UPDATE: Now it's over...Jefferson won re-election with 57% of the vote.

From WWLTV.com:

Although voters apparently are giving him the presumption of innocence he asked for, his victory may further cloud the perception of New Orleans as a place that tolerates political corruption. Since Katrina, the city's boosters have made changing that image a top priority as New Orleans tries to win more help in its recovery.

City Councilman Oliver Thomas said Jefferson's victory will make the recovery from Katrina much more difficult. "People are watching this election all around the country and I can only imagine what they are thinking. It will be very difficult to go back to them and ask them to trust us with the money we need here."

Susan Howell, a University of New Orleans political analyst, said the federal probe will hamper Jefferson and Louisiana's national image. "He's going to go back into Congress and essentially be ineffective. I think it will be terrible for this state's image, and it was already not very good."

Bob Moffet, president of the Alliance for Good Government, a citizens group that endorsed Carter, was more direct. "This is almost like putting a stake through the heart. Who would want to come here and do anything? "You might as well pardon Edwin Edwards and let him and let him run for office."

The night isn't over, but the outcome looks grim for common sense and reform in the LA-2 Congressional race. William Jefferson, who was caught red handed with wads of bribe money in his freezer, looks to be sailing to re-election.

With 264 precincts reporting out of 492, Jefferson is leading with 58% of the vote. It ain't over yet, but Karen Carter will have a hard time overcoming that lead.

I have railed over and over again about how disgusting Republican corruption is. And I still maintain that Republican corruption is far wider spread and far worse than Democratic corruption, and has worse consequences such as the death toll in New Orleans after Katrina because Bush appointed an incompetent crony, "good job Brownie," a failed race horse inspector, as head of FEMA. Or in the case of 3000 dead American soldiers in Iraq for a war that basically does no good to anyone except the war profiteers, Exxon/Mobil, Bechtel and Dick Cheney's favorite company, Halliburton.

Democrats aren't sacrificing American lives for profit the way Republicans do. But that doesn't mean we are completely innocent of corruption. Anyone who has read my pieces on Brooklyn politics knows I also fight against Democratic corruption. But William Jefferson is one of those very rare cases where a Democrat reaches a Republican-scale of corruption.

And the voters in LA-2 are poised to re-elect a man who was caught red handed taking bribes. Corruption was a prime issue in the defeat of Republicans across the nation in 2006. Democrats need to take that lesson to heart. We cannot afford to tolerate corruption among our ranks. I for one, condemn the actions of William Jefferson even though he is a fellow Democrat. I supported his opponent (also a Democrat) Karen Carter. Sadly, corruption seems to have won the day. Why doesn't Congressman Jefferson just go all the way and switch parties. He will be far more at home among Republicans Tom DeLay (indicted), Jack Abramoff (in jail), Bob Ney (plead guilty) and Randy Cunningham (in jail).