Mitch Landrieu - Pro/Con

[Progressive]

There's not a lot of love on the forum for small town mayors running for office. New Orleans has just under 400,000 people in it (does this count as big city?). I've lived all my life in big cities, mainly NYC where I was born and raised and where I reside. I find that mayors are more charismatic than governors and then to have signature bold reforms, etc. So to that end, what are your thoughts on a Landrieu bid?

[Voice of low info America]

Never trust anyone who touts "bold reforms".

[Progressive]

Never trust anyone who touts "bold reforms".

But why? He has a record of accomplishment in New Orleans. Both Sanders and Trump promised to put a bold agenda forward, yet Hillary got criticized for not being bold enough. Now it's bad again?

[RINO Tom]

I feel like he'd be too "Louisiana" for some in the Democratic Primaries, but not actually "Louisiana" enough (he's no Edwards, his support is strictly NOLA from my knowledge) for others?  Just doesn't seem like a dynamite candidate.

[Del Tachi]

I feel like he'd be too "Louisiana" for some in the Democratic Primaries, but not actually "Louisiana" enough (he's no Edwards, his support is strictly NOLA from my knowledge) for others?  Just doesn't seem like a dynamite candidate.

That and he's a dynastic politician.  He doesn't actually have much of biography to run on other than using his father's (and to lesser extent sister's) political operations to get into office.  And while he has built rapport with the Black city leaders in New Orleans, that kind of support is unlikely to be easily transferable to early primary states like South Carolina.

[C r a b c a k e]

As a rule, assume municipal mainstays are complete crooks with tons of skeletons in their closets.

[Shameless Lefty Hack]

Small👏 City👏Mayors👏Don't👏Have👏The👏Chops👏To👏Run👏For👏President
Or be President if they got there.

[Shameless Lefty Hack]

Southern small town mayor, milquetoast white male with no compelling story, whose biggest accomplishment is a completely uncontrovervial removal of confederate monuments. There's nothing particularly bad about him, other than how unremarkable he is.

Only a Texan would call NOLA a "small town" lol.

[BuckeyeNut]

Small👏 City👏Mayors👏Don't👏Have👏The👏Chops👏To👏Run👏For👏President
Or be President if they got there.

To be fair, neither do real estate moguls turned reality TV stars.

[Shameless Lefty Hack]

Small👏 City👏Mayors👏Don't👏Have👏The👏Chops👏To👏Run👏For👏President
Or be President if they got there.

To be fair, neither do real estate moguls turned reality TV stars.

Yeah, but real estate moguls turned reality TV stars have a national brand and name rec, which is almost as valuable.

[NewYorkExpress]

Well, he'd be a slightly better choice than Buttgeig, but I don't think Democrats are going to vote for dynasty politicans...and it's not like anyone remembers who Moon Landrieu was, and Mary Landrieu wasn't that well known outside of Louisiana (or that popular in Louisiana by the end of her tenure).

[Young Bernie]

Let's also not forget that he served as Lt. Governor of Louisiana before he became Mayor of New Orleans, so he definitely has a lot more experience and qualifications than someone like Jason Kander, and therefore he should be taken much more seriously as a potential candidate than Kander

[Dr. Arch]

Let's also not forget that he served as Lt. Governor of Louisiana before he became Mayor of New Orleans, so he definitely has a lot more experience and qualifications than someone like Jason Kander, and therefore he should be taken much more seriously as a potential candidate than Kander

But Kander

[Fuzzy Bear]

Let's also not forget that he served as Lt. Governor of Louisiana before he became Mayor of New Orleans, so he definitely has a lot more experience and qualifications than someone like Jason Kander, and therefore he should be taken much more seriously as a potential candidate than Kander

I'd dread the skeletons in his closet if I were a Democrat.  Local pols tend to have something unsavory.  And he's from Louisiana, a state with a reputation for corruption (whether deserved or undeserved).

The issue is one of what has he done to make NOLA a better place.  Removing monuments is an empty gesture, and probably a foolish one, as those monuments generated some tourism interest that generated money for NOLA's predominantly black population.  Assuming being Mayor of NOLA is enough from which to run for President, what would be Landrieu's signature accomplishment?

[Rjjr77]

He's given tax and zoning breaks to property owned by his family while cranking up taxes on residents, he's had rumors about his personal life that appear to be true from what I heard in my Louisiana days, the NOLA police department has been rife with scandals during his tenure, hes been known to be vindictive, and punishes political opponents regularly.
No one talks about this stuff (for some reason) but were he to run for higher office all this stuff will hit him back.

[President Johnson]

Pro: He's a Washington DC outsider and probably not the worst administrator. And he may appeal to some whites.
Con: Little name recognition, no foreign policy experience, not so charismatic.

He would make a better running mate for a candidate like Kamala Harris.