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Two Louisianians are among the 62 fund-raisers the Republican National Committee identified last week as having rounded up more than $300,000 each for the party. For their efforts, New Orleans developer Joe Canizaro and Lockport shipbuilder Donald "Boysie" Bollinger, both longtime Republican activists and donors, were designated as "Super Rangers." Canizaro was already designated a "Ranger" by the Bush-Cheney campaign, an honor bestowed on those who raise at least $200,000. With once-popular unlimited "soft money" donations now illegal, both parties have placed a special emphasis on fund-raisers who can gather groups of individual donors. Kerry has his own super fund-raisers. Those who have collected more than $100,000 are called "vice chairs," and those raising more than $50,000 are "co-chairs." Names on that list were not immediately available.
Home cooking
Kenner-born Donna Brazile spends a lot of time in her new book, "Cooking with Grease," talking about her Louisiana roots and how at times of trouble she always returned home to be with family, friends and her favorite foods. One of nine children, Brazile was the first African-American named campaign manager for a major presidential campaign, Al Gore's 2000 near-miss against George W. Bush. Soon after getting the job, Brazile headed home to Kenner on Christmas Day 1999 for a respite after dealing with a host of rumors about her political philosophy and personal life. "The year 2000 was going to be the biggest, hardest, toughest year of my life, and I needed the strength of David, the faith of Job and the courage of Esther," she writes. "The only way to get myself up for the tasks ahead was to go New Orleans, visit with my family and stir up some crawfish bisque or whatever was in season. They all loved me. They could protect me. I could let my hair down with them and cry if needed. They would restore me and remind me why I was on this journey."
Senate finances Rep. David Vitter, R-Metairie, continues to set the pace for fund raising in the U.S. Senate contest. Vitter raised more than $1.3 million between April 1 and June 30, his campaign said Friday, leaving him with about $3.4 million in the bank for the Nov. 2 election to replace retiring Sen. John Breaux, D-La. Rep. Chris John, D-Lafayette, said last week he had raised about $1 million in the second quarter and had about $2.4 million on hand. Democratic state Treasurer John Kennedy collected about $500,000 in the recent quarter and will report having a little more than $1 million in the bank when campaign finance reports are filed July 15 with the Federal Election Commission. State Rep. Arthur Morrell , D-New Orleans, declined to say how much he has raised.
Ways and means
Money is pouring in -- and out -- of Rep. Jim McCrery's political action committee. The Shreveport Republican's PAC is closing in on $1 million in contributions for the 2004 election cycle and has contributed $438,000 to Republican candidates. That includes $138,000 in one mailing 11 days ago, said Richard Hunt, who helps direct McCrery's Committee for the Preservation of Capitalism PAC. All this activity comes at a time when McCrery is eyeing the chairmanship of the House Ways and Means Committee, one of the most powerful positions on Capitol Hill. The current chairman, Rep. Bill Thomas, R-Calif., must give up the post under GOP term-limit requirements after the 2006 elections. Hunt, who used to be McCrery's chief of staff and now works for the Securities Industry Association, said speculation of McCrery's ascendancy is making the PAC even more appealing to donors who know that the committee controls tax legislation. And, of course, it's also true that the money McCrery pours into the coffers of fellow Republicans makes him more popular with his colleagues who will have a lot to say about who becomes chairman. All of those calculations depend on Republicans holding the House through the 2006 elections and the leadership maintaining its term-limit policy.
NOW for Morrell State Rep. Arthur Morrell, D-New Orleans, has won the endorsement of the National Organization for Women in his long-shot run for the U.S. Senate. The endorsement isn't surprising given that all the other major candidates for the Senate are on record against abortion rights. NOW has made continued access to legalized abortion a litmus test for congressional and presidential contests. Morrell also opposed the proposed state constitutional amendment to ban gay marriages and is the only one of the announced Senate candidates on record against a federal amendment banning same-sex marriages. NOW opposes any legal impediments on same-sex marriage.
Veteran benefits
Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., is hoping her amendment to enhance survivor benefits for military spouses can survive a House-Senate conference committee. The amendment was adopted by the Senate as part of a defense authorization bill just before Congress adjourned for the Independence Day recess. Under federal law, service members who retire after 20 or more years of service can enroll in the Survivors Benefit Plan by paying a monthly premium. It provides 55 percent of the retiree's monthly pension benefit but drops by about one third when the surviving spouse turns 62. The rationale: That's when eligibility for Social Security begins. But Landrieu and others who back her bill say the military retirees paid for the coverage and that it ought to stay at 55 percent until the surviving spouse dies. "Our military retirees enrolled in this plan expecting it would provide a 55 percent pension benefit for life to their spouses. Instead they are finding in their 60s that this money, and the federal government, simply isn't there for them," Landrieu said.
Where the money is So who contributes to a political action committee run by a member of Congress? Rep. Richard Baker's Back America's Conservatives PAC provides an answer. In the first quarter this year, BAC PAC raked in $108,192 in contributions. According to an analysis by the Web-based PoliticalMoneyLine, $97,092, or 90 percent, came from PACs run by finance and insurance companies, the industries Baker, R-Baton Rouge, regulates as chairman of the House subcommittee on Capital Markets, Insurance and Government Sponsored Enterprises. The donations included in-kind catering paid for by the Nasdaq Stock Market PAC. The remaining $11,000 came from individuals, including $6,000 who are Nasdaq employees.
Coastal support
It's not quite official, but Rep. David Vitter, R-Metairie, said he's hopeful the White House will soon announce a commitment of between $1.2 billion and $1.9 billion in federal money for coastal restoration projects in Louisiana. The program is similar to what the administration has been discussing with members of the Blanco administration in Baton Rouge. Vitter said the administration initially talked about beginning work in 2008. Vitter said that after he and others objected, the administration agreed to move up the planned start of work, including water-diversion projects, to 2006. The time frame for the work and financing sources are still being put together by the Office of Management and Budget. Vitter talked about coastal erosion during a meeting Friday with elected officials and business leaders in Houma.
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