In the Louisiana gubernatorial election coming up on November 21 many of my very conservative friends are voting for John Bel Edwards. I generally consider myself pretty politically astute and so this mystifies me. Why?
The only reason I am getting is that they can't stand Vitter and believe he is morally corrupt.
There may be more to it, but I'm mystified.
I don't love David Vitter; his voice grates on my nerves and I think he looks smug most of the time, but given a choice between him and John Bel Edwards, I have to go with Vitter.
As far as I can tell, both candidates appear to be the same on some issues: both oppose same sex marriage although Edwards would allow it because it's the law. Both oppose Common Core and are against abortion. Both are pro-Second Amendment.
Where they differ: Edwards wants to raise the minimum wage (a move that I oppose) while Vitter thinks that would inhibit job creation.
Edwards supports medical marijuana, Vitter does not.
Edwards wants to expand Louisiana's Medicaid rolls, and Vitter, while willing to consider Medicaid expansion, wants to be sure the state can afford it. He wants a clear plan and that those receiving the benefit are actually working.
Vitter and Edwards disagree on education: Edwards opposes charter schools and Vitter is for them. I disagree with Vitter on this one. This is my position on "school choice" and I know I'm probably not in the majority here: I think we already have school choice. You don't like your neighborhood school, then you can go to a private school or move to another neighborhood. Expensive? Sure is. My position is that we should work to improve the schools we have. Elect strong school board members, work in the PTA, volunteer as a mentor in your school. Support the bond issues that come up locally to improve your schools such as those to upgrade technology. There are things we can do to improve local schools beyond government vouchers to pay for sending kids to out of district schools.
I know - I'm going to get blasted for that. I know I differ from many of my conservative friends on that issue.
But the clincher for me is that John Bel Edwards supports Barack Obama and can be seen in the crowd endorsing him for president in the video below. My opposition to Obama is well documented and I can't support Edwards based just on that if it comes down to nothing but that.
Add to the list that the liberal Edwards received a failing grade from The Louisiana Family Forum.
And this attack ad from Edwards? Beyond the pale.
So, the remaining days until the election will certainly get ugly, but I hope we don't end up with a liberal Democrat at the end of the day. That's the last thing we need in Louisiana.
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