LaPolitics staff writer Mitch Rabalais recently posed five questions to former U.S. Sen. J. Bennett Johnston. Now a well-connected Beltway lobbyist, the man who answers to his own initials also still keeps tabs on politics far and wide.
Here’s the Q&A with Johnston:
LaPolitics: During your time in Congress, you voted on 10 U.S. Supreme Court confirmations, including the controversial nominations of Robert Bork and Clarence Thomas. Do you expect Brett Kavanaugh to be confirmed, and what do you make of the judiciary hearings?
JBJ: Well, I think Kavanaugh should be confirmed. I think he has shown himself to be a very good lawyer and has good judicial temperament. From the Democrats’ standpoint, elections have consequences. He’s not the guy the Democrats would put in if they had the presidency, but the GOP won the election. So I think he deserves to be confirmed.
LaPolitics: The vote on Judge Kavanaugh’s confirmation is expected to fall along party lines, with the possibility for only a few crossovers. But in the past we’ve seen justices such as Antonin Scalia and Ruth Bader Ginsburg receive almost unanimous confirmation. How have you seen votes on Supreme Court nominees become more partisan in the last 30 years?
JBJ: Well, it certainly has become more partisan, as has the public. Democrats don’t generally talk to Republicans and vice-versa. Each of the parties seem to have their own sources of information and facts. Makes it very difficult.
LaPolitics: You served in the Senate during Watergate, Iran-Contra and the Bill Clinton investigations. Have you ever seen anything in Washington like the current atmosphere around President Donald Trump?
JBJ: No, there’s not anything close.
LaPolitics: What are your expectations for the midterms?
JBJ: I expect that the Democrats will take the House and I think that the Senate is still in play. Anything can happen in the Senate. You’ve got four or five races that are toss-ups. But actually, it’s not going to make a lot of difference, because whoever gets it will not have a sufficient margin to really govern. You still need those 60 votes.
LaPolitics: There has been a lot of talk about Congressmen Steve Scalise and Cedric Richmond, and their chances at different leadership jobs. What does it mean for the state?
JBJ: Louisiana is more in need, as far as states and the federal government, than most any you can think of. We’ve got ports, flood control problems, military bases, we need to improve our educational system and we’re subject to severe weather. When I was there it was a different time, but I was able to access hundreds of millions every year through committees I was chairing. There’s still a great deal that we need and a great deal that could come and that’s why I think it would be very good for Louisiana to have either Richmond or Scalise as speaker.
They Said It: “I don’t want the commission mixed up in Huey Long-style politics because the governor is mad.” —U.S. Sen. John Kennedy, commenting on Gov. John Bel Edwards’ appointments to the Red River Waterway Commission, in The News-Star. In response, Edwards’ Deputy Chief of Staff Richard Carbo told the Monroe newspaper: “Look up the definition of ‘petty’ in the dictionary and next to it is picture of our junior, U.S. senator who is sending out press releases complaining about appointments to local boards and commissions.”
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.
