When Mike Huckabee won the Louisiana presidential primary last Saturday, 43 percent to John McCain’s 42 percent, he rightfully expected to walk away with the lion’s share of the state’s delegates to the Republican convention. But he got none. Nada. Nothing. For reasons I can only attribute to insanity, our state Republican committee had previously decided that in order to get any of our delegates, a candidate would have to win more than 50 percent of the vote. As it turned out, no one got any.

When advised of this anomaly, Huckabee said, “Well, it’s Louisiana.”

Some columnists in the paper took exception to that–how dare he!–but everyone I’ve heard mention it agrees with Huckabee. What a ridiculous rule.

The only consolation I can think of is that we’re not the only ones making weird rules and strange exceptions in this presidential election year. When Florida Democrats decided to move up their state’s presidential primary to early in January–I forget the date–the National Democratic Committee ruled that their election would not count and forbade any Democratic candidates from campaigning there. The citizens, meanwhile, apparently oblivious to the pettiness of the DNC, voted in huge numbers. Hillary Clinton won, even though no candidate campaigned–it’s not like that was necessary; the citizens watch TV and read–and now her people are pushing for her to be granted the delegates from Florida. The DNC has no way out. Give her the delegates and Obama cries foul; give no one any of Florida’s delegates and the voters of that state have been disenfranchised.

Someone ought to work out a system for every state in the Union. But they won’t. We’re Americans; we like the disarray.

The Louisiana-ness of our state must be catching.

Dumb crooks made the local news last night. In Slidell, three young men had cased McDonald’s and decided to steal the night’s deposits when the manager went to the bank. One of the trio sat inside the fast food eatery and called the other two outside when he left with the bag of money and checks. Outside, they held him up and stole the bag. Alas, it contained chicken mcnuggets. Police caught the three culprits.

What I wonder is how you would like to be rotting away for 20 years in Angola and some con ask you, “What are you in here for?” and you have to answer, “For stealing a bag of chicken mcnuggets.”

Well, it’s Louisiana.

In Baton Rouge, the special session of the state legislature is in full swing, called by new Governor Bobby Jindal to deal with his package of ethics reform bills. The linchpin, we’re told, is the bill which will require all elected officials of communities larger than 5,000 residents to complete full financial disclosures when they declare their candidacy. Some of the questions that have emerged are: what about judges? and what about the governor’s own staff? None of these are covered in the bill.

They passed with hardly a whimper the bill prohibiting free tickets to concerts and sporting events, even though legislators will still be able to buy tickets at face value to major events like the BCS championship or the Sugar Bowl game even before season ticket holders. They’ve had a little fun with this bill. In chambers, some have asked, “Where are all these free tickets we’re supposed to have been receiving? I’ve been here 5 years and nobody ever gave me one?”

Another bill that’s drawing attention is the one prohibiting lobbyists from spending more that $50 on a meal when a lawmaker is taken out to a restaurant. The restaurants are asking for the limit to be set at $100, but the editorial page editor says they ought to count their blessings, that a number of states have cut out meals altogether and limit lobbyists to a pittance which they can spend on a lawmaker in an entire year.

“Lobbyist” is one of the newer dirty words in America. You would think they’re all dirty rotten crooks, but anyone who knows how laws are made in this country is aware that our elected representatives need and depend on lobbyists. No senator or representative can know everything on every subject, so when an issue comes up about rice farmers or oil producers or handicap zones, they look around for someone who can give them needed information. Nine times out of ten, that’s the lobbyist for that segment of society. Most are doubtless men and women of integrity, although with their own pecular bias.

Admittedly, lobbying can get out of hand and these agents need controls. But my point here is that the system needs them. Furthermore, any state that institutes term limits will end up needing them even more since so many lawmakers in that state will be fresh and green. About the time they’ve learned what they need to know to function effectively in the state capital, they’re barred from running again.

Hey, it’s Louisiana. And a lot of other states.

We’re told that Rush Limbaugh suggested recently that our new Governor Bobby Jindal would make John McCain an excellent vice-presidential running mate. He’s young, smart as a whip, a member of a minority group (of Indian extraction), and extremely popular. But the main reason he’s so popular is he hasn’t really done anything. Not yet, anyway. Let him build a record of accomplishment. We don’t need any more novices leading this nation.

Of course, Jindal seems as qualified as Barack Obama. Can anyone who supports him tell me anything he has done during his time in the U. S. Senate? I don’t mean something he voted for or against; I mean, accomplishments. His primary qualification seems to be that he is an inspiring speaker.

That, to me, is rather remarkable, that voters are once again getting all excited over a novice with very little Washington knowledge or experience but who talks well. Elect him and once again, we put this nation and the world in the position of giving our new president on-the-job training and hope it all comes out. Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, and the current Bush–all hardly knew how to find the Oval Office when they arrived in D.C.

Obama keeps criticizing Hillary for being a person of the past, whereas he’s all about the future. That’s pretty smart, if you ask me. Obama has to be about the future since he’s not done anything in the past that remotely qualifies him for the presidency.

News people have noted that in most of the primaries, twice as many people are voting Democratic as Republican. If I were John McCain, that would give me pause.

I’m a registered Republican–you already knew that–and so I’ll not be voting for Barack or Hillary, but I’ll tell you, friend, I’d pick the lady with experience any day of the week over the youthful fellow who talks good.

On the other hand, I’d pick Mrs. Obama over Bill Clinton for First Lady. (That’s not a typo.) I confess that he gets tiresome real quick.

Remember when I said that a recent article was all I’d have to say about politics? I lied.

P. S. on Monday, February 18.

Sunday morning’s Times-Picayune told how the state Republican bosses decided that all of Louisiana’s delegate votes would go into the uncommitted column, and that the delegates are almost unanimous in saying they will vote for McCain. This, in spite of the fact that Huckabee won our state’s Republican primary.

I sat down and wrote a letter to the editor saying that Congress should stop fooling with the issue of human growth hormones in athletics and turn their attention to finding a way for this country to nominate presidents. The present system is a sham. I mentioned the Florida business, with hundreds of thousands of Democrats being disenfranchised simply because the DNC wants to punish the state for holding its primary so early in January, and now this in Louisiana. Party bosses are running–and ruining–these matters and I’m sick and tired of it.

I ended the letter by saying that this is not about McCain or Huckabee, but that if someone will run for president on the Independent ticket in November, they’ll get my vote.