Conventional wisdom is as useless a term as most of the buzz words that float by us in company staff meeting. You all know what I'm talking about. When some hot shot gets up in a meeting and starts talking about the "genesis of the current synergy causing a network centric organization yada-yada...", you go to your happy place because you know in two weeks, none of those words will ever be used in the same sentence again - if at all. The same with "conventional wisdom". It's only conventional until the next thing comes along. Today's conventional wisdom is usually yesterdays wrong assumption.
Such is the case with the so-called conventional wisdom coming from the Economist.
WHEN it comes to the business of elections, Louisiana likes to confound conventional wisdom. While most of its Southern neighbours were busy electing Republicans during the early 2000s, Louisiana stubbornly returned a Democrat, Mary Landrieu, to the Senate in 2002, and put another one, Kathleen Blanco, in the governor's mansion in 2003. Now, as Republican fortunes have sagged across the nation—in no small part because of the Bush administration's failure to cope with Hurricane Katrina's devastation of Louisiana's coast in 2005—the party is having a banner year in the state.
No where in the article does it tell you why Louisiana is bucking the trend. It goes on to cite with surprise that the Bubbas (can we consider that a derogatory term yet?) would vote for a "non-white" to be governor. The systemic corruption of the Louisiana Democrat machine and that Mr. Jindal is young, smart (he's a Rhode's Scholar) and that the demographics of New Orleans have shifted a bit, but the author gives no real reason why the state is supposedly bucking the trend. Bush's supposed "failure to cope", recognized by everyone else, doesn't seem to register with those who were the victims.
Let me tell you what I think (You knew I would or you wouldn't have read this far - that's conventional wisdom!) the reason Louisiana is bucking the trend. I have two reasons.
First is the fact that while FEMA may have dropped the ball, the local governments (all Democrat) and the Governor (another Democrat) never had a ball. Hell, they never even made it to the ballpark! Evacuation orders were never given and when they were (much too late) they were haphazard at best. Governor Blanco diddled and dithered in requesting federal troops (Something she must do - the constitution prohibits sending Federal Troops without permission of the Governor). And while the congress and the President sent them billions upon billions for reconstruction, Blanco managed to again, sit on her hands.
Second is the systemic corruption in Louisiana. Louisiana is the butt of a lot of jokes but the sad part is that this isn't a joke. Incompetence and corruption run rampant. New Orleans is a city in decay and has slowly been rotting away for the last few decades. The 9th Ward was a cesspool that no mayor ever cared to do anything about before the floods and all of a sudden, they want it all fixed now. Nagin has proved to be incompetent. Whether he is corrupt or not, I don't know, but his predecessor Marc Morial is under investigation. In short, New Orleans is one step away from being a third world crap hole because of the endemic corruption. All the tourists see is the French Quarter.
Incompetence and corruption are the two key elements holding back the reconstruction the coast. Louisianans know it and that is why they voted for Bobby Jindal. That is why they are going red.
In short, they are tired of the Democrats and their emmpty promises to clean out city haul.
Mr. Jindal has a huge task in front of him and he will face a lot of opposition from the corrupt Democrats still entrenched. He's their best chance ever to throw off the yoke of institutional corruption that is crushing Louisiana
VW
Again, a tip of the old porkpie to the Diary of the Mad Pigeon for open track backs
