Veto Heat on Jindal

LouisianaPolitics.com ^ | June 20, 2008 | John Maginnis

[abb]

Veto Heat on Jindal

Pay raise becomes character issue

The governor is trying to keep intense public opposition to the legislative pay raise directed at legislators, but, more and more, the volcanic controversy is turning into a test of character: his own.

Speaker Jim Tucker dismissed the governor's latest demand that lawmakers suspend the pay raise they voted for themselves. With no further action expected from lawmakers before Monday's final adjournment, the issue, like the bill, lies with the governor. With editorial and public pressure mounting for a gubernatorial veto before the July 8 deadline, some Fourth Floor staffers, with gallows humor, are calling the next three weeks "the 20-day death march."

Though Gov. Jindal has repeated that he will not veto the bill, legislators aren't sure they believe him. They fear he will cave in to public pressure--largely from his own supporters--and veto the bill some time after adjournment.

Jindal's defense, that he had previously told legislators he would not veto the bill, was undone by revelation of his campaign promise to not allow legislative pay raises to take effect during the term they are approved. Critics are now blasting him for breaking a campaign promise in order to keep his word with politicians.

Media and Internet criticism has shifted from the greed of the Legislature to the weakness of the governor, which, if that reputation sticks, could compromise what national ambitions he harbors.

Veto Heat on Jindal

The governor is trying to keep intense public opposition to the legislative pay raise directed at legislators, but, more and more, the volcanic controversy is turning into a test of character: his own.

With editorial and public pressure mounting for a gubernatorial veto before the July 8 deadline, some Fourth Floor staffers, with gallows humor, are calling the next three weeks "the 20-day death march."

Jindal has to decide if a hostile relationship with the Legislature if he vetoes the bill would be worse than his loss of public stature if he doesn't. Veto supporters say he can overcome the anger of the Legislature and its future opposition to his agenda if he gets the public back squarely on his side.

Legislators Still in Line of Fire

Zeroing in on the most prominent pay raise proponent, a former legislative candidate is organizing a recall drive against Speaker of the House Jim Tucker, R-Algiers. John K. Roberts III, who lost a state Senate race to Democrat John Alario, has launched a web site and is seeking volunteers to gather signatures in Tucker's district. Once papers are filed with the secretary of state, the recall drive will have 180 days to get signatures from one-third of about 25,000 registered voters in the district.

Mitch Landrieu Gaining Power from Jindal

This has been a far better legislative session so far for Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu than any he had under former Gov. Kathleen Blanco, a fellow Democrat.

Two bills have passed and await the governor's signature that would give Landrieu control over three significant boards central to his office's mission: the State Museum Board, the Tourism Development Board and the State Library Board. The governor currently makes those appointments.

[abb]

Jindal has set himself afire and there's no one around with a fire extinguisher. Lots more stories to be posted downthread.

[abb]

http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/maginnis/index.ssf?/base/news-0/121376656467590.xml&coll=1
Pay raise blows up in Jindal’s face

http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/elie/index.ssf?/base/news-0/1213939844277190.xml&coll=1
Legislator defends pay raise

http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/deberry/index.ssf?/base/News/1213939345232950.xml&coll=1
History repeats in lawmakers’ cash grab

http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/editorials/index.ssf?/base/news-4/1213939348232950.xml&coll=1
EDITORIAL: Do right by us

http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/editorials/index.ssf?/base/news-4/1213939946277190.xml&coll=1
EDITORIAL: Getting off the gravy train

[WayneS]

I do not know that much about Mr. Jindal but most of what I hear I like.

However, this is a perfect example of what happens when you promise one group of people one thing, and a different group of people another.

My opinion is that his loyalties should be to the citizens of Louisiana. He should apologize to the politicians for misleading them and then veto their pay raise.

[abb]

http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/20592244.html?showAll=y&c=y
Recall effort targets Tucker

http://www.2theadvocate.com/opinion/20589509.html
Letter: Was ethics legislation just hoopla?

http://www.2theadvocate.com/opinion/20589464.html
Letter: Legislative pay raise insults public

http://www.2theadvocate.com/opinion/20589444.html
Letter: Thanks to those with integrity, grit

[Brilliant]

It’s not like the Lousiana lawmakers deserve a raise.

[abb]

http://www.wwltv.com/video/news-index.html?nvid=256247

[kms61]

I posted about this the other day and was set upon by out of staters who still think Jindal is a rising GOP star. All I can say is so far I’m not too impressed with him.

[abb]

http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/letterstoeditor/index.ssf?/base/news-11/1213939513232950.xml&coll=1

Second banana is available
Friday, June 20, 2008

I would submit that there is a collective sigh of “ugh” these days among the voters, aimed at Gov. Bobby Jindal.

He came into office less than five months ago riding a wave of warm and fuzzy feeling that the days of ugly politics for which this state is infamous were over. Now, what a disappointment!

Gov. Jindal can be bullied by the Legislature for anything they deem worth blackmailing him for. Our governor talks a good game, but he has no fight in him. This isn’t a good precedent, people, regardless of the outcome.

I would further submit that if this governor doesn’t veto that bill, his political future ‘round these parts is on life support at best.

I wonder if we can petition Sen. John McCain to please take him. I don’t agree with Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu on everything, but I do think he would tell the Legislature where to get off when need be.

E. Dobard

Covington

[abb]

http://www.shreveporttimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080620/OPINION04/806200306/1007/OPINION
Letters to the Editor: Meet pay raise with veto, voter response

[kms61]

And House Speaker Jim Tucker, currently the target of a recall petition over the pay raise, is a Republican. I don’t trust either party in this state any more.

[abb]

http://www.thenewsstar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080620/OPINION02/806200329/1014/OPINION
Era of fiscal responsibility dawns

The following is a column by Gov. Bobby Jindal delivered Wednesday to The News-Star by e-mail from Trey Williams, his communications director. It appeared online at thenewsstar.com Thursday and was referenced in Thursday’s editorial:

snip

http://www.thenewsstar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080620/OPINION03/806200331/1014/OPINION
Time to write Baton Rouge

[abb]

http://www.theadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080620/NEWS01/806200327
Legislative aides latest in line for pay raises
Bills offer $900-a-month increases for lawmakers’ home-office staff

http://www.theadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080620/OPINION03/806200303/1014/OPINION
Jindal should step up and veto pay-hike bill

[Mister Da]

This is a defining moment for Jindal. Will he side with the people or the POLS?

If he sides with the pols, his luster will be gone - just another self-enriching bureaucrat!

Hey Bobby, you are playing with sh#t, & now you stink!

[abb]

for the ping list

[abb]

I posted about this the other day and was set upon by out of staters who still think Jindal is a rising GOP star.

As have I - several times. But the facts are stubborn things. The man is a poseur. He fooled me.

[randita]

I think they talked about the 300 percent raise so that when they voted themselves a mere 200 percent, we would be mollified.

200% raise? They can't be serious. While people are stretching hard to pay for gas and food, they vote themselves a 200% raise which will have to be footed by taxpayers meaning they have to even stretch harder to come up with the increased tax burden?

Man. Talk about out of touch.

It's been rumored that the legislature has told Jindal that they won't pass anything he wants unless he passes the pay raise. If so, Jindal is really being jerked around and should take his case to the people.

[abb]

http://jeffsadow.blogspot.com/
Excuses for big pay raise reveal moronic legislators

[Ghost of Philip Marlowe]

He's a rising star for one primary reason:
Many GOPers have bought into the lie that white males are guilty of all the “patriarchy” lies spread by leftists in academe and that white males have no moral grounds to lead the people.

The acceptance of this premise has succeeded in shutting up a lot of white males in all strata of society and politics.

Those who accept this premise believe we need non-white-males to voice the conservative principles first put into action by white males and that established this country as the freest and most prosperous country on the planet.

That is why so many GOPers backed Powell and Rice before they had any idea what their principles truly were.

I, for one, reject the premise. I have problem with non-whites proclaiming conservatism. The fact of the matter is that I, like Dr. King dreamed of, do not see the issues in terms of race or ethnicity. They are completely irrelevant to me—except when being a white male precludes you from the public debate. Then I do stand up for white males. And there are plenty of very intelligent, articulate white males out there that espouse conservative views very well. Of course, they do not receive the attention that others receive in large part because they are discriminated against by the bigotry of the MSM.

That said, Jindal may make a fine conservative leader at the national level some day. My arguments against him are the same as they were. He does not have enough experience as an executive in elective positions. Part of what that experience does is show us what his true principles are. It certainly was not a very smart move for him not to veto this legislation while the GOP is holding him up as a possible Veep and he is trying to claim to be a Reagan-style conservative. Reagan would have either given them a pittance of a raise so that his opposition could save face while truly representing the people, or he would have vetoed it altogether.

Jindal appears to have folded his hand before he even looked at his cards. He probably feared vetoing the bill and then having constant opposition as a result of his veto. Had he been more forward thinking, he would have realized that he could have vetoed the bill, appealed to the people to support his actions, and then, if he faced retaliatory opposition, called upon the people to pressure their representatives. This is how Reagan handled these issues.

Let's not be like the Democrats and support people because they are minorities and that would help us when more votes. I don't care about the GOP. I care about conservatism. If people support Powell or Rice or Jindal because of their race/ethnicity, they are as misguided as the Democrat left.

[Hoodat]

"When good compromises with evil, it is only evil that can profit."

-Ayn Rand-

[abb]

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/tribunereview/news/westmoreland/s_454821.html

Shockwave shatters Pa. politics
By Brad Bumsted, Debra Erdley and Mike Wereschagin
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Sunday, May 21, 2006

Buzz up!
Post to MySpace!
StumbleUpon Toolbar

At 11 p.m. July 6, 2005, Pennsylvania’s General Assembly finally had adopted a new budget, and lawmakers were wrapping up an 11-day session that had gone around-the-clock through the holiday weekend.

One last order of business remained before the summer recess — a pay-raise vote that came in the early morning hours of July 7.

The political upheaval that vote triggered was about to become unprecedented in Pennsylvania.

Ten months later, after Primary 2006 votes were counted May 16, the overall toll became clear:

• First, in November, a Supreme Court justice ousted on a retention vote;

• 30 lawmakers over the fall and winter decided to retire, rather than face the wrath of voters in the spring;

• 17 incumbent legislators defeated last Tuesday in the primary election, including the top two Republican leaders in the Senate.

This is the story — gleaned from interviews with legislators, staffers, challengers and political observers — of the 10 months of events that resulted in what defeated Republican Sen. Robert Jubelirer calls “a political earthquake in Pennsylvania.”

snip