John Bel Edwards: The “Irrelevant” Governor

For months, America Rising has been calling Governor John Bel Edwards (D-LA) the Accidental Governor. With the approaching conclusion of the regular legislative session, we might have to change it to the Irrelevant Governor. After reading a recent piece in The Advocate, that’s the only possible interpretation of Governor Edwards’ place in Louisiana politics:

“By hanging out with Republican Vice President Mike Pence during his visit to Louisiana last week, Democrat Gov. John Bel Edwards received affirmation that he actually matters. He doesn’t find that reassurance from the Louisiana Legislature, which in this regular session has largely treated him as if he doesn’t exist. A look at the progress of Edwards’ legislative agenda suggests that the Republican-led chambers consider him mostly irrelevant.”

The results speak for themselves, with Edwards’ legislative agenda “in tatters” on issue after issue. From his senseless idea to raise taxes on countless hardworking Louisiana businesses to his equal pay hypocrisy, Edwards has thankfully failed at everything this year:

“The rest of the governor’s legislative package appears in tatters. Except for a couple of minor bills on life support Edwards’ revenue-raising ideas have suffered ignominious defeats. His stabs at undoing school choice reforms have gone nowhere, and even the mildest initiatives on the so-called ‘equal pay’ issue fell by the wayside. A proposed minimum wage increase is essentially dead.”

Governor Edwards was in over his head the minute he shockingly won the governorship in 2015. As another legislative session comes to a close, Edwards’ inability to do much of anything shows voters that come 2019, they need to elect someone who can deliver on his promised agenda.