text: Two Episodes of Banana Republicanism As a lifelong resident of Louisiana, the U.S. state that gave us  Huey Long and  David Duke, I have always  taken comfort in the fact that my home state is an island  of insanity in a country that mostly gets it right.    But lately I recognize some disturbingly familiar trends on  the national scene.  Listen if you will to the tale of two  elections, and decide for yourself if the USA as a whole is  turning into Louisiana.