TV REVIEWS : A Fun Look at Politics, ‘Louisiana’-Style

Quick quiz: What is a one-word description of Louisiana politics? Backward? Corrupt? Racist?

How about fun? “Louisiana Boys: Raised on Politics,” a “P.O.V.” documentary airing at 11 tonight on KCET-TV Channel 28, makes a good case for the latter--for the flat-out pleasure to be found watching the shenanigans in this Southern political fun house.

Given the wealth of flamboyant real-life characters whom the makers of “Louisiana Boys” had to draw upon, it must have been difficult choosing which ones to get in, not to mention picking the clips that worked best.

The cast includes, of course, the Longs: the much-indicted Kingfish, Huey P. Long, the former governor, senator and presidential candidate who created the brand of populism that drives state politics to this day, and his brother, Earl K. Long, in and out of insane asylums, even while he was governor.

Then there’s Gov. Jimmie Davis, a country singer, singing his farewell address to the legislature; and current Gov. Edwin Edwards, elected four times despite notorious gambling and womanizing, the subject of a dozen grand jury investigations.

And on and on to David Duke, the former Klansman who nearly rode the darker side of populism to the governor’s mansion in 1991.

A witty chronology of top officeholders post-Kingfish shows a clear pattern: extravagant, wild men followed by dull reformers--who are invariably not reelected.

The most fun occurs on the local level. Louisiana is a welfare state where politics is a source of income, a money tree for health care, education and miscellaneous pork-barrel spending. Voter turnout is huge, even for the smallest contests; there are presidential-style campaigns for everything, no matter how low in the pecking order; millions are spent running for seemingly trivial jobs.

“When you depend on politics for your well-being, you have a great interest in politics,” explains a political consultant.

“Louisiana Boys” is an entertaining hour and does a fine job of capturing the general nuttiness of the state’s No. 1 spectator sport.