There are a lot of people who are glad they aren’t in Governor Kathleen Blanco’s shoes right now. Not because the Louisiana politician continues to face withering criticism for her response to Hurricane Katrina, rather it has more to do with a recent incident, which involved dining with the embattled governor.
Last week at a fundraising auction hosted by a group of business leaders a chance to share a meal with Blanco fetched a winning bid of $1. That’s right—a single dollar. Days later the president of the Monroe Chamber of Commerce, in northeastern Louisiana, reportedly called Blanco’s office to apologize for what is now being called a “poor joke gone awry.”
According to news reports, dinner with Blanco was the last item up for bid at the fundraising auction. The bidding opened at $1,000 and dropped to $500 before the auctioneer accepted a $1 bid from a local bank executive. Witnesses say others were still trying to bid on the dinner when the bidding abruptly closed.
“We were all stunned,” one auction attendee told local reporters. “But, it was at the end of the auction, so there was no way to go back and amend that.”
According to the newspaper, the bank executive that won the bid later issued an apology and came forward to donate $1,000 to the chamber. Despite forking over an additional $999, the bid winner won’t be dining at the governor’s mansion; rather a chamber official will be going in his place.
The embarrassing episode comes at a trying time for Blanco—currently she is involved in budget talks during a special session of the state Legislature. Her representatives say she is simply too busy to pay attention to the recent slight.
I’m sure the $1 bid wasn’t meant as a personal attack (I’m just assuming), however, I’m not sure why the bidder and auctioneer would think the “joke” would remain in the room. Can you imagine being the buck bidder, showing up to dine with the governor, and being asked how much you paid for the honor? Now that’s embarrassing.
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