Louisiana politics are bizarre, and Wayne Parent can prove it.
A Baton Rouge native and graduate of LSU, Parent, chair of the political science department, spoke Tuesday to the LSU Academy of Politics, a class offered by the LSU Division of Continuing Education’s Office of Governmental Programs.
This is the sixth season for the program. Usually those that enroll are “citizens that want to be more involved,” said Brookie Allphin, director of the Office of Government Programs and Academy of Politics.
Parent spoke about why Louisiana’s politics are so bizarre. Louisiana is a Deep South state, yet it is uncharacteristic of many things other Deep Southern states are known for. For instance, Georgia, Mississippi, Alabama and South Carolina are highly Republican states. In Louisiana, however, Democrats seem to hold on to some elected spots. Parent said the reasoning for this is three things: economics, race and social issues.
Parent also talked about the great divide in Louisiana — the Cajun, Catholic south and the white, Baptist north, which have different characteristics in themselves.
Also, the class participated in discussions with Parent about the projected outcome of the senatorial race for Landrieu’s seat.
Parent spoke generally about many aspects of Louisiana politics, such as elections and state codes, to describe why many think Louisiana is bizarre. “Yeah, Louisiana politics are bizarre,” Parent said. “We’re not just weird; we are scientifically and systematically weird.”
Parent himself came to the realization that Louisiana politics are weird when he attended Indiana University to get his Ph.D. He said being away from Louisiana made him realize how weird the politics are.
Parent said he has been speaking to the class for four or five years now, and feels it is part of his job to provide this service to LSU.
Allphin said no state-elected officials can participate in the program because the class is totally nonpartisan. However, the class is open to local government officers, and two mayors are enrolled in the class.
The speakers for the class are those people instrumental in state, local and national politics.
“It’s people that already hold positions or teach them how to get there,” Allphin said. “All of them have a different area of expertise.”
Parent compares the class to a leadership class. “I know when I’m talking, people are going to listen,” Parent said. “I don’t have to convince them to be interested.”
Several students said they enjoyed Parent’s insight.
“I thought he was very informative and had a lot of knowledge,” said Bridgette Richard, a Baton Rouge lobbyist.
Warren Privette, a student and lobbyist from Alexandria only had two words to describe Parent — absolutely impressive.
The class is a big hit as well. Privette likes the class because it gives him new and additional information.
“It is nice to hear somebody else’s take,” Privette said. “With the variety of speakers, you get the whole view.”