Politics is a never-ending push and pull, but the events that have unfolded during the fall semester give even the rough and unforgiving game of politics — nationally and locally — a new lease on passion and partisanship.A massive fight about national health care reform has pitted Democrats against Republicans — a partisan fight that has opened the way for some Louisiana moderates to find their voices.In late August, Louisiana moderates bucked party lines.Dogged by political pressures and future elections, Louisiana’s two lone Democrats in Congress vied for middle ground in the national debate about health care reform. Rep. Charlie Melancon, D-Napoleonville, and Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., both known for breaking party lines in the past, aligned themselves against the Democrats’ health care reform proposals in Congress, preferring instead to tread a politically safer middle ground.Melancon, challenging Republican Sen. David Vitter in 2010, ultimately voted against the House health care reform bill Nov. 7.”In these tough economic times, we’ve got to be smarter about getting government spending and the deficit under control, and the House’s health care bill simply costs too much,” Melancon said after the vote.Landrieu, like Melancon, is skeptical of a public option and massive increases in government spending, and her intentions in the health care debate went until literally hours before the Senate’s important procedural vote to move their own Democratic-led health bill forward.Landrieu was one of a handful of Senators closely watched by members of both parties and identified as a crucial swing vote. Landrieu was the second to last Democratic holdout during the Nov. 21 Senate cloture vote, slightly alleviating a tense, cliffhanger atmosphere hanging over the evening vote when she indicated that she would support the Democratic cloture motion.The vote was a procedural one — one step in a multi-step process with anticipated tougher hurdles on the way. Landrieu made clear her support for cloture did not guarantee her ultimate support of a health care bill.”My vote should in no way be construed by the supporters of this current framework as an indication of how I might vote on the final bill,” Landrieu said in a statement on the floor. “My vote is a vote to move forward, to continue the good and essential and important and imperative work that is underway.”Additionally, Landrieu faced criticism for a provision in the Senate bill securing Louisiana $300 million to help the state with expected Medicaid funding shortfalls — with critics accusing Landrieu of selling her vote to the Democratic leadership.While Landrieu is frank about her role in securing the extra funding, she also denies the $300 million is the primary reason for her vote.In addition to the two moderate Democrats, one Louisiana Republican made national headlines with his role in the health care debate.Rep. Anh “Joseph” Cao, R-New Orleans, was the only House Republican to support the Democratic led reform bill.”I have always said that I would put aside partisan wrangling to do the business of the people,” Cao said. “My vote tonight was based on my priority of doing what is best for my constituents.”TEA PARTY MOVEMENTGrassroots conservatives have mobilized resources and organized hundreds of local protests across the country since President Obama’s election last fall, culminating with several thousand protesters marching in Washington last month.They call themselves the tea party movement.”The normal political divisions have shaken a little bit,” said Robert Hogan, a political science professor who keeps a close eye on the tea party movement.Hogan said the movement is part of the electorate’s growing distrust of government, a brand of conservatism especially likely to take hold and grow in southern states like Louisiana, where even Democratic politicians have a reputation for conservatism on many issues.Despite the movement’s conservative ideological roots, there are signs the movement is gaining political independence from the National Republican Party.”We’re willing to take on any party,” said Robin Harris Edwards, former president and current member of the Baton Rouge Tea Party. “We’re willing to hold anyone responsible for what the people want.”But Edwards was quick to point out there is much debate within the movement about where to go next and how to consider handling the Republican Party.Some, like her, advocate working with, rather than against, the Republican Party.”It’s unwise strategically to form all these extra parties and split votes,” she said.Others disagree with Edwards and prefer to look for ways to branch from the Republican Party, such as forming a third party.SENATE RACE HEATS UPThe 2010 Senate race is beginning to gear up, with Melancon making his much-anticipated entrance into the race as Vitter’s Democratic opponent.Though the campaigns are not quite in full swing yet, both camps have already taken shots at each other.Within days, the Democrats filed an ethics complaint against Vitter and launched a “tongue-in-cheek” Web site characterizing him as a hypocrite.The Louisiana Democratic Party launched a Web site —      doingavitter.com — aimed to air out criticisms of the Republican. The site draws its name from a comparison, made by an anonymous Republican staffer, between Vitter and Sen. John Ensign — two embattled Republican senators who have been dogged by sex scandals.Vitter and the Louisiana Republican Party have tried to link Melancon to Obama, referring to the stimulus as the “Melancon/Obama” stimulus — an attempt to capitalize on Louisiana’s Republican trend.
 
 
 
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