Archive for 2008

From the Advocate: Sixth district congressman spent his Saturday talking gas prices.

From the Advocate:

From the Advocate: After State Treasurer and Senate hopeful John Kennedy’s political shennanigans managed to scuttle State Senator Dan “Blade” Morrish’s effort to provide disclosure for earmarks in committee, House passes disclosure amendment 60-28 without further interference.

From the Advocate: $29.9 billion budget represents yet another broken campaign promise by Governor who vowed to reign in spending.

From the Advocate: As much as anything, Bobby Jindal’s tenure as governor as been marked (and plagued) by the seemingly inescapable baseball metaphor. But after a (self proclaimed ) home-run in February the ‘ole wunderkind has more or less watched as he’s been dusted off the plate time and again by a knuckleballing legislature. Now after bobbling a salary cap busting raise that would make Steinbrenner blush, the question is whether Bobby can ever dust himself off and realize his big dream of making it to the show. 

From Houma Today:  Spineless. Cowardly. Weak. These are the words now most often associated with Governor Bobby Jindal. From shining VP prospect to loathesome wimp, the story of Bobby Jindal is quickly becoming a cautionary tale for cheap political opportunists everywhere.

During last year’s Governor’s race rival campaigns often railed at how supine the Louisiana press corps was to Jindal. That has gradually changed over the past few months and has culminated in a rough week for the Jindal administration over the legislative pay raise.

Just like everyone else in Louisiana, reporters want to know why Jindal won’t veto the legislative pay raise? Listen in…

Thanks to WJBO for the audio.

Jeffrey, over at Library Chronicles (via YRHT), has a great post on Jindal’s travails. He sums them up thus:

The funny part is that Governor PBJ and his staff are just plain crappy at governing. It’s harder to play the empty promise game from the Governor’s office than it is from the campaign trail. That’s what PBJ’s Dragonslayers are finding out.

Specifically, they’re learning it’s not a good idea to antagonize both sides of the same issue at the same time. In this case, they’re busy lying to voters in order to curry favor with the Legislature. But at the same time that they’re dealing in the back room over this mutual pay raise bill, they’re also letting their panic over the public criticism drive them into posturing intimidation of their partners anyway.

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From the Advertiser:

Jindal’s failure to keep his promise to “make the Legislature accountable to the citizens they represent” and “prohibit legislators from giving themselves pay raises that take effect before the subsequent election” will not soon be forgotten. His actions leave an ugly stain on a brilliant political career that has gained favorable attention nationwide. It is doubtful the stain will ever be completely removed.

From the Times-Picayune: In what can only be described as a pathetic gesture, Governor Jindal asks the legislature to reverse its pay raise, despite his refusal to veto it.

“I don’t know why he is trying to antagonize the Legislature,” House Speaker Jim Tucker, R-Algiers, said of Jindal’s request.