Biased Media Coverage of the LA-01 Congressional Race
First a Times-Picayune article on December 23rd and then a WDSU News
interview on the same night ignored the viable Democratic candidate in
Louisiana’s 1st District race for the U.S. House. I am angry. The
Democratic candidate is me. WDSU News spent several minutes covering
Republican candidates, including those who have not made a decision
yet and even those who have opted against the run. An afterthought
was added at the end saying that there was one declared Democratic
candidate. Indeed, they underestimate my threat.
I do not offer polished promises that I cannot keep. Anyone who
claims to know all the answers is pompous and non-credible. But I do
claim to know most of the questions. I have campaigned hard for the
past year traveling through all 6 parishes contacting mayors, police
chiefs and everyday citizens. I have the determination, resiliency
and intellectual capacity to leave no stone unturned as I search
tirelessly for all possible solutions. Representatives are not
supposed to accept NO for an answer. They are supposed to fight tooth
and nail, beating on Capitol Hill doors, making a persistent clamor
until urgent constituent needs are met. For less urgent matters, a
representative needs to be a skillful, unpretentious negotiator.
I am a fighter who is primed to expand my public service to include my
whole district. On a smaller scale in a university classroom, I have
learned the tremendous impact one person can have. After Katrina, I
informally counseled students and tried to comfort and assure them.
One of these came up to me at a recent event and told me I literally
saved her and that she will never ever forget me. Another student
because of me did not quit school and is now graduating with plans to
attend graduate school in the Fall. I remember Jackie who at 57 and
with ADHD was finally getting her dream diploma until her estranged
husband murdered her 3 days before she was to walk across the stage.
Jackie drew strength from me but would not take my advice to cut her
21-hour semester in the face of the harassment she was enduring. And
I received strength from her as I weathered the tragic loss of a
second beautiful grandbaby at the same time.
In 1949, I caught polio in a major N.O. epidemic. My fever spiked at
107 and nurses said the Werner baby, me, would not make it through the
night. Then doctors said I may never sit up or walk again. All were
wrong. Well-meaning neighbors told my parents that if Santa gave me a
2-wheel bike it would be a cruel tease. I was riding with daddy
running alongside me in no time. I did not just learn to swim at
Audubon Park, I dove again and again off of the high diver. There
were murmurings that I may never have children. I gave birth to 5 and
then adopted 2 more. I was labeled crazy for returning to college
with 7 children in tow, but then I earned my Ph.D. and silenced the
skeptics. My pediatricians tried to hide their misgivings when I
adopted a baby who had the worst brain hemorrhage possible and yet
live. He was born in February and not due until June almost 26 years
ago. This baby, who was not supposed to have any intellectual
development, is now a college graduate.
So I am used to hearing “it can’t be done”. This familiar sound fell
on deaf ears once more a year ago when I announced my candidacy for
the U.S. Congress in Louisiana’s 1st District. Now with every day
that passes, I inch closer to victory. I have broad bi-partisan
appeal with members of both parties supporting me emotionally, asking
for signs, and promising me their votes. 2 of my hardest workers are
Republicans. 2 of my 7 children are Republicans. (We must have
dropped them on their heads when they were little!) So I love
Republicans, too, and can represent well all Americans. I am the
people’s candidate all ready to use my well-practiced skills to fight
for the working woman, the working man, the small business owner, our
veterans, our senior citizens, our children, dairy farmers, cattle
ranchers, tree farmers, shrimpers, fishermen. People are disgruntled
with the aftermath of Katrina, the Iraq War, and the hypocrisy of some
politicians claiming to be all about “values”.
The thing I like least about running for political office is not the
pace or the frenzy or the invasion of privacy. It is phoning to hawk
for dollars. I am a Southern-bred lady with manners and this is just
downright rude. Besides, I resent spending precious time this way
when my time and talent could be better spent researching the issues,
discovering solutions, and meeting people to hear their suggestions.
I did not write the rules and until campaign finance reform is a
reality, I must abide by them or suffer defeat. The majority of those
responsible for legislating a change are multi-millionaires who are
satisfied with the status quo. They do not want populist candidates
murking the waters of their domain.
My most memorable donations, from those not related to me, did not
require me asking. They came from people who gave of their substance
on their own. A busboy at a sandwich shop pulled a wrinkled $5 bill
out of his pocket and gave it to me saying, “Ma’am, fight for me.”
(When I get discouraged over raising funds, I just resurrect this
poignant image.) The second memorable donation came from a retired
priest on a limited income who trusts me implicitly to do what is
right. A donor who does not live in my district and has never met me,
is giving a fundraiser dinner in her home. This is how determined she
is that a fellow Democrat wins this seat. I will make these folks
proud and not let any of them down.
I am in this race for all the right reasons-to make a positive
difference in the lives of mainstream people in District 1. Having
lived in this district my entire life, I have a vested interest in
what happens to us. I am not a political opportunist who plans to
abandon this job for a more politically savvy one in the future like
most of my Republican opponents. They were recently elected to other
offices, and before even being sworn in, they are grappling for the
next rung on the political ladder.
So much work to be done! Hwy 25 needs to be widened into 4 lanes from
Covington to the state line. This is a major evacuation route and is
sadly only 2 lanes wide. Franklinton and Bogalusa desperately need to
have long overdue FEMA commitments paid to waiting contractors. Our
dairy farmers and cattle ranchers are in trouble. We need forest
restoration and nutria laws renewed. Our levees need to be
re-engineered and our wetlands and coasts restored. We need to lessen
our dependence on foreign oil and encourage business. Louisiana is
sitting on a wealth of sugar cane which can be converted into ethanol
cheaper and with more return and less waste than corn. (This is not
an experimental process but tried and true, as Brazil has been
converting sugar cane to fuel for 30 years successfully.) Our public
education system leaves a lot to be desired. Our senior citizens are
forced to decide between taking their medicine and eating because they
cannot afford both. Too many of all ages have little or no access to
affordable health care. Property insurance rates and rents have
skyrocketed. Criminy-in some places, it is as if Katrina happened
yesterday. Indeed, so much work needs to be done and much of it at
the state level.
I envision smart government not big government. Smart government
manages funds more equitably. It enables its people to provide for
themselves without unneeded giveaways. It is efficient government
that is run responsibly. Smart government reverses the class warfare
policies in Washington that give tax breaks to the upper 1% and give a
raw deal to the remaining 99% of us. Smart government earns back
world respect via diplomacy. Smart government protects the rights of
American workers and does not export jobs or import inferior products.
We need a smart government which stays out of our bedrooms, out of
our emails, out of our telephone conversations, out of our bank
accounts. We need to stop the stripping away of our Constitutional
rights before we become like the complacent frogs which boiled because
they did not notice or object as the water temperature slowly increased.
Government is supposed to be of, by and for the people, not of, by and
for a few large corporations and those who make over $200,000 a year.
I represent the pulse of mainstream people-not special interests. I
am a determined, hard-working Louisianian who will fight vocally and
legislatively for what we need. I have a strong voice and I am not
afraid to use it. Time is of essence. The primaries are on March
8th. Being ignored in the monopoly Times-Picayune and being ignored
on a major television venue are big deals. So I am spontaneously
venting to fellow Louisianians, regardless of party, for a sense of
fairness and justice. This is not how democracy in action is supposed
to work. Shamelessly, I am also asking for every possible donation.
Gilda Reed
http://www.WeNeedReed.com
504-287-4328
[email protected]