NOLA Cong. Race: Cao In. Jefferson Out.

I don't know if it's the changing socio-demographic of New Orleans, La., or that the electorate is maturing, but folks down here finally voted Jefferson out of office. I suspect it's changes to the political population, and as The Times Picayune suggests, low-voter turnout led to the nine-term congressman's defeat (thanks to Hurricane Gustav throwing off the election).

Indicted U.S. Rep. William Jefferson suffered what may be the final blow of his storied political career in the most improbable way Saturday, when an untested Republican opponent took advantage of Louisiana's new federal voting rules -- and an election delay caused by Hurricane Gustav -- to unseat the nine-term Democrat.

With the upset victory, Anh "Joseph" Cao, a eastern New Orleans attorney who fled war-ravaged Saigon as a child, becomes the first Vietnamese-American in Congress. He will represent a district that was specifically drawn to give African-Americans an electoral advantage and one in which two of every three voters are registered Democrats. NOLA.com)

I don't know what I think of Cao, but I generally don't care for conservative candidates. Nevertheless, it was time for Jefferson to go. I didn't buy his explanations for the money found in his freezer. Also, whenever an African-American politician appears to be dirty but tries to hide behind "I'm being attacked because I'm black" it pisses me off.

I think it's true that you're targeted if you're a black politician down here, but the first solution to that problem is to keep your nose clean. Still, if folks wanted him office and didn't turn out to vote, that's on them and no one else.

Best wishes for your future, Mr. Jefferson. If you've learned a good lesson, I hope you'll tell us.