We’ve been trying to behave ourselves where Bill Cassidy is concerned, because let’s face it – we’re stuck with him as Louisiana’s senior senator. Cassidy isn’t going anywhere until at least 2026, and late reports have him running for re-election that year. And while there will likely be a challenge to Cassidy from the right, there’s a scenario out there which scares the hell out of us.

Here’s that scenario – it’s 2026, and here comes John Bel Edwards, rested and ready from two years of massively cashing in off all the climate-change stupidity he’s set in place as governor, and he announces a run for the Senate against Cassidy. Meanwhile, three or four other Republicans – there’s a good list of possibilities out there, and we could list them but we’re not going to in this post – jump into the race and start hacking away at him like there’s no tomorrow.

And if that scenario also includes Louisiana stupidly not getting rid of the jungle primary system we’re currently saddled with, what you ultimately end up with is the 2015 governor’s race all over again.

You end up with Edwards flim-flamming the populace, claiming that when he was governor the state had a healthy fisc, that lots of infrastructure got funded, blah blah blah. All of it would be lies, but with a massive amount of national money backing him particularly from the hospitals and some of these government-subsidized solar and wind energy people, and a docile and dishonest state legacy media providing air cover, it’s plausible that he could skate his way into a similarly dominant position to what he had in 2015.

Particularly if Bill Cassidy is getting utterly eviscerated by conservative challengers for his impeachment vote against Donald Trump not two months after he won re-election in 2020 tying himself as closely to Trump as he could.

That is an open wound which may never heal. It would destroy Cassidy’s chances of re-election if he’s faced with a strong, energetic conservative challenger. Even in a jungle primary, if there was a single conservative running against Cassidy, having Edwards in the race might squeeze Cassidy out of the runoff. But if one were to get in, several will – we know this, and there’s so much blood in the water already that there are more than a few people already maneuvering to run.

We’ve been screaming that closed party primaries have go to go in place before 2026 for this very reason, because otherwise you’re leaving yourself wide open to having John Bel Edwards fail up to the U.S. Senate. We’re not saying that it will happen, but we’re saying it could happen, and it’s a horrendous enough possibility that something has to be done to prevent it.

Especially since Cassidy simply insists on picking at that open wound where it comes to his comments about Trump. He did it again over the weekend…

Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) says that if Donald Trump wins the GOP nomination that he will vote for him — but warns that he should drop out of the race now because President Biden will beat him in a general election.

What say you? https://t.co/AE5Z53g1Rr
pic.twitter.com/BWyFn0qAUD

— Jason Rantz on KTTH Radio (@jasonrantz) August 20, 2023

Good grief. Shut up, already!

It isn’t necessary for Bill Cassidy to go on CNN and pontificate about Trump and his indictments. Especially when he can’t even equivocate and note how ridiculous it is for Trump to be prosecuted for failing to secure and turn over classified documents when Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden are clearly guilty of far more obnoxious behavior where records are concerned.

And it rings exceptionally hollow for him to then play “loyal soldier” after conceding the premise that Trump is some sort of felon because of those boxes stored at Mar-a-Lago.

Just shut up. Every time to do this you’re reopening that wound, and nobody – not even your supporters – wants to hear any of this.

People are barking about this, and we can’t blame them.

The Louisiana Freedom Caucus put out a statement we thought was pretty much on point…

The Louisiana Freedom Caucus would like to remind Sen. Bill Cassidy, who on Sunday called for President Donald Trump to drop out of the race for President, that Donald Trump got more votes in Louisiana than any other politician ever. Twice. In the 2020 election, 26,868 more Louisianans voted for President Trump than voted for Sen. Cassidy.

Currently, polling averages in Louisiana ending August 14, 2023, compiled by FiveThirtyEight.com, show Donald Trump leading the race with 75% of the Republican primary vote, which is an average of +65% ahead of the next closest candidate.

“The Louisiana Freedom Caucus is here to ensure that the laws and policies of the State of Louisiana align with the political beliefs and desires of our people. It is clear, the people of Louisiana strongly support President Trump. Accordingly, we suggest that Sen. Cassidy may want to rethink his position,” said Alan Seabaugh, Chairman of the Louisiana Freedom Caucus.

And when we see things like this, all we can think about is that hypothethical, better-be-prepared-for-it scenario with Edwards sitting in wait for a Bill Cassidy who is hated by his own voters but manages to limp into a runoff after the conservative challengers have canceled each other out, and Edwards trounces Cassidy in the runoff.

Better switch to a closed primary, which either forces Cassidy to stop alienating Republican voters or affords an opportunity to get somebody new. But of course, there’s opposition to switching to closed primaries.

And guess who one of the most prominent opponents is!

If you said Bill Cassidy, you’d be right.

The madness does not end. And when it does, it almost certainly will end badly.