Senator Mary Landrieu (D. LA) must be glad she voted in favor of background checks, especially with the results from PPP's latest poll:
http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/...
In Louisiana 72% of voters say they favor background checks to only 20% who are opposed. There is strong bipartisan backing with Democrats (81/13), independents (73/20), and Republicans (61/29) all expressing at least 2:1 support. 45% of voters in the state say they're now more likely to support Landrieu for reelection because she voted for background checks, compared to only 25% who say they're now less likely to vote for her. Landrieu has also seen a 6 point improvement in her net approval rating from the last time we polled the state in February, from +2 then at 47/45 to now +8 at 49/41. - PPP, 5/2/13
PPP surveyed 536 Louisiana voters and 600 North Carolina voters on April 30th and May 1st. The margins of error are +
-4.2% for the Louisiana survey and +-4.0% for the North Carolina survey. PPP's newest poll also showed good news for Senator Kay Hagan (D. NC), who also voted for background checks:
It's a similar story in North Carolina. There 73% of voters support background checks with only 22% opposed. Again there is a strong consensus across party lines with more than 60% of Democrats (86/11), independents (67/28), and Republicans (61/34) all supporting them. 52% of voters say they're more inclined to reelect Hagan next year because she voted for background checks, while only 26% of voters say they will be less likely to support her because of it. - PPP, 5/2/13
Now if we can only get Landrieu to come out for marriage equality like Hagan did, that would be perfect. But Landrieu's vote on background checks will certainly help her next year, especially if she goes up against this clown:
http://www.christianpost.com/...
Tony Perkins, president of Family Research Council, recently spoke on his radio show about President Barack Obama's approval of proposed background checks on commercial gun purchases, saying that he worries background checks could produce a "watch list" that would prevent evangelicals and Catholics from purchasing firearms.
In the Wednesday airing of his "Washington Watch" broadcast, Perkins affirmed that although his conservative nonprofit organization is more concerned with family policy, he also believes that "it's a family issue to be able to protect your family."
"I can't imagine living in a house without a gun," Perkins said.
"This idea of background checks is very concerning given the fact that … the United States military has been increasingly showing hostility toward evangelicals and Catholics as being somehow threats to national security and people that need to be watched," he continued. - Christian Post, 4/12/13
Perkins' name has been floated as a potential GOP challenger for Landrieu:
http://dailycaller.com/...
As Republicans search for a candidate to challenge Louisiana Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu in 2014, some conservatives are floating a familiar face: Tony Perkins, the president of the Family Research Council.
While multiple GOP sources tell The Daily Caller they think Perkins is interested in a campaign, other Republicans in Louisiana and Washington say they haven’t heard anything about Perkins gearing up for a run.
It’s not clear if Perkins, a former Louisiana state representative, is taking the prospect of another run seriously. His spokesman, JP Duffy, declined to comment to TheDC when asked if Perkins is considering a run.
Perkins served in the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1996 to 2004. In 2002, he unsuccessfully ran for the U.S. Senate, losing in the GOP primary to run against Landrieu.
Though he became the president of the FRC in 2003, he still maintains a home in Louisiana. - The Daily Caller, 4/4/13
But of course the gun lobby will try to use Landrieu's vote for background checks against her in their hopes to help Congressman Bill Cassidy (R. LA-6) defeat Landrieu in 2014. But local political analysts beg to differ:
http://bobmannblog.com/...
But in Landrieu’s vote on the Manchin-Toomey background check compromise, her political opponents surely believe they have a potent issue that the gun lobby will use to help Republican Rep. Bill Cassidy defeat the three-term Democrat in November 2014.
Perhaps Landrieu will lose her reelection campaign. She is surely among the most vulnerable Democrats in the Senate this election cycle.
But if she loses, it won’t be because of her vote in support of Manchin-Toomey or other votes like it.
In fact, I predict that should Landrieu prevail against Cassidy — or any other opponent she might draw — it will be because of votes like this one, not in spite of them.
Her supporters may applaud Landrieu as courageous and compassionate. To some, it may seem she cast a tough vote, risking her Senate seat to do the right thing.
Landrieu herself said she supported the bill because it was the right thing to do. - Bob mann Blog, 4/18/13
Meanwhile, Cassidy is still fixated on discrediting and destroying the Affordable Health Care Act:
http://www.nola.com/...
Rep. Bill Cassidy, R-Baton Rouge, introduced legislation Thursday that would require President Barack Obama and his cabinet to use the health care exchanges being created under the Affordable Care Act to help people purchase affordable insurance.
He offered his bill following news reports of behind-the-scenes discussions about exempting Congress and their staffs from a requirement that they use the health care exchanges, where Americans who meet income standards will qualify for tax credits to help them purchase private insurance.
Cassidy is making his opposition to the 2010 health overhaul legislation a centerpiece of his campaign to unseat Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., who voted for the legislation. The two will square off in the 2014 Louisiana Senate race.
Because of a Republican amendment adopted by Congress, congressional members and their staffs will be required to get their insurance from the health exchanges, which are to begin operation in 2014. Though the exchanges are being set up to help people buy affordable coverage, the amendment's sponsor, Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, said Congress should be treated the same way as those seeking coverage through the exchanges.
There was no similar requirement for the president and his cabinet.
Cassidy spokesman John Cummins said his boss would oppose any proposal to eliminate the exchange requirement for congressional members and their staffs.
"As long as the American people have to suffer with the exchanges, the members of Congress who represent them should as well," Cummins said. Critics of the exchanges question whether the exchanges will be ready to begin offering insurance, as scheduled, in 2014, and predict that they won't offer quality insurance products or an efficient shopping experience.
Cassidy said he is calling his bill the "In it All Together Act" and his news release focuses on President Barack Obama and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, who is tasked with implementing the law.
"President Obama and Secretary Sebelius forced ObamaCare on the American people," Cassidy said. "My staff and I are prepared to go on the exchanges, as bad as they might be, because that's what many Americans will have to do."
Ron Pollack, executive director of Families USA, which supports the Affordable Care Act, said Cassidy and some of his colleagues have spent the last three years criticizing the Affordable Care Act and trying unsuccessfully to repeal the law.
"This (new Cassidy) bill has no substantive purpose to it other than to grandstand," Pollack said. "I think if Congressman Cassidy was serious about trying to protect health care for his constituents he would focus on practical pieces of legislation to achieve that rather than grandstand in a way that has no benefit for the people he represents." - The Times-Picayune, 4/25/13
Landrieu has stated that she doesn't regret voting for the Affordable Health Care Act and has been pushing hard for Medicaid expansion in Louisiana:
http://theadvocate.com/...
I have heard the arguments against expanding Medicaid coverage, and frankly, they don’t hold water — not for the uninsured, not for those of us who are insured and who must pay higher premiums to cover those who aren’t, and certainly not for the hospitals, doctors, nurses, nursing homes and other providers who will miss out on accessing more than $16 billion in federal support for our health-care system over 10 years. Even more distressing, if the governor’s opposition holds, our citizens’ federal tax dollars will be used to pay for the expansion of Medicaid in other states.
This is a particularly tumultuous time in our state’s history with regard to our health-care delivery system. The decisions our legislators make will have a profound and lasting impact on the health and welfare of hundreds of thousands of people in our state, and the economic health and prosperity of all of Louisiana.
The value of the Medicaid expansion is clear. Not only will it expand access to care, it will increase revenue streams to our hospitals and other health-care providers, and the many businesses and suppliers that work with them throughout Louisiana. Expanding Medicaid is the right thing to do for our people and the smart thing to do for our economy. - The Advocate, 5/1/13
If you would like to get involved with Landrieu's re-election campaign, you can do so here:
http://www.marylandrieu.com/...