REPORTER: Jeff Ferrell
At the heart of the recall effort against Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco comes massive frustration. From the pundits to the public, everyone can agree on one thing: There appears to be a strong desire to appoint blame sooner rather than later; and lots of it. The question now becomes, "is there enough 'political will' out there to achieve a recall?
Such a gubernatorial recall would be a hurculean effort, requiring 900-thousand signatures of registered voters. And, it must be done in 180-days as of Tuesday, to prompt a special election.
Kat Landry is the south Louisiana Republican who filed documents, launching that drive to oust the governor. Landry claims her website is now inundated with those who support her cause.
As for here in Shreveport-Bossier? Bossier City resident Jerrie Hall told us, "I think it's a free country and if there's a citizen that thinks she needs to be recalled, it's what the democratic process is all about."
Rhonda Howse of Shreveport takes it one step further, predicting a Blanco recall as likely.
RHONDA: "I think that she will be."
REPORTER: "Oh, you do?"
RHONDA: "Mm hmm."
REPORTER: "On a scale of zero to ten how much does she need to be recalled?"
RHONDA: "8."
Others we met are reserving judgement, like businessman Jim Langston. "I think she's done some things that I don't agree with, but I don't think it would deserve a recall."
Back in November 2003, 52-percent of voters elected Governor Blanco to the highest office in Louisiana, an unlikely and some say inspiring story of a teacher turned governor. But that all changed with Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath.
"If we want to point fingers, I don't have enough on my hand to start pointing," intimated political analyst Brad Whitesides. He sees the current recall effort as likely to fail, unless the Louisiana Republican Party gets involved directly, "...and the republican party machinery and apparatus go to bat, field the troops, put phone banks in operation stuff like that, it is serious."
Whitesides explained that whether to support a recall boils down to one question: "The bottom line of it at all, would we ask the person in charge of the situation to stop the rebuilding effort to go into political mode to defend herself."
But a recall is only half the story. A statewide, special election would be expensive and a logistical nightmare in the wake of hurricane damage from Katrina and Rita. Even city elections in New Orleans had to be put on hold because of such problems. And we haven't even mentioned yet the necessary campaigns to elect a new governor, if that proves necessary.
