LAGOP: Democrat Governor John Bel Edwards’ Business Summit Appears To Be A Taxpayer-Funded Campaign Event

The Louisiana GOP sent out the below email regarding a business summit scheduled for this week in Baton Rouge  

With Louisiana currently ranked the worst state to find a job <https://www.wdsu.com/article/the-best-states-for-jobs-aren-t-what-you-might-expect/26133871> and consistently ranking among the bottom ten states for business climate <https://www.cnbc.com/2018/07/10/top-states-for-business-louisiana.html>, Democrat Governor John Bel Edwards is hosting a business summit in Baton Rouge on Thursday to hide his failed leadership from voters. But is this event really a business summit, or a taxpayer-funded campaign event to bolster his re-election bid?

Over half of the speakers slated to address the event have either donated to Edwards’ campaign or currently work for him as administration officials:

Five of the 19 scheduled speakers for the event are state employees <https://www.thetjcgroup.com/louisiana-business-summit-agenda> who work for Edwards:

• Don Pierson, Secretary, Louisiana Economic Development
• Ava Dejoie, Secretary, Louisiana Workforce Commission (Department of Labor)
• Jay Dardenne, Commissioner, Louisiana Division of Administration
• Kimberly Robinson, Secretary, Department of Revenue
• Shawn Wilson, Secretary, Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development

Eight of the 19 scheduled speakers donated <http://www.ethics.la.gov/CampaignFinanceSearch/SearchByName.aspx> to Edwards either personally or through their organizations:

• Mike Olivier gave Edwards’ campaign $1,250 on 10/31/16.
• CSRS Inc. gave Edwards’ campaign $5,000 on 10/31/16.
• Eduardo Jimenez gave Edwards’ campaign $500 on 2/4/16.
• Jay Dardenne’s Campaign LLC gave Edwards’ campaign $2,500 on 9/6/17.
• Stream Family Limited Partnership gave Edwards’ campaign $5,000 on 1/23/17.
• Waitr gave Edwards’ campaign $5,000 on 10/27/17.
• Trey Burvant gave Edwards’ campaign $250 on 11/17/15.
• Craig Spohn gave Edwards’ campaign $5,000 on 10/13/16.

Edwards’ apparent decision to use a state-sponsored business summit as an opportunity to rally his supporters and campaign donors on the taxpayer’s dime further shows that he’s just another hypocritical politician who can’t be trusted to lead Louisiana.

Rep. Blake Miguez Blasts Media Coverage of HB 105

Photo source: Louisiana House of Representatives

Rep. Blake Miguez (R-49) has issued a letter to Louisiana citizens that blasts the media coverage of HB 105, which would allow autonomy over department budgets within the State of Louisiana.  Miguez further criticizes "Benedict Arnold" Jay Dardenne with the following:

The public should also know that Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne expressed the same belief in our committee hearings and cited his experience as a statewide elected official in advancing this concept. It is curious why he suddenly changed his position last week.

Kudos to Rep. Miguez for standing up for autonomy for departments within Lousiana regarding budgets and for calling out the traitor, Jay Dardenne, for being a tool of the Edwards' "Honor-Code" administration.

"Benedict" Dardenne Rewarded with Administration Position for Selling Out

Photo source: Politicalconundrum

In what should come as a complete surprise to anyone (not), our Lt. Governor, "Benedict" Jay Dardenne is being tapped for a top position within "Honor Code" Edwards' administration when the latter is sworn in next month.  It seems like selling out for the sake of saving your political backside can be quite the thing to do in order to suck off the government tit for another few years.

Dardenne supporters, please tell me again how this guy was such the "conservative choice" in the election when he's now playing on the Democrat ball-team.

Now We Know Why Dardenne Sold Out the Republican Party and His Ethics

In a piece penned on the 25th, Lafayette's Independent reported that Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne has been offered an unspecified position within the administration of "Honor Code" Governor Elect, John Bel Edwards.  This quid pro quo was speculated soon after Dardenne lost his primary race for Governor and endorsed Gov.-Elect "Honor Code".  If there is any indication of the lack of morals and ethics, it is this.  Dardenne sold out his Party and his own integrity to maintain a job within the State of Louisiana.  And to think, people actually believed that this guy was a "conservative Republican".

The Official Litmus Test of the True Conservative

'A House Divided' Revisited - A Letter to Authentic Conservatives of Louisiana

Photo source: Louisiana.gov

In 1858, a young America found itself on the verge of disintegrating into the annals of history to join the likes of Rome. Knowing well the stakes were of the highest sort, President Abraham Lincoln, resolved as ever, prevented the eternal downfall of our country by turning to - among other things - a simple truism that was (is) paramount, timeless and universal in nature.  In an historic speech, President Lincoln warned the people of the United States exactly as Jesus once warned his disciples, telling the nation, “A house divided against itself cannot stand.”  We all know the rest of the story (or at least we all should).  Now, 157 years later, we Louisiana conservatives find ourselves cast in the lead roles of our own collective story of a house divided amongst three conservative gubernatorial candidates and their respective supporters.  Because our current scenario is also one with vast implications, my fear is that, at the individual level, idealism could carry the day over pragmatism.  This would result in – by default - the handing over of victory to the true opposition by way of a silent minority.  I find that possibility unbelievably unsettling.  Therefore, I challenge anyone dwelling in this political purgatory to act out of reason rather than dogma in this critically polarized run-off.

To ensure victory for Senator David Vitter in the upcoming run-off is to ensure victory for every conservative stakeholder in Louisiana.  Yet - in light of recent news - I have deep concerns that the simplicity of this observation could potentially be lost on enough primary supporters of Lieutenant Governor Jay Dardenne and Public Service Commissioner Scott Angelle to indirectly elect as our next Governor a man who actually nominated Barrack Obama for a second term...after witnessing the train wreck that was his first term! Take a moment to let that sink in...

If there is one thing that, in theory, all conservatives have in common, it is the recognition that President Obama’s agenda has sought to erode the foundation of our country and systematically destroy the American way of life.  Therefore, it should be a foregone conclusion that conservatives will do whatever is within their powers to counteract any and all further proliferation of the Obama agenda up-to and including serving defeat to any candidate for high public office who had any part in giving this man the Presidency the first time (much less the second!).  So why are we left with questionable uncertainty as to whether Dardenne's supporters and Angelle and his voters will now be backing David Vitter with an official public endorsement and at the polls? I believe, for many, the answer to this question is rooted in a fallacious allegiance we, as humans, tend to have towards our individual idealisms.  To our dismay, however, idealism only succeeds outside of our current reality and at the expense of real-world solutions.

One need not be Dr. Ben Carson to see that some portion of Dardenne and Angelle backers are disenchanted with the outcome of the primary.  That is to be expected, but such a reaction among voters in this cliché scenario certainly is not exceptional. After a competitive primary where candidates routinely tear each other down, there is always to be expected negative emotional aftermath.  Rejection has occurred for some people at the “expense” of a selection which has been made by the selectors. The selection almost instinctively becomes the negative outlet for the suffering felt by the rejected (See: Dardenne officially endorses Edwards). It is at this very juncture where we as conservatives must lead from that part within us which makes us the complete opposite of liberals to begin with: reason! Perhaps Thomas Sowell better captures the sentiment in which I am here trying to impart when he wrote, “Wishful thinking is not idealism.  It is self-indulgence at best and self-exaltation at worst.  In either case, it is usually at the expense of others.  In other words, it is the opposite of idealism.”  I think we can guess as to what Sowell would say of Dardenne's recent betrayal...  Still, I wonder: what portion of voters who pulled the lever for Dardenne or Angelle last month could be caught up in a similar state of self-indulgent idealism to the point they become, in the eyes of their own party, "traitors?"  I pray that number will turn out to be 0% after the election returns are in... 

Some may retort that my entreaty to every single one of Dardenne’s and Angelle’s supporters (and to Mr. Angelle himself) is null because I am a primary supporter of David Vitter for Governor.  Even in that sense, they would be largely mistaken.  I give my word that, if our current scenario were altered whereby I voted for Vitter (which I did), but either Dardenne or Angelle became the nominee, I would not only vote for whichever gentleman was the nominee, but would go to great lengths to ensure that I convinced every primary Vitter supporter I could find to vote for our party's nominee.  Reason, again, dictates that success is achieved by focusing on solutions rather than “problems.”

I present one final alternative way of looking at this situation in general:  most of us (including myself) can easily lose site of the actual “who” and “what” for which we are voting in the first place.  It’s easy to think that we are voting for a person – a candidate – alone.  Yet the reality is that we are voting for each other concurrently.  When I think of all the candidates whom we've elected who is (also) “voting” for us, I think of Senator David Vitter.  I could be no more pleased with the representation he has made for us in the Senate with his solid, consistent record of representation of his constituency.  How rare is that? Still, I am completely confident that he will make an even better Governor.  We have yet to see the best of Vitter.  I have no doubt!

For anyone still left with a sigh at this point, here is the hard line in the sand, which William F. Buckley, Jr. gave me the words to draw:  “Idealism is fine, but as it approaches reality, the costs become prohibitive.”  Despite our individual ideal outcomes for this race, we are now – like it or not – standing on the ledge of reality.  Since we know what that reality is, we then know the cost of Dardenne, Angelle and their respective supporters not rallying behind David Vitter for Governor because they hoped for a different primary outcome.  That cost would indeed be prohibitive. For one, by withholding support for the sake of making a point will be self-sabotaging for all who do so (join Dardenne at your own risk).  Do I have to even enumerate the myriad of ways in which this is true to my fellow conservatives?  Another - and arguably far worse - reason why not lending full support to Vitter is inherently prohibitive is that such a position (or lack thereof) would be held at the expense of others whom do not deserve to be subjected to such victimization over what is, now, irrelevant (but destructive) political posturing.

I think I speak on behalf of the conservative majority – silent and/or vocal – in applauding the Public Service Commissioner and all of his and Dardenne's supporters for adjusting their sails and pointing the bow of their ships northward.  Louisiana will be all the better for it!  Let's not lose this big-league election because of a small (but still large enough) part of our extended conservative family spent too much time majoring in the minors.  The time for grieving has passed.  It's time now to look toward our future.

Sincerely,

Spencer Drury, MBA

St. Francisville

More Proof of How Hypocritical Jay Dardenne Really Is

Photo source: John Bel for Obama

The RGA Right Direction PAC has released what amounts to a diary of tweets from Jay Dardenne and the Dardenne team during the 2015 Louisiana Governor's election.  As everyone is aware, Lt. Gov. Dardenne has come out in support of the Democratic candidate, John Bel Edwards, following Dardenne's defeat in the primaries.  The tweets show a vastly different story as to the diatribe that Dardenne spewed yesterday when he was fawning over Bel Edwards.  If there is any doubt left as to the total hypocrisy of the Dardenne campaign, it is the list of these tweets that were issued during the primary.

What is the real reason that Dardenne is endorsing the Democratic candidate's run-off against Sen. David Vitter?  Is it a quid-pro-quo or just Dardenne falling back onto his tried and true liberal leanings?  Guess we will see once the runoff is done.

Read more: John Bel for Obama

A Letter to Jay Dardenne

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. 

Tell Me Again How Dardenne Is A Conservative

You know it's bad when the Democrat in the Governor's race won't consider personal tax increases, but Jay Dardenne will. 

Jay Dardenne's "Birthday Bash"

Sen. David Vitter's office has released the below video and documentation showing Lt. Governor Jay Dardenne's taxpayer funded trip to Europe. 

The state documents are below and can be found at this website.

The Very Liberal Jay Dardenne

In what can be called a history lesson on the "Republican" Jay Dardenne's voting record, Cajun Conservatism would like to take the time to revisit his history while a member of the Louisiana legislature.

While touting himself as a fiscal conservative, Dardenne has supported higher fees, taxes and spending. Additionally, his record on abortion is not quite stellar.

This list is several years old, but nonetheless, he cannot shake the RINO label he so richly deserves. 

The Truth Behind State Cars

For Immediate Release                                                        
Contact: Luke Bolar
September 2, 2015
504-779-3771

On August 31, an Advocate article entitled, “Gubernatorial candidates focus on reducing state vehicle fleet,” featured David Vitter’s TV ad talking about eliminating thousands of unnecessary state cars. There are currently 10,832 state cars costing Louisiana taxpayers $232 million.

• Watch Vitter’s TV Ad: “The Right Team”
• Read Vitter’s plan for stabilizing the budget.

Vitter’s Republican Opponents, Scott Angelle and Jay Dardenne, both chimed in on state cars.

What Angelle Says:

Public Service Commissioner Scott Angelle, R-Breaux Bridge said, “I know how to manage an auto fleet. We’ll be lean, efficient and maximize our resources.”

What Angelle Does:

• Angelle drove a state Dodge Durango paid for by Louisiana taxpayers as DNR Secretary. [1]
• Angelle receives an $8400 ($700/month) annual taxpayer funded car allowance as a PSC Commissioner. [2]
• Comparable: Leasing a Toyota Camry costs roughly $1500 per year ($130/month for 36 months)
• Comparable: Leasing a Porsche starts at $7200 (depending on model, ranges between $600-$1000/ month for 27 months)
• Figures based on truecar.com for Louisiana.
• Angelle voted to keep all of the Public Service Commission cars which are paid for by the taxpayers.  There are five PSC Commissioners, but they have 14 cars. [3]

What Jay Dardenne Says:

Republican Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne, of Baton Rouge, warned against pursuing a one-size-fits-all approach. “We should examine every cost-saving possibility and implement those that save taxpayers the most money,” he said.

What Jay Dardenne Does:

• Dardenne receives $8400 ($700/month) annual taxpayer funded car allowance to drive 3.4 miles to work. [4] 
• Dardenne continues to receive the allowance even though he gets driven around Louisiana by State Police. He even uses the police escort for campaign events. [5]
• Since 2007, the total Dardenne has received for his car allowance exceeds $70,000.
• Comparable: In Baton Rouge a 2016 Ford F-250 King Ranch costs $64,000
• Comparable: In Baton Rouge a 2014 Porsche SUV costs $64,000

###

Citations:

1) Advocate, “Shortfall costs officials raises,” May 24, 2009.
2) Louisiana Human Resources Fringe Benefit Report, 2014
3) Link to vote
4) Letters from Dardenne to the Commissioner of Administration Paul Rainwater, November 17, 2010. Letter from Dardenne to the Commissioner of Administration Jerry Luke LeBlance, October 30 2006.
5) Link to LSP driving Dardenne; Link to LSP driving Dardenne; Link to Dardenne admitting he uses LSP for campaign events.

Is Jay Dardenne's Criticism of Bobby Jindal's Use of State Police Hypocritical???

Photo source: Twitter

Louisiana Lt. Governor and candidate for the office of Governor in this fall's election, Jay Dardenne, has come out hard against the current officeholder, Bobby Jindal, for his use of Louisiana State Police during his campaign for President.  A piece written by NOLA goes into great detail regarding this issue and Dardenne's criticism of this practice.  However, videos have recently come out that show Dardenne utilizing the same agency during his campaign for the Governor's office.

And, another video shows that Dardenne readily admits that he utilizes the State Police in political events.

Could this be a mere oversight on the part of Dardenne or could this be a case of blatant hypocrisy? You be the judge.