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When the special 12-day legislative session opened Monday, Louisiana lawmakers got a bus-tour of Katrina-stricken New Orleans.And they were greeted on the Capitol steps by New Orleans residents demonstrating for a consolidated single levee board authority for the Lake Pontchartrain basin.
Blanco and her lawmakers took chartered buses for the tour which ended up at the New Orleans Convention Center where the legislature gathered for her opening address.
Political science professors expressed admiration for her bold move, but were also concerned that it might also cause her some trouble. And they were right. State Rep. Cedrick Redmond, a Democrat of New Orleans and chair of the Black Caucus said he did NOT want to be a 'backdrop' for such grandstanding.
State Rep. Juan LaFonta, also a Democrat of New Orleans, indicated he was 'extremely unhappy' that Blanco had chosen the Convention Center "where so many people suffered and died from her lack of attention."
But the governor saw it as a way to draw national attention to the plight of the New Orleans area and to let the nation know that all Louisiana legislators have visited the area and have an interest in the storm-damaged areas of southern Louisiana. And many felt that since the Convention Center got so much negative attention right after the storm, it might be a good idea to show it again in a more positive setting.
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