So far, Governor-elect Jeff Landry’s transition seems to be going particularly well. In the roughly two months since his primary victory, Landry has assembled a team of solid conservative leaders and Louisiana businessmen to head his transition committee and fourteen transition councils.

Last month, Landry’s leftist critics were upset when he didn’t include leftist politicians in his New Orleans transition council. Landry’s deliberate choice in keeping failed Marxist ideologues out of his policy-related council was a massive win for conservatives. It definitely set the tone for what Louisiana citizens can expect during his governance.

When it comes to governance, one of the most important rules is that “personnel is policy.”

Whether you run a business, a school, or a state, your personnel matters. A leader must choose effective managers, leaders, and administrators to run the day-to-day operations of an organization. This rule definitely applies when one you’re the Governor of an entire state. Just remember, the Louisiana Governor oversees an executive branch full of hundreds of staff members.

Of course, every conservative should know by know that working with one’s enemies is never a good idea. The bipartisan destruction of Louisiana and America more broadly has gotten us into this mess, and more of the same is not a logical solution at this point. So, I highly doubt that Landry supporters have to worry about leftists taking over Louisiana’s executive branch under Landry’s watch. That concern is not a legitimate one

That being said, it does not appear that leftist Democrats will become a formidable foe to the Landry administration. Instead, I believe that disloyal RINOs (Republicans-in-name-only) are more likely to potentially threaten to Landry’s conservative governance.

Case-in-point: the first three years of President Trump’s administration.

For the first three years of the Trump administration, RINOs and Bush-era Republicans severely undermined President Trump’s ability to implement “America First” policies. Back in 2017-2019, there was no deep bench of loyal, experienced “America First” patriots to staff the White House. That’s how you got the likes of Nikki Haley, John Bolton, Mark Milley, Anthony Scaramucci, and other disloyal  hacks in the first few years of the Trump administration.

Fortunately, President Trump’s Trump’s staffing woes took a turn for the better in 2020. Trump admin officials John McEntee and James Bacon fixed the administration’s issues by replacing the RINOs with patriots loyal to Trump. The same lessons learned from the Trump administration can save the Landry administration time and effort going forward.

Moving back to Louisiana, I was surprised to read that Richard Nelson was picked to join the upcoming Landry administration.

Yes, that Richard Nelson–the one who ran against Jeff Landry in Louisiana’s Gubernatorial primary.

Back in July, I wrote this article in The Hayride about the Gubernatorial race, and I found an interesting piece of audio from Richard Nelson at the Black Church Gubernatorial Forum in July:

But if you thought Hewitt’s response was terrible, then just wait for Richard Nelson. Nelson is the young, libertarian Republican candidate running for Governor. Listen to Nelson’s anti-conservative, “big-brained centrist” rhetoric:

Nelson, who calls himself a “bipartisan” state representative, talks a big game about fiscal responsibility and bad government policies. So then, what was Nelson’s vote on the pork-filled House Bill 560 that showered tens of millions of dollars upon Democrat districts? Oh wait, he voted YES. Not to mention, he also voted in favor of Senate Continuing Resolution 3–which busted the State budget spending cap and unleashed ruinous, wasteful pet project spending on Louisiana (including $1.5 million for Sen. Cleo Fields’ pet project, the Louisiana Leadership Institute, and a $250,000 splurge for band uniforms for Southern University). If Nelson couldn’t stand firm on these irresponsible bills, then can you really depend on him as your Governor? The answer is pretty clear here. Again, look at Nelson’s actions over his cute messaging.

Nelson’s words from the Forum were pretty clear. He had some fairly negative words to Jeff Landry and his supporters. But only two months later in September, Nelson decided to drop out of the race and endorse Jeff Landry. That’s quite a quick turn-around for Nelson, but politicians aren’t often known for their consistency.

Now, it’s quite possible that Nelson does a solid job in the Landry administration. His task is to lead the Louisiana Department of Revenue, and the Landry team must believe in Nelson’s capabilities considering the decision they made.

Timeo Danaos et dona ferentes.

That Latin phrase comes from the iconic Classical story The Aeneid and roughly translates to: “I fear Greeks even ones bearing gifts.” Not longer after this line is uttered in story, the Greeks gift the Trojans with the Trojan horse and then slaughtered pretty much everyone in the city of Troy.

For this situation, a more applicable version of this phrase should be: “I fear RINOs bearing gifts.”

Even when a RINO appears friendly and ready to work with a Conservative, there is always the chance that a former RINO can always revert back into a RINO when the wrong situation arises.

Personnel is policy, and the Landry administration must keep a careful eye on former detractors in staffing its administration.

The Landry administration has all the potential in the world, and Louisiana citizens need a strong Conservative leader who will turn this state around. Governor-elect Jeff Landry is looking to become that leader. However, he must be careful to not let disloyal RINOs hijack his administration.

At the end of the day, I trust in Jeff Landry and so does a majority of the state’s voters. Let’s hope and pray that he makes good on his promise to put Louisiana FIRST!

Nathan Koenig is a frequent contributor to RVIVR.com, a national conservative political site affiliated with The Hayride. Follow his writing on Twitter @ConservativeTin and on Instagram @tincanconservative. Email him here: thechristianmajority@gmail.com