With word coming out that William ‘Freezer Cash’ Jefferson will soon be indicted, we should prepare ourselves for a special election in Louisiana’s 2nd District. One compelling candidate is Derrick Shepherd, who has an interesting biography. He was Navy Medic in the Persian Gulf War. He returned home and promptly earned an undergraduate degree in economics and a law degree. He then became a JAG officer in the Naval Reserves. He’s the first African-American to ever be elected to the State Senate from Jefferson Parish. He placed third in the 2006 election, losing the chance to be in the runoff against Rep. Jefferson by less than 4,000 votes.
Rahm Emanuel will be looking to DLC-Champion Karen Carter to run again for the 2nd district seat. I think Shepherd would be a more progressive voice in Congress. Although, I do have to wonder about his proposed bill to ban saggy drawers. As the ACLU said:
His bill would punish anyone caught wearing low-riding pants with a fine of as much as $500 or as many as six months in jail, or both.
An ACLU spokesman says the bill goes too far. He says, “I can think of a lot of workers, plumbers, who are working and expose their buttocks.”
In any case, get ready to say goodbye to Freezer Cash Jefferson.