Posted on 06/17/2008 1:23:19 PM PDT by kms61
Is our Governor--Jindal the Spineless, the Bonehead or the Deceiver?
It pains me to express such since two weeks ago I praised him effusively after a press conference.
Now, the question is whether Dorothy should help him find a noggin, starch for his courage shirt or a light beam to honesty. Something is now sorely lacking in our Governor. Meanwhile, the honeymoon clock is screeching. The love affair with Bobby Jindal is officially dead.
More importantly, the public needs answers, now, for Jindal to be effective in the future.
It appears that certain legislators put a legislative gun to Jindal’s head and threatened that the Jindal reform days were numbered unless his administration fulfilled a prior deal on legislative salaries.
It also appears that when Jindal realized the public outrage engulfing the legislative pay issue, his Administration tried to manage the disaster and minimize a “pledge” it previously made with the legislature. Breaking the pledge would have been breaking his word but keeping his pledge with the legislature meant breaking his word with the public.
On Friday after the House voted for a compromise, Jindal said, “. I will not veto this as it is very clear to everyone that the result would be a grinding halt to the tremendous reforms and progress our state is making.”
Which means the screws were turning on the Governor, yet, the Louisiana voters were getting screwed by the very government officials who were hired to represent our interests. .
After Monday’s (yesterday) Senate vote to support the House compromise on the legislative pay raises Jindal said, “I will keep my pledge to let them govern themselves”.
Which statement by itself raises a cache of questions:
Topping of the list is: Specifically, and in detail, what was the pledge, when was it given, to whom and what were the circumstances in terms of time, place and content?
Was the pledge a quid pro quo, which appears obvious? If so, did the quid involve his ethics reform package? Or did it involve legislation that specifically targeted his own campaign’s ethics transgression? We just don’t know, which is why we need to know.
More importantly, the public has a right to know. Unfortunately Jindal this session wants to put a Big Hush on administrative communications, calling them privileges. He wants more public privacy and less open government. What transpired this past week punctuates the compelling need for public access which he promised us when running for Governor and during various occasions after he was elected.
Regardless, it is absolutely astounding that Jindal would make such a bonehead pledge in the first place when budget cutting and halting government benefits for the privileged were basic “Jindal Revolution” tenets. Yet, something reeks terribly about the “pledge” and the facts and circumstances related to the entire selfish legislative grab bag.
For instance, why did the Governor (who certainly is known to be a “words smith”) say “I will keep my pledge to let them govern themselves”.
“Govern themselves”? Just how far does this “governing themselves” pledge go and what does it cover?
By contrast, why didn’t Jindal say “I will keep my pledge to let them set their own salaries”?
Yet, no matter how broad was Jindal’s “pledge statement” announcing an agreement to allow legislative self-governing, Jindal’s actions evidence inconsistency. So far this session, the Governor has vetoed legislation this session. So far this year, the Governor imposed his will on the legislature regarding income reporting and perks during Special Session I. But, when it came to pay raises, Jindal has decided to keep his pledge, so why the marriage to an undefined pledge?
In short, the people have the right to know if this pledge involved only the pay raise or other matters. If the pledge only related to pay raises, then why didn’t this “articulate” Governor say so in the first place?
The bottom line is—this entire controversy--from the pledge, to his decision not to veto the pay raise needs to be sharply investigated by the media and then possibly by law enforcement professionals. Jindal and legislators must meet the press and answer the hard questions or else doubt will forever linger and his administration will go down the tubes.
If we do not get straight answers, law enforcement officials should intervene. When threats were made about shutting down government that’s arguably extortion if personal matters (legislative income) was involved.
Only after a full vetting will the voters know the circumstances surrounding the pledge, whether serious laws were broken, and about the legislature-Administration dealings. Only then will the entire truth ever be told. Only then will true reform ever take place in Louisiana. Only then will Louisiana voters know if Bobby Jindal and his administration possesses the competence, the honesty the courage and the openness to take Louisiana into the “promised land”.
Until the voters secure these answers, the Jindal administration and the members of the legislature who voted green instead of clean, should not be trusted.
In the meantime, Jindal should veto this legislation and the people should demand total transparency in the administration. Our future is too important falling down the black hole the Governor wants to grant the public about his own affairs.
Bobby Jindal is no longer just the whiz kid. He is Governor. The public must always come first. Although he certainly appears to hold greater political aspirations, he will go nowhere, nor will the state until “Pay Raise Gate” is fully examined.
No honeymoon lasts forever. Reality sets in like the sun. Which is exactly what Louisiana needs immediately—sunshine on the administration and the legislative branch. Until then, we’re clearly getting “mooned”by our leaders.
Pelican State ping
The so called Republicans commit suicide before they take a stand.
Get the F out of here.
a DOUBLING of pay for the state legislature. It would have been a tripling, but they “compromised.” With Jindal on the ticket, McCain will lose Louisiana. Mark it down.
Here is what Louisiana political curmudgeon C.B. Forgotston has to say about Jindal’s one-eighty (http://forgotston.com/2008/06/17/jindal-breaks-word-to-voters/):
Jindal then
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.
Source:Jindal campaign brochure. (http://forgotston.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/jindalforgov.pdf)
Jindal now
That sends the hot-button issue to Gov. Bobby Jindal, who said again he will not veto a raise he calls “clearly excessive.”
In a written statement issued after the vote Jindal said he was “very sorry to see the Legislature do this. More than doubling legislative pay is not reasonable and the public has been clear on that.
“I will keep my pledge to let them govern themselves and make their own decisions as a separate branch of government. I will not let anything, even this clearly excessive pay raise, stop us from moving forward with a clear plan of reform.” Times Picayune, June 17, 2008
Moral compass lost
Jindal says that he is keeping his word to 76 politicians (leges who voted for the pay raise), but is breaking his word to over 2 million voters and citizens of Louisiana.
Jindal has lost his “moral compass.”
C.B.
Boy is this a yawn-inducing non-story.
Not in Louisiana, where people voted Jindal in to clean house and turn the state in the right direction. You can then appreciate why voters there are making a big deal out of the legislative pay-raise issue.
it’s notable because it involves a governor touted as a GOP VP nominee in 2008, and a Presidential candidate in 2012 and beyond. If it were your state you wouldn’t be so blase’. Hell, if this were a Democrat you wouldn’t be blase’.
I wonder if the yawns are from those so desperate for a GOP winner that they’re willing to overlook serious flaws. I assure you this will be an albatross around Jindal’s neck from here on out. Louisiana won’t forget it, the MSM won’t forget it, and the Democrats won’t forget it.
Jindal’s future as a national political figure is in grave jeopardy right now. Your not being able to see that doesn’t make it any less true.
I take it shark jumping is your profession. Yeah, McCain will lose La. over this one issue, Jindahl is a bum, Blanco was better, and John Kerry, and Al Gore. It was “collusion,” get the FBI down there fast! Get over yourself.
why not educate yourself on the issue before pontificating.
And this from local conservative commentator Jeff Crouere (http://ringsidepolitics.com/The-News/Columns/LET-THE-LOUISIANA-POLITICAL-REVOLUTION-BEGIN/):
LET THE LOUISIANA POLITICAL REVOLUTION BEGIN
Finally, the sleeping giant has awakened. The people of Louisiana have been roused from their decades old slumber. The issue of a legislative pay raise has struck a chord like no other issue in years. Of course this debate is about not just any raise, but a monster increase of 200%, giving part-time legislators a total compensation package of approximately $70,000.
As noted by political watchdog C.B. Forgotston, “The people of the state are more upset about this pay raise than anything I’ve ever witnessed in my lifetime of living in Louisiana.” People in Louisiana are suffering from a poor economy, rising gas prices and a host of other financial worries. While Road Home settlements are still not completed, recovery projects have still not started and the coast remains untouched, it is more than premature for legislators to demand a huge raise. In short, the job is not done; in fact it has barely started.
Many legislators are complaining about the costs of traveling to Baton Rouge and the impact of this time consuming position on their other income producing activities. Yet, legislators need to understand that their constituents are also working hard and dealing with high gas prices. It is incredibly galling that legislators are putting their own pocketbook issues before the public’s financial problems.
At the present time, Louisiana is ranked at the bottom of most important lists. It is not difficult to understand the ranking, just look at the condition of our economy, schools, roads and health care facilities. However, legislators are currently not paid at the bottom when compared to other states. In fact, at the current level, Louisiana legislators are fairly well compensated in comparison to other states, ranking 26th among state legislatures. Based on the ranking of Louisiana in most of these critical areas, legislators should be thankful for their present level of pay, not asking for more.
All of the legislative accomplishments this year will be forgotten by the public if this pay raise becomes law. People will remember one thing from this session and it will be the pay raise. Good legislators will lose their jobs in the next election as this issue has angered too many people and the voters will not forget this outrage.
One beneficial result of this debate is that, finally, voters are paying attention and inundating the Governor’s office, legislative offices and media outlets with their denunciations of this monstrosity. It is the type of passion that I have been waiting to see all of my political life. It took the pay raise issue to raise the ire of the public, but at least it woke up the drowsy voters of our state.
Hopefully, this debate will mark a new episode in Louisiana politics, one in which voters take a more active role and demand that legislators do the bidding of their constituents and not themselves. Legislators need to understand that they are public servants and that the voters are the bosses. The voters are the ones who employ these politicians and can fire them at the next election. In fact, legislators who vote for this pay raise may very well encounter a recall petition and ultimately a political death sentence. Sadly many good, competent and skilled legislators may lose their jobs over this issue, but that is the price they will have to pay for ignoring the overwhelming sentiment of the people.
People are now watching the Louisiana Legislature with intense interest and demanding that public servants follow the will of the ones in charge, not fellow politicians, but the people of Louisiana. Finally the roles are reversed and let’s hope it stays this way.
Jindal’s future as a national political figure is in grave jeopardy right now.
Might not be such a bad thing if what is being said in disgust of Jindal by a lot of LA posters on this forum. Who would want or more importantly who would need someone that his homies have turned on in such quick time? The Whiz Kid may have already whizzed and LA can have him.
OK, we must all agree w you that a alegislative pay raise is the most important issue, Jindahl is done, no one will vote for him, it’s all over. There, now I am educated as to this earth shaking issue. Thank you.
I’m educated on this issue. I’m in Louisiana. I’m disappointed that he won’t veto the bill but I’m certainly not going to throw him under the bus on this one issue. I’m disappointed but let’s see what he does over the long term before we call him all kinds of names.
that’s fine, we disagree, no problem with that. At least you know something about it. When people chime in that this is no big deal without even knowing what the issue is, that’s pretty stupid.
It seems simple enough to me. The legislature is elected by the people. As much as it is possible, executives tend to let the legislature set their own rules for their own “governance”, meaning salaries, ethics, rules of voting, time and place of meeting, types of committees, and staff levels.
If the people don’t like that the legislature voted themselves a raise, the people can vote the legislature out in the next election. It’s simple enough to do.
It’s a huge political blunder, no doubt, but I still think his heart is in the right place and that making Louisiana better is still his number one priority. I hope he has learned from this that he shouldn’t committ himself to something so early in the game. After stating he won’t veto it early he is really between a rock and a hard place right now. He should learn from it and move on. I still have hope for him.
That’s a good point and hopefully we will do that. I think one of the main things that have people upset is that the raise takes effect immediately for the current members. Most of the time when this is done it takes effect with the next elected legislature. I would have liked for Jindal to take a more active roll in trying to include that in the bill but he has been pretty hands off on this thing from the beginning.
I was born in Louisiana and have a pretty good insight into the voting habits of the electorate.
I hate making political predictions but here is one you can bank on.
McCain will win Louisiana, no matter what Jindal does or doesn't do. Clinton in 92 was the last RAT they voted for only because they portrayed themselves as "not like the other democRATs". That is an exact quote from the Clinton/Gore 92' Lousiana campaign. Obama doesn't have a chance in a state like Louisiana versus McCain. Besides, McCain is a populist, just like the voters in Louisiana like.
This guy on the "bayou buzz" writes like a community college computer 101 freshman who enjoys flaming people on IRCs.
"Is our Governor--Jindal the Spineless, the Bonehead or the Deceiver?"
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