January 14, 2010

Melancon pitches his centrist political stance in '10 Senate campaign against Vitter

By Ken Stickney  |  Monroe News-Star  |  Link to article

For a 30-minute interview Thursday at The News-Star, U.S. Rep. Charlie Melancon, D-Napoleonville, seemed a man almost as much at odds with his own political party as he is with his declared opponent for the Senate, incumbent David Vitter, R-Metairie.

Making his initial political excursion of the 2010 campaign into northern Louisiana, a hotbed of political conservatism, Melancon, a third-term congressman from southern Louisiana, declared himself pro-life, pro-gun and opposed to gay marriage. Those positions oftentimes draw fire among national Democratic Party regulars.

He also said he was uncomfortable with the current health care reform package promoted by Democrats and with current party positions on global warming and energy.

But Melancon fully credits Democrats with attempting to address what he said were critical issues, including the economy, although he said their solutions on major issues oftentimes include much that is helpful, some that is harmful. Those good intentions of the party, he suggested, differed from what he suggested are strident, destructive and malevolent positions taken by Vitter.

“You can’t tell me one party is always right, and the other always wrong,” Melancon said.

Styling himself as a political centrist, “Blue Dog” Democrat, Melancon said he has a long history as a small business owner in southern Louisiana who understands what it takes to make a payroll. He said that’s why he seeks moderation as a lawmaker, fully understanding that government-imposed mandates in areas such as health insurance can undermine small business.

That’s why, he said, his “Blue Dog” moderation reflects a political practicality that enables him to reach across political lines to govern. Melancon said he would “stand up for Louisiana” without being divisive. He said the state needs to return to having two senators that work in tandem for the good of the state and country, not two senators who are in conflict with each other.

By contrast, Melancon said, Vitter is isolated in the Senate, where Melancon said Vitter is rated by observers as one of the least effective senators in Washington.

Melancon said he believes he will draw votes from the political left and right, but especially from the majority of voters who rest in the political center. He suggested he may draw votes as well from voters who have been embarrassed by Vitter’s time in Washington, not only because of Vitter’s indiscretion in winding up on a Washington madam’s list but because of the hypocrisy the situation revealed.

The congressman left Monroe for a campaign stop in Ruston hosted by former state Sen. Randy Ewing.