It's undeniable, writes American Press columnist Jim Beam: Gov. John Bel Edwards has had a productive 100 days in office.
Beam contends the governor has acted responsibly from the first day he assumed the office. Talk to those who know him, Beam urges his readers, and they will tell you he is a sincere individual who only wants what is right for his state. “The governor has lost more battles than he has won, but he isn’t complaining,” Beam writes.
The columnist also points out that Edwards has committed to keep voters informed and the lines of communication open via a monthly call-in radio show.
“Unfortunately,” Beam writes in his solid analysis, “[Edwards] has had to contend with constant opposition from the state Republican Party, a handful of obstructionist GOP members in the House and state Treasurer John Kennedy.”
The state party is sniping at Edwards in order to raise campaign money. The ultra-conservative “Gang of No” in the House continues to throw up roadblocks to the governor’s efforts to erase nearly $3 billion in budget deficits. And Kennedy, who is running for the U.S. Senate, keeps harping about the state having a spending problem.
Despite the obstacles, Edwards has kept a positive attitude.
“It’s going as well as can be expected,” Edwards told The Advocate during an interview about his first three months. “I’m not down about anything.
“I’ve remained engaged. I’m talking to everyone to work through differences and find common ground.”
The same can’t be said about Jason Dore, the executive director of the Louisiana GOP.
“I think he ran as a conservative Democrat, and he’s governing from the left,” Dore told the newspaper. “His ideas are much more in line with Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders than any conservative.”
Throwing the Clinton and Sanders names out there is a sure-fire way to fire up the GOP faithful, and it’s typical of the don’t-let-the-facts-get-in-the-way tactics of the state Republican Party. As you can tell from the presidential contenders who are focused on fighting The Establishment, political parties don’t enjoy a lot of credibility these days.
Read the April 21 column here.