Inspired by a meeting held by republican bigwigs Monday that led two gubernatorial candidates to withdraw from the race, employees at one state capitol office had an excellent idea for another reality television program-Louisiana Political Survivor.
The premise is simple. Nine wealthy old white guys who contribute lots of cash to republican campaigns hold a meeting in New Orleans to narrow down the field of GOP gubernatorial candidates.
Those who partake in the festivities have the opportunity to become the ultimate survivor and win $1 million in campaign contributions.
To participate, however, the candidates agree beforehand to step out of the election if the committee doesn’t pick them, even though some of some of the candidates don’t know other participants already received substantial contributions from committee members. If all goes well, the committee’s man is elected governor and becomes their rubber stamp in the Governor’s mansion.
Last week the tribe, led by military shipbuilder Boysie Bollinger, spoke. Ken Hollis, John Hainkel, and Dave Treen-you are the weakest link. Hunt Downer, if elected, you survived the amazing corrupt selection (why, we don’t know), though you likely will do things far worse than eat exotic cockroaches and swine intestines to earn your prize.
Questions also arise regarding why they picked Downer. In a poll done by Verne Kennedy in May, Downer had two to three points, way behind Treen, and about the same as Hollis and Hainkel. Hollis hinted Friday maybe U.S. Rep. Billy Tauzin, chairman of the U.S. House Commerce Committee, had a little too much influence on these businessmen, some of whom have contracts with the federal government. Additionally, Downer only has been a republican for two years. His biggest supporter was once Mike Foster but the governor has abandoned him and is instead pulling for Bobby Jindal. Downer’s tax-and-spend agenda also may be a problem with conservative voters.
Though he has won campaign contributions, Downer has lost the race in obtaining them. If he gets into the run-off, voters will be barraged with images of backroom deals of the rich cheating the poor, creating a campaign nightmare.
Bollinger said Jay Blossman came up with the idea for the selection committee, though he oddly later refused to participate. He said the purpose of the committee was to narrow the field down so republicans would not get bumped out of the run-off because their votes were split too many different ways.
Though the field needed to be pruned before the October 4 primary to better strategically place the GOP for the run-off, the manner in which it was done is nauseatingly unscrupulous.
How can such a small number of people, deviating far from the demographic ratios republicans hope to garner in the fall, particularly with gender and income, choose who can run for governor?
Their money already influences whom we vote for through ads, but how did they obtain the ability to so openly limit our choices? Isn’t this a democracy?
Moreover, the field would have been limited naturally. Candidates do not want to lose elections by huge margins because their credibility and competitiveness are harmed, thus hurting their chances to being elected to a different office later. To salvage their chances in future elections, candidates will pull out when there appears to be no hope at winning.
Hope usually does not diminish four months before an election. After all, this time eight years ago Mike Foster was in ninth place with about three percent of the votes.
Treen and Hollis’ votes are just as likely to go to Bobby Jindal as they are to Downer. Downer likely will pick up percentage points because the media bombardment his contributions will buy, making Foster backed Jindal and Downer the two republicans will split their votes between.
Had the committee not acted, or acted later, most of the republican candidates would have stayed in the single digits anyway, likely to drop out at the last minute, probably leaving two solid candidates naturally. Instead they have two solid candidates prematurely (not necessarily the best) and bad publicity for the party at a crucial time.
The power of elitist corruption largely died with the rise of Huey Long. These bigwig republican financiers are not the state’s Big Brothers and it’s time we canceled their season.