Baton Rouge Temperature: 61°
  SEARCH:    GO    2theadvocate    Classifieds    Advocate Archives
Saturday, May 17, 2008

NEWS

Bush makes stop in BR

President attends fundraiser
  • By MICHELLE MILLHOLLON
  • Advocate Capitol News Bureau
  • Published: Apr 23, 2008 - Page: 1A - UPDATED: 12:25 a.m.

President Bush helped state Treasurer John Kennedy raise $500,000 in campaign cash Tuesday during a fundraiser in Baton Rouge.

Bush was in town for about three hours, disrupting rush hour traffic to mingle with an invitation-only crowd at a mansion on Perkins Road east of Highland Road.

The president stopped in Baton Rouge after attending the North American Leaders Summit in New Orleans.

In brief remarks at the airport, Bush said he supports Kennedy’s bid to unseat Democratic U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu. The election is this fall.

The visit is significant because it shows the level of GOP interest in preventing Landrieu from winning a third, six-year term.

Bush’s former political guru, Karl Rove, courted Kennedy for the race. Landrieu’s campaign says Landrieu is the national GOP’s No. 1 target in the 2008 elections.

On Tuesday, the president characterized Kennedy, the Republican state treasurer, as a fiscal watchdog.

“He cares about the taxpayers’ money,” Bush said.

Bush said Kennedy will support the troops and will protect the American people from harm.

“If al-Qaida is making a phone call into the United States, he understands we need to know who they’re talking to and why they’re making the call,” Bush said.

Kennedy met Air Force One at the airport and boarded the aircraft through a rear door. He and Bush exited the plane together, waving to a small crowd of about 25 supporters.

Gov. Bobby Jindal followed them off the plane.

At the airport, Bush gave a volunteer service award to Randy Raggio, who works with the Desire Street Academy.


Comments (15)
Bruce
Wednesday, Apr 23, 2008
8:51 AM

He cares about tax payers money like you do Bush? Thats not the type of care I would be hoping for considering you have outspent all previous times and nearly doubled the debt. How about flying people to see you in DC instead of wasting gas on the 747 and then having all of us that worked to pay for YOUR GAS and OURS sit in traffic trying to get home. All so you could have a swankie invite only fundraiser. Amazing! We need to make sure anyone the current politicians of either side endorse are never elected or this will never change.

Wednesday, Apr 23, 2008
8:56 AM

Kennedy has no chance, I'm afraid. I don't see any way that Landrieu is unseated. Also I'm surprised that the president could only raise 500k. That won't go very far at all. That's hardly worth his time.
Chip
Wednesday, Apr 23, 2008
9:07 AM

Nice to see the President stop in at Baton Rouge. Name me one Democratic President that ever visited Louisiana. At least he cares, others don't. Geaux Tigers!

Wednesday, Apr 23, 2008
10:34 AM

And the fact that he stop by, why does that matter? Gas prices are still increasing and salaries are not.
Patrick McCarron
Wednesday, Apr 23, 2008
10:45 AM

I support Bush. I support Iraqui Freedom. And blame OPEC on rising gas prices.
Christopher Milton
Wednesday, Apr 23, 2008
11:13 AM

Hey chip, only reason Bush is visiting La. is because of two sisters that struck us 2 1/2 years ago. No other President ever had a reason to cater to La. until
Barbara
Wednesday, Apr 23, 2008
11:38 AM

Who cares? None of them take care of the working American people. If you are not poor or rich you are nothing to them. They tell you all that they are going to do for you till they get there and that is another story.
b.j.
Wednesday, Apr 23, 2008
1:05 PM

I agree that GAS prices are rising and salaries are not. Instead of flying around wasting fuel on useless stops, may he needs to fly to meet with the OPEC members and see what the hell can be done about these gas prices. We in Iraq spending billions of dollars, getting our soldiers hurt/killed for what? To protect our interest? Gas & Oil? They should be trading us oil with all the billions we spending, to help keep prices down for the working Americans. The more the fuel goes up the more the cost of living for everything. Good bye BUSH, stay away !!!!!
Chris
Wednesday, Apr 23, 2008
2:15 PM

I'm alway cautious of politicians who change their " Political Party " when they feel where the political wind is blowing. John Kennedy, Buddy Roemer, Woody Jenkins, Billy Tauzin, Mike Foster, etc. ( all former Democrats ). I wonder how many are going to switch back now, to distance themselves from the GOP. Especially now that we have the Iraq War costing taxpayers nearly $2 billion a week, the US dollar is dropping overseas and in Canada, high costs of health care, automobile fuel, food, & electricity. If I were them, I would certainly switch back to the Democrat Party, if they really knew where the wind is blowing now. We don't need John Kennedy in Washington, if it's going to be politics as usual.....we need a real Democrat like Mary Landrieau to help our country.
Yvonne
Wednesday, Apr 23, 2008
5:37 PM

The Landrieu supporters might want to check into just what she has accomplished during her last few years. Kennedy has made enemies because he has been a watchdog. Like him or not, we need someone who watches out for tax payers money and isn't afraid to make enemies when he ruins a big deal or two. Pay attention,Louisiana. It is time for a major change if we want to survive and join the rest of the world. Otherwise, we will find ourselves another Third World Country.
Jason
Wednesday, Apr 23, 2008
6:26 PM

Woody Jenkins changed parties just like Ronald Reagan-- after the Democrat party left him. Jenkins for Congress!
Brenda
Wednesday, Apr 23, 2008
7:42 PM

John Kennedy's changing parties made no sense to me. He jumped on the Republican bandwagon just as the country's swinging back to the "winning" side being Democrats. At least the rest of the politicians that someone else mentioned above changed when the "winning" side was the Republicans. Kennedy just switch sides in the last year AFTER he got re-elected in an unopposed election (it seemed convenient that he didn't make the announcement until after he was re-elected unopposed).--------Anyway, Bush's tripped raised only $500,000. It probably cost the taxpayers at least that much, if not more, in security for him, between the number of local police and overtime; federal security; helicopters, air force one, pilots, delays at the airport, the horrible mess caused by shutting down the interstate between New Orleans and Baton Rouge. Add up the lost time for all of the taxpayers sitting in traffic and not being able to be productive anywhere else (the doctors were waiting for the patients at the doctor's office when I got there, and the waiting room was empty---cool, right?), and who knows how much his little fundraising party actually cost. It would have been cheaper to just write John Kennedy a check from the federal coffers for $500,000, and save us all the time and aggravation of being stuck in traffic for an extra hour just so the almighty could come to a fundraiser.
La. Expatriate
Thursday, Apr 24, 2008
4:30 AM

Bush endorsing someone? That's the kiss of death! Look at what's happened to this country while he's been our "president"! Hanan Incident 9/11 Soaring Oil Prices Torture Crippling deficits a 3 trillion dollar war...with no objective Rising costs, stagnant wages Corrupt attorney general Abramoff scandal Enron/Global Crossing Poor Katrina response (heckuva job, patronage hire!) I could name more...but a quarter of the people in this country will never admit that he's the most terrible president in history - and many of them seem to be hard-headed Louisianians. Fiscally irresponsible, unaccountable, favoring his rich friends - and all the while, he pretends he's a "regular guy". Sure - as long as regular guys have several failed businesses in a row and then go on to get promoted over and over, based on who their daddy is.
La. Expatriate
Thursday, Apr 24, 2008
4:32 AM

Way to go Advocate...your software doesn't recognize paragraph breaks - an unreadable mess from an unreadable mess.
Chris
Thursday, Apr 24, 2008
4:52 PM

This is for Jason - Let's see... I remember the Reagan years like this - a president who plunged the nation into its worst deficit ever ( besides the current president ), ignored and cut public money for the poor, while also ignoring the AIDS crisis, is a bit tough to take. The New York Times recalled, "Mr. Reagan's decision to send marines to Lebanon was disastrous, however, and his invasion of Grenada pure melodrama. His most reckless episode involved the scheme to supply weapons to Iran as ransom for Americans who were being held hostage in Lebanon, and to use the proceeds to illegally finance contra insurgents in Nicaragua." Yeah... go ahead and send Woody to Congress. Like most former Democrats turned Republican... like Reagan .... they screwed up our economy even more. Woody can't even pay his own taxes on time. You would really trust Woody with our tax dollers? Give me a break !
ADVERTISEMENTS
McDonald's


PROMOTIONS


Dish Network

WBRZ CHANNEL 2