John Maginnis (Louisiana political writer)

This article is about Louisiana political writer John Maginnis. For John Edward Maginnis, a Northern Ireland politician (1919-2001), see John Maginnis.
John James Maginnis
Born(1948-03-17)March 17, 1948
Baton Rouge, Louisiana, US
DiedMay 25, 2014(2014-05-25) (aged 66)
New Orleans, Louisiana, US
Alma materLouisiana State University
Occupation(s)Journalist; Author; Commentator
SpouseJackie Drinkwater Maginnis[citation needed]

John James Maginnis (March 17, 1948 – May 25, 2014) was a writer of columns and commentaries on current political events in his native Louisiana[1] Maginnis' column appeared in newspapers and other sources statewide.[2] His website[3] is read by political analysts nationwide as a barometer of governmental trends and events in Louisiana.

Career

After military service, Maginnis became a correspondent in Baton Rouge for The Catholic Commentator.[4] He began his coverage of Louisiana political events in 1972. He wrote three books: The Last Hayride (1984),[5] Cross to Bear (1992), and The Politics of Reform.[1] The Last Hayride concerned the rise of Democrat Edwin Edwards to a then-unprecedented third nonconsecutive term as governor by unseating Republican David C. Treen in 1983.[6] Cross to Bear narrated the controversial general election of 1991 when Edwards, thought to be politically finished, re-entered the governorship for a fourth term by coming up as the remaining alternative to David Duke.[7]

In 2008, Maginnis began touting Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal as a potential Republican contender for President or Vice President of the United States. He also questioned whether Jindal's potential for those offices was taking up too much time from state duties in Louisiana.[8] Maginnis particularly observed Jindal's lack of enthusiasm for the Obama administration's economic "stimulus package" prior to Jindal's speaking to the nation as the Republicans' chosen responder to Obama's first address to Congress on February 24, 2009.[9]

Maginnis was interviewed by Robert Siegel on National Public Radio (NPR) concerning Louisiana political trends.[10]

References

  1. ^ a b "Emily Lane, LaPolitics publisher John Maginnis dies at age 66". New Orleans Times-Picayune. Archived from the original on May 26, 2014. Retrieved May 25, 2014.
  2. ^ For example: Louisiana Made Its Share of History in '08 in the Times-Picayune; Vitter assumes role of target in Lafourche Parish Daily Comet; Candidates take the low road early in Houma Today; D.C. has wrong Mardi Gras spirit in Shreveport Times; "Jindal's fine line" in Daily Star (Hammond, Louisiana), 2009 February 18, p. 4A; and Hurricanes Cause Political Power Outages on Louisiana Newslink. Archived 2011-07-13 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ For Maginnis' website, click here Archived 2019-05-24 at the Wayback Machine. He also published Political Review.
  4. ^ "John James Maginnis Obituary". Baton Rouge Morning Advocate. Retrieved May 28, 2014.
  5. ^ Similarly titled to The Last Hayride is Huey Long's Louisiana Hayride: The American Rehearsal for Dictatorship, 1928-1940, written in 1941 by the New Orleans author Harnett Kane.
  6. ^ Oakland, CA: Darkhorse Press. ISBN 0-9614138-1-6. See also the Amazon.com reader reviews.
  7. ^ Oakland, CA: Darkhorse Press. ISBN 0-9614138-2-4. Amazon.com reader reviews.
  8. ^ Jindal Going Places, But Is He Leading? Archived 2009-02-21 at the Wayback Machine and John Maginnis in the Twilight Zone.
  9. ^ Maginnis, "Jindal gears up for national spotlight" in Times-Picayune, 2009 February 18, Saint Tammany Edition, p. B7. Maginnis noted that the date for Jindal's address coincides with Mardi Gras.
  10. ^ John Maginnis discusses the recent political trends in Louisiana.