I remember it all too well.
The hurricane. The press conference. The tears. The criticism.
And just like that, former Gov. Kathleen Blanco lost her credibility in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. “Inaction” became the defining word for her administration; a label so damaging that Blanco eventually – and rightly – realized a run for re-election would be futile. The people of Louisiana were ready for a leader, tried and true.
Enter well-known and seasoned gubernatorial candidate Bobby Jindal.
Jindal promised a break from the past. Promises of reform and leadership were lapped up like crawfish. Perhaps most importantly, Jindal looked the part: a young, ethnic and smart politician, husband and father.
And from the ashes Gov. Jindal did rise.
But now, faced with an all or nothing fight between the will of the people and the selfish demands of the legislature, Jindal is stagnant.
In trying to please all sides, Jindal has decided to vocally oppose the much-derided congressional pay raise – which will double our wonderful legislators’ salaries – but has informed legislators that he will not veto the bill.
Supporters will say Jindal is simply a victim of political reality: Vetoing the pay raise will damage Jindal’s influence to push his own “Very Important and Progressive Legislative Initiatives” – such as having science teachers preach the Old Testament.
But the legislature already seems to know exactly how to bully Jindal.
In fact, a proposed state income tax cut to “pre-Stelly Plan levels” – Senate Bill 87 – was almost hijacked altogether from Jindal’s control. The Bill nearly became a complete elimination of the state income tax – a conservative’s wet dream.
But don’t worry, our conservative friends worked that tax cut. Jindal is set to sign the legislation that will cost the state more than $300 million, because there is nothing Louisiana needs more than a cut in revenue. Public works be damned.
But I’m not sure that rolling over for the legislature and selling out the wishes – rather, demands – of the public are good ways to increase influence over any sphere. But in a situation like this pay raise, when push comes to shove, I would have hoped our fearless governor would have placed the will of the public first.
Of course this inaction – or cowardice, if I may – is becoming a trend.
According to a June 14 article in The Advocate, “Jindal, though only five months in office, already accounts for more unsigned bills becoming law than any governor in the last two decades except Mike Foster, who served eight years.”
There are two ways Jindal can allow a bill to become a law. The first, and more common, is for him to sign it into law. The second is to allow a bill to sit on the governor’s desk for 10 days, wherein it automatically becomes a law.
The latter method, which Jindal already seems to have mastered, is often a way of trying to relieve oneself of responsibility for a bill becoming law – something Jindal may likely do with the pay raise bill.
“You can’t lay the blame on somebody else because you can stop the increase to the legislators by saying ‘No,'” former Republican Gov. Buddy Roemer told The Advocate.
“Cowardice” is harsh, I know. And yes, Jindal does have a tough decision to make, which will, no matter what, yield unwanted consequences.
But this is a man who was elected precisely because he promised accountability, action, reform and all that other blah, blah, blah. He exploited the public’s anger at Blanco’s inaction to get himself elected. Now, though, faced with his own mini-crisis, one that I would not quite place on the same par as, say, the largest natural disaster this country has ever experienced, Jindal is finding that sometimes action can be hard to take.
And that is precisely why I laugh every time someone suggests Jindal would make a good choice for vice president.