PRopaganda machines, Volume 1

My inbox gets swarmed with a lot of political press releases. Interesting reading, yes. Worthy of a story, probably not. But now they have a home.

Every week, I’ll plop a few of them here so you can experience the fun yourself. Don’t read too much into the selections I place here; some party/candidate PR teams just happen to be more prolific than others.

Here’s the first installation of highlights:

From the Louisiana Democratic Party on William Jefferson’s re-election Saturday to the U.S. House of Representatives: “Congressman Jefferson has served the state of Louisiana well in his prior eight terms in the House and I know he will continue to strive for the rebuilding of this great state,” said Louisiana Democratic Party Chairman Chris Whittington. “Congressman Jefferson has been a tireless champion of the people of the 2nd District and for all citizens of this state and I feel certain his heart and his actions will remain focused on continuing these efforts. His role in the now-Democratic majority Congress will only help make Louisiana stronger.”

Another one from the Louisiana Democratic Party after the passage of the outer continental shelf bill for offshore oil and gas royalties : “Bobby Jindal’s arrogance seems to grow by the day. … It’s Jindal who is wrongly claiming victory, even though it was Sen. Mary Landrieu’s version and not his own which awaits President Bush’s signature. … Jindal operates with an air of self-importance and feels that he rightfully deserves any and all accolades for passage of this historic measure. It is this same attitude of entitlement that will hurt Louisiana and the voters of this great state need to pay attention,” said Louisiana Democratic Party Chairman Chris Whittington.

From U.S. Sen. David Vitter on the same legislation: “This bill is a historic piece of legislation for Louisiana. Work on this bill is the product of many hours of negotiating and hard work by all members of the Louisiana delegation and the Gulf coast states. I personally reached out to friends and former colleagues to ensure that nothing was taken for granted until the final outcome was secured. I thank my colleagues for voting with an overwhelming majority to support this critical need for the people of Louisiana.”