In the Democratic run-off for Congress in April, Michael Jackson received 90% of the African-American votes and between 10%-20% of support from white voters. If we maintain these percentages it will be more than enough to win this election. 40% WINS IT! Therefore, every vote counts.
The logic above is so flawed. It forgets that Don Cazayoux pulled a similar, if not higher, percentage of African-American voters during the May General Election against Woody Jenkins. It forgets that that there are Independent voters, who make up 21.6% of the LA-06 electorate. On top of that, it overstates the percentage of black voters in LA-06 by 3.7%. And it doesn't even take into account that some of those black voters will NOT be voting for a Democrat, nor an independent candidate like Mr. Jackson, as they are Republicans! (All data in this paragraph was found at http://69.2.40.145/voter_stats/).
The pay raise fiasco, which would have given legislators a 200% pay raise, and would have taken effect IMMEDIATELY, was properly booed by editorial boards and voters alike this spring. Thankfully, Governor Jindal buckled under the pressure of the bright lights of state-wide opinion, and increasing national opinion to veto the pay raise.
Michael Jackson doesn't care about the plight of the working class folks of LA-06 ... he only cares about making more money for himself. Not only did he vote to give himself an immediate 200% pay increase in the Legislature, but he now wants the voters of LA-06 to reward him with a Congressional seat, one that pays some $169,000 per year.
[UPDATE]: It seems that Governor Jindal doesn't believe in honesty with the press ... or legislators. Can the American people trust him to be honest with us? Hat Tip to The Reduct Box.
Pray tell, why is Senator McCain meeting with Governor PBJ? Might it be to ask our erstwhile Gov to take the second slot on the Republican ticket? I must admit it will be great fun to have Governor PBJ on the GOP ticket ...
(As I travel to Baton Rouge from New Orleans for class, let this help tide you over for the morning.
I must say that poor ole Newt doesn't understand that Governor PBJ ain't no reformer ... he's more of the same "drowning the government in the bathtub" type of Republican, which is why the "gold standard" of ethics is a big, big issue that I will be highlighting over the next few days during my study breaks for summer class finals. Further, while Governor PBJ may lauded nationally for his "reformer" credentials, we here in Louisiana know the real score ... - promoted by ryan)
Just two weeks ago, the legislative pay raise issue in Louisiana had all but consumed Governor Bobby Jindal. As he continued to tell voters he would not veto the increase that had rallied major statewide opposition, his poll numbers continued to drop. And when he did finally veto the proposal, his delay in doing so seemed to upend any realistic chance of a vice presidential slot on the McCain ticket. But like Lazarus being raised from the dead, low and behold, Jindal is still very much in the VP mix.
There were signs all over the media in the past few days indicating the Jindal is still in the hunt. A profile in this past Sunday's New York Times Magazine had "America's anchorman" Rush Limbaugh reaffirming his support of Jindal getting the number two spot. Limbaugh has had Jindal at the top of his list from day one, and apparently the pay raise flap has not caused him to waver.
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich wrote a lengthy profile this week in Human Events magazine calling Jindal "the most transformational governor in America today," and strongly re -affirmed his support for Jindal on the McCain ticket. Gingrich could not have been more effusive. "In just six months, Bobby Jindal has accomplished more than most elected officials accomplish in a lifetime." Pretty strong stuff from one of the GOP's most respected spokesman. Gingrich did mention the pay raise flap in passing, but dismissively concluded that "Jindal's correction has cemented his reputation as a principled conservative reformer."
State Senator Ann Duplessis just doesn't get it. That link will bring you to an article in the Legislature & Politics section in Sunday's The Advocate. State Senator Duplessis is quoted as saying that her shiny, looks spanking-new Mercedes S-Class is a:
"... 10-year-old, broken down vehicle."
Courtesy of the folks over at the Louisiana Action Network, here's State Senator Duplessis' car on the LEFT, juxatposed with a very nice 1998 Mercedes S-Class on the RIGHT, courtesy of Only In Louisiana:
Senator ... you don't own a 10 year old, broken down vehicle. It's not even 10 years old! So, please, don't say stupid stuff like the above. It makes it far too easy for bloggers, let alone journalists, to throw egg on your face.
On top of all that ... I get that you may be very angry with Governor Jindal over vetoing the pay raise, and going back on his word to let it pass. He certainly deserves quite a bit of blame for ignoring quite a bit of what was happening during the session, particularly with Senator Buddy Shaw's Stelly Tax repeal bill and the legislative pay raise.
But the Legislative Pay Raise was your baby. So was the School Voucher bill. And I'm hearing that YOU went to Jindal and told him that if he wanted the School Vouchers to pass the Senate, he should let the Legislative Pay Raise go. So, as a citizen of Orleans Parish, I thank you for further destroying the Orleans Parish Public School System, as we all know that the private schools will not be taking students with academic problems, or even those with learning disabilities. So, once again, thanks, Senator!
Days after Governor Jindal heeded public outrage over the Legislature's ill-advised pay raise for themselves, legislators are starting to finally let the public in on the secret deal that I suspected back in June:
Beyond the vouchers, it's quite likely that Jindal traded many other things, too. Look closely at this quote from this article from the News Star:
Northeastern Louisiana lawmakers, both those who voted for and against the legislative pay raise, said Gov. Bobby Jindal's veto on Monday was a breach of trust between the executive and legislative branches.
"He made a lot of promises to a lot of legislators, and anytime you tell someone something and don't stick to it right or wrong it's going to create a problem with trust," said Rep. Jim Fannin, D-Jonesboro, who voted against the raise.
One of those staffers is the former head of the Baton Rouge Area Chamber of Commerce, Stephen Moret, where he received a reported $500,000 for his work. He currently makes $245,000 per year, which I believe is some $210,000 more than the average Louisianan. Does he really need all that money?
As Oyster notes, where's all the outrage, folks? This guy is getting wealthy on the public dole! Let's give Bobby hell for this outrageous pay raise, which I might add is about $30,000 more than the Legislature originally sought to give themselves!
This morning, Governor PBJ finally broke out the veto pen on the legislative pay raise. I guess he realized that the recall effort against him wouldn't look good to the higher-ups in the Republican Party doing the vetting for their Veepstakes.
He can now kiss all of his legislative agenda for the next three years goodbye, as a rather curt thank you from the Legislature for breaking his word to them.
If you ever needed a reason to believe that the Faux News Channel is a propaganda machine, just listen to this:
At the height of the legislative pay raise frenzy down here, we've got Faux News Channel interviewing Governor "Chemical Castration Bobby" Jindal about the "Chemical Castration Bill" that he signed into law yesterday. Ain't it interesting that he can stand tough against criminals, but his spine disappears when he needs to stand tough against the Legislature?
(Yeah, PBJ needs to veto the legislation ... in order to appease his base. But don't hold your breath waiting for it, Jim. - promoted by ryan)
You can talk about everything else the Louisiana Legislature did in its just completed session. But when all is said and done, it comes down to the pay raise. "But what about all the other good things we have accomplished in the past five months?" protested Governor Bobby Jindal. Maybe a little more wisdom comes with age. It's perception, not substance Governor. And the overwhelming public perception is that when all was said and done, the legislature opted to look out for themselves rather than the people who elected them.
Jindal seem to agree at his press conference on the lawn of the Governor's mansion the day after the legislative session shutdown. "I've learned my lesson," he said. "Going forward, we're certainly going to keep a much tighter rein on the legislature in future sessions." But it's not really the job of any governor to keep a "tighter rein" on the legislature. As Jindal has said repeatedly, there are three branches of government and each should act independently.
What Jindal seems to be missing is his authority within the constitutional mix. Yes, there are three branches of government. And each has their own final decision-making power. But the Louisiana Constitution specifically gives the Governor a limited veto power over actions of the legislative branch. The veto power is not complete. By a two thirds vote, the legislators have the constitutional authority to call themselves back into a special session, and override any veto exercised by the Governor. Nothing in the Constitution about "keeping a tight rein."
Today's Advocate front page blared the headline, "I've learned my lesson" with a huge picture of Governor PBJ. Here's my question - what exactly did you learn, Governor?
It surely was not the lessons you told the Advocate, namely:
[being] more involved with the session by issuing veto threats and by speaking up when bills go through committee.
No, more likely the lesson you learned was to fire Teepell, which may or may not happen, and/or not make a promise like that again. Because you sure don't want to deal with scenes like this anymore: (Hat Tip to Greg over at Central La. Politics)
By the way, love the backstab graphic on that guy's coveralls. Nice work.
On the heels of the news that the Legislature passed a pay raise in perpetuity based on the Consumer Price Index to start this year, there are recall efforts underway.
(Disclosure: I advocated for a pay raise, noting that the base salary for the Legislature has not been raised since 1980. However, I disagreed with the original 300% pay raise, and I advocated for not having it go into effect until after the next round of legislative elections, to be held in 2011.)
Mr. Roberts has started Recall "Payraise" Tucker. You can visit the website, named recallpayraisetucker.com. There is also a Recall Jindal website domain name is currently under construction.
Whether these efforts will get anywhere remains to be seen, but it adds to the excitement that always surrounds Louisiana politics.
Millions of dollars in education and health care spending stripped from next year's budget by the House were restored Tuesday by a Senate panel, which also added hundreds of legislators' pet projects to the $30 billion spending plan.
The Senate Finance Committee also reversed cuts to proposed salaries for Gov. Bobby Jindal's top economic development officials and agreed to further pay increases for other Jindal appointees in the new fiscal year that begins July 1.
The committee made 143 pages of changes, adding $110 million in state cash to the bill, before approving it without objection and sending it to the full Senate, which is expected to debate the 2008-09 budget Wednesday.
"We have tried to honor as many requests as we possibly can, but as in every year, the needs outweigh the available resources," said Sen. Mike Michot, R-Lafayette, chairman of the committee.
The changes, which grow larger when federal matching dollars are included, were worked out behind the scenes and approved within minutes of being presented. Many of the amendments restored funding for new programs and service expansions proposed by Jindal, but removed by the House in an attempt to rein in state government growth.
Most of us woke up this morning to the news that our Legislature passed a pay raise for itself, which will go into effect July 1st. I discussed how bad it looks that the legislators are voting themselves a pay raise that goes into effect in 2 weeks (!), in addition to the outrageous 200% pay raise they originally sought to give themselves here. I do find it interesting that they seemed to take the advice I gave in that piece about lowering the raise to more palatable mid-30's base salary, though they put it in the upper 30's.
The real story is not that the Legislature passed the bill, y'all ... I mean, come on, you really thought they'd vote it down?! The real story here is that Governor Jindal is letting it become law, likely, once again, without his signature. This will take the fight out of the conservative base here in Louisiana, and possibly relegate Governor PBJ to "Dragonslayer" status.
What the Advocate buried in the paper, is the fact that, in less than 6 months on the job, he has allowed 49 bills sent to him by our Legislature for his signature to become law without his John Hancock. You can read small blurbs about the bills on the Governor's own website here, here, and here. By way of contrast, Governor Mike Foster allowed a grand total of 47 bills to become law without his signature in his eight years of service! The lege pay raise will likely be Bill #50 allowed to become law without Governor PBJ's signature.
Seriously, is he so busy flirting with the idea of running for Vice-President on Senator John "McBush" McCain that he can't bring himself to sign legislation that has been introduced, debated, and passed in our legislature? Does he disagree with the legislation passed? Does he disagree? I'm not holding my breath for answer, but it'd be nice to know why so many bills have become law without the Governor's signature.
Hmph. What reform legislation? Might it be HB 1347 (pdf alert), which sends some $10 million in taxpayer funds and gives them to private and religious schools in New Orleans? I ask that because the Louisiana Federation of Teachers blog has a post up that states:
Judging from all the back door arm twisting that lawmakers say they have been subjected to over the voucher bill, this is the single most important piece of legislation on Jindal's plate this session.
Also of note is that there is rampant speculation that Speaker Jim Tucker threatened to shut down the Louisiana government if the legislative pay increase was not signed by the Governor. Speaker Tucker denied this of course.
But what is most striking about all of this is the legislative pay raise, and how it is structured, and the hell that conservatives across the state are raising about it ... which you can read about below the jump!
