Last week was a very active one for the Louisiana Political Hall of Shame. It started on Saturday October 4 when U.S. Congressman Bill Jefferson (D-New Orleans) finished first in the primary election for the 2nd Congressional District, leading a large field of candidates with 25% of the vote. Jefferson ran first despite his well deserved reputation for corruption. He is facing a 16-count indictment and has a variety of family members facing indictment as well. He has never adequately explained why he stored $90,000 in cash in his freezer. It looked suspicious then and still looks the same way now. What is amazing is that 25% of the voters in the 2nd Congressional District have no problem with Jefferson's conduct and are willing to elect him to another term. It is a short-sighted decision partially influenced by racial solidarity as well as empathy for a politician some voters see as being unfairly targeted by federal prosecutors.

 
What will the re-election of Bill Jefferson indicate to the rest of the country? Certainly, it will not be a good sign that an indicted congressman has finished first in the primary election. It seems to indicate that politics as usual still remains in effect in Louisiana. In the end, by sending back to Congress a U.S. Representative who has no influence on Capitol Hill and has been kicked off of his important committees, the voters of the 2nd Congressional District are in effect only hurting themselves.
 
The week ended with Derrick Shepherd finally facing reality and the tremendous evidence arrayed against him. Instead of attempting to fight the federal charges in court, Shepherd pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. In addition, Shepherd resigned his position in the Louisiana State Senate and could face a jail sentence of up to 20 years.
 
This is a heartbreaking and shocking fall from grace for a politician who at one time had a bright political future. Shepherd was originally elected to the State House of Representatives and was so successful in the legislature that, soon thereafter, he was elected to the State Senate.
 
Originally, Shepherd was considered a voice for reform and a politician with integrity. Over time, that reputation changed and a disturbing side of Shepherd's character was exposed. His tremendous ambition eventually proved to be his undoing. By 2006, Shepherd was a candidate for congress and so vigorously opposed incumbent Bill Jefferson that, according to reports, he was involved in a physical altercation with the congressman. Shepherd finished a respectable third in the race, but, raised eyebrows when he endorsed Jefferson in the run-off.
 
It is alleged that Shepherd was well compensated for his endorsement. Federal authorities maintain that Jefferson steered indicted bond broker Gwendolyn Moyo to Shepherd. Her checking accounts were frozen, so she needed help processing checks totaling $141,000.  Riding to her rescue was Derrick Shepherd who cashed her checks and, for his trouble, pocketed $65,000, not a bad commission for such a minor act of charity. This relationship was eventually discovered by federal authorities who viewed the transaction as a payoff for Shepherd's endorsement of Jefferson in the run-off.
 
So, with his guilty plea, Derrick Shepherd enters the Louisiana Political Hall of Shame, joining Jefferson and a large and unsavory cast of characters such as Oliver Thomas, Edwin Edwards, and David Duke. All of these politicians disgraced the State of Louisiana and embarrassed the voters who supported them.  
 
Unfortunately, the list of inductees into the Louisiana Political Hall of Shame keeps growing. In fact, if it were housed in an actual building, it would have to be as large as the Louisiana Superdome, a sad testament to the state of Louisiana politics today.