Cedric Richmond Gets Worse
At the left-leaning, New Orleans-based American Zombie blog, which one would think would be predisposed to supporting his candidacy, there was a devastating piece on Friday about the Democrat frontrunner for the 2nd District race, Cedric Richmond.
The scuttlebutt about Richmond has been for some time that he’s nothing more than a replay of Dollar Bill Jefferson waiting to happen. If what’s in the American Zombie piece is correct, Richmond might even be worse.
The gist of the piece is this: Richmond used a non-profit he secured funds for from several sources – The Governor’s Office of Urban Affairs and Development, the Department of Education, the City of New Orleans, Jazz Enterprises, Entergy and the Louisiana Stadium Exposition District (otherwise known as the folks who run the Superdome) for all kinds of selfish personal purposes. The non-profit, New Orleans Community Enhancement, Inc. (NOCE), operated out of a building on Crowder Boulevard in New Orleans East beginning in 2000, and it was supposed to provide computer training for underprivileged kids – among other things.
Turns out that the Crowder Boulevard address was Richmond’s office address, so when he wrote the grant letters he was basically saying, “just send the check here.” And it also turns out that when NOCE got a credit card for the nice lady who ran the place, she turned around and ripped it off to the tune of some $30,000 or so. And was arrested and charged with felony theft – but managed to plead down to a misdemeanor theft charge and pay $15,000 in restitution.
And the piece alleges that the nice lady and Richmond were schtupping each other. Which is Yiddish for bumping uglies.
There’s more, and you should go and read the whole thing.
This story has something for everybody. We’ve got sex, we’ve got money, we’ve got stealing government money from kids. It will be interesting to see whether the establishment media in New Orleans takes a whack at all this stuff – Lee Zurik would be a good candidate when he gets finished defenestrating the New Orleans Public Belt Railroad – but in any event Richmond can’t really afford all this dirt coming out on the heels of the nasty rehashing of his 2007 bar fight arrest or his 2005 bar license suspension last week.
And Richmond really can’t afford to have a major scandal hit his campaign just two weeks from his primary race against Juan LaFonta.
In February, the Times-Picayune reported that Richmond was slow with a $7,000 check to 3rd Coast Research, the opposition research firm he’d hired for his congressional race in 2008. That turned out to be a mistake, as 3rd Coast bolted from Richmond and took up residence on LaFonta’s team. The Picayune story had this interesting snippet in it…
As the 3rd Coast site explains it: “Knowing one’s vulnerabilities is the first step in controlling them. 3rd Coast Research provides campaigns with vulnerability assessments that summarize key strengths of the candidate as well as weaknesses. These reports anticipate major attacks and provide insight into the candidate’s record.”
Said LaFonta of Richmond, “he needs to be worried about his record because there’s a lot there.”
Said Richmond, “As to the debt listed for 3rd Coast, the campaign was in negotiation to resolve any payments being requested and still owed based on services actually rendered. We did not retain 3rd Coast for our current campaign and have no concern that they are working for any candidate in our race.”
One wonders if Richmond’s chickens aren’t coming home to roost with 3rd Coast as well as some of the other errors he’s made. Either way, he’s not looking like much of a candidate right now.
It is becoming apparent that Cedric Richmond is a crook just like Dollar Bill Jefferson. I am not 100% decided, but I can't see myself voting for anyone other than Joseph Cao. What is known so far about Seedy Ced' is pretty well laid out on http://www.kreweoftruth.com/web/
Krewe Of Truth is run by Cao’s campaign manager. Can you really expect it to be unbiased?
It is becoming apparent that Cedric Richmond is a crook just like Dollar Bill Jefferson. I am not 100% decided, but I can't see myself voting for anyone other than Joseph Cao. What is known so far about Seedy Ced' is pretty well laid out on http://www.kreweoftruth.com/web/
Wait, so, Cedric Richmond lies (an unremorseful perjurer, hence his law license suspension, steals (as this story indicates), gets violent when drunk (BAR FIGHT!!!), and now, according to the TP story referenced herein, he doesn't even pay his debts. Wow. Classy.
Wait, so, Cedric Richmond lies (an unremorseful perjurer, hence his law license suspension, steals (as this story indicates), gets violent when drunk (BAR FIGHT!!!), and now, according to the TP story referenced herein, he doesn't even pay his debts. Wow. Classy.
The longest of longshots, Joseph Cao, might just have a chance at another term. If Richmond still hangs on to win the primary, Cao will be able to run against Dollar Bill just like he did last time — I don't think New Orleans wants to turn back the clock to the corrupt days of the past. LaFonta, on the other hand, seems to be a weak campaigner and isn't going to get a big turnout. Cao is definitely going to benefit from the lack of interest in the U.S. Senate race.
Agreed. Mitch Landrieu will provide New Orleanians with more than enough corruption to sate the city's appetites. Richmond is overkill.
LaFonta is too loathsome to take advantage, but against Cao Richmond has only the race card. That only works when one has patronage to offer, as Ray Nagin did. In a Congressional race it's a more difficult sell.
Mac, what are you basing that Mitch comment on? Nothing in his, or his family's past suggests anything approaching corruption. You can disagree with his politics, but I don't see any basis on which to question his integrity.
Wow.
Uh, OK. I'll let some of the other commenters handle this one.
The longest of longshots, Joseph Cao, might just have a chance at another term. If Richmond still hangs on to win the primary, Cao will be able to run against Dollar Bill just like he did last time — I don't think New Orleans wants to turn back the clock to the corrupt days of the past. LaFonta, on the other hand, seems to be a weak campaigner and isn't going to get a big turnout. Cao is definitely going to benefit from the lack of interest in the U.S. Senate race.
Agreed. Mitch Landrieu will provide New Orleanians with more than enough corruption to sate the city's appetites. Richmond is overkill.
LaFonta is too loathsome to take advantage, but against Cao Richmond has only the race card. That only works when one has patronage to offer, as Ray Nagin did. In a Congressional race it's a more difficult sell.
Mac, what are you basing that Mitch comment on? Nothing in his, or his family's past suggests anything approaching corruption. You can disagree with his politics, but I don't see any basis on which to question his integrity.
Wow.
Uh, OK. I'll let some of the other commenters handle this one.
One thing to keep in mind about the Congressional race – Cao won with an electorate that was split about 50/50 racially. The Senate race will likely be about 60/40 black white. While the poll showing Cao getting about 40% of the black vote was a very good number for him, the fact that he is a Republican will have some effect on things when blacks get behind the curtain in the voting booth in November. At least the contentious Democratic primary will give him (Cao) a head start.
One thing to keep in mind about the Congressional race – Cao won with an electorate that was split about 50/50 racially. The Senate race will likely be about 60/40 black white. While the poll showing Cao getting about 40% of the black vote was a very good number for him, the fact that he is a Republican will have some effect on things when blacks get behind the curtain in the voting booth in November. At least the contentious Democratic primary will give him (Cao) a head start.
Richmond will win, will be good for New Orleans. He will not be another Jefferson, this whole story is about innuendo's and no facts. It is obvious that the story is a plant from one of the other camps because the polls must show Richmond is so far ahead he can't be beat except by scandal. CAO cannot win against Richmond, he might beat the others.
It will be an interesting general election, but I see absolutely no reason whatsoever to think Cedric Richmond will be "good" for New Orleans. He's a garden variety looter, with questionable ethics and an underdeveloped sense of propriety. As for the story being innuendo without facts, I fail to see how such an assertion stands up. The American Zombie piece is quite well documented as to the problems with NOCE's finances – and the police report surrounding his bar fight and the Supreme Court order stripping him of his law license aren't innuendo.
He's a bad candidate. I am no fan of Cao, but the only reason why Richmond could expect to beat him would be identity politics.
Has Richmond responded to the allegations in the Zombie piece? If what Zombie says can be disproved, then I'd like to read it. Otherwise, I think I'm going to believe the evidence instead of taking your (anonymous) word for Richmond's integrity.
Richmond will win, will be good for New Orleans. He will not be another Jefferson, this whole story is about innuendo's and no facts. It is obvious that the story is a plant from one of the other camps because the polls must show Richmond is so far ahead he can't be beat except by scandal. CAO cannot win against Richmond, he might beat the others.
It will be an interesting general election, but I see absolutely no reason whatsoever to think Cedric Richmond will be "good" for New Orleans. He's a garden variety looter, with questionable ethics and an underdeveloped sense of propriety. As for the story being innuendo without facts, I fail to see how such an assertion stands up. The American Zombie piece is quite well documented as to the problems with NOCE's finances – and the police report surrounding his bar fight and the Supreme Court order stripping him of his law license aren't innuendo.
He's a bad candidate. I am no fan of Cao, but the only reason why Richmond could expect to beat him would be identity politics.
Has Richmond responded to the allegations in the Zombie piece? If what Zombie says can be disproved, then I'd like to read it. Otherwise, I think I'm going to believe the evidence instead of taking your (anonymous) word for Richmond's integrity.
[...] first glance, this would appear to be an unwinnable race for Cao, but (as The Hayride has discussed) the Richmond campaign has the potential to break down in scandal. A poll done back in May by [...]
If Cao loses it will be because he is not black-end of story
If Cao loses it will be because he is not black-end of story
[...] the dirt that’s out there on Richmond is scary. We already know about the bar fight and the non-profit scams and the lying about residency to run for a city council spot, which got him temporarily disbarred. [...]
[...] represented by a man of unquestioned integrity to something else. Richmond’s bumpy record of non-profit shenanigans, barroom fisticuffs, electoral fraud and even possibly filing false police reports is a colossal [...]
[...] been able to do, is whether Richmond’s new district will include Uncle Earl’s, the saloon where he got himself arrested for rumbling with patrons after getting his butt kicked in pool in [...]