2023 Is Heating Up in Louisiana - Show Notes, 1/19/22
Plus, a look at key races locally, across the state, and nationally.
The Joe Cunningham Show airs 3-4 p.m. every weekday on NewsTalk 96.5 KPEL. The daily show notes offer you a look into the topics of the day and the links to the top stories and Joe's own writings on the state of politics in Louisiana and around the country. Follow Joe on Twitter at @JoePCunningham and Like the Joe Cunningham Show on Facebook. You can also subscribe to the Joe Cunningham Show podcast on Apple, Spotify, Stitcher, or Amazon.
The 2023 Race Heats Up
Rep. Richard Nelson (R-Mandeville) has jumped into the race for Governor, bringing the number of Republicans running up to four - Jeff Landry, John Schroder, Sharon Hewitt, and now Nelson. Hunter Lundy is running as an independent. So far, no Democrats have declared.
But while most eyes are on the Governor’s race, there are several local politicians looking at running. This includes city councilmen and school board members, all of whom are looking for their next role in the political world. I’ve spoken with some and read up on others, and I’ll break down what we know right now.
The Debt Limit Fight Isn’t a Republican Crisis
The United State officially hit the debt limit. Democrats, led by Joe Biden, and joined by the media, are screaming that the Republican Party is sending us into a financial crisis. So, why won’t the GOP ram through a debt limit increase?
If you listen to outlets like Axios, the problem is that Republicans are “rejecting the normal mechanics of governing.” But that’s not what’s actually happening here. See, when Kevin McCarthy gave concessions to House conservatives, one of those concessions was, get this, a return to the normal mechanics of governing. They want the actual process of passing legislation - someone introducing a bill, committees debating it, and the resulting process - to be how ideas are discussed and adopted in the legislative branch. What Axios is referring to is how business has been done since Obama was in office - declare a financial crisis, Congressional leadership forces through a debt limit increase, and everyone kicks the can down the road.
The Trump vs. Anti-Trump Fight in Indiana
Former Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels is planning to run for the U.S. Senate. Rep. Jim Banks has already declared his intention to. Neither candidate is attacking the other. In fact, according to POLITICO, they had a cordial call recently. But the problem with Indiana isn't the candidates. The problem is with two sides of the Republican Party going to war before the primary has even started, attempting to divide the base early. As a result, this isn't so much an impending Republican Civil War as much as it's going to be a bunch of proxies waving their you-know-what at each other and driving voters away.
Here’s the problem: The voters in 2022 decided they don't want to revisit past battles. They are tired of hearing about 2020. They are tired of hearing about Trump's personal battles. They are tired of hearing about the "Trump Crime Family" and all the same old regurgitated attacks. The voters want to move forward.
See my morning column for more on this.
Headlines of the Day
Drug Trafficker from Church Point Receives Lengthy Prison Sentence (KPEL News)
Biden won't announce his re-election plans before State of the Union speech (NBC News)
George Santos says his mom was in the World Trade Center on 9/11. Records show she wasn’t in the U.S. (CNBC)
Georgia State Patrol trooper shot during raid to remove 'forest defenders,' shooter killed by police (Hot Air)
It’s Time to Get Serious (The Free Press)