I’ll be eagerly watching the news later today to see who gets to be the next governor of Louisiana. Bobby JIndal, whom I knew in college , is running against Lt. Governor Kathleen Blanco. A Washington Post article in today’s Seattle Times titled Louisianans let the diversity roll , discusses how Louisiana voters are responding, especially those “Bubba”s, once supporters of David Duke.
What’s a Bubba to do?
“Listen, man, we’re looking at a guy who’s not even from this country! And then we’re looking at a woman!” said Jubal Vallot, 38, a handyman.
He hooted and shook his head. “I go to church, I believe in the good Lord and this ‘n’ that. I never ever dreamed in my whole life — I been right here in Louisiana — that I’d be in this kind of dilemma.”
Vallot’s dilemma is the sort that has been rare in this conservative Deep South state with its richly corrupt political past: two untainted, nearly equally conservative candidates in today’s runoff election, running a relatively clean — if snarky — race for the job held by Huey Long and a succession of other white males.
When I shared with someone – my high school English teacher, actually – about my college friend Bobby in the governor’s race of Louisiana, he suggested I read All the King’s Men. To quote Amazon.com, it’s a ” a loosely fictionalized account of Governor Huey Long of Louisiana, one of the nation’s most astounding politicians”
So I’ll be sitting around tonight reading Robert Penn Warren’s book, waiting and praying and wondering……
UPDATE 9 p.m. CNN says Louisiana elects first woman governor. I have to say I’m a bit bummed that Bobby didn’t win, but it is still exciting that Louisiana elected their first female governor tonight. Blanco is described as a former stay-at-home-mother, so that encourages me too….not that I’m thinking of running for governor here, mind you. If only I cared about Washington’s gubernatorial race as much as I did about Louisiana’s this year……if only it seemed that exciting to me…..
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1 Julie Leung: Seedlings & Sprouts // Dec 1, 2004 at 2:56 am
Old friend in high places: Mr. Jindal goes to Washington
Speaking of people in the news… a college friend of Enoch’s and mine has now become a Congressman. Last year I wrote a few times about Bobby Jindal’s candidacy for governor of Louisiana. He lost in a close election and…