Retired American Press editor Jim Beam has covered politics and people for more than 40 years.

He is the author of Positively Beaming a hardbound collection of favorite columns.

Credibility is Treen’s legacy

Posted November 1, 2009 at 4:23 pm
Filed Under By Jim Beam | 1 Comment

The death of former Republican Gov. Dave Treen last week brought back some memories of his early days in office and the unusual relationship he had later in life with former Democratic Gov. Edwin W. Edwards.

I wrote an open letter to Treen in a column on March 15, 1981, titled, “It’s time for Treen to take the bull by the horns.”

My concern was that Treen’s slowness to act and a few perceived shortcomings were playing right into Edwards’ re-election plans.

Edwards couldn’t run for a third consecutive term when Treen was elected, but he was always there on the sidelines and working behind the scenes against Treen. Edwards did the same thing when Buddy Roemer was governor from 1988 to 1992.

Treen didn’t respond to my open letter, but I got feedback from John H. Cade Jr., one of his longtime friends and supporters. I also heard from Edwards, who didn’t like some of the comments I made about his administration in that open letter.

The reaction was surprising, considering that Edwards had made a comment about Treen that gained national attention and touched on the issue many were concerned about. Edwards said Treen was “so slow it takes him an hour and a half to watch ‘60 Minutes’.”

Deliberation his style

Treen was a hands-on governor who weighed things carefully before making a decision. Some complained that he even tried to open all of his own mail.

Ed Steimel, director of the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry at the time, said Treen’s “iron determination to do a good job has isolated you from your supporters and has hurt you politically.”

Steimel said Treen also failed to keep legislators in the loop. And the governor’s supporters complained about losing touch with Treen.

I had kept pace with legislative events over those years and offered this advice to Treen:

“While we can understand your independence, you must remember that legislators are people, too. Sure, be tough, but pat ’em on the back, smile, consult with them now and then and soothe their hurt egos once in a while.

“The same thing is true of those people who helped put you in office. You don’t owe them anything, of course. But you don’t have to send them form letters and be inaccessible by telephone or when you’re in their part of the state.”

In his response, Cade said Treen had a great deal of humility, which he said was an uncommon trait in politicians. Cade added that Treen also had faith in public institutions.

“He thinks Louisiana will survive with or without Dave Treen,” Cade said. “His career in elective office has been one of steady progress. It indicates that he may know a lot more about good politics than some of his panicky friends think.”

Edwards was not so measured in his response. He especially didn’t like my description of his way of governing. I called it the “you scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours” system.

After “Dear Jim,” it was downhill the rest of the way. Here is part of what Edwards said:

“Typical of people of your mentality who are never happy with whatever is happening, you have no appreciation of the practical aspects of running things or any understanding of the fact that public officials are human, and we, too, make mistakes and certainly cannot be expected to please everyone.”

Edwards said he hoped my open letter to Treen would get me a raise or a pat on the back from the publisher “since I can assure you it doesn’t merit any accolades in the field of political analysis or any accurate analysis of the political situation … ”

I supported Treen’s re-election in 1983, saying the citizens of this state deserved more of the good government they had enjoyed over the previous 3 1/2 years. The credibility Treen brought to the Louisiana governor’s office may be his greatest legacy.

Unfortunately, the odds were stacked heavily against him. Edwards had been highly visible during Treen’s term and he raised $11 million for his campaign for an unprecedented third term. It was more than any other gubernatorial candidate in history.

Edwards defeated Treen by a 62-36 percent margin to become the first three-term governor in the state’s history. He told his supporters after the election he would do his best to become an even better governor than he was the first time.

One writer said of Edwards, “He may be flamboyant, outspoken and cocky, but that’s how the state likes its politicians. As in the past, personalities — not issues — decide most of the state’s elections.”

Image improves

That political reality began to change with the 1995 election of former Republican Gov. Mike Foster after Edwards’ fourth term. Foster and those governors who followed him have improved the image of the office.

Edwards was eventually convicted of rigging the riverboat licensing process and is now serving a 10-year federal sentence. Surprisingly, it was Treen who became Edwards’ champion by trying to get his sentence commuted. It didn’t happen and Edwards’ term won’t end until 2011.

“He was a worthy adversary and an absolute honorable man,” Edwards said after Treen’s death. “In spite of the different roads we traveled, we had become very good friends.”

Treen’s efforts on Edwards’ behalf were puzzling to some, but they say more about the man than probably anything he said or did during a long life of public service. While Treen’s actions may be hard for some to understand, it is what the Good Book teaches.

Comments

One Response to “Credibility is Treen’s legacy”

Donna Dones on November 3rd, 2009 4:08 pm

Recently, a decision was made by me to rejoin the Human Party. Many Americans seem to be forgetting that we are human beings and as such we are very unique with complex language usage, a remarkable sense of self awareness, and we are capable of introspection. Humans can reason and we appreciate beauty and aesthetics. Most of all human beings have certain inalienable rights.
On Dec. 10, 1948, the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted and proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. (http: http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/index.shtml. Please take a moment to visit this site and reacquaint yourself with your rights as a human being. If you want to see just how far we have strayed as a people pay special attention to Article 5, which states “no one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.”I didn’t notice any exceptions to this article.
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The Human Party’s platform is to promote the awareness of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The tee-shirts and bumper stickers that will be available for a small fee (shirts,cost of printing and shipping) will be unique in its message, and will be colors of the rainbow. The membership is free at this time, once the organization grows, fees may be assessed to aid in promotion of the party. Thank You, A Fellow Human Being.

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