This morning I saw the first defamatory ad against Eddie Rispone paid for by the Gumbo PAC. Remember who Gumbo PAC is. It is funded by the trial lawyers who make millions while Louisiana’s people pay the second highest insurance rates in the country. It is the trial lawyers who through their promotion of a “get rich quick” litigation mentality and their control of the legislature literally drives jobs and prosperity for most people over to Texas, Florida, and now Tennessee. And it is a whole slew of political trough-feeders who make millions “paying to play” with John Bel Edwards.

Now with that context in mind what have they hit Rispone with? Well the best they could do in this first attack ad was to use innuendo to invoke jealousy in his success. That somehow because he had built a successful business, something must be wrong, he must have cheated. Sorry “Gumboers,” Eddie is an honest man who has dedicated his life to helping others.

But this is all typical of the tactics of Democrat strategists and political operatives that run Gumbo PAC. Their mission – trash the governor’s opponent while making it seem that he has nothing to do with their dirty work. In political parlance “keep Edwards’ fingerprints off of the dirt.” Their tactics – use fear and jealousy supported by nasty innuendo not supported by fact. Democrats have been doing this for a very long time, we should expect it by now.

But for the first time in history the Fat Cats who fund Gumbo PAC have a problem and, in their desperation to protect their gravy train, they have doubled down. You see for the most part Eddie Rispone has self-financed his campaign. That means that he doesn’t need money from these types and as a result he doesn’t owe them anything. Wow, that’s amazing, a politician who has not been bought by special interests and can make decisions on what’s best for the people.

On the other hand, Edwards has a long history of sacrificing the good of the people in order to pay back political debts. He protects the trial lawyers who drive up our insurance rates. He protects nursing home operators by preventing many elderly citizens from having the option to stay at home instead of being forced into a nursing home. He protects the unions by attacking education reforms that they hate. He protects many other contributors by handing out fat contracts.

It goes on and on. It is the same story that has held our state back for generations. The trough-feeders pay big bucks to keep their friendly politician in office and the politician in return protects their income no matter the impact on the people or the state. Edwards is no different than so many governors before him. But he certainly is different from Eddie Rispone, a potential governor who offers our only real chance to end this “pay to play” practice.

So the next time Gumbo PAC runs an ad trashing Eddie Rispone remember the source, remember who pays for that ad and how much money that they make simply because John Bel Edwards is governor. And remember that if Edwards is re-elected, they will laugh at us all the way to the bank!