballots.
Nagin, who had widespread support from white voters four years ago, lost much of that support in the primary but got a much stronger showing this time.
Voter Elliot Pernell was philosophical about his vote for the incumbent.
He's been through the experience already," he said, and won't make the same mistakes."
Associated Press writers Brett Martel, Kevin McGill and Kank Ackerman contributed to this report.
*****AOL Story Ends Here*****
Well, well, well -- There it is and it is what it is!
Not to be bully and frightened by the good ol' south boys who think the black man needs his permission to speak the truth, Mayor Ray Nagin pulled it off and hopefully he won't sell-out and let his people down and rebuild his city back to its glorious luster!
The Road Back To Chocolate City will be a long one but all George W. Bush and the good ol' boys need to concern themselves with is getting that looooong green down there and let the black man, Ray Nagin do his thing in chocolate city!!!!!
BLACK POWER!!!
3 comments:
www.colorofchange.org
This site was part of a large campaign in support of Nagin and also a host of other issues. It's an easy way to get involved in national issues of interest.
Thank you for the recognition. The Black Fist Blog supports Black folk who support themselves & the best interest of the black nation at large!
We pray Mayor Ray Nagin to bring the City of New Orleans back to its glory and the black people of that city back to where they should be. Those are our folk down there and we love them as our brothers & sisters!
But Mayor Nagin can't do it alone. So G.W. Bush and the governing powers that be get off your asses ASAP! And G.W. do what you stole the election to do....
NEW ORLEANS--Thank you for reading The Black Fist Blog!!!
Dear ColorOfChange.org member,
Unless Congress acts by Friday, 80,000 Katrina and Rita survivors who lost their jobs in the storms will start losing unemployment benefits. To let this happen would be shameful. The support these survivors are receiving is minimal ($104 per week on average), it's desperately needed by tens of thousands of families, and the money is already in the budget. It just requires a vote.[1]
You can make a difference by urging your representatives in Congress to demand a vote to extend these benefits, and asking your friends and family to do the same.
http://www.colorofchange.org/protect/?id=2052-53911
Three months ago, we faced a similar situation – disaster unemployment assistance was about to expire, Congress was about to go on vacation, and while the Senate had passed a bill, the House of Representatives was sitting on its hands. ColorOfChange.org launched a campaign with KatrinaAction.org and other grassroots groups to push the House to pass an extension at the last minute, and it worked. Our members sent more than 3,700 emails and made over 100 calls to members of Congress. It clearly made a difference--one frustrated congressional staffer even called to thank us for helping to get things moving.
Since March 1st, 60,000 have left the jobless rolls; those who remain are the ones having the hardest time recovering. Katrina survivors still trying to piece their lives together are finding themselves increasingly vulnerable. The press is less interested in writing about them, members of Congress are receiving less pressure to protect them, and many in the American public are tuning them out.
In this case, standing up to protect the basic needs of the most vulnerable survivors is simple. It's a matter of bringing bills to a vote and requires just a few minutes of Congress' time. Before they go off for vacation, let's make sure they take the time to do what's right.
http://www.colorofchange.org/protect/?id=2052-53911
Thank You and Peace,
-- James, Van, and the rest of the ColorOfChange.org team
May 25th, 2006
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