And then he said ....

U.S. Rep. Jim McCrery’s attorney’s have filed their response to Artis Cash’s motion to intervene in the Patti Cox case to unseat the congressman on charges he doesn’t live in Louisiana. They argue Cash’s motion should be denied because it is not timely.

“Cash admits that he was aware of the lawsuit from the time it was initially filed by plaintiff, Patti M. Cox, and yet he did not file a motion to intervene at that time,” McCrery’s attorneys wrote. “If Cash had so much concern as to the outcome of this case, as he alleges in his motion to intervene, he could have easily intervened in this case as soon as he knew that the lawsuit had been filed.”

Online readers have had a lot to say on the topic, posting more than 100 comments since Cox first filed her suit last month. The most recent back-and-forth debate online had to do with Cash’s motivations and his background.

There are several sides to the debate being waged online by readers. Here’s a glimpse:

From saveourstate: “What actually should have been done if you wanted to question the qualifications of a candidate is to do that BEFORE you lose the election. You can contest the residency of a candidate during qualifying not after the election. Now it just looks like you both are sore losers.”

From BossierGuy: “It doesn’t matter to 57 percent of the voters of this district if he lives in Shreveport or not. I think he REALLY doesn't although he rents a house here just to say he does. He is not my favorite politician, but among the four that ran, he definitely stands head and shoulders above. (LOL). Anyway, considering the four choices, I'd take Jim living in DC over any of the other three living here. Maybe since he got less votes this time, the repubs will look at a more viable candidate for next time.”

From Shreveporter: “On one hand you got a guy that is doing a pretty good job, that publicly made his residence in the DC area to allow him to have his family near him more, but on the other hand you are suppose to live in the area you represent. I mean think about it.... we could have guys living in Texas or anywhere representing us if the McCrery's situation is OK.”