I've decided to come in and put up a special short blog post containing details of the comments posted at the American Spectator web site by readers of Quin Hillyer's excellent article on Dave Treen, which I linked earlier on this site.
One very informed reader of Quin's article made an interesting and responsible comment with respect to Treen's forgiveness of Edwards and his ultimate decision to seek a pardon for the now-jailed former governor:
. . . However, Treen is wrong to call for Edwards' release because Treen has forgiven him. Treen can forgive Edwards' personal abuse of him, but Edwards not is in prison for that. He is in prison for crimes against the public welfare, and Treen does not have standing to forgive those wrongs.
The above comment obviously displays a high standard of civic morality, which I think most could appreciate.
But I posted the following reply to show my own approval of Treen's actions:
. . . And with respect to your final comment about Edwards' "crimes against the public welfare"--I cannot argue that either. But as a Louisianian who fought "all things Edwards" for decades, for which I endured no small amount of anguish at the hands of his organization (including violence), I will disagree with your comment about Treen's forgiveness of Edwards and his recommendation of a pardon for him.
Treen's real success is that he led the way for Louisiana in the creation of a new political culture which rejected Edwards and all he stood for in the public eye--as well as the myths Edwards embodied, much in the tradition of Huey Long. Even Mary Landrieu has called down Louisiana Democrats for their ties to Edwards on occasion. If you have lived Louisiana politics as I have, you would know the significance of this accomplishment. It is huge.
Treen's request of a pardon for Edwards represented a desire on Treen's part to build a consensus in Louisiana for facing some of the toughest problems we must deal with as a legacy of years of corruption and "mythical" politics (if I may use the term). It deals with our tax structure, the harmful effects of casino gambling, damaging workmen's compensation laws written by organized labor, the popular myth of maintaining a high homestead exemption (lowering property taxes on homeowners) so that "the wealthy will pay their fair share," which has done so much damage to the costs of doing business here, and more.
What was really behind Treen's call for a pardon for Edwards was a desire to get the ear of Edwards' former supporters and allies to "fix things." At bottom, it was an attempt on Treen's part to make the political peace in Louisiana so that a true consensus for reform could emerge. We have taken some small steps towards building that consensus as a consequence of Treen's forgiveness alone.
The one trait which can be seen as evident in all Dave Treen's conduct is the placement of the interests of Louisianians above all else, no matter how hard it may have been to do so.
P.S. -- I lose no sleep over Edwin Edwards rotting in jail.
Treen's real success is that he led the way for Louisiana in the creation of a new political culture which rejected Edwards and all he stood for in the public eye--as well as the myths Edwards embodied, much in the tradition of Huey Long. Even Mary Landrieu has called down Louisiana Democrats for their ties to Edwards on occasion. If you have lived Louisiana politics as I have, you would know the significance of this accomplishment. It is huge.
Treen's request of a pardon for Edwards represented a desire on Treen's part to build a consensus in Louisiana for facing some of the toughest problems we must deal with as a legacy of years of corruption and "mythical" politics (if I may use the term). It deals with our tax structure, the harmful effects of casino gambling, damaging workmen's compensation laws written by organized labor, the popular myth of maintaining a high homestead exemption (lowering property taxes on homeowners) so that "the wealthy will pay their fair share," which has done so much damage to the costs of doing business here, and more.
What was really behind Treen's call for a pardon for Edwards was a desire to get the ear of Edwards' former supporters and allies to "fix things." At bottom, it was an attempt on Treen's part to make the political peace in Louisiana so that a true consensus for reform could emerge. We have taken some small steps towards building that consensus as a consequence of Treen's forgiveness alone.
The one trait which can be seen as evident in all Dave Treen's conduct is the placement of the interests of Louisianians above all else, no matter how hard it may have been to do so.
P.S. -- I lose no sleep over Edwin Edwards rotting in jail.
There is so much in our political culture in Louisiana which does not translate well outside of our state. I think that is an important lesson to keep in mind.
Jacob Sulzbach
