Landrieu Switcheroo: Louisiana Senator Grudgingly Supports Obama Tax Plan

Louisiana United States Senator Mary Landrieu received 96% of the African American vote for her 2008 reelection to the Senate.  She hails from a family of Democrats in New Orleans, many of whom have served as elected officials.  Ostensibly, Senator Landrieu is the poster child for Democratic causes, however, her policy positions tend to tow the line.

Landrieu is considered a moderate among legislative analysts due to her range of middle isle stances on labor legislation and her support of continued deep water drilling despite a recent crisis off her state’s coast.  With regard to taxes, Landrieu was one of a few Democrats to vote for tax cuts for the richest Americans under President George Bush.

However, her typically moderate stance took a new turn toward her strongly Democratic roots.  Despite her previous support of tax cuts under George Bush, when it comes to the “Obama-McConnell” deal as Landrieu calls it, the Louisiana Senator initially opposed the President’s plan to extend unemployment insurance benefits and maintain the Bush tax cuts.  “We’re going to borrow $46 billion from the poor, from the middle-class, from businesses of all sizes basically, to give a tax cut to families in America today that, despite the recession, are making over $1 million,” she said. “This is unprecedented.”

After Landrieu met with Vice President Biden regarding the tax cuts she said, “The median net worth of African-American families — net worth, not income — in this country today, according to our census, is $5,000. You want me to repeat that?  $5,000.  So we are borrowing money from constituencies, and large segments of the population like this,” said Landrieu.  “I want you all to get your heads around this.”

Though Landrieu took part in supporting the 8 1/2 hour filibuster against the bill last Friday, Nola.com reports that at the final hour:

Landrieu said she decided to let the bill proceed to a vote because she supports provisions “extending tax relief to middle-class families and small businesses,” and other provisions such as a “child tax credit. Those provisions, she said, “really help low- and middle-income families.”

Still, Landrieu expressed hope that when the bill is eventually sent to the president’s desk it will include elimination of continued tax breaks for households with incomes of $1 million or more, though that seems unlikely. Landrieu also said she would seek a two-year extension of the deadline to complete construction of mixed-income housing developments in south Louisiana for the projects to qualify for funding under the Gulf Opportunity Zone Act.

Britton Loftin is a Political Strategist and Director of a Legislative & Government Affairs firm.

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