Since Bush the elder murmured those famous words, the Right has been ever-more sensitive to heresy on taxes. Sure, Reagan raised taxes during a recession and never suffered, but the right has an excuse: It was all Tip O'Neil's fault.
Now, in the Gret State, we have two of the biggest conservative kabuki shows running: David Vitter and Bobby Jindal.
Both obsessively pander to wingnuts and teahaddists, with Vitter's show being the more cunning, and convincing of the two. Jindal mainly bows to arch-conservative business interests and religious fundamentalists, ignoring the fascist nationalist Americana groups known as the tea baggers.
With time narrowing, and the budget deficit looms, Jindal has once again swung the holy ax of righteous teabaggery: He will not raise your taxes:
"I will not raise your taxes. We will not push this problem onto the backs of our people and our businesses and pass along more burdens to our children and our grandchildren. We know the way back to prosperity is not through higher taxes," Jindal said during a Town Hall-style meeting in Leesville.
Ok, sure, no new taxes, who's going to argue with that? It's like saying, who wants ice cream? Answer: Everyone.
The problem with all this posturing and posing, flexing and line-drawing, is that yawning budget deficits don't fix themselves. What's a guv'nuh to do? If you're Bobby Jindal, you propose raising tuition, fees and charges for higher education. And you don't call that a tax:
Gov. Bobby Jindal is proposing increases to college tuition and fees, more autonomy for campus purchasing and consolidation of the state’s higher education management board.
State Sen. Lydia Jackson, D-Shreveport, who participated in the conference, said it does not mesh that Jindal repeatedly opposes tax increases but supports tuition hikes.
“I find it a little ironic we’re putting taxes on the aspirations of our students,” Jackson said.
Bobby Jindal obviously enjoys traveling. We've written several times about his love for touring the state via the state police helicopter. But his frequent trips criss-crossing America have spurred a growing chorus of dissent.
BATON ROUGE — LSU's student body president says Gov. Bobby Jindal spends more time out of state than in Louisiana — so he sent a New Hampshire newspaper a personal plea to Jindal asking him to come home and work on the state's budget problems. In his letter to The Keene Sentinel, J Hudson says Jindal's frequent campaign travel around the country makes it appear that Jindal wants to run for president, rather than run the state.
Governor Jindal spent several days out of state this week traveling to Florida, New Hampshire, and New York City to campaign for Republican candidates in those areas. LSU's student government president J. Ryan Hudson, a conservative, has sent letters to newspapers in four states that Governor Jindal has or will soon visit, according to his Facebook page. Here's the one published by The Keene Sentinel in New Hampshire:
Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal is spending more time in your state than the one he was elected to represent. I read almost daily about his trips to other states, which makes me believe that he is more interested in running for president than running the state of Louisiana.
As part of a group of students elected to serve the student body at Louisiana State University, we’ve tried to meet with him to ask why he’s imposing devastating budget cuts that will result in the firing of one-third of the university’s faculty and reduce enrollment by 8,000. Jindal did send his chief of staff, but he left one important question unanswered.
We want to know why he’s not devoting all his time to the future of his state and its young people.
So, I appreciate this opportunity to communicate with our governor, who may be more likely to read your paper than ours:
Governor Jindal, Louisiana higher education is about to be devastated. It will take a generation for our universities to recover. On behalf of the students whose hopes for a brighter future will soon be crushed, I beg you to return to Louisiana and fix your state’s serious problems. You’ve neglected your constituents long enough.
And if I may be so bold to offer some political advice: you’ll have a much better chance of becoming president if you save, instead of destroy, Louisiana’s universities.
Well done, sir.
There was also a great letter to the editor in the Baton Rouge Advocate from our good friend Melissa Flournoy, founder and former long-time director of the Louisiana Association of Non-profit Organizations. She said in part:
Louisiana needs leaders who put Louisiana first. We need a governor who wakes up every day and wants to solve our problems — improve the economy, improve education, improve health care. ... The short-sightedness of bad decisions is surely the consequence of Jindal policies in Baton Rouge. As our governor campaigns around the country for Republican candidates, including some of the farthest-right in his party, back in Louisiana the “A” grade isn’t what college students, parents, businesses and faculty and university leaders would give him. Higher education and health care are once again on the chopping block in the budget as Louisiana faces a financial cliff in the next state budget.
The Governor obviously thinks he is untouchable, but there will eventually be a "come to Jesus" moment when this chorus of criticism becomes too loud to bear. When that time comes, Bobby will probably be glad to have spent so much time in rural Baptist churches across the state.
Since his election in 2007, Governor Bobby Jindal has found several creative ways to mix politics into his official duties. All elected officials do this to a certain extent - it comes with the territory. However, Jindal has taken this practice well beyond the norm, generating a fair amount of critical attention.
For example, Jindal's travels to small-town churches using a state police helicopter garnered substantial coverage around this time last year (articles here and here). Jindal touted these quick trips to far-flung towns as a chance to connect with his constituents and worship with them. Critics questioned whether using his official staff, security, and an expensive state helicopter was proper for such trips. Like many issues, the media tired of reporting on the subject after a short time but Jindal's trips to churches continue (August 2010, Lismore Baptist Church, Monterey, LA - pop. 1,756)
Another controversy surrounding Jindal's practices seems to be bubbling up, this time concerning the awarding of veterans's medals. In 2008, the legislature approved the creation of the "Louisiana Veterans Honor Medal" for which anyone in Louisiana who has served in the military and been honorably discharged is eligible. The Governor quickly set the policy that these medals could only be given out "during special ceremonies throughout Louisiana at appointed times." In other words, before any veteran can receive one of these medals, he or she must attend an event featuring patriotic music, remarks from local and state elected officials, and a speech from the Governor.
This doesn't sit well with several state legislators who are accusing the Governor of using these medal ceremonies to shore up good political will with an important constituency. From the Baton Rouge Advocate:
“They fought for freedom. They should have the freedom to decide how they’re going to receive their medal,” state Sen. Nick Gautreaux, D-Meaux, said.
In the last year and a half, Gov. Bobby Jindal has given out more than 13,000 medals recognizing veterans’ service. The medals, created by the Legislature in 2008, are handed out at ceremonies featuring patriotic music and a photo opportunity with the governor.
Some lawmakers are critical of the ceremonies. They accuse the governor of using the medals as a way to promote himself as part of his re-election campaign. The governor’s first term in office ends next year.
The ceremonies take him into small communities around the state and thrust him before thousands of possible voters.
Again, it seems like a genius political move on behalf of the Governor. Along with his rural church visits, these ceremonies are going to help make his reelection campaign much easier. Rural vote? Check! Now he drops thousands on television ads and mailers in the cities, and he's got it sewn up. Not to mention that, if history is any indication, there will be no viable competition.
But is it ethical for the Governor to do what he's doing? According to one web source, the definition of manipulation is "exerting shrewd or devious influence especially for one's own advantage." It looks a lot like this is exactly what Jindal is doing. He's forcing veterans and their families to come listen to him speak and shake his hand if they want to receive the medal to which they are duly entitled because of their service to our country. Doesn't seem right, does it?
But then again, with Jindal, does it really surprise you?
You might remember reading our article on June 17th discussing Jindal's plan to build sand berms to stop the flow of oil into Louisiana's coastal wetlands. The response from the Obama administration and scientific community was a collective, "huh?" The idea seemed to be more about sticking it to the feds and less about addressing the situation in a logical way.
Read on to learn about Bobby Jindal's most recent grand idea.
Let the record show that the extreme partisanship of Governor Bobby Jindal emerged in full bloom in the second year of his term as governor.
Sure, there were the vetoes of funding for projects favored by legislators who had crossed him in some way; the ham-handed attempt to replace a BESE board member who had the temerity to think for herself (and still supported Jindal on most issues, but not ALL issues).
But, an item in The Sunday Advocate's Inside Politics column lays bare how Jindal's careening ego, combined with his ambition to become a national Republican standard bearer, are leading to some pretty petty political decisions even by the standards of this administration.
Bobby Jindal ran for governor on a one-word campaign platform - "Ethics!" He raced around the state claiming that, if/when he became governor, the state would enact "the gold standard" of state ethics programs.
Immediately after his inauguration in 2008, Governor Jindal convened the Legislature in a special session dedicated exclusively to reforming the state ethics code. Sure, in some ways his legislative package weakened ethics enforcement, removed the process from the public view, and did absolutely nothing to eliminate pay-to-play in the form of corporate campaign contributions, but Jindal and his band of sycophants proclaimed the session a success, the state rid of a dread scourge, and purity restored to our governmental processes. Behold, our political savior!
As I mentioned last night on Twitter, when I heard Gov. Jindal speak I couldn't help but think if he was watching an old repeat of Mr. Roger's Neighborhood to create his speaking style.
Anyway, here is something fun to watch along those lines:
(Pertinent question ... though I really wonder how many Louisianans will tune in during Mardi Gras Weekend. Unfortunately, this will be the only post on the Kingfish this weekend, since my computer will not arrive until Monday. Until then, have a happy and safe Mardi Gras weekend!
- promoted by ryan)
. . . what do you think you would ask Gov. Jindal? Well, it is going to happen as David Gregory has announced that the Louisiana governor will be a guest on MTP this Sunday.
One of the hot topics that Gov. Jindal and his co-guest, Gov. Charlie Crist of Florida will be facing is whether to accept all, part or none of the funds coming to their states through President Obama's economic recovery and stimulus package.
But beyond questions relating to that topic, if you were sitting in Gregory's chair, what would you like to ask Gov. Jindal?
I can't wait to read your questions. I am sure there will be some good ones.
(Dealing with a project from work that is a major pain in the butt right now. Hopefully, my share will be done tonight, and I can resume blogging regularly. Let this informative post from Mike Stagg tide you over ... - promoted by ryan)
Here's what a review of Jindal's campaign finance records and corporate records from the Louisiana Secretary of State's reveal:
On September 5, 2007, the Jindal campaign booked $30,000 in contributions that were directly related to David Voelker, with another $10,000 possible connected to him. There were four $5,000 checks from Voelker and members of his household. There were also two checks from LLCs he controls or shares control.
F/V Diversified LLC, which shares an address (and initials) with Frantzen/Voelker Investments LLC, also contributed $5,000 to the Jindal campaign that was booked on the same day. Records on file with the Louisiana Secretary of State list only one member of the F/V Diversified company — JSC Management LLC, which is managed by Richard C. Conway, Jr. The Jindal campaign booked a $5,000 contribution from JSC Management LLC on September 5, 2007, as well.
Ethics reform without campaign finance reform is a farce.
Governor Jindal continues to reward his largest contributors for their largess. This is the most blatant form of the kind of "pay to play" politics that Jindal railed against as a candidate. As governor, he's proven that ethics reform is for other people — not for him, his administration and his well-heeled, deep pocketed friends.
I just watched the story online about our "superstar" governor being considered for McBush's VP spot. They used Rush Limbaugh has a source of the talk that has been going on. Are you F-cking serious? The same guy who called called combat vets who opposed the war in Iraq "phony soldiers" the same Limbaugh who has encouraged rioting for the Democratic convention in Denver? I expect better.
The Sunday edition of the Baton Rouge Advocate pulls back the curtain on the still legal, still ethical form of pay to play as practiced by Governor Bobby Jindal and his Republican patrons.
The subject is the brazen $15 million payoff that Louisiana taxpayers will make to GOP heavy hitter Gary Chouest. Chouest, his family and companies gave more than $135,000 to Republican causes in the recent state election cycle. It took Jindal only two months — had to get that ethics special session out of the way — to pay back Chouest's largess.
Here's how the story begins:
The first business to benefit from state economic development aid under Gov. Bobby Jindal is run by a man whose family and businesses donated at least $135,250 to the governor’s campaign and local Republican Party causes during the past year.
Jindal introduced the donor — Gary Chouest, of Galliano — as a leader of Louisiana business in the same March 9 speech when the governor proclaimed before the Legislature that the state’s political culture had moved beyond "who you know" motivations.
Jindal used part of the state's $1.1 billion surplus to put $10 million in a Terrebonne Parish port expansion. Jindal also gave an additional $4 million grant to the project.
The state Legislature approved both proposals earlier this month. The taxpayer dollars help Chouest’s privately owned companies expand a state-of-the-art shipbuilding facility and to upgrade the port where the new plant is located.
All the huffing and puffing of the great ethics special session charade is over and now it's back to business as usual in Louisiana politics as run by Republicans.
Lafayette's The Independent weekly's blog, The Ind, has a story today about how the Ethics Governor, the Ethics Speaker and the Ethics Republican State Senator from Lafayette are joining forces to raise money for Republican campaign finance lawbreaker Don Trahan.
Trahan, The Independent reported in December, accepted more than $23,000 in political action committee (PAC) contributions in excess of the limit allowed by state campaign finance laws. Trahan won re-election with that illegal money by only 33 votes.
Michot, who took exception to Trahan campaign literature that claimed the senator had endorsed him over his opponent Nancy Landry, defended his embrace of Trahan now:
This post originally appeared at www.louisianad2d.us
Governor Jindal might be the smartest guy in some rooms, but a sense of irony is apparently completely missing in the man.
Jindal brought his ethics campaign road show to Lafayette on Thursday. The new governor made an impassioned plea against "special interests" and others who drown out the voices of ordinary people in the political process.
Standing at Jindal's right hand in a Baton Rouge Advocate photo in Friday's edition was none other than Republican District 31 Rep. Don Trahan who, it has been revealed, used more than $23,000 in illegal contributions from political action committees (PACs) to secure his 33-vote win in the October primary.
Jindal has studiously avoided making substantive campaign finance reform part of the special session on ethics that he called and which will begin on Sunday. He gets downright antsy when the discussion turns towards campaign finance reform, probably owing to the fact that his own campaign has admitted to violations of state campaign finance laws.
The Times Picayune puts it a bit more delicately, but make no mistake about it this proposal (variations of which have been around for as long as there have been private, for-profit hospitals in Louisiana) is an ideology-driven attempt to tear the last vestiges of Long-ism (read that "paying attention to the needs of working people") from Louisiana.
Were that all there was to this, it would be a hell of a fight. But, the proposal being floated by these healthcare executives - and, by the Bush administration in the months immediately following Katrina/Rita, by the Public Affairs Research Council (PAR), and the Blueprint for Louisiana group - comes to the fray with the additional burden of having been discredited in other states where similar approaches have been talked about and even tried - primarily Massachusetts.
The core issue is shutting down the LSU Health Science Center hospitals, formerly known as the Charity Hospital System (also known as the safety net hospitals). And, then "letting the money follow the patient" - right into the coffers of the very people who have made healthcare and health insurance too expensive for all but the wealthiest among us: the for-profit hospitals and the insurance companies.
More for Less
The Healthcare Execs trot out the familiar refrain to those who have been watching/involved in the various attempts to reform healthcare here for the past three decades: "we can provide better care for less money."
(Sorry for the delay in promoting this. Internet service at my apartment was down for the last few days, thanks to Cox Communications. - promoted by ryan)
CityBusiness reports that Governor-elect Bobby Jindal has completed his appointments to his ethics advisory panel.
Based on one name, it appears that Jindal's version of ethics reform will not include campaign finance reform - an essential element of any comprehensive ethics reform effort.
By naming Deifenthal to the panel that is supposed to advise the Governor-elect on his much-anticipated ethics reform package, Jindal is sending a clear signal that he is not interested in reforming Louisiana's campaign finance laws.
Through the use of multiple LLCs under their control, a group of 28 individuals or companies made more than 100 contributions to Jindal's gubernatorial campaign which totaled more than $500,000. This method of using multiple LLCs to circumvent caps on campaign contributions has never been challenged before the state Board of Ethics, although it has been the subject of an advisory ruling based on a question submitted to the board in 2006.
Ethics reform that does not include campaign finance reform - particularly, the banning of corporate contributions from campaigns - leaves the door wide open for corruption. The Governor-elect is not interested in campaign finance reform and that undermines the legitimacy of his claim to be interested in ethics reform.
Turning Jindal's Ethics Campaign Gambit into Transformative Reform of Louisiana Politics
Bob Odom and Governor-elect Bobby Jindal would make a political odd couple in just about anyone's book, but the two have combined to provide Louisiana Democrats an opportunity to redefine themselves in a way not possible prior to now.
The elements at work here are the state's eagerness for ethics reform combined with the way Jindal has continued to hawk that issue since the election and Odom's decision not to contest the run-off against Republican Mike Strain.
Bob
Let's start with Odom's decision to drop out. It's no secret that Republicans were prepared to wage a campaign of innuendo against Odom based on charges that East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney Doug Moreau brought against him almost five years ago.
Moreau, a Republican, fought doggedly to keep alive his case against Odom, even though the charges were repeatedly thrown out by the courts for various legal deficiencies.
Despite Odom's legal victory, in the court of public opinion he had been successfully tarred as corrupt - despite the fact that none of Moreau's charges ever stuck.
Odom is an astute politician and can read election numbers as well as anyone. He saw that his three Republican opponents in the October 20 primary took almost 60 percent of the vote in his race. His prospects for election were slim. So, rather than put his family and friends through what promised to be a mean and expensive campaign, he withdrew from the race.
In so doing, Odom also cleared the deck of old line Democratic state officeholders (Mitch Landrieu is squeaky-clean but a hybrid of old and new politics; he's still in office today probably because Republicans couldn't find anyone other than a bankrupt musician willing to seek the job).
Odom's departure opens the door for a new era of Democratic leaders who are untainted by scandal and who recognize that ethics reform is more than a campaign issue - it is essential for the state's economic well being.
Deep-pocketed GOP contributors to Bobby Jindal's campaign are using LLCs they control as printing presses for campaign funds.
They doth protest too much.
Bobby Jindal and Republicans up and down the ballot have for months been relentlessly proclaiming the need for ethics reform in Louisiana and their commitment to make that happen once they are elected to office.
But, a funny thing has happened on the way to the election.
A small but dedicated group of wealthy Republican supporters have apparently decided that ethics reform is so important that they are willing to violate the spirit and possibly the letter of Louisiana's Campaign Finance Disclosure Act (CFDA) in order to support the campaigns of Jindal and other Republicans appearing on the October 20th ballot.
A detailed examination of Jindal's campaign finance reports submitted through the September filing period reveals that 100 limited liability companies (LLCs) controlled by 28 individuals or companies have contributed more than $500,000 to the erstwhile Congressman's second campaign for governor. The use of multiple LLCs controlled by these individuals or companies has enabled them to contribute more to Jindal's campaign than the $5,000 limit on contributions set in the CFDA.
Because campaign finance laws are essential to ethics reform, it is more than a little surprising that Jindal (whose campaign has focused on ethics since it began its media blitz in the summer) has so readily accepted so much ethically questionable money. It reinforces the emerging perception — fueled, in no small part by the ostentatious money-raising efforts of the Louisiana Committee for a Republican Majority — that Republicans are trying to buy this fall's Louisiana elections, and break the rules to do so, if need be.
Because the CFDA imposes responsibility for policing the legitimacy of contributions on campaigns, Republican candidates (like Jindal) who accept contributions from such questionable schemes may be exposed to significant fines and penalties should the contributions be found to be illegal.
Regardless of the legality, this kind of ethical and legal limit-testing is the kind of behavior that feeds the state's reputation as place where the rule of law has been replaced by a game of cat and mouse.
Bobby Jindal has made his faith part of his gubernatorial campaign platform. His religiosity (see second definition) has been punctured occasionally, the most noted incident being when Roll Call magazine caught the congressman working his Blackberry throughout an Ash Wednesday service in 2006.
Nonetheless, Jindal continues to try to play the religious card to his political advantage whenever possible.
The latest incident is this item that's been running in the Lafayette Daily Advertiser about an upcoming campaign appearance in New Iberia:
Jindal to speak at Faith Cathedral
U.S. Rep. Bobby Jindal, R-Baton Rouge, is scheduled to speak at the 10 a.m. service June 3 at Faith Cathedral in New Iberia. Jindal will share his “Christian testimony” and greet people after the service, a press release issued about the service states.
No word on whether Jindal's campaign will be taking a cut from the collection at the service/campaign event.
Originally posted at: http://democrat2democrat.blogspot.com/
Bobby Jindal obviously enjoys traveling. We've 
Let's start with Odom's decision to drop out. It's no secret that Republicans were prepared to wage a campaign of innuendo against Odom based on charges that East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney Doug Moreau brought against him almost five years ago.
Bobby Jindal and Republicans up and down the ballot have for months been relentlessly proclaiming the need for ethics reform in Louisiana and their commitment to make that happen once they are elected to office.
