As Bobby Jindal’s approval ratings hover around all-time lows, it has become painfully clear that, once again, Louisiana politics are stranger than fiction.
A Tuesday NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune article said that Edwin Edwards — the Silver Fox himself — would consider running for political office again.
After the recent political upheaval, this doesn’t actually seem that ridiculous.
The former governor, who was convicted of corruption charges in 2000 and served time in prison until 2011, remains
the patriarch of Louisiana politics. And most Louisianans — whether they admit it or not — have a soft spot for the eloquent son of a sharecropper who held the state’s highest office four times.
Like all great Louisiana personalities, Edwards has his own reality TV show. It stars him, 86, and his wife, Trina, who is just 35.
He said in the article: “I love this state, and I think I could do better than what has been done.”
But before we fall back in love, people in this state must accept the fact that Edwards is a convicted criminal, and that in the 21st century — however backwards this state may be — we don’t need someone corrupt to serve our voters.
Of course, this hasn’t stopped Louisiana before. During the infamous 1991 gubernatorial election, bumper stickers in support of Edwards read: “Vote For the Crook. It’s Important.”
He won the election easily. This is most likely because he was running against former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke.
But really, who’s to say?
Perhaps the greatest reason for Louisiana’s reinvigoration with Edwards is his ever-present use of language to win the hearts of voters. Edwards was one of the most prolific figures when it came to bashing his opponents before elections.
Before his 1983 gubernatorial victory, Edwards blasted his opponent David Treen saying: “The only way I can lose this election is if I’m caught in bed with either a dead girl or a live boy.”
Or how about the most famous — and my personal favorite — “David Treen is so slow it takes him an hour and a half to watch 60 Minutes.”
Still, Treen was among those who petitioned for a presidential pardon for Edwards’ conviction — which Edwards would need to run for governor.
And if he were to run, it doesn’t look that bad for the Silver Fox. In a 2011 poll conducted by JMC Enterprises, 42 percent of people said they would vote for Edwards while 43 percent said they would not.
Another 2011 poll showed that 30 percent of Louisianans pick Edwards to be the state’s best governor since 1980. Jindal beat him with 35 percent of the vote mainly because he has never been convicted of corruption.
What this all boils down to is that our state has been left without the viable options we need to compete in the 21st century. If our politics become a joke, then Louisiana is certain to remain one.
For some reason or another, our people are willing to put corruption behind them and focus solely on the positive attributes of their politicians. Look no further to the ever-present fixation on Huey P. Long, who was arguably the most corrupt politician in state history.
This doesn’t obscure the fact that in the past century our governors have severely let down the state in achieving any kind of progress.
But at least they give us a good show.
The best case is Earl K. Long — Huey’s younger brother — who was institutionalized while serving as governor. The only reason he got out is because he fired his head of hospitals and replaced him with an ally who would send him home.
He was later elected to congress, but he never served.
Maybe Louisiana is descending back into the political chaos that was the 20th century, or maybe it’s all just a marketing ploy for A&E’s “The Governor’s Wife.”
Either way, I want a bumper sticker.
Eli Haddow is a 20-year-old English and history Junior from New Orleans.