Tommy: Edwin Edwards and me
tommy #tommy
In these mean-spirited political times it is not uncommon for political opponents to take a certain amount of delight in the other’s passing. “Do not speak ill of the dead” is a phrase that has found its way out of political life. We all remember the ugliness when John McCain died. We should be better than that, but sometimes we aren’t.
With that in mind I don’t think many people celebrated when Edwin Edwards’ passing was announced this morning. His personal historian said he died in his own bed, at home, surrounded by friends and family. It was a nice ending to a long and winding story. It made me think of the Rudyard Kipling poem “If-”.
If I may quote:
“If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings-nor lose the common touch
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you
If all men count with you, not none too much”
Not every word of the above applies to Edwin Edwards but a lot of it does. He was shrewd, calculating and smarter than most of those with whom he dealt. But he’d never let them know that. He could be a down home Cajun, a brilliant lawyer, a raconteur, playboy or a 4-d political chess player decades before that phrase was ever coined.
Tyler Bridges, who wrote a book about the four- term governor, told me the closest comparison to the former governor he could think of was Johnny Carson. He also told me that, but for being a rapscallion, he may just have just been President of the United States.
I first met Edwin Edwards at UNO when I was a freshman, and he was on campus for some meeting or the other. I’ll never forget what he told me that day. Leaving his entourage steps behind, he approached me and said, “young man…can you tell me where I can find the men’s room?” I was halfway through the directions when I realized I was talking to the governor. I’ve often wondered why he didn’t send one of his people over. The only thing I can figure is he liked meeting people; and, as a college student, I was a potential voter.
The only other encounter I had was about three years ago. While on WWL one morning I said something that was technically inaccurate about his conviction. Apparently, he was listening and didn’t like what I said. He was quick to call in and give me an earful about how I was wrong. He was right. But even through his indignation he was personable and funny. As I remember he called me “young man” again.
I’ve heard people refer to the man who spent 16 years of his life as the governor of Louisiana as an “honest crook.” We’ll never know if the state is better or worse off because of his leadership. But he was entertaining, the ultimate lovable rascal.
His style would never fly in today’s political world. Can you imagine a candidate in today’s world saying “The only way I could lose this election would be if I was caught with a dead girl or a live boy?” I’m not sure even a gifted politician with Edween’s natural charm could pull that off today. But times were different then.
The obvious corollary is times are different now. I don’t know if politicians are any more honest than they were in the heyday of Edwin Edwards. I do know that they’re meaner. Today, it’s not business; it’s intensely personal and insulting that doesn’t even spare an opponent’s family. With Governor Edwards I always got the feeling that it wasn’t personal; it was only business.
Edwin Edwards’ did do some good things when he was in office. History will ultimately judge if they outweighed the bad. But one thing will not be in dispute. Edwards had “it,” whatever “it” is. He was charismatic, he was charming, he was a skirt chaser to the end and he was funny as hell. I wonder if today’s politicians are really any better.