Pardon me? Edwards for governor?

22nd August 2011   ·   0 Comments

By Christopher Tidmore
Contributing Writer

Six months ago, former Louisiana Insurance payday cash advance erie pa Commis­sioner & Secretary of State Jim Brown speculated that were Edwin Edwards able to run for governor against Bobby Jindal, he might actually have a chance.

That is, were Edwards able to run anytime in the next 10 years. The law prevents a convicted felon for standing for office for at least a decade after leaving prison. The only exception, of course, is if the former four-term governor were to receive a Presidential Pardon.

Supporter Brenda Dolan has launched an effort to convince the White House to do just that. She started a Facebook page which seeks to lobby President Obama in to issuing an Edwards’ pardon.

In two weeks, her site has garnered 400 people willing to sign off on the effort. “I would think that there would still be a lot of people that would support him and back him,” Dolan told WWL radio. “He’s loved by so many people.”

“He’s always been Louisiana’s favorite governor,” she explain­ed. “He’s risen from the ashes many times.”

Edwards himself seemed eager for a run, were Barack Obama to give him the chance. “I really feel that if I did run, I would be able to get elected,” the former four term incumbent proclaimed.

When directly asked, “If you had to opportunity would you do it?”

“Yes!” was Edwards’ ardent reply, with the words, “At least 40 percent of the people of this state will always vote for me for any office that I run for…At least 30 percent will vote against me for any office I run for”

Would the public vote for the former inmate of both Oakdale and the Executive Mansion, however? Jim Brown in an bad credit installment loans low interest interview with The Louisiana Weekly thought that they might.

“Never underestimate the public fascination with Edwards. I own a small publishing company, and I thought a book on Edwards would be a moderate seller. So, Leo Honeycutt interviewed the Governor, and wrote the book. I figured that 5,000 copies would sell the first year, so I ordered 10,000, figuring that Edwards was going to be released the next year, and I could sell the rest then.”

“All 10,000 sold out within two days. I special ordered another 10,000, paying extra to print them over the holidays. They sold out in a week,” Brown noted. “The public can’t get enough of Edwin Edwards.”

“Still,” Brown added, even with a pardon, “I doubt he would run. He’s older and has a new beautiful 32-year-old wife. He wants to enjoy life. I really doubt he would do it.”

Some Louisiana Democrats, seeing no serious candidate to challenge the incumbent Republican governor, are praying for an Obama Pardon and an Edwards-Jindal contest. As one senior Democrat, who asked not to be named, observed, “Edwin can say things that the press cannot ignore. Bobby Jindal has made some unpopular budget cuts. He is vulnerable, and Edwin might have a chance. Whether he wins or not, his running could help Democrats in the future.”

Agreeing that Edwards still has broad appeal despite his eight-year term in federal prison, Brown pointed out, “How many conservative Republicans were saying during Hurricane Katrina, if Edwin Edwards were still governor, none of this would be happening? Edwards said that he would have turned over the state to the Feds immediately, explaining, ‘Then, it would have been their problem.”

Edwards would have an open path against check into cash advance centers jefferson davis highway fredericksburg va Jindal in the unlikely chance that the President actually sends down a pardon prior to the closing of qualifying on September 8, 2011. Currently, there is no prominent Democrat running against Governor Bobby Jindal, although there have been rumors of various individuals contemplating the possibility.

Still, Edwards would be the proverbial underdog in such a race, but not without hope. In a Southern Media and Opinion Research poll at the beginning of the summer 55 percent of voters approve of the governor’s job performance, a figure that’s unchanged since the fall. Yet, only 36 percent of the 600 respondents said they would definitely vote to re-elect Jindal this fall, a drop of three percentage points since the last survey.

Jindal is certainly winning in the money race, with $8.8 million on hand, a number Edwards could not hope to match. However, with a pardon, the free publicity, and the already 100 percent name recognition, who knows. Edwards can still draw crowds willing to pay to hear him speak. The former governor was the guest of honor at a dinner at the Montelone Hotel three weeks ago. The ticket price amounted to $250.00, but none hesitated to pay, even knowing that the profits went to the Edwards family. The dinner sold out weeks before the first course was served.

Currently, Jindal’s only announced opponent is first time candidate Tara Hollis, a school teacher from Claiborne Parish. She has a total of $965 in her campaign account at the last reporting date.

This article was originally published in the August 22, 2011 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper