In a video posted today, Times-Picayune political columnist Stephanie Grace and Managing Editor Peter Kovacs explain why the governor, who clearly still has national aspirations, is having the worst week ever — and there are still two weeks to go. The current legislative process has gone so poorly for Gov. Bobby Jindal, who turns 40 today, that there are now political observers betting the Legislature could adjourn without a budget.
In a bigger piece, the T-P analyzes how the former wunderkind, whose political aspirations seem to have begun at the age of 24 when he was named then Gov. Mike Foster’s secretary of the Department of Health and Hospitals, is a shoo-in for re-election (thanks in large part to his $9 million war chest). But that may be the end of the political road for Jindal, surmises those interviewed by the T-P, as he has lost his luster:
Meanwhile, the milestone birthday comes as Jindal labors through perhaps his toughest legislative session to date. His budget has been carved to pieces by the House of Representatives; his plans for selling prisons and merging two New Orleans universities are dead or on life support. Legislators are in a rebellious mood, and next week they could make him the first Louisiana governor since Edwin Edwards to have a veto overridden when they consider whether to extend a 4-cent cigarette tax.
Even before the session, there were signs that Jindal’s star had begun to dim in the Republican constellation.
Two years after being picked to deliver the official Republican response to President Barack Obama’s first presidential address to Congress, there are new governors making national waves. New Jersey’s Chris Christie and Wisconsin’s Scott Walker have become national figures, and have sent Republican hearts racing, as they challenge labor unions and other entrenched interests in their home states.
On Capitol Hill, 41-year-old Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., has shaped the national dialogue with a controversial plan to balance the federal budget with deep spending cuts and an overhaul of federal entitlement programs.
Jindal, meanwhile, is no longer the nation’s youngest governor, nor even its youngest Indian-American governor. Both of those titles now belong to Nikki Haley, the 39-year-old chief executive of South Carolina.
Read more on state experts' opinions about Jindal's political future here.
JUNE 16 This story in the Advocate tells us that the state Department of Education is taking a look at the Course Choice program. They're doing that because the legislature (probably responding to reporting by Tom Aswell, who does not work for the Advocate) ordered them to make sure that these private companies aren't signing six-year-olds up for high school Latin classes without their parents' knowledge or consent.
JUNE 17 Columnist James Gill writes about the recent complaint of death row inmates at Angola: it's hot as you-know-what in their cells, with the heat index topping 120 for months. Since we're not executing people anymore (Gill opines) then we should probably officially end the practice of putting people on death row. The prisoners, by the way, are not asking for cool breezes: they only ask for clean water and a temp that doesn't top 88.
JUNE 17 Here's blogger Ian McGibboney's take on the Baton Rouge plan to give bus tickets to homeless people who have a home with family who live far away. Taken from one point of view, it could be a good solution for some people. But McGibboney raises some good points here, including this one: Why not improve opportunities for everybody in Baton Rouge so these people can find the jobs they came to BR for?
JUNE 17 Picayune columnist Jarvis DeBerry talks here about the Zimmerman trial, but the real topic is the concept of a black man being more dangerous, somehow, than a white man in a fight. It is an interesting discussion, and one that may enlighten people who think that racism doesn't exist because nobody's keeping black folks from eating at the Woolworth lunch counter.
JUNE 17 Here's an interesting column from Baton Rouge Business Report's publisher, Rolfe McCollister, about anger against the government. It's brewing because of recent revelations about the IRS and the GSA, he says. It's readable, not just for the subject, but because of McCollister's collection of sources: Huffington Post, National Review and Wikipedia. That's a combo you don't see every day.
JUNE 17 In this American Press post, Jim Beam talks about the high school diploma track that lets kids who aren't interested in university get what they want and need out of high school. The diplomas get kids ready for technical school, Beam explains, and then he goes on to give some of the numbers. Some of these numbers might really surprise people who think technical school is second best. And, Beam adds, a college diploma does not guarantee anybody a job.
JUNE 17 The Washington Post reports here that OSHA is going to investigate the explosion that occurred last week in Donaldsonville, shortly after the other fatal accident in Geismar. As soon as the site is safe, State Police will be pulling out of the Donaldsonville plant to make way for OSHA investigators, the story reports. (Hey, here's an idea: why don't they go a couple miles down the road and figure out what happened when that massive sinkhole started sucking up land.)
JUNE 17 Robert Mann writes about the LSU Board of Supervisors in this post, taking a look at the many ways board members have served Gov. Jindal and not their university or their students. The board members are esteemed members of their fields, but can't seem to do anything but say "yes" to Jindal, regardless of the cost to LSU, Mann opines.
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Paul Ryan, Nikki Haley, Scott Walker Bobby Jindal and Ohio Governor John Kasich among others are a bunch of con-men and women.
You old white folks had better gather your millions of grandchildren and urge them to put these republicans out of business or you're going to find yourself eating dog food in your twlight years.
What little social security benefits that the republicans will leave you with will have to go to the private insurance companies to pay for your diabites, arthritis and heart health care.
SMART POWER ROCKS