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| Home Front: Politix |
| Louisiana's Governor Pierces Business As Usual |
| 2008-02-28 |
| This is the NYT writing about a Republican. Maybe it should be filed under "Signs and Portents." BATON ROUGE, La. Six weeks into the term of Gov. Bobby Jindal, an extensive package of ethics bills was approved here this week, signaling a shift in the political culture of a state proud of its brazen style. Mr. Jindal, the earnest son of Indian immigrants, quickly declared open season on the cozy fusion of interests and social habits that have prevailed among lobbyists, state legislators and state agencies here for decades. Mostly, he got what he wanted. Grudgingly, pushed by public opinion and business pressure, it went along. When the legislative session ended Tuesday, lawmakers had passed bills aimed at making their finances less opaque, barring their lucrative contracts with the state — some have been known to do good business with them — and cutting down on perks like free tickets to sporting events. Mr. Jindal overcame resistance by convincing lawmakers that no job growth would occur in the state until it cleaned up its act and brought its ethics laws into the national mainstream. The new requirements will force all state legislators, as well as most other elected and appointed officials around the state, to disclose all sources of income, real estate holdings and debts over $10,000. (Judges are exempted.) Judges should be exempted. And you can quote me on that. Lawmakers and executive branch officials will no longer be able to get contracts for state-financed or disaster-related work. Lobbyists will also have to disclose their sources of income and will be limited to spending no more than $50 per elected official, per meal; splitting the tab, say among other lobbyists or legislators, will also be prohibited. Mr. Jindal took that penchant on as well, effectively aiming a blow at the Capitol’s de facto sister institution, Ruth’s Chris Steak House, where business is transacted nightly. This is a factual inaccuracy. Business actually begins around 11:00AM. The governor, ignoring cries of pain and going against the unswerving devotion to Louisiana’s food culture, pushed for the $50-a-meal cap, at any restaurant. No more unlimited spending. In a town where legislators have been known to proclaim paid-for meals a principal draw to public service, this was an especially unpopular move. Last week, State Representative Charmaine L. Marchand of the Lower Ninth Ward in New Orleans said the limit would force her and her colleagues to dine at Taco Bell, and urged that it be pushed to $75 per person, to give them “wiggle room.” How do you like getting yer name in the newspaper, Rep. Marchand? Notice the lack of party affiliation after her name, by the way. No public groundswell took up her cause, and the $50 limit held. In the legislative chambers, the votes for this ethics makeover were mostly unanimous, though the sarcastic commentary suggested that enthusiasm might not have been what was motivating legislators. Mr. Jindal has public opinion on his side, however. In an interview in his office, words and prescriptions come shooting out in a rapid-fire nonstop monologue. Inside of a half-hour, Mr. Jindal shoehorned a brief history of Louisiana’s political and economic problems, a historical excursion on the office he was sitting in, an agenda for his remaining four years, an analysis of why the state’s government had failed, a recapitulation of his recent campaign, a paean to his father, an explanation of why he pushed the ethics bills, and other topics. My governor can out-talk your governor. Blhh!!! Mr. Jindal said Hurricanes Katrina and Rita had presented him with a unique moment in his state’s history to enact reforms; as he put it, the storms “caused people to rethink how they wanted their social institutions to be designed, how they wanted services to be delivered, what kind of state they wanted to call home.” Like some Brit or other supposedly said, "when a man knows he is to be hanged it concentrates the mind wonderfully." He has already talked of cutting taxes on business, prompting questions about whether he will move beyond such The tragedy in this is that if Jindal had beaten Blanco four years ago, and he very nearly did, we'd be looking at a serious presidential contender this year. This guy would unravel Obama like a cheap suit. |
| Posted by:Matt |
| #3 Me too, Barbara. I LIKE this kid. |
| Posted by: Rambler in California 2008-02-28 22:17 |
| #2 |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2008-02-28 19:47 |
| #1 Bobby's got a bright future |
| Posted by: Frank G 2008-02-28 19:28 |