Rubberband Man

 

Reading Michael's post about Buddy Roemer made me a bit nostalgic for the failed Gret Stet Governor. Buddy was many things as Governor but he was never dull. In 1987, Buddy's campaign slogan was "Roemer Revolution." The only head that got cut off, in the end, was Roemer's. He finished third in the 1991 open primary behind Edwin Edwards and Gret Stet Fuhrer wannabe, David Dukke. Roemer has never won an election, to paraphrase George Wallace, since running behind that pointy headed (hatted?) anti-intellectual.

Roemer entered the Governor's mansion as a white hot "conservative reformer" who pledged to "brick up the top 3 floors of the state education building" and to "scrub the budget." He did neither; instead floundering because of his poor interpersonal skills, mendacity and refusal to be a pro-life purist. The latter, of course, weighs in his favor but when he attempted a comeback in 1995: he ran as a full tilt right winger. It was unconvincing so he lost again.

The only odd thing about Roemer's Quixotic campaign for President is that it took so long: he's had Potomac fever as far back as the mid-1980's. In 1991, he told his political consultant Ray Strother that either he or Bill Clinton would be President some day. He was, obviously, half-right. In that election from hell, Roemer frustrated his staff by showing more interest in watching and wagering on NFL games and playing poker than in campaigning. By all accounts, Buddy was a much better gambler than candidate.

I have a political consultant friend who knew Roemer quite well in the '80's. He compared Roemer to his predecessor/successor as Governor, Edwin Edwards, as follows: "Edwin would steal you blind but never lie to you. Buddy wouldn't steal BUT he was a consumate liar. The kind of guy who would lie just for the hell of it to see if he could get away with it." I'm not sure if he's still like that but it's the reason he failed in dealing with the lege: politicians don't care if you lie to the people but lie to their faces and you're dead meat.

Finally, the post title: while Governor, Roemer briefly swallowed whole some new age touchy feely crapola. During a state of the state address, he astonished the lege by describing how he wore a rubber band on his wrist, which he snapped to banish negative thoughts. Gret Stet voters don't mind their pols being eccentric but that was downright weird and was one of many reasons he hasn't won an election since 1987.

So, Buddy's not going anywhere with the campaign finance reform thing he borrowed from Jerry Brown but it was nice to take a stroll down memory lane and even nicer to close with the Spinners:

 

Hmm, maybe Buddy would be a better candidate if he wore one of those puffy blue suits sported by the Spinners in the video. Nah, it would be a reminder than he used to be a Democrat, just like Rick Perry...

Comments

[mass]

Memory lane, because why not?

The first time I ever came face-to-face with Edwin Edwards was in the early/mid 1970s -- making me 9 or 10. All I remember was his friendly smile and the light blue leisure suit. The last time I saw him was at a restaurant in Baton Rouge, just days before he reported to the slammer.

The first time I met Roemer, I was hanging with a photog friend of mine in Baton Rouge, who was freelancing for A.P. The wire service needed a "working" shot of Buddy, and my pal was friends with Roemer's chief of security. We went to the Capitol and got to take the gov's elevator to Roemer's office for a quick photo shoot at his desk. He was pretty friendly.

I had a class at LSU with Reomer's daughter, Caroline. Beautiful, and she was a sweetheart. I think she's now a typical Stepford-wife-Repub hack for charter schools in Baton Rouge or New Orleans. Feh, whatta shame.

For a number of years you could run into former-gov Buddy in the now-defunct Books-A-Million coffee shop on Perkins Road in Baton Rouge. My late dad, who had daily coffee with his buddies there, always told me he thought Roemer was "a goofy, little bastard." Other than greeting Roemer with a "Hey, Gov," the old mad had no desire to talk with him.

My dad could read people like a book. If nothing else, Buddy Roemer is indeed a goofy, little bastard.

[MapleStreet]

Interesting.

Brings up a wild idea. Like Roemer, the candidates are now promising everything. (If you remember the Gilligan's Island episode where he had a dream that he was the leader of a military junta and went around promising everybody "This. That. And the Other Thing.") Wouldn't it be fun at the debates to hook a couple of sensors up to the candidates and display the data on a graph on a screen behind them - kind of like a lie detector.

Of course, the technology is easily available to measure voice stress which could be done without the candidate knowing it. All you'd need would be a recording of the debate.

Talking of the debates, my apologies to A et al. for missing the crack van for the debate. My sister in Texas is very pro Perry so I felt I was so primed that my health couldn't stand listening to the current field of candidates talking.

[mass]

A lie detector wouldn't work on most of the Republitard field. Romney and Perry, for example are sociopaths; their lies would not register. Of course they espouse a belief in God. They know they ARE God. Their lives are about entitlement to power, position and influence.

Bachmann, Paul and Cain, are flat-out batfuck, hallucinating, "dain-bramaged" loons. They believe their own horseshit. Their brains are broken. By definition, these three crazy people do not tell lies.

Gingrich and Huntsman would protest use of the lie detector as unfair. These two men are why the lie detector was invented.

They lie. Huntsman and Gingrich justify being lying sacks of shit because they believe they are too smart to be caught or, if they are caught, the ends (power) justify the means (bearing false witness). Gingrich is a piece of shit weasel who will say anything and do anything to gain and maintain power. He's not crazy; he's a con man and grifter. Huntsman, the supposed "reasonable" Republitard in the race will lie to win the vote because he's just another piece of shit politician. The Republican base is a collection of rubes, and they will accept any lie that pisses off liberals.

Did I miss anyone?

[MichaelF]

Mass-- I saw Roemer a couple of times at the Books-a-Million, which was razed a few years back, along with the old Wal-Mart. There's an Acme Oyster House in what used to be the parking lot.

Thanks for the details, Adrastos. As I said, I hietailed it out of the Gret Stet just as the Roemer era began, and never really was in the loop re: how and why he got the boot in 1991...other than Edwin played his own cards pretty good, and Duke represents, well, a lot of Gret Steters I don't like to think about.

I'd heard about the poker games, but didn't know about the football...

[thebewilderness]

The thingummy about the rubber bad was a quitting smoking technique. You snapped the band to distract yourself.
Aversion therapy doesn't work but it was all the rage back then.

[MapleStreet]

Mass - Good point. Unfortunately, I'd have to say that there is a high probability that you're right.

[Mass]

The Peckers are up by 7.

No typo.

[pansypoo]

how bout dem packers.