Summary

Chapter 4 begins at a campaign rally outside of Lafayette, where the author notes several features of Southern and Cajun life on display, from fiddle and washboard-driven music, men and women dancing in two-steps, and dinner featuring pork and gumbo. It is the rally for Congressman Charles Boustany, a Republican. Due to redistricting caused by loss of population in another district, Boustany is running against fellow Republican Congressman Jeff Landry. The author tries to get a sense for what the candidates feel regarding the environment, considering the local issues with the bayou. At this rally – and a previous one she attended for Landry – she finds an emphasis on defeating tax increases and government interference, except for the federal funding they intend to steer toward Louisiana, with virtually nothing said about the environment.

The state, she notes, receives 44 percent of its funding from Washington. Boustany...