I rarely quote Buddy Roemer, but I believe my paraphrasing a story that he often told about prospecting for business in Japan is appropriate here. He would ask the assembled businessmen, "How many of you have visited Louisiana?" No hands would go up. Then he would ask, "How many of you have been to New Orleans?" Almost all hands would be raised. Only a desperate politician, as Bob points out, would attack the golden goose of Louisiana tourism.
Louisiana Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser expressed his view that when the State’s Governor Landry all
of a sudden is starting to denigrate the State of Louisiana’s best known and most financially productive City of New Orleans that criticism is not going to reflect well on the State of Louisiana. The City of New Orleans is still special to its residents and tourists. The Governor should not knock it.
Here in New Orleans there’s a pervasive and growing sense that we are considered mere helots whose function is to keep sweating, our shoulders at the wheel, to keep the economic engine of only the rest of the state humming, all the while enduring insults from the likes of Landry and Murrill, who also cancel our elections. (In the ancient world, helots did not have the right to vote.) I agree with the handful of sane Republicans you cite who think that this attitude is harmful.
Bob, I live in Slidell and I'm a registered voter. I can tell you one immediate effect that Landry's actions and rhetoric have had on me since early 2025. Instead of going to the usual stores, shops, and restaurants in Saint Tammany Parish that I have patronized in the past, I now intentionally and regularly travel across Lake Pontchartrain to New Orleans to shop and dine out. When I don't have the time or feel like traveling to New Orleans, I almost exclusively patronize selected businesses in Saint Tammany Parish that proudly display LBGTQ+ pride flags or where I know the owners hold progressive political views that align with my own. Since I'm pretty well off financially, I see these choices as a big way for me to put my money where my mouth is; and maybe help make a positive impact. Again, thank you for another terrific article!
I attended a national conference in NOLA this past week with something like 4000 registrants. It's not the first time this organization has held a conference in New Orleans and it won't be the last. I couldn't help thinking while there about Landry's claim that New Orleans isn't as important to Louisiana as it used to be. There's a reason large conventions come to New Orleans and not other cities in the state. More than one reason, actually. Landry's war on New Orleans reminds me of Trum's war on Iran. The excuse is pretty weak, the strategy unplanned, and the likely outcome ranges from uncertain to likely disastrous. I also don't think New Orleans is as unpopular in other parts of the state as Landry thinks. He may be talking to the wrong people if that's what he's betting on.
I rarely quote Buddy Roemer, but I believe my paraphrasing a story that he often told about prospecting for business in Japan is appropriate here. He would ask the assembled businessmen, "How many of you have visited Louisiana?" No hands would go up. Then he would ask, "How many of you have been to New Orleans?" Almost all hands would be raised. Only a desperate politician, as Bob points out, would attack the golden goose of Louisiana tourism.
Telling and actually funny example!
Louisiana Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser expressed his view that when the State’s Governor Landry all
of a sudden is starting to denigrate the State of Louisiana’s best known and most financially productive City of New Orleans that criticism is not going to reflect well on the State of Louisiana. The City of New Orleans is still special to its residents and tourists. The Governor should not knock it.
Here in New Orleans there’s a pervasive and growing sense that we are considered mere helots whose function is to keep sweating, our shoulders at the wheel, to keep the economic engine of only the rest of the state humming, all the while enduring insults from the likes of Landry and Murrill, who also cancel our elections. (In the ancient world, helots did not have the right to vote.) I agree with the handful of sane Republicans you cite who think that this attitude is harmful.
Bob, I live in Slidell and I'm a registered voter. I can tell you one immediate effect that Landry's actions and rhetoric have had on me since early 2025. Instead of going to the usual stores, shops, and restaurants in Saint Tammany Parish that I have patronized in the past, I now intentionally and regularly travel across Lake Pontchartrain to New Orleans to shop and dine out. When I don't have the time or feel like traveling to New Orleans, I almost exclusively patronize selected businesses in Saint Tammany Parish that proudly display LBGTQ+ pride flags or where I know the owners hold progressive political views that align with my own. Since I'm pretty well off financially, I see these choices as a big way for me to put my money where my mouth is; and maybe help make a positive impact. Again, thank you for another terrific article!
I attended a national conference in NOLA this past week with something like 4000 registrants. It's not the first time this organization has held a conference in New Orleans and it won't be the last. I couldn't help thinking while there about Landry's claim that New Orleans isn't as important to Louisiana as it used to be. There's a reason large conventions come to New Orleans and not other cities in the state. More than one reason, actually. Landry's war on New Orleans reminds me of Trum's war on Iran. The excuse is pretty weak, the strategy unplanned, and the likely outcome ranges from uncertain to likely disastrous. I also don't think New Orleans is as unpopular in other parts of the state as Landry thinks. He may be talking to the wrong people if that's what he's betting on.