Laissez les Bons Temps Rouler: Louisiana in Its Pre-Modern Era

LAISSEZ LES BONS TEMPS

Victoria Elaine (“Vickie”) Edwards Cormier was interviewed by Baton Rouge magazine last year, shortly before her father, three-time Louisiana governor Edwin W. Edwards, was indicted by a federal grand jury on racketeering and fraud charges. Vickie, a self-professed born-again Christian, was describing her father: “Who else can I compare my father to but Jesus Christ? They want to rid him of his popularity and power by creating fault on his part. . . . Like the Savior, my father is doing what is necessary to put the house back in order.” People feel strongly about Edwin, though most, including the U.S. Attorney and the grand jury, don’t see him quite the way Vickie does. He has been compared to Jean Lafitte, Huey Long, Harry Houdini, and Rudolph Valentino somewhat more often than he has been compared to Jesus Christ, though he has done fairly well in the miracle department.

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Ben C. Toledano

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LAISSEZ LES BONS TEMPS

Victoria Elaine (“Vickie”) Edwards Cormier was interviewed by Baton Rouge magazine last year, shortly before her father, three-time Louisiana governor Edwin W. Edwards, was indicted by a federal grand jury on racketeering and fraud charges. Vickie, a self-professed born-again Christian, was describing her father: “Who else can I compare my father to but Jesus Christ? They want to rid him of his popularity and power by creating fault on his part. . . . Like the Savior, my father is doing what is necessary to put the house back in order.” People feel strongly about Edwin, though most, including the U.S. Attorney and the grand jury, don’t see him quite the way Vickie does. He has been compared to Jean Lafitte, Huey Long, Harry Houdini, and Rudolph Valentino somewhat more often than he has been compared to Jesus Christ, though he has done fairly well in the miracle department.