Republicans

McCain’s staffers have made it perfectly clear why he’s visiting Louisiana Wednesday, to meet with Bobby Jindal.  Yet, Jindal continues his duplicitous habit of lying to the Louisiana press corps and insists he has no meeting with McCain on his schedule. I look forward to hearing the media calling out Jindal’s bare faced lie in the coming days.

From Human Events:: Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal: The 36-year-old first-year governor always was a long shot, but the steam went out of his balloon when he promised state legislators he would sign their pay raise (Mistake No. 1) and then vetoed the bill (Mistake No. 2). Still a favorite of many conservatives.

From the Earth Times: Senate hopeful John Kennedy’s statewide political director Brandon Vidrine (and former campaign manager for Mike Strain) has left the Kennedy campaign for a job in New Hampshire.

There’s a very revealing passage in John Maginnis’ column this week.

In a showdown meeting that Jindal delegated to aide Timmy Teepell, Speaker Tucker warned that if the governor vetoed the pay raise after saying he would stay out of it, “the wheels would come off the session,” jeopardizing administration bills.

Why did Jindal delegate this meeting to Teepell? Surely, on such an important and explosive matter, Jindal should have taken the lead? The ability to delegate effectively is an important skill for any leader, but this revelation makes Jindal look like he’s running scared.

Boy, oh boy, is Bobby Jindal in trouble. C.B. Forgotston has dug up a Jindal campaign brochure (it’s not clear from what year) that promises to:

MAKE THE LEGISLATURE ACCOUNTABLE TO THE CITIZENS THEY REPRESENT:

Prohibit Legislators from giving themselves pay raises that take effect before the subsequent elections.

Any increase in salary approved by the Legislature should take effect after the next election so the public can decide who deserves that compensation.

Why then won’t Jindal veto the pay raise legislation?

Great work C.B.

From The Hill  and New Orleans CityBusiness: As Jindal’s support erodes with Louisiana conservatives over “his halfhearted opposition” to the legislative pay raise, national conservatives still view him as the second coming of Ronald Reagan.

It was inevitable really. As a potential McCain VP pick, Jindal has enjoyed increased national prominence, appearing on countless cable shows as a surrogate for McCain. Jindal has been quick to tout the benefits, namely a greater national focus on Louisiana.

However the downside is greater scrutiny from the national media. While the Jindal exorcism story may be old hat in Louisiana, it was only a matter of time before the national media picked up on it. The results are not pretty. Is this really the view of Louisiana we wish to present to the nation?

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From Human Events: Points to Kennedy’s history as a ”liberal Democrat”