Now, with that behind him, he starts to prepare for his 2010 Senate re-election run. Cue the comically ironic porn-star:

This year, an ad appeared on Craigslist seeking “a female in some aspect of the adult-entertainment industry” to run against Vitter. Soon after, a website “drafting” porn actress Stormy Daniels to oppose Vitter sprouted up. Part publicity stunt, part political psy-ops tactic, the Draft Stormy initiative has already forced Vitter’s scandalous past back into the limelight. The Louisiana Democratic Party denied any involvement in creating the website, but it is not complaining about Daniels’ involvement in the race.

While traveling through Arizona last week, I learned that Daniels would be performing at a Phoenix strip club. I tracked the adult-video starlet down at her hotel and filmed the first interview with her since the Draft Stormy initiative began. During our exclusive interview, Daniels homed in on what she called Vitter’s hypocrisy, declaring her intention to make his contradictory behavior the centerpiece of her campaign.

Hit the link for the video interview.

As I said, I almost feel bad for Vitter.  How is he going to put that scandal behind him if he’s running against someone who continuously brings it up — and is in the adult film industry?

If the ‘Draft Stormy‘ movement (is it a movement?) catches on, Vitter’s re-election race could be will be extremely entertaining to watch.

[cross-posted at ThePajamaPundit.com]

One thing I want to focus on is how House Minority leader John Boehner characterized this victory…

In a memo to colleagues called “The Time is Cao,” Boehner says that Anh “Joseph” Cao’s win over Jefferson in a heavily Democratic district points the way out of the wilderness. The House GOP focus, he argues, ought to be ethics, ethics, ethics.

“The Future is Cao” reads the subject line of Boehner’s memo. “As House Republicans look ahead to the next two years, the Cao victory is a symbol of what can be achieved when we think big, present a positive alternative, and work aggressively to earn the trust of the American people,” offers Boehner.

Is Boehner serious? Does he really think that Americans will all of a sudden look at the GOP as the party of ethics? After Abramoff, Cunningham and DeLay? After Bush, Rove and Cheney?

Good look with that John.

If anything, Cao’s victory represents a repudiation of ANY type of corruption, and to think that any one party can own that brand is naive at best.

One of the biggest surprises over the weekend was the defeat of popular, but indicted, Representative William Jefferson for Louisiana’s 2nd congressional district.

But should it surprise anybody that voters preferred Anh Cao’s message of pragmatic politics? Because after reading even a little bit about this guy, I would have cast my ballot for him over Jefferson in a heartbeat if I had the chance.

NY Times has more:

Mr. Cao was a refugee from Vietnam at age 8, a former Jesuit seminarian, a philosophy student with a penchant for Camus and Dostoyevsky, an unknown activist lawyer for one of the least visible immigrant communities here and a Republican in a heavily Democratic district. [...]

He is only a recent convert to the Republican Party, having been a registered independent for most of his adult life, and has no position — at least not one he cares to share yet — on President-elect Barack Obama’s agenda. His politics seem less a matter of ideology than of low-key temperament and a Jesuit-inspired desire to “help and serve people,” as he put it. [...]

Now, Mr. Cao will have to persuade the district’s Democrats to keep him in office, but he says he is not worried. He said the district had not really had a representative, given Mr. Jefferson’s preoccupations.

Besides, he said, “I truly espouse Aristotle’s definition of virtue: To walk in the middle line.”

No doubt many GOPers will call Cao a RINO if he doesn’t toe the party line, but this is the type of guy who can bring independents and moderate Dems back into the Republican party. And I hope Obama finds an ally in Cao from time to time when they’re trying to solve difficult problems that require common sense solutions over partisan jockeying.

Fingers crossed.

In a grim election year, the Republicans can at least take solace in the fact that they didn’t lose to a guy who was caught with $90,000 in his freezer. With the defeat of William Jefferson of Louisiana, Republican Anh “Joseph” Cao has proven that even amidst a Democratic sweep and even in a heavily Democratic district, voters will punish corruption.

Minority Leader John Boehner is even using the Cao victory as a roadmap to future Republican success. While it’s unlikely that too many more Democrats will be as brazenly corrupt as was Jefferson, make no mistake that there will be Dems who succumb to the temptations of power. And there are already a few old-school, powerful Democrats who possesses questionable ethics (see: John “Abscam” Murtha and the current investigation of Charlie Rangel).

Boehner is on to something when he encourages his Republican colleagues to stand up to corruption and deliver a positive rather than cynical message. Of course, it will take awhile to erase from the public’s memory the Republican’s own tenure of corruption. But that doesn’t mean the Republicans left standing can’t, over time, reshape themselves into a minority party capable of standing up to the excesses of the ruling party.

Democrats, for their part, have to be vigilant against corruption in their midst. Senate and House leaders can’t coddle their ethically challenged members or downplay the seriousness of corruption. As Cao’s victory proves, voters will not long abide by leaders who abuse their power — no matter what letter comes after their name.

If he’s truly thinking about running in 2012, I think that’s a mistake since he’ll literally be 41 years old at the time. Then again, that’s what they said about Obama a couple years ago, although Obama had more legislative experience when he ran than Jindal will have in 2012.

And actually, both Huckabee and Jindal are going, but I’m talking about Jindal because I mentioned Huck a few days ago.

Des Moines Register has more…

On Nov. 22, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal will visit Cedar Rapids and West Des Moines to speak at several events. Jindal is known for having played a significant role in Louisiana’s recovery from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

Neither Huckabee nor Jindal has officially announced plans to seek the 2012 nomination, but Web sites such as Politico.com have speculated on their intentions. Some political observers say it’s just a matter of time before the two publicly acknowledge they are running for president.

“I think they’re just kind of feeling their way around, testing the waters and seeing how things go – to get acquainted with people they’ll have to get acquainted with three years from now,” said Jan van Lohuizen, a Republican consultant who handled polling for President Bush’s re-election campaign.

Others, however, say it is too soon to speculate about contenders for the GOP’s 2012 nomination for president.

“People are looking, probably, for more than there is,” said Bryan English, a spokesman for the Iowa Family Policy Center, which is sponsoring Jindal’s West Des Moines event.

By the way, I don’t think it’s any coincidence that Jindal is starting to make the rounds on the media in this post election cycle and talking about where the GOP needs to go.

Long story short, he could definitely be a new, more bi-partisan force within the party and that’s really the only place they’ll be able to go if they want to push the Dems out of power.

The three things that Jindal cite are definitely what the GOP hung their hat on, but will they have a higher hurdle if Obama is successful with his decidedly liberal economic agenda?

We shall see…

Again, the Obama landslide scenario is not playing out tonight, although it looks like he could pick up North Carolina, Indiana and Missouri. And that would push him above 350.

Some think this would be a mandate. I don’t buy that, but we shall see.

And scene.

We can all now breathe a sigh of relief.

The storm also hit the Louisiana coastline at more of an angle than the direct hit Katrina gave the area. While damage is still expected to be profound, there is hope that we will avoid a catastrophic situation.

“Since the immediate days following the storm, I have been traveling to our nation’s capitol to advocate for policies that aid our rebuilding effort,” Nagin said in a statement released by the Obama campaign. “I know first hand, we desperately need the leadership of someone committed to changing the system in Washington that can hold us back from moving forward.”

Then Rep. Joe Donnelly from Indiana:

The superdelegate from northern Indiana said Tuesday in making his announcement he is looking for a president who can bring the nation together. Donnelly described Hillary Rodham Clinton as a tenacious fighter for the American people, particularly for working families, but said he believed Obama was the president that the country needed now.

Donnelly, who previously was uncommitted, cited Obama’s campaign for draw[ing] more than 3 million new voters and pointing the way toward a more hopeful future for the country.

Do note that Obama’s post-PA pickups are now nearly 4 to 1.

Post-Pennsylvania Delegate Pickups:
Obama – 52
Clinton – 13.5

Total Superdelegates:
Obama – 283
Clinton – 272.5

Total post-PA pickups after the jump…

Obama superdelegate pickups:
Joe Donnelly (IN), Representative – May 13, 2008
Ray Nagin (LA), DNC – May 13, 2008
Daniel Akaka (HI), Senator – May 12, 2008
Dolly Strazar (HI), DNC – May 12, 2008
R. Keith Roark (ID), Dem Chairman – May 12, 2008
Tom Allen (ME), Representative – May 12, 2008
Crystal Strait (CA), DNC – May 11, 2008
Harry Mitchell (AZ), Representative – May 10, 2008
Dave Regan (OH), Add-On – May 10, 2008
Kevin Rodriguez (VI), DNC – May 10, 2008
Carol Burke (VI), DNC – May 10, 2008
Kristi Cumming (UT), Add-On – May 10, 2008
Joe Johnson (VA), DNC – May 9, 2008
Vernon Watkins (CA), DNC – May 9, 2008
Wilber Lee Jeffcoat (SC), DNC Vice Chairman – May 9, 2008
Laurie Weahkee (NM), DNC – May 9, 2008
Mazie Hirono (HI), Representative – May 9, 2008
Ed Espinoza (CA), DNC – May 9, 2008
John Gage (MD), DNC – May 9, 2008
Peter DeFazio (OR), Representative – May 9, 2008
Donald Payne (NJ), Representative – May 9, 2008
Rick Larsen (WA), Representative – May 8, 2008
Brad Miller (NC), Representative – May 8, 2008
Jennifer McClellan (VA), DNC – May 7, 2008
Inola Henry (CA), DNC – May 7, 2008
Jerry Meek (NC), Dem Chairman – May 7, 2008
Jeanette Council (NC), DNC – May 7, 2008
Lauren Dugas Glover (MD), DNC Vice Chairman – May 5, 2008
Michael Cryor (MD), DNC Chairman – May 5, 2008
Kalyn Free (OK), DNC – May 5, 2008
Jaime Paulino (Guam), DNC & Territory Vice Chair – May 4, 2008
Parris Glendening (MD), Governor – May 3, 2008
Inez Tenenbaum (SC), DNC – May 3, 2008
Brian Colón (TX), DNC – May 3, 2008
Paul G. Kirk, Jr. (MA), DNC – May 2, 2008
John Patrick (TX), DNC – May 1, 2008
Barbara Flynn Currie (IL), DNC – May 1, 2008
Todd Stroger (IL), DNC – May 1, 2008
Richard M. Daley (IL), DNC – May 1, 2008
Joe Andrew (IN), DNC – May 1, 2008
Bruce Braley (IA), Representative – Apr 30, 2008
Lois Capps (CA), Representative – Apr 30, 2008
Baron Hill (IN), Representative – Apr 30, 2008
Ben Chandler (KY), Representative – Apr 29, 2008
Richard Machacek (IA), DNC – Apr 29, 2008
Jeff Bingaman (NM), Senator – Apr 28, 2008
Charlene Fernandez (AZ), DNC & State Vice Chair – Apr 26, 2008
David Wu (OR), Representative – Apr 24, 2008
Audra Ostergard (NE), DNC & State Vice Chair – Apr 23, 2008
Brad Henry (OK), Governor – Apr 23, 2008

Clinton superdelegate pickups:
Arthur Powell (MA), Add-On – May 10, 2008
Ciro Rodriguez (TX), Representative – May 9, 2008
Chris Carney (PA), Representative – May 9, 2008
Brad Ellsworth (IN), Representative – May 7, 2008
Heath Shuler (NC), Representative – May 7, 2008
Theresa Morelli (Dems Abroad), DNC May 5, 2008
Kathleen Kennedy Townsend (MD), Lt. Governor – May 3, 2008
Jaime A. Gonzalez Jr. (TX), DNC – May 2, 2008
Andrew Cuomo (NY), DNC – May 1, 2008
Thomas DiNapoli (NY), DNC – May 1, 2008
C. Virginia Field (NY), DNC – May 1, 2008
Carmen Arroyo (NY), DNC – May 1, 2008
John Olsen (CT), DNC – May 1, 2008
Luisette Cabanas (PR), DNC & Territory Vice Chair – Apr 30, 2008
William George (PA), DNC – Apr 30, 2008
Ike Skelton (MO), Representative, Apr 29, 2008
Mike Easley (NC), Governor – Apr 28, 2008
Kathy Sullivan (NH), Add-On – Apr 26, 2008
John Tanner (TN), Representative – Apr 23, 2008

Clinton superdelegate losses:
Kevin Rodriguez (VI), DNC – May 10, 2008
Donald Payne (NJ), Representative – May 9, 2008
Jennifer McClellan (VA), DNC – May 7, 2008
Arlene P. Bordallo (Guam), DNC & Former Territory Vice Chair- May 4, 2008
Joe Andrew (IN), DNC – May 1, 2008

Let’s take a look at Michael’s argument (note: Mississippi and Louisiana are mixed up here, so read everything in the following as commentary on Mississippi):

So why did Obama [win] so easily in Louisiana? Well, simple: 90% of blacks voted for him, and blacks made up half of the total amount of voters in the Democratic primary. He could not have lost. Because of his plans? Because of his experience? No, because blacks vote for him… because he’s black.

No, that’s not an excuse for Hillary Clinton, but it does give me the impression that African-Americans aren’t voting for people because of her or his politics, but because of his or her… well, in this case, skin color.

So blacks just vote for blacks even if they’re not good candidates? Hmmm. I suppose that’s why Al Sharpton made such an impressive electoral showing in 2004. Or Jesse Jackson in 1984. As is the case with many salvos Michael launches at Obama, the facts simply don’t add up.

But beyond the insensitive and clumsy argument being made here, what bugs me just as much is the technique he’s using to sell it. Here’s how his post starts out at the end of the first paragraph…

I know it’s considered ‘racist’ to point out that 90% is enormous and a nearly idiotic high percentage, but I’m doing so nonetheless.

I’m not sure if this technique has a name, but it should because it’s been around for a LONG time. Basically, the writer prefaces what he is about to say with a promise that somebody will find it offensive enough to call him out on it. And when that actually does happen, like right now, he gains favor from a certain segment of his audience for predicting the inevitable and is therefore seen as being a bold truth-teller who is willing to say what others will not. This is essentially a variation of the same “PC Police” nonsense the right-wing has used for a long, long time to cover their tracks when they say something insensitive and wrong headed.

But just to be clear, I don’t think what Michael said was racist. I know him well enough to discard that outright. And let me point out that I haven’t accused Ferraro of being a racist, nor Bill Clinton, nor anybody else who has made racially insensitive gaffes in this campaign cycle.

I do, however, think what Michael said is incredibly demeaning. People are people are people, and they make up their minds based on many different factors. Yes, blacks are voting for Obama in record numbers. Nobody is denying that. And yes, race is playing a factor in those decisions. But to paint the African-American voting base with such a broad brush, and in such an intellectually dishonest manner, I fear that Michael is indeed beginning to stray into Ferraro territory. And that’s not a good place to be.

This gambit is losing one. Abandon it before it’s too late.

What will happen? Here are some guesses…

Washington primary, 78 delegates:

Lay of the land: Obama is thought to have an advantage in the caucuses, which are dominated by party activists, especially in liberal Seattle. However, Washington has a strong history of electing women.

Both senators from the state are women and have endorsed Clinton. Democratic Gov. Christine Gregoire has not yet made her pick but said she would before the caucuses. (Justin’s note: Gregoire has since endorsed Obama)

Louisiana primary, 56 delegates:

Lay of the land: A heavy turnout by black voters would benefit Obama. The state is close to one-third black and has only a small population of Hispanics, a group that has favored Clinton.

Nebraska caucuses, 24 delegates:

Lay of the land: The Clinton campaign claimed a strong grass-roots organization. Obama has been endorsed by state party leaders and lawmakers as well as by Sen. Ben Nelson, the only Democratic member of the state’s congressional delegation.

Maine caucuses, 24 delegates:

Lay of the land: Gov. John Baldacci is backing Clinton, and led several dozen state lawmakers in a rally for her Thursday. Obama swept up $400,000 in a visit to Portland in September, in one demonstration of his drawing power in the state, said Maine House Speaker Glenn Cummings, who backs him.

Virgin Islands caucuses, 3 delegates:

Lay of the land: In November, Obama attracted more than 100 supporters to a one-hour reception in St. Thomas that cost up to $2,300 to attend.

Conclusion: most think Obama has the advantage this weekend since Hillary hasn’t been too aggressive in these states.

I guess we’ll see.