Next week is primary day in Louisiana … theoretically. (There’s, uh, some stuff going on). But aside from the redistricting spectacle, the GOP Senate race has its own psychodrama unfolding as RINO Trump impeacher Bill Cassidy faces conservative John Fleming and Trump-endorsed Julia Letlow, basically to decide who will be Senator next term. I mean, it ain’t gonna be a Democrat, this is still Louisiana, y’all.
If conservative voters needed one more reminder of why Sen. Bill Cassidy has become so unpopular with the Republican base, they got it last week. A bizarre spat broke out involving Cassidy’s camp trying to throw shade on Letlow and paint her as “sketchy” for not filing her financial disclosure form on time.
Yeah, just one problem with that, pal. You didn’t either.
DC Beltway rag NOTUS reported both Cassidy and Letlow requested 90-day extensions which would push their disclosures until after the May 16 primary and even beyond a possible June runoff.
But get this: Swampy McSwamp is also pitching that Letlow’s finances are inherently shady and riddled with conflicts of interest. Seriously. CASSIDY is throwing that stone. His campaign actually described his financials as “about as interesting as plain toast.” That’s an actual quote. Seriously.
Obviously, whatever twelve-year-old staffer came up with that gem thinks voters are idiots or have the memory of goldfish. It was only a few years ago, after all, when Cassidy’s wife infamously got busted by conservative outlet RedState for… trading rather extensively in pharmaceutical stocks. Not only did that show up on his financial disclosure form, it also dovetailed perfectly with a bunch of legislative action Cassidy was taking to boost his bestest besties Big Pharma.
While his wife just so happened to be deeply invested in these stocks, Cassidy began a crusade to gut the 340B Drug Pricing Program. We’ve covered this program before, but the short version is it’s immensely popular in Louisiana, costs taxpayers nothing, and keeps rural hospitals that serve core MAGA voters open.
Oh, and drug companies hate it. You know, like the ones Cassidy’s household was invested in, which would benefit hugely by Cassidy getting that program dismantled.
“Plain toast”? Not hardly, buddy.
Sure, both Letlow and Cassidy should have filed their disclosures on time. Letlow has had an issue with undisclosed stock trades. But on the flip side, no one seems to have identified an issue where she has been directly legislating to help boost her personal net worth. Cassidy cannot say the same.
There’s a pretty major difference between filing paperwork late and spending years positioning yourself as a conservative while routinely siding against the interests of Louisiana conservatives, rural hospitals, and President Trump.
Meanwhile, the only major Republican candidate in this race who actually managed to file his disclosures on time was conservative John Fleming. He summed the situation up pretty well when he said, “If you’re going to send someone to Washington to deal with the nation’s finances, it’s probably good for the people to know how they’re managing their own budget.”
And sure, that’s true. But then again, not electing self-important, self-dealing establishment Republicans who constantly work against the priorities of their own voters would probably be a good idea too. And could be that’s why Cassidy is well behind in the polls headed into Tuesday.
Sad trombone, Bill.
So yeah, maybe “toast” wasn’t the right metaphor to use, eh?