Gov. Jeff Landry called Democratic state senators to his office on Nov. 19, urgently needing their help: Far-right conservatives had imperiled his tax plan because of their reluctance to support higher taxes.
Over the next three days, Landry crafted a deal with the Democrats to assure passage of the tax package, albeit with changes. The Democrats would back a sales tax increase — which would hit the poorest hardest — in exchange for the governor spending more on education programs that would benefit their constituents.
The negotiations took place less than a week after Landry had won plaudits from many conservatives by publicly criticizing an LSU law school professor for asking hard questions of students who voted for President-elect Donald Trump…