Posted on 11/24/2009 4:33:20 AM PST by broken_arrow1
BATON ROUGE, LA (WAFB) - Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-LA, has been in the spotlight since her vote Saturday, allowing debate to begin on the national healthcare bill. Included in the deal, Landrieu secured as much as $300 million for Louisiana's Medicaid program, something she said Gov. Bobby Jindal asked for, leaving him in a sticky situation.
"It is the number one request of my governor, who is a Republican," Landrieu said Saturday on the Senate floor.
She told her fellow senators she is proud of the move she made Saturday. She voted to allow debate on the national healthcare bill and in the same measure secured million of dollars for Louisiana's Medicaid costs. Critics have called her actions "the new Louisiana Purchase."
"I think Mary Landrieu comes from the John Breaux school of governing. He's the guy that said, 'My vote is not for sale. It's for rent,'" said Jim Engster, a Baton Rouge political analyst.
Landrieu argues otherwise.
"That is not the reason I am moving to debate. The reason I am moving to debate is the same as expressed in the last hundred of speeches I have given," she said.
According to Landrieu she simply responded to requests from Gov. Jindal and his administration. Alan Levine, secretary of the Department of Health and Hospitals, has traveled to Washington, D.C. more than 10 times in the last three months, lobbying for more than $1 billion in Medicaid help.
"You hate to look a gift horse in the mouth and in this case, it was a Democrat, Mary Landrieu, who is an ideological foe, who came through with the bacon," Engster said.
He added that's why it's no surprise Jindal and his administration have largely stayed quiet on Landrieu's latest move.
"I think the governor is biting his lip and saying, 'I want the money and because of that, I'm not going to criticize the politics that led to the money,'" Engster noted.
According to Engster, that approach allows Jindal to stay in line with Republicans against the healthcare bill, but still collects the cash Landrieu put in it for Louisiana.
Jindal declined an interview request. He was in Nashville, Tennessee much of the day for a fundraiser for his re-election campaign. He returned to Louisiana in the afternoon.
Yeah, so far, Jindal has been incredibly disappointing in terms of potential for national office. Bad speech on tv, and serial bad decisions on national issues. Also, his comments on working with Obama on health care show him to be tone deaf. I had very high hopes, but 2009 has been a bad year for Bobby.
Not so fast, I’d like to hear it from him first. Though I can’t imagine Landrieu would dare to lie like that.
Not in 2012, 2016, or 2020. If you can’t lead by example, then you can’t lead at all.
As Governor of Louisiana, Jindal has an obligation to request LA reps & Senators from his State push for Federal funds.
Obviously, Landreaux kept that request *in the vault* until she needed to spend it. Opportunity presented itself.
She’s diabolically clever!!!! Got THREE birds with $300ml.
Jindal is damaged. She got to vote socialist policy. She got the money for her State!!!!!
“Not so fast, Id like to hear it from him first.”
Yeah, well last I checked today is Tuesday and the traitor vote was Saturday. Plenty of time to stand in front of a microphone and say it is not in Louisiana’s best interest nor in America’s best interest (and feel free to use my talking points Bobby if you can’t think of anything to say).
He isn’t eligible to be President.
His parents were not yet citizens when he was born in the U.S.A. He is a native born citizen, NOT a natural born citizen.
“Shes diabolically clever!!!! Got THREE birds with $300ml.”
HAT TRICK!
Yeah ... his silence is DEAFENING ... we’ve heard that SAME silence from republicans for years. No more.
Looks like our boy has “grown in office” big time.
Bobby, we hardly knew ye.
of interest
While Texas positions itself to cut itself off from Federal Funds. She got MY money for her state. Only if it passes, right?
I always thought Jindal looked and sounded too weak. 2012??? Sorry, we need strength of character and someone who is willing to say NO to all our enemies foreign and domestic.
(including the plundering pirates in the house and senate).
This is why any politician needs to develop a track record before we push to promote him to president. Jindal looked like he might be good, but he's proven, especially with this, tht he's a dud.
I am disappointed in Jindal here, however consider this:
Medicare is a federally mandated service foisted upon the states to administer and fund.
This would have been a great opportunity for Jindal to come out and blast federal mandates and what they mean for the states.
“As Governor of Louisiana, Jindal has an obligation to request LA reps & Senators from his State push for Federal funds.”
As a conservative governor, he has an obligation to veto deficit spending so that he doesn’t need federal funny money.
WTF
Just like they did with Colin Powell, Condi Rice, and a host of others, Republicans went rushing to another minority that they were hoping and praying would be a voice of conservatism.
And just like with the others, I said we need to see what they believe before we support them.
And just like then I said that I don’t give a rat’s ass if they are man or woman, white, black, brown, purple, or blue.
Frankly, more often than not Jindal comes off as weird when I hear him speak. And if everyone thinks the MSM won’t make fun of him having taken the name “Bobby” from Bobby Brady and ridiculing him into silence, dream on.
WHAT OUR LEADERS NEED TO BE IS CONSERVATIVE.
And there are plenty of good conservatives out there who can articulate the conservative view very well.
What WE need to do is organize behind them.
Frankly they can have the 300 million....and pay for it.
Texas must take a stand for absolute sovereignty....and shed the national debt....send not one penny more to that tank of putrid feces....called Washington, DC.
“As Governor of Louisiana, Jindal has an obligation to request LA reps & Senators from his State push for Federal funds.”
Are you kidding me?
ARE YOU KIDDING ME???
Governors are OBLIGATED to take money from the Feds?? Even at the expense of violating their allegedly anti-big-government principles — ESPECIALLY ON SOCIALIZED MEDICINE???
How the hell have we gotten to this point?
Jindal should have used SOCIALIZED MEDICINE TO TAKE A FIRM STAND AGAINST BIG GOVERNMENT. Not used it as a cash-cow for his state.
All of us here who are opposed to big government and especially SOCIALIZED MEDICINE know that the $300 million LA gets for signing on to socialized medicine will end up being lost 10-fold nationally in a matter of years after it is enacted. Talk about killing the goose that lays the golden egg. And talk about hypocrisy and selling out for a few shekels of non-silver-backed currency.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.