Louisiana Family Forum Takes to Task Gov.-Elect "Honor Code"

Gene Mills from the Louisiana Family Forum sent out a scathing email on Friday afternoon that highlights some of the "dishonorable" actions that the newly elected Governor, John Bel "Honor Code" Edwards, has taken.

“A cadet will not lie, cheat, steal, or tolerate those who do.”
~U.S. Military Academy Honor Code

Dear Friends,

Governor-elect John Bel Edwards parlayed this honor code to a successful finish in the Louisiana Governor’s race. He opined that his opponent was (could not live by this code) “a liar, a cheater, and a stealer and I don’t tolerate that.” Additionally, the Governor-elect looked Louisiana in the eye and promised of his pro-life and pro-family values, “I will not dissapoint you.”

Based on his representations to the public that he would operate by the honor code and his personal pro-life and pro-family values, Louisiana voters chose him overwhelmingly to be Louisiana’s next governor.

Considering that platform, some of Edwards' post-election actions are puzzling and dissonant. Take for example his choice for Commissioner of Administration, former Senator Jay Dardenne, who earned a 65% lifetime rating with the Louisiana Family Forum. According to Louisiana Right to Life, he had a 62% pro-life record during his tenure in the Legislature.

Additionally, The Times Picayune has Edwards on record as pledging to sign an LGBT friendly executive order. This would be in line with the efforts that have been used to penalize bakers, florists, photographers and adoption agencies for simply believing that natural marriage is a concept that may be freely exercised at work. How is this order in line with Edwards’ platform?

Now, news outlets are reporting that Edwards is backing State Representative Walt Leger to be the next House Speaker. Leger is a very talented and affable guy, but he is neither pro-life nor pro-family. Leger has earned a grade of 65% with Louisiana Right to Life, but his poor score does not begin to tell the whole story. The grade does not take into account that Leger strategically opted to abstain in 9 out of the last 15 major pro-life votes. Over that same time frame, Leger voted for government-funded abortions (Amendment 87A of HB 1247 (2010)), against defunding Planned Parenthood (HCR 11, (2012); HCR 54 (2011)), and against conscience protections for health care providers who wish to opt out of participating in abortion procedures (HB 517 (2009)). On other social issues, Leger has been hit or miss as well, receiving a 45.6% lifetime rating from Louisiana Family Forum. Earlier this year, he voted for voluntary sex education for third graders (HB 359 (2015)).

Meanwhile, the other prospective candidate for House Speaker, Rep. Cameron Henry, has a perfect 100% lifetime grade from Louisiana Right to Life and a 93.3% with LFF. And yet… a “pro-life” governor-elect has chosen a pro-choice speaker of the house. Puzzled? Me too. Especially when the other candidate is 100% pro-life.

Sadly, these decisions are not in line with the honor code or the platform that John Bel Edwards ran on. Instead, they are in line with a political code that we are all too familiar with: say whatever is necessary in order to get elected.

Make no mistake, the House Speaker is extremely powerful. He appoints every committee, chair and membership, and assigns every bill to a friendly or hostile committee, making way for the 4th floor (Governor's office) to filter the will of the majority.

I sincerely hope the 105 members of the House of Representatives, who often concur with LFF on distinctively Louisiana values, will simply say “No thank you” to Mr. Edwards’ Speaker pick and will instead help him fulfill his honor code in choosing a House Speaker who is actually pro-family and pro-life.

I encourage the people of Louisiana to contact their legislators and respectfully request that Louisiana values are embraced in casting a vote for House Speaker.

Rob Maness Will Run for Vitter's Senate Seat

Photo source: The Hill

The Hill is reporting that retired Col. Rob Maness will seek Sen. David Vitter's Senate seat in the upcoming election.  Vitter has announced that he will not seek re-election after his defeat in the recent Louisiana Governor's election.

Per the piece, the following was reported:

Col. Rob Maness, the Tea Party challenger in the 2014 Louisiana Senate race, will mount another Senate bid in 2016. 

Maness declared his intention to fill retiring Republican Sen. David Vitter’s seat in a new filing with the Federal Election Commission Tuesday that lists him as a candidate for the upcoming race. Politico first reported the filing. 

Frank Levingston, Oldest World War II Veteran and Lake Charles Resident, Travels to Washington

Photo source: Dropbox

Louisiana resident and the oldest living World War II veteran, Frank Levingston, was a guest in Rep. Charles Boustany's office during his recent visit to Washington as part of an Honor Flight from New Orleans.  Levingston is a survivor of the Pearl Harbor attack on Dec. 7, 1941 and has recently turned 110.

Rep. John Fleming Announces He's Running for Senate

Photo source: YouTube

Tea-Party favorite and current Congressman John Fleming from Minden has announced via YouTube his intention to run for the Senate seat that has opened with the recent announcement by David Vitter that he will not seek re-election.  Fleming joins Congressman Charles Boustany from the Acadiana area, who has also stated his intention to seek the seat.  Democrat Mitch Landrieu announced last week that he will not be a candidate.

"Honor Code" Isn't Even Governor Yet and He's Gone Full Stupid

Photo source: The New Orleans Advocate

But what can you say from the likes of an Obama-lite Democrat?  In what looks like a stunningly delusional statement, Gov.-Elect "Honor Code" Edwards claims that he has a mandate because of his election last month to the state's highest office and therefore, the serfdom within the Louisiana Legislature must follow his bidding.

Someone should tell Barack Jr. that there are co-equal branches of government in our state and that he is not the king of the Pelican State, as much as he'd like to be like Obama.  Voters did not give him a mandate, but rather, he was chosen as the opposition candidate to Jindal's record and because of the constant barrage of "Honor Code" ethics he spouted and his attempts to keep the focus on Vitter's past.

Someone wake this guy up and tell him he's obviously dreaming the liberal dream.

"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.

Mitch Landrieu Say "No" to Senate Run

In an announcement today, New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu has decided against running for the Senate seat that will become open when Sen. David Vitter steps down at the end of his current term.

"We are in the midst of one of the greatest comeback stories this country has ever seen, but my work here in New Orleans is not yet done. In this time of unique challenges for our city and our state, I believe I can best serve our people by finishing the job I started five and a half years ago," Landrieu said Thursday (Dec. 4) in a statement. "Therefore, I will not be a candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2016."

In "comeback stories", I'm assuming Landrieu means not paying firefighters due money, removal of historical monuments in the City of New Orleans and the growing crime problem in the city.  If so, then yes, he's doing one hell of a job in a "comeback story".

Rep. Mike Johnson Regarding Louisiana's Speaker of the House

The following was taken from Rep. Mike Johnson's Facebook page and is being shared in the original post format:

Photo source: Facebook

For those who are interested in the developing controversy, below are seven key facts to explain why it is completely logical and appropriate for our duly-elected Republican majority in the Louisiana House of Representatives to elect our new Speaker---instead of allowing the governor to do it. (You can also share this information from the posting at our website: www.LouisianaforLiberty.com)

1. The GOP position on the Speaker’s race is not about party or politics or personalities—it is about principle.
2. The relatively recent tradition of Louisiana governors choosing the leaders of each house of the Louisiana Legislature is not mentioned in our state constitution for a fundamental reason, and that is the essential doctrine of the separation of powers. Our system of checks and balances (for example, distinguishing the legislative from the executive branch of government) is critical to a proper functioning of any constitutional republic.
3. Under the clear language of the Louisiana Constitution, the members of the House of Representatives are given the authority to elect a Speaker from among themselves. LSA-Const. Art. 3, § 7(C). This provision makes no mention of any involvement by the executive branch. Why is that? Because the Speaker of the Louisiana House of Representatives is vastly powerful. He or she appoints every committee chairman and the membership of every House committee. That allows the Speaker to appoint committees which are not reflective of a majority of the body, and thereby stall or kill legislation in committee that would pass on the House floor.  The argument today is purely about what is best for our state.  WE SHOULD SIDE WITH OUR CONSTITUTION EVERY TIME.
4. It takes 53 votes to elect a Speaker. The people of our state have spoken clearly at the ballot box and have seen fit to hand the GOP 61 of the 105 House seats. In our system of representative government, it is logical and appropriate to allow that large, duly-elected majority to choose its own leadership independent of any outside pressure from the executive branch.
5. It is interesting that many of the same people who have openly criticized the work of the Legislature over the past eight years are now arguing that the same mechanisms and customs ought to be employed again. One way to fix our broken system is to change some of our unusual Louisiana traditions and reemphasize government “of the people, by the people, and for the people.”
6. The Republicans have only won a majority within the past eight years and there is certainly no "tradition" (or sound logic) that would allow a Democratic governor to name the Speaker when the House has a Republican majority. (In previous administrations, when virtually every member of the chamber was a Democrat, it made much less difference which Democrat was happened to be favored by each particular Democrat governor.)
7. The American people would never expect a Republican or Democrat majority in the Congress to allow a president from the opposing party to select its leaders. Why should we??

Vitter, Cassidy, and Boustany Applaud Opening of Lake Charles Interim Veterans Clinic

(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senators David Vitter (R-Metairie) and Bill Cassidy, MD, (R-Baton Rouge) and Congressman Charles W. Boustany, Jr., MD, (R-Lafayette) applauded the opening of the Lake Charles VA Interim Clinic on 814 W. McNeese St. The VA is holding an open house to celebrate the clinic’s official opening today from 1:00 – 3:00 pm.

Vitter and Boustany wrote to the VA in February asking the Secretary to visit Louisiana and see the facilities firsthand. VA Deputy Secretary Sloan Gibson visited Lafayette and New Orleans later that month at Vitter and Boustany’s request, calling the existing Lafayette clinic “inadequate and unacceptable.” During the Deputy Secretary’s visit to Lafayette in February, he announced that veterans in Lafayette would be granted access to temporary additional clinic space by the VA. After follow-ups from the Louisiana delegation, Gibson authorized additional clinic space for Lake Charles.

Vitter said: “While I’m glad to see my years of hard work with Congressman Boustany have come to fruition with the opening of this much needed VA clinic providing access to quality healthcare for veterans living in Lake Charles, I will not stop pushing until the permanent Lake Charles clinic is up and running, as are the interim and permanent clinics in Lafayette. The veterans of southwest Louisiana have waited long enough.”

Cassidy said: “Securing a lease for a permanent VA clinic and opening the interim clinic are steps in the right direction. Until the clinic opens and starts seeing patients, we must continue to ensure our veterans have access to reliable, quality care in south Louisiana. Making sure the VA fulfills its mission to serve our veterans and not bureaucrats must be one of our highest priorities.”

Boustany said: “When I called for the Secretary of the VA to come to Louisiana to view the conditions where it’s treating our veterans, Deputy Secretary Gibson called the facilities ‘unacceptable.’ Today’s opening is the result of a lot of hard work and diligence from our congressional delegation in holding the VA’s feet to the fire and ensuring our veterans’ needs are met. I’m proud to have led this effort to provide better facilities and expanded services for our South Louisiana veterans, because they’ve earned it.”

Presidential Qualifying Has Begun Today in Louisiana

The following candidates from both parties have qualified today in Louisiana for the 2016 Presidential election.  

Photo source: Twitter

AG Elect Landry Working on Smooth, Efficient Transition at DOJ

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, December 2, 2015

CONTACT: Millard Mule, 337-313-4537 or news@landryforlouisiana.com

Attorney General-Elect Jeff Landry Working on Smooth, Efficient Transition at Department of Justice

BATON ROUGE, LA - Attorney General-Elect Jeff Landry has begun his efforts to reform the Department of Justice (DOJ) to better serve the people of Louisiana.

"In order to accomplish a smooth and efficient transition, I have set up a process to evaluate current DOJ employees for possible employment in the new administration," said Landry. "To ensure everyone has a fair and equal opportunity to be considered, every current employee interested in continuing his or her employment may submit a resume and an application for employment.”

Similar to other presidential, gubernatorial, and state department transition processes - Landry is communicating with at-will employees to encourage they re-apply for positions within the new Attorney General Administration. He began that process with a letter, available for download here, which thanks employees for their service and asks them to begin thinking about re-applying.

"I will also be establishing Transition Committees who will help interview current and potential employees to make recommendations for employment," continued Landry. "All applicants dedicated to an honest, ethical, and hardworking office will be given utmost consideration so, together, we will make the Department of Justice a great agency for the people of our state.”

Landry expects to name Members of Committees over the coming days.

Additionally, Landry has launched a transition website which will include information on the Inauguration when it becomes available and which currently has a live portal to accept resumes and contact information from those interested in working for DOJ. There is also a form through which citizens can contact the Attorney General-Elect. The site is located at www.LandryTransition.com. Landry will continue to provide updates on Facebook at www.facebook.com/LandryforLA.

Did You See How Republicans are Helping a Democrat Become Speaker of the House?

Photo source: NOLA

The Hayride has posted a piece that names several Republican legislators that are on the fence regarding Speaker of the House in the Louisiana Legislature.  Supposedly, these "Republican" legislators are on board in having Walt Leger, liberal Democrat from the New Orleans area, elected to the top position within the House of Representatives.

Contact information for each one of these legislators were also posted on the piece and are below, just in case anyone would like to let them know how they feel on this issue.

Steve Pylant (Winnsboro)
*Rob Shadoin (Ruston)
Joe Lopinto (Metairie)
Bryan Adams (Gretna)
Stephanie Hilferty (New Orleans)
*Tanner Magee (Houma)
Paula Davis (Baton Rouge)
*J. Rogers Pope (Denham Springs)
Thomas Wilmott (Kenner)
Bubba Chaney (Rayville)
Chris Leopold (Belle Chasse)
Frank Hoffman (West Monroe)

It's time for Republicans to act like Republicans and stop giving into the whims of a yet to be sworn Governor "Honor Code". 

Where Are The Sanctimonious Vitter Haters on This???

Photo source: NOLA

The self-righteousness and sanctimonious crowd that just couldn't bring themselves to vote for Sen. David Vitter for an indiscretion that occurred over 15 years ago and for which he was forgiven by his wife are awfully quiet with the release of news that State Senator Troy Brown, Democrat from District 2, was arrested for assault on a woman over the weekend while in New Orleans.  And what should be even more disturbing to the morally outraged crowd is that this woman is, in her own words, his "side woman".

Frankly, if we are going to give the same treatment to this elected official that was given to Sen. Vitter in his run for Governor, this Senator should immediately be repudiated and asked to step down for the sake of our State.  I mean, it's only fair that we treat someone who's got a recent history of issues with women the same treatment that was given to another with something that happened over a decade ago.

What's that I hear?  Oh, it's the crickets chirping from Gov. Elect "Honor Code" and the rest of the sanctimonious base.

Pitiful.......................

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".

State Senator Elbert Guillory Considering a Run For The 3rd Congressional Seat

Photo source: AMN News

With the announcement yesterday by Congressman Charles Boustany that he will seek the Senate seat being vacated by David Vitter, state Senator Elbert Guillory posted this to Facebook this afternoon.

I am deeply honored and humbled by the overwhelming amount of texts, emails and phone calls that I have received since noon today. Your words urging me to run for the Boustany seat in the US Congress have touched me. I will discuss this with my family and pray about it to my Lord. We will make a decision soon. I must say that I was especially touched by the call from a little Cajun grandmother who said that God had sent me to be the voice of the people of South Louisiana. My eyes were damp as I thanked her for her faith and confidence.

STONECIPHER: Will Gov.-Elect Edwards See What Bobby Jindal Never Did?

Photo source: Flickr

Just after Saturday's election, I read yet another article with yet another warning to us about a smoldering fire in our oil patch.  Knowing one part of that subject very well - related population loss - I immediately thought about Governor-Elect John Bel Edwards, and wondered if he is aware of the urgently important details.  As far as we know, Governor Jindal never was.

Although the writer did not specifically direct his article to Louisiana, he might have justifiably done so.  Oil prices and what they mean to our state's already difficult financial condition is serious stuff, perhaps as serious as the last time all of this hammered us.  That was 1986 ... when the price of oil dropped 67% in just four months. 

Truth be told, Louisiana never recovered from that hit, a fact notably highlighted by our population drop-turned-stagnation since.  A solid marker of remembrance is our loss since 1990 of two of our then-eight seats in the U. S. House of Representatives.  That is a key measure of any state's national political clout, driven solely by population gain or loss.

The article detailed how the price of a barrel of oil might be headed to $25 in the near term unless OPEC takes its heavy foot off the production accelerator.  As I write this, with oil at $43, that price would equal a $200 million direct annual loss in state revenue.  Already underway are the hits to corporate income taxes and many other losses attached to every worker who will leave to find a job he or she loses here ... exactly as we suffered in the late '80s.

That is what we must focus on:  the loss of those workers, and the resulting population hit Louisiana may suffer.  We learned this lesson last time, but far after its fact.  We were hampered by how long it took to see critical yet basic such data from the Census Bureau and other sources.  By the time the data could be assembled, analyzed, reported and then tracked, our state, parishes and cities were already suffering, mightily.  We will have no excuse if it all happens again.

It is history worth specially noting ... right now.

In October 1973, when Israel attacked Syria and Egypt in its Yom Kippur War, OPEC declared an oil embargo to punish it, the United States, and other allied nations.  The harshly negative impact in the U.S., however, was mitigated in Louisiana and other oil-producing states by a resulting quadrupling of oil prices - $3.00 to $12.00 a barrel - in a 14-month period.

In July 1973, just before OPEC launched the oil-price rocket, Louisiana's population was 3,788,375.  As that rocket rose, so did our population, peaking twelve years later - July 1985 - at 4,408,113, a gain of 619,738 people ... 16.4%.  In case that gain does not impress, consider this:  over the thirty-year period since, our population has risen only 5.7%.  The U.S. population gain over those 30-years has been 6-times ours, 34.0%.

Neither I nor John Bel Edwards has a crystal ball, but I am certain we each understand that notwithstanding our state's budget mess and battles over the past several years, our condition can certainly worsen, and in a hurry.  As if Louisiana is not population- and economic growth-challenged enough, we should note that retiring boomers need move no further than Texas or the Florida panhandle to escape paying our state income tax.  Such is a striking seducer, and a danger both explicit and inherent in any tax increases.  

If, as the last time, job losses already underway are the canary in a coal mine of more trouble ahead, our governor-elect may serve but one term in office, as Governor Buddy Roemer did.  Given my presence on Governor Roemer's political team, I learned that the hell such a downward spiral causes is a thing we should always prepare for, in every way possible.

Plenty of us who keep up with these subjects can make a case for $70 West Texas Intermediate crude a year from now.  But, even if we are thus blessed, and oil prices change only positively into and through our state's economic future, there remain many, many more population and demographic risks ahead for Louisiana than at any time in our history.

Necessarily, we can do nothing about these very real risks unless and until our leadership acknowledges their existence.  With our new governor, we at least have that hope.

Elliott Stoneciper
Shreveport, Louisiana.

(Elliott Stonecipher is in no way affiliated with any political party, and has long been a registered "Other," or Independent.  He has no client or other relationships which in any way influence his selections of subjects or the content of any article.  His work is strictly in the public interest, with no compensation of any kind solicited or accepted.  Appropriate credit to Mr. Stonecipher in the sharing - unedited only, please - of his work is appreciated.)

Did You See Buddy Caldwell's Concession Speech

Photo source: KPEL

Here it is, with all the childish petulance he could muster.  It is absolutely appalling that an outgoing public official will act in such a manner.  The only thing missing was the arms crossing and some stomping.

Goodbye Buddy.  Don't let the door hit you in the backside on the way out.

VILLERE: "Our Republican Brand is Strong"

Photo source: Wikimedia

The LAGOP issued the following press release on Saturday night after the elections were over:

Following tonight’s historic wins for the Republican Party of Louisiana, Chairman Roger Villere issued the following statement:

“Tonight, the Republican Party of Louisiana celebrates historic gains in the legislature and overwhelming victories on the statewide level. We'd like to congratulate Lieutenant Governor-elect Billy Nungesser, Attorney General-elect Jeff Landry, the many new Republican Legislators and the countless local Republican officials on their conservative victories.

In the Legislature, the Republican Party had a historic night gaining the largest elected majority in the House and Senate. Make no mistake, Louisiana is a deep red state and our Republican brand is strong.

Despite a disappointing result in the gubernatorial race, we’re confident that our Republican Legislature and activists across the state will hold Governor-elect Edwards accountable to his campaign promises of not raising taxes, protecting school choice and defending our conservative family values. Edwards espoused many of our conservative positions in order to get elected, and it’s our hope that he continues to abide by them as he governs. The Republican Party will vigilantly defend our bold conservative reforms as we work with the Legislature to continue to move our state forward, grow our economy and strengthen our families."

Col. Rob Maness and GatorPac Win Big on Election Night

GatorPac and retired Col. Rob Maness endorsed several candidates in Saturday's election that went on to victory.  Those that were successful in winning their respective races are as follows:

1. Billy Nungesser - Lt. Governor
2. Jeff Landry - Attorney General
3. Kathy Edmonston - BESE District 6
4. Julie Emerson - House District 39
5. Beth Mizell - Senate District 12
6. Rick Edmonds - House District 66
7. Sharon Hewitt - Senate District 1

In a release issued by email over the weekend, GatorPac had this to say about the future of this group:

GatorPAC is proud of our endorsed candidates, and we will continue to support conservatives with the backbone to stand up to the progressive status quo.

Hillary Clinton and her liberal army are preparing to spend millions to win the presidency and the U.S. Senate, and you and I must fight with everything we have to stop her in our state.

Boustany: Senate Announcement Coming Soon

The following email release was sent out from Congressman Charles Boustany's office this morning regarding the US Senate seat that will be opening up with the retirement of Sen. David Vitter:

(Lafayette, LA) – Dr. Charles Boustany, Jr., issued the following statement.

“As a cardiovascular surgeon, I spent nearly thirty years caring for the sick and serving our community. As a United States Congressman, I have achieved the largest legislative repeal of ObamaCare to date, brought two new veterans clinics to Louisiana, stopped congressional leadership from robbing funding for our ports, and led the fight against the Obama Administration’s war on Louisiana energy.

"Louisiana deserves a United States Senator who can lead in times of challenge, offer conservative, workable solutions to complex problems, and bring unity in times of division. After careful deliberation with family and friends, I am planning a formal announcement event in my hometown of Lafayette in the near future. I look forward to outlining my vision for Louisiana and how I intend to help lead our state to the bright future I know lies before us.”

More details on the date and location of Dr. Boustany’s formal announcement event in Lafayette will be made available soon.