Bobby Jindal Is Bad!

Back when I ran for Congress in 2004, the Times Picayune ran a ballot in the Sunday paper and listed me as a Repubilcan. I called them, being rather angry at their lack of professionalism, and informed them of their mistake and that they need some better fact checkers. They appologized and ran a retraction in the Monday paper. Unfortunately, on Tuesday they ran the same ballot from the Sunday paper.

It seems that they are still using the bad checkers, those who “drink the Bobby Jindal Kool Aid“, and they wound up endorsing Bobby Jindal for governor. Let’s go through their endorsement and see where the Times Picayune has gotten it wrong.

We need a governor who transcends conventional politics,

This is the first error in judgement of the Times Picayune. Even Stephanie Grace described the tactics of the Jindal campaign as “rovian“. Someone who uses the tactics of Karl Rove does not “transcend” conventional politics. Someone who avoids debates because it is the smart thing to do politically is not someone who “transcends” conventional politics. Jindal is entrenched in conventional politics.

and offers a decisive break from a past mired in underachievement and corruption.

So, when Bobby Jindal led us to dead last in healthcare nationwide, we are supposed to believe that he will give us a break from underachievement? When Bobby Jindal voted to weaken house ethics rules, we are supposed to believe that he will be strong on corruption? Give me a break!

We believe Bobby Jindal is that person.

You are blind, ignorant to the actual facts, and gullible to believe the Jindal record and basically spew it all over your newspaper.

By instinct, he is a rare combination of policy analyst, people person and problem solver.

If the problem Jindal saw was “how do we remove access to healthcare to people in Louisiana while making me look like a genius” then yes, Jindal is a problem solver. Of course, him doing that created many other problems. And sure, Jindal is a people person as long as those people agree with him and do not rely on the state for healthcare.

We believe he will project an image that will undo many old myths about Louisiana.

Like when he used the term “outside agitators” in reference to the racial problems in Jena Louisiana? Yeah, that ought to go a LONG way to show people outside Louisiana that we are getting past our old problems.

Oh wait, the Times Picayune is only talking about MYTHS, racism in Louisiana does exist so it is a fact. So as long as Jindal perpetuates FACTS about Louisiana then he is ok in the eyes of the Times Picayune. That must be it!

Specifically, we have this high expectation for Mr. Jindal’s legacy: that our state will become known as not only a great place to live but a magnet for the best and brightest, including our own; a breeding ground of entrepreneurial energy and jobs; and a leader in education and health care.

I think they are setting themselves up for a huge disappointment.

During Mr. Jindal’s tenure, the department cracked down on fraud in the Medicaid program and erased a $475 million deficit.

Ahhhhhhh that old line. Jindal tossed the baby out with the bathwater when he made his cuts, and he continued removing access to healthcare even when he was running a surplus. $200 million that could have been used to help people but wasn’t, when Jindal was supposed to provide healthcare to those people, and we are supposed to praise him? Jindal’s policies where thoughtless, did not take into account the actual people he would effect, and where in some cases in violation of the law! But I guess the fact checkers at the Times Picayune didn’t bother with those pesky little facts.

In the past three years, he has gained important legislative experience as Louisiana’s 1st District representative to Congress.

Really!?!?!?! Is that why he is ranked 432 out of 439?

Among other important efforts to help his battered home state post-Katrina, Mr. Jindal was instrumental in persuading Congress to give Louisiana a share of federal offshore oil and gas revenues.

They must have gotten the big super gulp sized Kool Aid when they ran this one. Maybe the fact checkers over at the Times Picayune where asleep for this one. See, Jindal claims that it was his hard work but as we know over here at Jindal Is Bad, Jindal has taken credit where none is due. Jindal fought the offshore bill that passed because he wanted his own to pass. His bill never would have passed because it placed an undue burden on states who wanted to keep drilling off their coasts. This risked the passage of either of these bills. The Times Picayune must be unaware that it was the Domenici-Landireu bill that passed and Jindal only got on board with that bill after the election of 2006 was over with.

But then, just when you think the Times Picayune couldn’t get more foolish, it does by saying:

The importance of that achievement cannot be overstated.

Yet SOMEHOW they managed to do just that! They overstated Bobby Jindal’s work on this bill. Why? Because Bobby Jindal overstates his help in getting the bill passed and the Times Picayune has bought it hook line and sinker.

Notably, he wants to beef up the state’s embarrassingly weak ethics code.

Unfortunately, that plan mentions nothing about the fact that our campaign finance law is horribly flawed with huge loopholes that enable the wealthy to donate as much as they want as long as they own enough corporations to do so. Jindal is helped by that loophole, so of course he wont be pushing to change this.

But it’s Mr. Jindal’s intangible qualities that give shape to a leader: a sense of purpose, a strong ethical compass and a passion to make our state a better place.

Oh right, the strong ethical compass that pushed him to support making house ethics weaker for Tom Delay. Suuuuure.

Bobby Jindal is a cog in the already existing machine. He is the same ole same ole who has only showed up to work once in the last two months. If I didn’t show up for my job for two months I would get fired. But no, the Times Picayune has ignored that fact as well and is willing to overlook many others to make their endorsement.

And what is worse? The Times Picayune has told several of my friends that they will not run any letters to the editor about Bobby Jindal during this election. I guess the T-P doesn’t want anyone to reveal their inability to check their facts.

From now on, I will be referring to the Times Picayune as the T-P, since those initials at least show what the paper is useful for.