Have you been wondering what Bobby Jindal has been doing since his run for the Republican nomination fizzled out? Me neither. I was about to write that his campaign had gone up in flames but that would be inaccurate since it never even got off the ground and the words ‘fizzled out’ seemed more appropriate. But I came across this editorial from the state’s largest newspaper that shows that as his last days as governor of Louisiana approach, he remains a true jerk.
Gov. Bobby Jindal is taking a tour of Louisiana as his last month in office winds down.
…But no amount of PR can undo Gov. Jindal’s negative imprint on Louisiana. In fact, as he travels the state talking himself up, the governor is also reminding people of the mess he’s leaving behind.
He told the Baton Rouge Press Club Monday that he wanted to cut higher education again rather than tap the state rainy day fund to help make up a $500 million mid-year deficit. Fortunately, the Legislature realized that colleges and universities had been cut too much already.
…Louisiana has cut state funding to higher education more than any other state during Gov. Jindal’s two terms. Since 2008, higher education has been slashed by 42 percent here, according to a report by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities in May.
In 2013-14, Louisiana came in last among 16 Southern states for general fund money allocated for each full-time college student.
…Gov. Jindal’s refusal to accept the federal expansion of Medicaid has hurt tens of thousands of residents as well. Gov.-elect Edwards has said he plans to reverse that decision and extend coverage to uninsured low-income residents as soon as possible. Legislators finally seem to be moving in that direction as well.
Even so, Gov. Jindal said Monday at the Press Club that his administration would do nothing between now and inauguration day Jan. 11 to start preparing to expand Medicaid.
Of course he won’t do anything to help the poor or for education. It would ruin his standing with the wealthy oligarchs with whom he is no doubt hoping to secure a rich sinecure.
Don’t let the door hit you on your way out, Bobby.
It’s less a farewell tour than a fare-worse tour (i.e. How many are worse off because of him?).
We should coin a new political term for this. Jindalling is when a political failure refuses to admit defeat and tries to leave like he were a two term president. (See also: Huckabee, Jeb!, Carson, Perry, et al.) Imagine a mediocre pro athlete cut from a team who acts like he were a hall of fame player. It would be incredibly embarrassing to watch…embarrassing to everyone except for the egomaniac.
Wasn’t Jindal notably whiny and ineffective during Hurricane Katrina? It’s amazing he had a political career at all, after that.
Marcus Ranum @ # 2:Wasn’t Jindal notably whiny and ineffective during Hurricane Katrina?
He seems to have been notably whiny & ineffective all his life, but in 2005 Louisiana’s governor was a Democrat named Kathleen Blanco.
I dunno exactly what Bobby J was doing at the time, but it seems very likely that, whatever it was, he lied about it.
Apparently, it was -- he was grandstanding
http://www.redstate.com/2015/08/27/bobby-jindal-easily-forgotten-lessons-hurricane-katrina/