Louisiana Democrats in Congress Disappoint Progressives
In the state of Louisiana, corrupt Democratic congressman William Jefferson is getting all the attention right now. There’s no denying that Representative Jefferson is a problem, but he is not the only problem for the Louisiana Democrats – not by a long shot.
Take, for example, Democratic Congressman Charlie Melancon. In our system of tracking important legislation going through the House of Representatives, Charles Melancon only earns a 13 percent progressive rating. That means that, out of all the opportunities that we’ve tracked for Representative Melancon to do the right thing and vote progressively as a Democrat should, Melancon has only come through 13 percent of the time.
What could be worse than that? Well, Charlie Melancon’s repressive right wing rating is nearly twice his progressive rating: 25 percent. Melancon has cast negative votes attacking the Endangered Species Act, giving the Secretary of Homeland Security the power to overrule the law without oversight, and providing special exemptions from the power of the judicial branch for extremist activists from the Religious Right.
That’s not what we should see coming from a Democratic member of Congress. Charles Melancon doesn’t seem to stand for anything but his own appetite for power.
I don’t blame Louisiana residents who look at the Democratic Party and the Republican Party, and say, “A pox on both your houses.” Louisiana needs another option, to clear the air of the corruption of the two main political parties there. Louisiana progressives can only look to the Louisiana Green Party for that kind of alternative.
