What began as a standard announcement story in The Daily Advertiser on Rep. Joel Robideaux’s switch to the GOP took a sharp turn toward the Tea Party poppy fields Friday when Ernie Alexander, a former state lawmaker and erstwhile radio station manager spouted some very public bile on behalf of the Lafayette Parish Republican Executive Committee.
Just three paragraphs into the daily’s piece outlining Robideaux’s decision to join the Republican Party, Alexander tells reporter Nicholas Persac that “Robideaux is not one of my favorite people:”
“He is not well-thought-of by Republicans, and he should not expect support from any of the groups of organized Republicans in Lafayette Parish,” Alexander said.
He said Robideaux is part of big-money politics backed by wealthy Lafayette residents who look after one another’s political interests rather than staying true to Republican ideology.
In the past, some local Republican groups have reprimanded politicians for straying from Republican ideology, but since Robideaux was an Independent, those groups had no jurisdiction over his actions.
“Now that he’s become a Republican, I think we will censure him too,” Alexander said. “There is no doubt in my mind that while Robideaux thinks he is gaining support, he will be censured by several groups.”
Tell us how you really feel, Ernie.
What’s even more outrageous than the comments from Alexander, who didn’t decide to not seek a third term as state rep. until his opponent (current state Rep. Page Cortez) substantially outraised him, is the timing. Robideaux’s party switch ups his chances of being elected as speaker of the house when the Legislature reconvenes, and the powerful position would serve Lafayette well in terms of legislative influence. With term-limited state Sen. Mike Michot stepping down as chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, Robideaux’s rise to the top House leadership position would fill the void.
Though we won’t know until January whether the R instead of I before Robideaux’s name will secure a win for speaker of the house, Robideaux tells the daily that many state lawmakers have said they can offer more public support of Robideaux after the switch. Alexander’s assertions that Robideaux won’t get help from “organized Republicans in Lafayette Parish” should be no sweat off Robideaux’s back, since Robideaux’s colleagues in the Legislature are the ones casting the speaker votes, not Alexander or any of his "organized Republican groups," also known as the TEA Party.
Read more here.
MAY 22 This post was written the day after the second line shooting in NOLA, by Brentin Mock. Mock is a friend of Deb "Big Red" Cotton, a blogger who was shot in the back and was seriously injured. It is a raw, emotional piece of writing, something the writer obviously felt he needed to get off his chest. But it raises questions that can't be easily dismissed, and might give some insight into where the source of these events truly is.
MAY 22 In this Baton Rouge Business Report post, Rolfe McCollister considers the privatization of bus service in Baton Rouge. After decades of under-funding, it is a mess, and although a tax (partially) passed last year, improvement hasn't happened yet. McCollister apparently feels it is time to let private business get in on the transit business.
MAY 22 This post on Bayou Buzz by Jeff Crouere urges the defeat of a bill that would grant modest pay increases over the next several years to the state's judges and clerks of court. The state is in no position to fund pay hikes, Crouere argues, with the pay increases costing a total of $9 million over several years. It sends the wrong message to the (proverbial) hard-working people of Louisiana, he says.
MAY 22 The Advocate reports here that State Treasurer John Kennedy is complaining about a meeting of the corporation that oversees the state's tobacco settlement. The Governor wanted it restructured, and he has some support, but not a lot. The corporation agreed with his plan, but Kennedy didn't, and it appears that the meeting was noticed in a manner completely different than that of all previous meetings. Kennedy's given to hyperbole, but in this case the fish don't smell too fresh.
MAY 22 In this Advocate story, Carencro Police Chief Carlos Stout says the recent federal indictment of a strip club owner is all wrong. The indictment alleges that drugs and prostitution went on with impunity because club staff made arrangements with "local" police. Stout says it never happened, and while his cops do work security in the parking lot, they're not allowed inside.
MAY 22 This amusing post in DIG Baton Rouge recounts an ad that ran on Craig's List recently; the advertiser was seeking tenants for a Beauregard Town house. He knew his market, and wrote an ad that the most ironical hipster couldn't resist. Apparently, he really did know his market, because the ad worked like a charm.
MAY 22 In this post in The Lens, Mark Moseley comments on the rhetoric Gov. Jindal employed in trying to save his tax "reform" package. One interesting point concerns Jindal's use of his brother, Nikesh, in a little story. Nikesh left Louisiana because of his inability to get a decent job, the story goes, but the story won't hold water: Nikesh lives in DC, which has an income tax level comparable to Louisiana, Moseley says. If income taxes caused the dismal situation, it should exist in DC too. Right?
MAY 22 This post by columnist John Maginnis traces the trajectory of the bill that would fund construction at community and technical colleges -- and bypass the Board of Regents and traditional higher ed funding mechanisms. Sure, it will bust the legislature's self-imposed debt limit, but some leges feel that there's more need (because there is more growth) in the community and technical college area than in the university area, he says.
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