As a student at LSU it is sometimes hard to believe that Democrats exist at all in the state of Louisiana. But on Saturday the Democrats or ‘”the liberals” as they are so often called here (said with as much disdain and disgust as possible) came out to the polls, sent in their ballots and made their voices heard.
I was not a big Bobby Jindal fan, and Kathleen Blanco was not my first choice for governor. However, with each election I learn that democracy is a strange thing and though there is always a winner and a loser, it is sometimes hard to distinguish between them. Just because a person receives the popular vote, does not mean they are the winner.
Now the conservatives are bitter because the Brown University alumnus, Rhodes Scholar and all-around golden boy lost the election. They are claiming that the ignorant masses elected Louisiana’s first female governor who is as much a part of the good-ole-boy network as any white male could ever be. So now the state is ruined for the next four years.
If this is the case, and the election results mean that the only difference between Blanco and almost every other governor this state has ever had is sex, so be it. That is what the people want.
Second, Blanco’s election alone is not going to send Louisiana to hell in a hand basket. Just like many claim the election of George W. Bush does not alone account for our most recent quest to “liberate” the world, the groundwork for success or failure, at least for the next four years, has been laid prior to this election.
But if Louisiana is going to hell in a hand basket, the good news is it will be as pretty as an Easter Basket and filled with all the essentials. Sun block, water, chap stick, a hat, a good book, snacks and everything else a good mother would send with their child on a trip.
However one should not, in bitterness, anger and disgust write off the state of Louisiana as a place to continue to live and work after graduation. Nor should you disregard the ability of Blanco to do a good job. The state is already failing in many areas. It is not like she can make it that much worse.
It puzzles me how so many people who supported Jindal are now planning to leave Louisiana. A week ago they were confident that the election of one individual meant they would stay. It seems that unless Jindal is a magician, his election would not mean that thousands of jobs would become available overnight.
If your decision to stay or leave Louisiana was contingent upon the election of one person, perhaps you should leave. I guarantee the state will be here when you decide to come back, though there may be less actual land than there was before. Even in the midst of piss poor public education, a failing health care system and an eroding coastline, Louisiana has a charm unlike any other.
Though they are different people with different agendas and connections, I believe both candidates claimed to be committed to making Louisiana a place where educated people have job options. They both claimed to be committed to making this a state where people want to come and a state where people stay and raise their families.
Maybe Jindal was the best choice for governor, but he is not the choice people made. But maybe a woman’s touch is what the governor’s mansion has been missing for so long. We will soon see. In the mean time, graduates, if given the opportunity, should stay in Louisiana and do what they can to help improve the state, and all the people of Louisiana should be given a little more credit for their ability to make good decisions.