Rep. Bill Cassidy says Sen. Mary Landrieu's assertion is wrong that the South opposes President Barack Obama because he is black and that it also opposes women holding elective office.
Landrieu was asked by
"Meet the Press" host Chuck Todd why Obama struggles politically in the South. She replied that some of his policies have angered voters, then added: "The South has not always been the friendliest place for African-Americans. It's been a difficult time for the president to present himself in a very positive light as a leader."
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She also said, "It's not always been a good place for women to be able to present ourselves. It's more of a conservative place."
Appearing Thursday night on Fox News Channel's
"The Kelly File," Landrieu's Republican opponent said Louisiana voters are unhappy with Obama because of regulations, Obamacare, and his failure to approve the Keystone XL pipeline, not because of his race.
"When under our Constitution we work through the political process to change direction, we're called racists," Cassidy said. "I wish she'd focus more on policies instead of insulting us."
Addressing the charges of sexism, Cassidy noted that Landrieu has held elective office in Louisiana since she was 23, and that the governor who preceded current Gov. Bobby Jindal was a woman, Kathleen Blanco.
Landrieu is "upset because people in Louisiana are rejecting her support for the president, i.e. rejecting the fact that he won't approve Keystone, he forces Obamacare down our throat, he's trying to kill our jobs with regulations, and we're called racists," Cassidy said.
Cap and trade, pushed by Obama, would have hurt Louisiana's ecomony, potentionally killing 15-25 percent of its petrochemical jobs, Cassidy said.
"We're not racists, we just have common sense," Cassidy said.
Jindal also was unhappy with Landrieu's comments, taking to Twitter.
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