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What's Jindal Trying to Prove?
On Friday, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal became the first GOP leader to announce he will reject a portion of the stimulus cash, inviting an onslaught of critics including fellow GOP governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger. Jindal's own second-in-command, Lieutenant Governor Mitch Landrieu criticized Jindal sharply: "Jindal needs to choose whether to represent the state of Louisiana or be the spokesman for the national Republican party." Landrieu, a Democrat, says Louisiana should be "very aggressive" in laying claim to its stimulus cash. Meanwhile, Think Progress' Matt Yglesias offers an "beggar thy neighbor" theory: If Louisiana reduces unemployment benefits, would the state's poor decamp to more generous neighboring states? "It would be the equivalent of Mike Bloomberg fighting poverty by demolishing all the low-income housing in New York and hoping the poor people all move elsewhere," Yglesias explains. Or are Jindal's national ambitions driving a largely symbolic gesture? The GOP picked Jindal to deliver his party's respones to Obama's address to Congress on Tuesday. Mississippi's Haley Barbour, who is considering following Jindal's lead, points to a power struggle within the Republican party: "The last time Republicans made a comeback, it was led by Republican governors."
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Astonishing that a state still as devastated as Louisiana could be led by a governor more intent on rhetoric and kowtowing to the conservative agenda than worrying about the care of his constituents. Shameful grandstanding that may come back to bite him at home, once cameras are turned off in D.C.
Jindal is a cheap opportunist, and this kind of crap--especially picking up the Rethug line that tax cuts would be better for the economy than extra unemployment benefits--is not unexpected here in NOLA.
"Bobby" is out for himself. Today he wouldn't rule out running for President in 2012. What a joke.
I wouldn't be so quick to write off Jindal. He's up-and-coming in the GOP as Obama was for the Dems 5-6 years ago. If the "core" can just bring themselves to accept someone with brown skin and the name Piyush, he'll be a force to be reckoned with.
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