A little focus, please

Give Patti Cox a pat on the back for taking on an 18-year congressional veteran and the political power structure.

But in her quest to unseat U.S. Rep. Jim McCrery over his residency, she should have hired an attorney rather than file suit herself. She’s too emotionally invested in the case, and it shows.

Her latest filings – a response to McCrery’s request to dismiss the case – begin well enough with an outline of the qualifications for Congress, a previous case that supports her point (albeit from 1824) and Louisiana law concerning domicile.

But she derails many of her arguments with unsubstantiated comments and irrelevant references, reminiscent of a college term paper written the night before its due and still 10 pages too short:

“McCrery had plans to cash in on his connections and become a highly paid Washington lobbyist …”

“United States District Judge S. Maurice Hicks Jr. recuses himself from the case, probably because he knows what we will find out in discovery, that McCrery has lied about his residency.”

“Adding insult to injury, Louisiana historically ranks in the top three most corrupt states. This state consistently elects lawbreakers to office and laughs about (it). Louisiana gets the government that it deserves.”

Is she taking on the system, or trying to prove that McCrery didn’t live here?

In any case, read it for yourself by clicking here.