Members of the Mystick Krewe of Louisianians, the nerve center for the annual Washington Mardi Gras weekend, received an eye-opening email earlier this month. “I am asking krewe members to sell back his/her tickets,” wrote senior lieutenant and krewe treasurer Ted Jones. “We have no seats available for the oversold tickets.”
Overall, to date, there have been 350 more tickets sold than what were actually available for the Friday night formal festival on Jan. 26 and the Saturday evening ball that follows.
There’s little room for doubt that this year’s Washington Mardi Gras, a political tradition that was launched in 1944, will be the biggest on record. That became apparent during late summer and early fall when the hosting Washington Hilton and other nearby hotels unexpectedly and suddenly sold out.
“People are still under the impression that they can call one of their members in Congress and get tickets, because these politicians know how to make things happen,” a well-placed congressional staffer told me last week. “But if you do not have tickets right now, you’re probably not going to get any. You can still go get drunk at the bar in the Hilton, but you ain’t going to any of the signature events.”
Stories are spreading far and wide about Louisiana influencers who are seeking tickets and being turned down. “I’ve never seen anything like it before,” a longtime krewe member said under the veil of anonymity. (Don’t forget, masking is a proud Mardi Gras ritual!)
Increased interest out of Baton Rouge is one of the factors at play. Hometown politico Congressman Garret Graves is serving as chairman of Washington Mardi Gras this year and he selected Raising Cane’s CEO Todd Graves (no relation) as king and Anna Maeve Reilly (the daughter of Jennifer and Sean Reilly) as queen.
Between the Graves and the Reillys, they’ve helped craft nearly a week of activities in Washington that movers and shakers from Red Stick — and elsewhere in Louisiana — want to take part in. Attendance at Washington Mardi Gras traditionally leans heavily toward the home region of the chairman, and this year will be no exception. If anything, it’ll be an exaggeration of that heritage.
While it has evolved over the decades, modern-day Washington Mardi Gras now stretches over three jam-packed days of luncheons, conferences, meetings, parties, ceremony and networking. Proximity to power is an obvious draw, but it offers the same kind of fellowship, pageantry and tomfoolery that can be found in New Orleans, Mamou and Shreveport.
That the annual party has become so popular should surprise no one. Local governments plan their time carefully, knowing how much work and lobbying can be done over such a short period of time.
Aside from scoring tickets for Washington Mardi Gras, there is another potential hiccup that’s more politically colored, and Washington-centric. As of this column’s writing (Monday), there were only a few days remaining before a possible government shutdown, with negotiations between the White House and lawmakers getting heated. If there is indeed a shutdown, it could take place partly during the Washington Mardi Gras activities scheduled for next week.
Louisiana congressmen dressed in tights — again, it’s a somewhat traditional krewe structure — is always a good look this time of year. Their predecessors did it and their successors will do it as well. But Louisiana congressmen in tights during a government shutdown? That’s a look nobody wants.
Closer to home, Gov. John Bel Edwards said he is prepared to call a special session of the Louisiana Legislature as soon as the Mardi Gras season concludes. But just like Washington, Republicans and Democrats in Baton Rouge are having a difficult time seeing eye to eye.
To call a special session, Edwards said, he first wanted to see an agreement or plan from Republicans by this Friday. That is not only the date the governor will release his proposed budget for the next fiscal year, but it’s also the deadline for President Donald Trump and Congress having their own compromise in place to avoid a government shutdown on the federal level.
The governor, on the other hand, has a little more wiggle room than the president. Edwards has already said he’s willing to give Republicans additional time to come up with an approach if nothing is accomplished by Friday. That means there could be hordes of state lawmakers bouncing around Washington Mardi Gras next week with heavy thoughts on their minds, instead of beads and king cakes.
It’s not as if this is the first time politics and Mardi Gras have collided. Parades have long satirized our elected officials and policy issues. Politicos have likewise long served as grand marshals of our community parades and campaigned by throwing plastic cups at voters.
Arguably the best thing about Mardi Gras, however, is that it always ends on Ash Wednesday, while Louisiana politics, in contrast, is never-ending. The political parade rolls on day and night, with or without compromises.
So should Louisiana politics have its own designated season, like Mardi Gras? Of course not. But based on how poorly our politicos have been getting along lately, being stuck on a float together for a few hours could do them some good.
Jeremy Alford, publisher and editor of LaPolitics.com and LaPolitics Weekly, can be reached at JJA@LaPolitics.com.