After reading Jose Bastidas’ article on the 6th district congressional race, I have to wonder if he did any research before jotting down his opinion.
For example, he states “[the candidates] are all still the same stick-to-the-status-quo politicians who won’t do what it takes to improve the district.” What Jose forgets to mention is they have a whopping eight months until the first ballot is cast. It is very early in this race; the candidates have plenty of time to share their distinct messages regarding how they will work to improve the district. Jose hasn’t even given them a true shot to lay our their visions.
Next, he claims “Dietzel, 28, could be the youngest congressman in Louisiana history” and continues to reference his “youth” throughout the piece. This is another claim that is not accurate. Former U.S. Rep. John Breaux was elected in 1972 at 28 years old. Also, we have had two other Congressmen elected at a young age — former U.S. Sen. Russell Long and Rep. Cleo Fields. Louisiana has a history of electing some of the youngest members of the U.S. Congress; thus, Dietzel’s age should not be made a major issue.
Lastly, Jose uses flawed logic to deduce a win for state Sen. Dan Claitor. His argument is that “In a community where continuity is favored over change, Claitor is the perfect candidate to continue this trend.” What Jose leaves out is the redistricting of the 6th Congressional District. The district now includes Houma, Thibodaux and a few ‘Saint’ parishes. It is also much more conservative than in the past. This is a game changer in comparison to the pre-2010 district. Two huge areas of the district elected outsiders and long-shots like Former U.S. Rep. Jeff Landry and Louisiana Supreme Court Justice Jeff Hughes.
Politics is not an easy subject to write about; there are a lot of dynamics at play. However, the readers of this paper deserve more than just an opinion, they deserve an informed opinion based in some realm of reality.
Kyle Hebert
Sophomore, Business Major
President, Student for Dietzel
Letter to the editor: Columnist writes without proper research
By Kyle Hebert
March 23, 2014
More to Discover