Bobby Jindal – Caricature (Photo credit: DonkeyHotey)
By Robert Mann
Have you noticed the competition between Gov. Bobby Jindal and Sen. David Vitter? No, these two Republicans aren’t on the same ballot. But with all their silly stunts and phony outrage of late, they seem to competing for the title, “Louisiana Politician Who Most Hates Barack Obama.”
For Jindal, that title would only advance his 2016 presidential ambitions. And it wouldn’t hurt Vitter, either, who may be plotting a race for governor in 2015.
Vitter, of course, joined Texas Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tea Party) to threaten a government shutdown if Congress won’t defund the Affordable Care Act. He’s also halted Senate business over a stunt – cleverly disguised as an amendment - to undermine the health care reform law by ousting the president, vice president, and virtually every congressional employee, from the federal health insurance system.
So far, Vitter’s antics are a sideshow – but he wrote the book on partisan obstruction and stunts to foment irrational anger at Obama. In fact, Jindal no doubt has studied that book and learned how Vitter rescued his political career, after a 2007 prostitution scandal, by running hard against President Obama in 2010.
Sen. David Vitter
With poll numbers worse than Vitter’s at their lowest point, Jindal has apparently ripped a page from the Vitter playbook and is now frantically trying to refocus voters’ wrath away from his own ineptitude, manufacturing his own stunts to point them, instead, to the evils of the Obama administration.
Jindal is paying $500,000 to air a spot that attacks Obama for meddling in our schools and daring to implement his health care reforms. “The know-it-alls in Washington think they know better than Louisiana parents,” Jindal warns us. “Kinda like with Obamacare, when they tried to put the IRS in charge of our health care. I’m fighting to keep Obamacare out of Louisiana. I’m fighting to keep the federal government out of our schools.”
Take note Sen. Vitter. That’s some crafty Washington hate mongering, which might be even more effective if Jindal’s words were true.
Related articles
- Senate Dems prep brush-back pitch for David Vitter (maddowblog.msnbc.com)
- Sen David Vitter who enjoys govt health care, calls supporters of Obamacare moochers (freakoutnation.com)
- Jindal’s voucher program: a vote-buying scam aimed at the Christian right (bobmannblog.com)
- Louisiana school voucher dispute may be ending (kansascity.com)
- Analysis: DOJ lawsuit gives Jindal new attention (sfgate.com)
- La. governor demands feds drop suit against state (sfgate.com)
- Bobby Jindal’s Voucher Hoax (dianeravitch.net)
Filed under: Louisiana Politics, Politics Tagged: Barack Obama, Bobby Jindal, David Vitter, Louisiana education, Louisiana education reform, Obamacare, Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, Ted Cruz, Vitter, vouchers
