Reversal cost governor (Jindal) credibility, lawmakers say (JindalWatch® Alert)

Times Picayune ^ | July 2, 2008 | Ed Anderson

[abb]

Gov. Bobby Jindal will have to repair his credibility after reneging on his promise to lawmakers not to veto a pay raise doubling their salaries, some of his key legislative leaders said Tuesday.

Senate President Joel Chaisson II, D-Destrehan, and House Speaker Pro Tem Karen Carter Peterson, D-New Orleans, said Jindal's sudden about-face on the pay raise will make it hard for some lawmakers to believe him in the future.

"He needs to rebuild trust and do a better job of articulating his position," said Chaisson, who promised he will continue to work with the governor on key issues for the state. "Just be honest with us."

Peterson said there were four times the governor or his aides could have put the brakes on the raise by announcing his objections to it: when the bill was in the Senate Committee on Senate and Governmental Affairs, on the Senate floor, in the House Committee on House and Governmental Affairs or on the House floor. But there was never any opposition expressed by the administration, she said.

"I received yellow notes on a lot of things" but not a pay raise, Peterson said, referring to the bright pastel paper used by the governor's office to send notes to lawmakers.

"What does your word mean?" Peterson asked. "How do you trust a person or believe he will keep his word? . . . His integrity is in question. . . . I am fine with the decision he made, but he needs to be a little more attuned to the process in the future."

Chaisson said Jindal could have headed off the controversy by telling lawmakers from the outset that he was against the raise. "The time to stand up and say 'no' should have come before it came to a vote."

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[abb]

JindalWatch® - Wednesay, July 2, 2008

[abb]

JindalWatch® Ping

[WayneS]

Louisiana “lawmakers”, questioning someone ELSE’S credibility?

Now THAT’S funny...

[misterrob]

Maybe someone listened to the voters and did the right thing? The legislature winds up looking bad here.

You bash Jinal all the time. Willing to offer anything positive on this one?

[Sprite518]

So the pigs in the legislator wanted to leach more off the taxpayers in Louisiana, and Jindal denied it. I love it! I say Jindal for President of the USA.

[abb]

http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/frontpage/index.ssf?/base/news-11/1214976712274230.xml&coll=1
House speaker regrets handling of raise

http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/frontpage/index.ssf?/base/news-11/1214976245235170.xml&coll=1
Recall hits Metairie Republican

http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/editorials/index.ssf?/base/news-4/1214976138235170.xml&coll=1
EDITORIAL: The unrepentant senator

http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/letterstoeditor/index.ssf?/base/news-12/1214976098235170.xml&coll=1
Cartoon went over the line

http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/letterstoeditor/index.ssf?/base/news-12/1214976149235170.xml&coll=1
Oh happy day

http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/letterstoeditor/index.ssf?/base/news-12/1214976120235170.xml&coll=1
The genie is loose

http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/letterstoeditor/index.ssf?/base/news-12/1214976124235170.xml&coll=1
The people have spoken

http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/letterstoeditor/index.ssf?/base/news-12/1214976165235170.xml&coll=1
Voters will be watching

http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/maginnis/index.ssf?/base/news-0/1214976108235170.xml&coll=1
Jindal aged by more than a birthday

[txrangerette]

Memo to the Legislature:

The BOTH of you, YOU and the GOVERNOR, were anathema to the VOTERS for going ahead with this monstrosity.

The difference between the Governor and YOU is that you didn’t hear the Mt. St. Helens-like rumbling that was about to erupt into a volcanic voter backlash, while the Governor apparently DID.

Wake up.

[Dr. Sivana]

"What does your word mean?" Peterson asked. "How do you trust a person or believe he will keep his word? . . . His integrity is in question. . . . I am fine with the decision he made, but he needs to be a little more attuned to the process in the future."

There is a hierarchy of allegiances. His duty to the people of Louisiana comes first. They made their feelings very well known. I suppose those chuckleheads in the Louisiana legislature would prefer someone like Illinois' Rod Blagojevich, who brings them into special sessions and insists on making them pass some pet program. (Actually, they probably would...never mind.)

[TornadoAlley3]

http://www.wafb.com/Global/story.asp?S=8581019

Jindal passed tough ethics laws to fight corruption, 200 or more people have resigned from government. Wonder what they do not want to disclose? :)

[abb]

http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/politics/22799229.html
Lawmakers disclose their income sources

http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/politics/22799114.html
Legislative recall petitions now six

http://www.theadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080702/OPINION03/807020322/1014/OPINION
Citizens of Louisiana spoke, Jindal listened

http://www.thenewsstar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080702/OPINION01/807020306/1014/OPINION
And Jim Fannin

http://www.thenewsstar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080702/OPINION03/807020322/1014/OPINION
Greed turned into overkill

http://www.thenewsstar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080702/OPINION03/807020323/1014/OPINION
Must support our lawmakers

http://www.dailyworld.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080702/OPINION01/807020310/1014/OPINION
Jindal finally heard outcry

http://www.shreveporttimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080702/OPINION03/807020334/1007/OPINION
Editorial: Lessons from the veto wars

http://www.ouachitacitizen.com/news.php?id=2425
It’s what the people wanted

[abb]

You bash Jinal all the time. Willing to offer anything positive on this one?

Yes, Gov. Jindal did the right thing with his veto Monday. But only after the electorate rose up and demanded he do so.

It is my opinion that the Governor knew what the Legislature was about to do regarding the pay raise, and had implicitly agreed to it. What they both misjudged was the reaction of the voters.

They're both on notice and will be closely watched for the balance of their terms.

[rawcatslyentist]

>""The time to stand up and say 'no' should have come before it came to a vote."

Then the Lawimposers would have claimed he was a heavy handed Napoleonic dictator!

Far as I kin see, the only ones who don't trust him are the ones no one else trusts in the first place!

No big supprize here, scum sucking ENEMEDIA sticking up for the scum sucking ruling PARTY!

[traderrob6]

“You bash Jinal all the time. Willing to offer anything positive on this one?”

Nope, this guy is a Jindal basher PERIOD. Doesn’t do what he wants “Jindal Bad! Does do hat he wants “Jindal Bad!

[abb]

Jindal is just another opportunistic politician. He's not a straw to be grasped at by the disenchanted, desperate and short-sighted repussicans in search of a "party savior".

Sadly, you are correct. And the quicker everyone knows that, the better.

And that is the very reason for these threads.

[indcons]

Great work, abb.

Psst...ignore the idiots and Bobby worshippers.

[abb]

Great work, abb. Psst...ignore the idiots and Bobby worshippers.

Thank you, indcons. I suspected I would get blowback when I started these daily threads, but the degree of hysteria surprised me.

[misterrob]

I am not that close to the situation but when an official listens to his boss, aka the people, then something is working.

[abb]

I am not that close to the situation but when an official listens to his boss, aka the people, then something is working.

I agree. But the voters had to throw a ring-tailed hissy fit to make it happen. I've not seen this much political commotion since the '91 governor's race between David Duke and Edwin Edwards.

[Non-Sequitur]

They're both on notice and will be closely watched for the balance of their terms.

Which is only fair, but to his credit Jindal did make the right decision. Hopefully he learns from this and begins to act as conservative as he talked. This is still the first office Jindal's held where he will need to make some tough decisions and then hang around long enough to see them through. How he does will decide what future he has in national politics