The Times Picayune recently wrote a piece about John Alario. One thing the article illustrates is just how little difference there seems to be between the state’s two political parties.
Bobby Jindal’s right-hand man (Timmy Teepell) is a Republican and in the article has high praise for Alario:
Gov. Bobby Jindal‘s top political adviser, Timmy Teepell, described him as the top “franchise player” in the Louisiana Legislature, the type of person you build a whole political strategy around.
“He knows the process better than anyone else, and if he is on your team, it goes well,” Teepell said.
Alario’s apparent love fest with team Jindal must mean that Edwards, a Democrat will be looking to oust him from the senate president position right? Wrong:
Alario’s close affiliation with Edwin Edwards, a four-term Democratic governor who eventually served prison time for corruption, didn’t stop Jindal, a Republican governor who touted ethics reform as a top priority, from backing him for Senate president in 2012.
Likewise, Alario’s warm relationship with Jindal doesn’t appear to have given Gov. John Bel Edwards, a Democrat who fought Jindal’s agenda at every turn, any concerns either. Alario may have helped Jindal pass the state budgets that Edwards says landed Louisiana in its worst financial mess ever. But apparently, Edwards is not holding Alario responsible for the state’s budget troubles.
As the article points out, it’s hard to find anyone in state politics who will say anything bad about Alario.
So who, exactly, is willing to challenge your illustrious senate president?
Talk radio host Moon Griffon is mentioned in the article as “one of Alario’s most vocal critics.” Note the article says the he is one of Alario’s critics, which would seem to imply that there are others.
But if there are any other Alario critics, the article doesn’t mention them.
Moon’s take down of Alario back in April is epic and can be sen in the video below.
