Former La. Governor Buddy Roemer Passes!

Being the Governor, is this a great job or what?

Buddy Roemer

Louisiana’s 52^nd governor died this week at the young age of 77.  Our political ambitions crossed on several occasions over the years, but we always remained good friends. This was particularly true as we each grew older.

Buddy Roemer had, in my opinion, as much or more intelligence and promise than any Louisiana governor in the past century. We first became friends at the 1973 constitutional convention where we both served as delegates.  We served as co-chairmen of the revenue and finance committee of the convention, and we rewrote obsolete sections of the 1921 convention that, in our opinion, hamstrung the financial flexibility of the state.

Buddy and I often played tennis in the evening after the convention deliberations were finished and, over a few beers and pizza, we eliminated previously dedicated funds locked into the older document.  Our thought was that state financial needs change, and the Legislature should have the flexibility to adjust spending depending on current needs.  The concept passed the convention unanimously.

Buddy was an advisor to my first statewide campaign for secretary of state. He went on to serve as a member of congress and, though a Democrat, established a reputation of working across the aisle on important legislation. He had an independent streak that served him well in Washington but held him back once he took over as governor in 1988.

He still stood a good chance for reelection in a 1991 rematch with Edwin Edwards. But former Ku Klucker David Duke jumped into the race, and Roemer was left out in the cold.  He didn’t make the runoff.

He stayed out of the limelight for seventeen years once he stepped down as Louisiana’s governor in 1991. But when Senator John McCain wrapped up the Republican presidential nomination, Roemer found himself back in the catbird’s seat as a major player on the national scene.

Roemer signed on with the McCain team over a year before the election, when the Arizona senator was just one of many in the pack. Roemer was on my syndicated radio show early on, touting McCain’s credentials when his campaign seemed to be in free fall. By then Roemer had emerged as a key McCain adviser, and was featured in TV spots nationwide. If McCain had won the presidency, Roemer would certainly have ended up in a cabinet position.

Buddy Roemer has always been a gambler. When he was governor, his campaign disclosure statements regularly showed winnings at poker games held at the governor’s mansion. And Roemer has never been averse to playing a long shot, even on his own campaigns. He fought uphill races to get elected to Congress in the 1980’s and, as I wrote earlier, was in the rear of the pack in the governor’s race when the campaign began back in 1987.

Four years after the McCain defeat, Roemer announced he was taking on the system and ran for President himself.  He criticized other Republican candidates, especially focusing on the moneyed interests in politics.  He went after Washington lobbyists, Middle East oil money, and ethanol subsidies that he said were ruining the country and its politics.  “I declare my independence,” Roemer told his crowds.  “Tell people a seasoned warrior against special interest money is in the race.  Washington is not about leadership.  Washington is not about people. Washington is about money and re-election.”

So, did Roemer undertake a fruitless effort in becoming the Don Quixote of the presidential season? Not necessarily. He became the darling of the press with good soundbites.  But it all came down to money. 

Roemer was, and has always been, a good messenger.  But to get his message out, it took big bucks.  He had a self-imposed rule of refusing any money from political action committees, nor would he take any individual donations greater than one hundred dollars. I liked his message and sent him a check. It took Obama $250 million to get the Democratic nomination.  Roemer needed several truckloads of checks to be competitive.

After leaving public life, Buddy Roemer became a successful banker and wrote a book about growing up in north Louisiana. Yes, he could have been a more successful governor.  But history will be kind to Buddy Roemer. He led a full and active life. 

Peace and Justice.

Jim Brown

Jim Brown’s syndicated column appears each week in numerous newspapers throughout the nation and on websites worldwide.  You can read all his past columns and see continuing updates at http://www.jimbrownla.com.