Gov. John Bel Edwards hasn’t even passed the halfway mark of his first term yet, but he’s already proven himself to be more effective than his predecessor — at least when partisan politics don’t interfere.
Last month, Edwards called a special session to close the state’s mid-year budget deficit of $304 million. After nine days of negotiations and political drama pulled from an episode of “House of Cards,” the session ended with Edwards’s proposed plan remaining mostly intact.
However, getting to that point involved a bit of work.
At the outset of the session, Edwards proposed using $119 million from the state’s Budget Stabilization Fund, nicknamed the Rainy Day Fund, to aid in closing the deficit. House Republicans, however, initially countered with their own proposal.
Their plan suggested using only $50 million from the state’s Rainy Day Fund. To make up for the difference, they would cut higher education funding by $12.7 million, the Department of Corrections by $9.4 million and the Department of Education by $7.5 million.
It’s interesting they were willing to balance the budget on the backs of college students, school children and public safety, especially when the Edwards’s initial plan avoided cuts to these departments.
While the Legislature ended up leaning Edwards’s way by authorizing the use of $99 million from the Rainy Day Fund, getting there involved a lot of unnecessary drama. Why go through the motions of fighting with the governor for political spectacle when it’s at the expense of our state?
As the only Democratic governor in the deep South, Edwards is often the target of partisan attacks which do nothing but hinder Louisiana.
While 2019 is a few years away, the narrative the Louisiana GOP hopes to paint is one depicting Edwards as a tax and spend liberal in line with the national Democrats’ agenda.
Edwards’s budget proposals? House leadership opposes them. His executive orders? State Attorney General Jeff Landry opposes them. His response to August’s historic flooding? Not good enough for some members of Louisiana’s Congressional delegation.
Edwards’s recurring opposition is predictably all Republican.
It’s interesting Louisiana’s Republican leadership opposes Edwards’s governing so adamantly. When was the last time Louisiana had a governor who was capable of showing strength and leadership as we faced continuous tragic disasters?
My favorite part about Gov. Edwards is his governing doesn’t involve pushing the Louisiana Democratic party’s agenda — or any agenda, really. The people of Louisiana always come first.
Instead of embracing his bipartisanship, state Republicans have challenged him at every opportunity. The only ones hurting from these sort of petty politics are the people of Louisiana.
A poll conducted in late November by Southern Media and Opinion Research showed Gov. Edwards’ approval ratings at 62.8 percent — the highest of any statewide elected official. The executive director of the state GOP attributed these numbers to the lack of a “campaign running against him right now,” according to an article by NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune.
But that’s untrue. The Louisiana Republican party hasn’t wasted an opportunity to campaign against Edwards or his policies. Their efforts just keep falling short.
In 2019, when Edwards faces whichever opponent the GOP lines up, voters will have a clear choice to make. We’ll either re-elect the man who continues to put the people of Louisiana first, or we’ll elect someone who prioritized partisanship at Louisiana’s expense.
John Gavin Harp is a 22-year-old mass communication senior from St. Francisville, Louisiana.