“Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown.” In his latest column, Jeremy Alford says that’s as much true in Louisiana politics as it is in Shakespeare.
“Republican Party insiders, following a massive wave of conservative wins in the state, are already well aware of the pain that accompanies glory. After all, when a political party no longer has an enemy to fight, sometimes it turns on itself. So far, however, the bloodshed has been light and controversies largely contained,” Alford writes. “But as the Louisiana Republican Party moves closer to what borders on domination, the infighting, cross-messaging and divided factions will only become tougher to control.”
While Democrats are certainly entering a rebuilding phase, Alford says “ever-victorious Republicans must also take care to map out plot points that avoid self-implosion.” The GOP’s success, he says, is pockmarked with as many potential pitfalls as the Louisiana Democratic Party’s failures.
“A Republican-controlled state without a Democratic Party questioning every move we make can result in intellectual laziness and bad governance,” one Republican legislator recently told Alford. “So, I hope they have some success… just not too much.”
In politics, total control also limits a party’s ability to pivot and point fingers, Alford notes.
“If every statewide elected official is Republican, as are the lion’s share of federal and state legislative seats, and the mood turns sour, approval ratings can only be tied to one place. While this is indeed the time for Republicans to show us what they’re worth, the stakes are higher than ever,” Alford writes. “Establishing early measurements of success could help, but Democrats will always be waiting in the wings to convert a turnover.” Read the full column.
Jeremy Alford publishes LaPolitics Weekly, a newsletter on Louisiana politics, at LaPolitics.com. Follow him on Twitter, or on Facebook. He can be reached at JJA@LaPolitics.com.
