Following Louisiana politics is similar to herding snakes from the International Space Station. Any effectiveness is hindered by being removed from the field and the damned snakes don’t listen anyway. Such is the case when party hierarchies start flexing their muscles and tell constituents what they need to think so as to assure the hierarchy gains, or remains, in power. Both political parties are guilty of this.

I suppose it can always be said the strategists should be allowed to develop and implement strategy to defeat the enemy. It makes sense if you ascribe to doing things the way they’ve always been done. But, this merely assures you’ll always get what you always got.

Take World War I as an example. The powers fighting “old Kaiser Bill” begged, pleaded, shamed and screamed for the United States to enter the conflict. The Europeans felt the Americans could benefit them with more cannon fodder sent to the trenches and ditches dug. It was the French and British believed they alone knew how to conduct warfare. The French were getting their berets handed to them regularly by the Germans and the French expected to simply place their newly acquired little Doughboy chess pieces in place so they would have superior numbers to outlast the Hun. The last man standing would be the winner.

General John J. “Black Jack” Pershing would have none of it and categorically rejected having his troops slaughtered by allies too interested in arriving at “high tea” on schedule than breaking out and beating the enemy. He demanded dominion over his troops and ultimately delivered victories ending stalemates and shortening the war.

We have only two effective parties in America. The Democrats and the Republicans believe they alone know the road America must travel in order to survive. The key word is survive. It’s not that America should grow. It’s not that America should flourish. It’s not even a matter of America should hold it’s own on the domestic and international stages; America should survive.

Both parties reject the fact they put America in this position by removing government from our values and morality and ideals in favor of foreign dogma and ideologies so far proven to be no more than theories. Both parties reject any possibility of returning to the original ideals of men personally invested in and working to build a new nation. Today’s politicians don’t risk life, limb, family and personal wealth as the original signers of the Declaration of Independence did.

They’re not patriots.

They merely risk being relegated to the dust-bin of history as having been commanders of lost causes. But, their brethren, those people they hoped to command in the trenches and in the “no-man’s-land” of open political combat are the ones still metaphorically being wounded, killed, fiscally destroyed and their enterprises lost while the members of “the Party” discuss strategy and theories in the safety of their well-warmed parlors and caucuses.

It’s true: the Tea Party could hurt U.S. Congressman Bill Cassidy, who carries the endorsement of the state organization. Cassidy is a moderate, who accepted the endorsement of the Tea Party when he first ran. Now he feels immune to any criticism because he has “big brother’s endorsement”. That should keep those Tea Party bullies away shouldn’t it?

The problem with any endorsement is elections aren’t always matters of immediacy. Too much can happen in between the announcement of intent to run and the battles conducted in November. Add to that the fact Louisiana has an open primary system and the sky’s the limit for rhetoric and divisive combat. Where the voters should be the ones to make the decision (not party bosses) we can see nobody understands it’s premature for any party to endorse candidates right now. Cassidy may have the bucks but he’s far from captured the heart and soul of ALL conservatives watching his performance to date. He has not exactly been a big hit with conservative Republicans.

Any lesser known candidate could capture the eye of Tea Party groups upset with the establishment and their heavy-handed demands the party’s choice be their choice. But, Tea Party members are resilient and surprisingly tenacious in their efforts to be heard, understood and worked with rather than discarded and insulted as “dead” and irrelevant. Ask Eric Cantor. Where Jeff Crouere said “a conservative revolution could reach Louisiana;” I’d say the revolution IS already here.

Louisianans should look at ALL of their options and eschew the commands of any party; Republican or Democrat. Louisianans should start thinking for themselves and stop following the herd. Louisianans shouldn’t allow parties to decide how they think.

Sometimes a Judas Goat leads the herd.

Thanks for listening.