We’ve seen that Louisiana’s David Vitter hangs around with prostitutes, but not quite in the same way Jesus did. Jesus was friendly. Vitter is friendly and even admits to a “very serious” but vague episode of “sin.” But to be honest, the whole prostitution thing is only the beginnings of his troubles: He is way behind in the polls, and now events the other day show he is nowhere at their end.
The New York Times reported yesterday that Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne, “one of Mr. Vitter’s Republican rivals in the primary,” has endorsed Democrat John Bel Edwards, saying,
“When are we as Louisianans going to stop tolerating the embarrassment that too many of our elected officials have heaped upon this state. Honor, integrity, truthfulness, openness and ethical behavior are the most important traits in public services. John Bel is the candidate who exemplifies these traits.”
Dardenne obviously doesn’t want to see another Bobby Jindal at the helm of state is Louisiana. With Edwards already leading at the polls, the sudden endorsement from one of the state’s leading Republicans, isn’t designed to help Vitter but to tip him into the dustbin of history, where he belongs.
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RNC Chair Reince Preibus, who isn’t doing so well himself lately trying to put diapers on a dozen or so presidential hopefuls, called Dardenne’s endorsement “extremely disappointing and act of betrayal to the Republican party,” saying “You cannot claim to be a conservative for Louisiana principles and…endorse an Obama liberal like Mr. Edwards.”
LAGOP (say that five times in a row really fast), the Republican Party of Louisiana’s website, tells us that
Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus and Republican Party of Louisiana Chairman Roger Villere sent the below letter to Lieutenant Governor Jay Dardenne regarding his endorsement of liberal democrat John Bel Edwards for Governor. Following the release of the letter, Chairman Villere issued the following statement:
“Today, Jay Dardenne became the Nick Saban of Louisiana Politics,” Republican Party of Louisiana Chairman Roger Villere said. “After decades of using the Republican Party and its members for his benefit, Jay has decided to end his political career by supporting a candidate who opposes every public policy position that he once espoused. We have a clear choice between John Bel Edwards, a liberal legislator who has a 29 percent lifetime record with Louisiana business or a proven conservative in David Vitter. It is sad that Jay allowed his personal feelings to cause him to betray his party and state. The Republican Party stands firmly behind Senator Vitter, ” Villere concluded.
Louisiana principles…of corruption? Of hypocrisy in preaching family values while visiting prostitutes? Prostitute frequenting, diaper wearing, family values touting Republican David Vitter represents Louisiana principles? If so, Louisiana is in a heap of trouble.
Let’s not forget either that Vitter has said, “God bless the Koch brothers” at a townhall event, and is the author of the Vitter Amendment of 2013, which would have screwed employees of congress by creating a government exemption to the Affordable Care Act. And it isn’t like he visited prostitutes only in Washington in 2007. He was keeping them employed in Louisiana years before that.
Yes, Louisiana principles. I think that was Dardenne’s point: that Louisianas have seen enough of such “principles” and that John Bel Edwards is the remedy.
Hrafnkell Haraldsson, a social liberal with leanings toward centrist politics has degrees in history and philosophy. His interests include, besides history and philosophy, human rights issues, freedom of choice, religion, and the precarious dichotomy of freedom of speech and intolerance. He brings a slightly different perspective to his writing, being that he is neither a follower of an Abrahamic faith nor an atheist but a polytheist, a modern-day Heathen who follows the customs and traditions of his Norse ancestors. He maintains his own blog, A Heathen’s Day, which deals with Heathen and Pagan matters, and Mos Maiorum Foundation www.mosmaiorum.org, dedicated to ethnic religion. He has also contributed to NewsJunkiePost, GodsOwnParty and Pagan+Politics.
