Here are some quotes by a prominent U.S. politician:
On Economic Development:
On Higher Education:
On Primary Education:
On Health Care:
On Transportation:
On Cleaning Up Government:
Let's see. Putting the state's money where its mouth is on the job readiness of its citizens. Understanding that higher education is an investment in the state's economy and not something to be ridiculed and kicked in the shins. Promoting and expanding pre-K programs. Aggressively working to get more poor kids government health insurance. Using the centrality of state government to help residents maximize their health-care buying power. Treating elected officials just like other state employees when it comes to ethics training, and punishing them when they do wrong.
Couldn't possibly be a Republican, could it?
But these are all quotes from Louisiana's new governor-elect, Bobby Jindal. Jindal, a 36-year-old Rhodes scholar, has already run a state agency and a public university system, served in a top position at HHS, and is currently a Member of Congress.
Good thing he's not from Wisconsin. Idea conservatives aren't really welcome here right now. The base here prefers the Johnny One Notes who just carp about taxes all day. They'd probably complain that Jindal doesn't have enough private sector experience, unlike the current crop of failed small business types and restaurant owners that populate the Republican caucus and have been oh-so-successful in recent times without Scott Jensen.
Fortunately, there are states where the GOP values intellect in a public figure more than Wisconsin. States like Louisiana.
Ouch.
That there are still Republicans out there who recognize that the government, when used properly and in a limited capacity, can do a world of good for those it governs, gives me hope that maybe the mouth-breathers will eventually be pushed aside. Perhaps once they finish running the party into the ground next year, smart guys like Reince Priebus will recognize that the AFP crowd isn't the future of a successful and prosperous GOP.
After all, there is a common element to those who have led the crusade in recent years, be it Ronald Reagan, Newt Gingrich, or Scott Jensen. They weren't outsiders. They all succeeded because they understood how government worked from the inside.
Here's hoping the governor's office isn't Jindal's last stop. The GOP needs people like this to lead it out of the wilderness and back into a position where it can get meaningful things accomplished.
On Economic Development:
"Make a commitment to employers by offering a 'Day One Guarantee' that will promise a highly skilled, trained workforce and free retraining for any graduate not meeting the needs of businesses."
On Higher Education:
"We can no longer afford to be penny-wise and pound foolish by allowing valuable researchers that can bring in millions of dollars in grants to leave because we refuse to pay to repair crumbling infrastructure and facilities."
"I will commit to developing nationally competitive state research departments here, improve the focus of technology transfer and commercialization, and work with universities to pursue top faculty with competitive salaries and endowments."
On Primary Education:
"Too many children from low-income and working families are unprepared to succeed when they enter the first grade. We must better promote top-quality pre-kindergarten programs to help these children develop critical reading readiness and social skills that will pave the way for academic success."
On Health Care:
"We should also allow individuals and small businesses to pool their health insurance purchasing power to get lower rates. Creation of a health insurance 'exchange' would establish a 'market organizer' that could serve as a central system for buying and selling insurance. The health care exchange would, in effect, facilitate a uniform withholding system allowing couples, for example, to combine contributions from two employers to buy coverage."
"We should increase promotion efforts to get schools, hospitals, clinics, and state agencies to inform parents about their eligibility (for SCHIP) and about the ease with which children can be enrolled."
On Transportation:
"We must permanently dedicate to transportation projects existing transportation fees, such as truck and trailer registration fees, along with vehicle sales and parts taxes. Voters expected these revenues to go to roads when these taxes were imposed, and we owe it to them to follow through on that promise."
On Cleaning Up Government:
"Implement mandatory ethics training programs, for elected and appointed officials, as well as members of the public boards and commissions."
"Upon the retirement of a state worker, examine opportunities to incorporate those job duties among existing workforce."
"Require any elected official convicted of crimes related to their position to forfeit the taxpayer-funded portion of their pension."
Let's see. Putting the state's money where its mouth is on the job readiness of its citizens. Understanding that higher education is an investment in the state's economy and not something to be ridiculed and kicked in the shins. Promoting and expanding pre-K programs. Aggressively working to get more poor kids government health insurance. Using the centrality of state government to help residents maximize their health-care buying power. Treating elected officials just like other state employees when it comes to ethics training, and punishing them when they do wrong.
Couldn't possibly be a Republican, could it?
But these are all quotes from Louisiana's new governor-elect, Bobby Jindal. Jindal, a 36-year-old Rhodes scholar, has already run a state agency and a public university system, served in a top position at HHS, and is currently a Member of Congress.
Good thing he's not from Wisconsin. Idea conservatives aren't really welcome here right now. The base here prefers the Johnny One Notes who just carp about taxes all day. They'd probably complain that Jindal doesn't have enough private sector experience, unlike the current crop of failed small business types and restaurant owners that populate the Republican caucus and have been oh-so-successful in recent times without Scott Jensen.
Fortunately, there are states where the GOP values intellect in a public figure more than Wisconsin. States like Louisiana.
Ouch.
That there are still Republicans out there who recognize that the government, when used properly and in a limited capacity, can do a world of good for those it governs, gives me hope that maybe the mouth-breathers will eventually be pushed aside. Perhaps once they finish running the party into the ground next year, smart guys like Reince Priebus will recognize that the AFP crowd isn't the future of a successful and prosperous GOP.
After all, there is a common element to those who have led the crusade in recent years, be it Ronald Reagan, Newt Gingrich, or Scott Jensen. They weren't outsiders. They all succeeded because they understood how government worked from the inside.
Here's hoping the governor's office isn't Jindal's last stop. The GOP needs people like this to lead it out of the wilderness and back into a position where it can get meaningful things accomplished.
16 comments:
Don't forget that he has signed Americans for Tax Reform's Taxpayer Protection pledge. Another brilliant position by a great Republican.
Sure, I'm aware that he signed the ATR pledge four years ago. But notice how much more there is to his approach to governance. That's the problem with the GOP in Wisconsin. You can't just beat your chest and complain about taxes and expect voters to be impressed with that. You could look through scores of Jindal's campaign material and not come across any mention of the ATR pledge.
And in Louisiana's case, they're so overtaxed that Jindal shouldn't have too much trouble honoring that as governor. Louisiana has a state budget nearly as large as Pennsylvania, and PA has three times as many people.
But yes, Jindal's election is great for a party that is desperately in need of new leadership. It's something that should excite all Republicans.
Let me see if I can boil down this long winded post into what you were really trying to say.
'Republicans would be better served to act and govern like Democrats if it wants to accomplish anything meaningful'
Gee ... thats great. You giving Republicans advice to help them be more 'meaningful'.
What's next? Writing about how Lovie Smith should go back to Rex Grossman at QB because we here in Wisconsin just want to see the Bears accomplish something meaningful again?
Haha, what's funny here is that you're calling Bobby Jindal too liberal for the GOP. That's hilarious. Signs the ATR pledge, is 100% pro-life, and Jindal's too liberal for you.
I'm not saying that Republicans have to act more like Democrats. I'm saying Republicans have to get their heads out of their asses and realize that just bitching about taxes all day while paying zero attention to any of the other issues voters care about is a sure-fire recipe for the minority.
It's not that I want to see Republicans fail. It's that I want to see *these* Republicans currently in power fail, simply because they've drifted so far away from what voters actually want them to talk about.
I said nothing of Bobby Jindal at all. I was speaking specifically of your advice on what Republicans should do or not do to get meaningful things accomplished. And I'm right ... you think we should act more like liberals. I just find that amusing, irrespective of my beliefs on Jindal or any other Republican candidate. And lets be honest here ... you find Jindal refreshing because he says things you aren't used to hearing Republican say. But you know as well as I do, you'd never vote for him in a general election.
See, that's where you fundamentally misunderstand me. I would indeed vote for a guy like Bobby Jindal, and in a heartbeat.
Supporting public universities isn't (or shouldn't be) a Democratic concept. Making sure poor kids have the support they need so maybe they can do better than their parents isn't a Democratic concept. Investing in development and training of a competent workforce isn't a Democratic concept. Fiscal responsibility isn't a Democratic concept (although Democrats do a better job of paying for their spending than Republicans do these days).
The things Jindal says are the things Republicans *used* to say until they got sucked into the Tom DeLay/Denny Hastert/John Gard/Mike Huebsch "power for power's sake" method of governance. Now it's just about how many tax-haters, gun-toters, and Bible-thumpers can we drag to the polls to stay in the majority and hand out our pork? That strategy scares the hell out of a lot of people who have traditionally voted Republican but have nothing in common with those groups.
Conservatives with ideas can still win elections. But you tell me, how many Republicans lately have run campaigns like Jindal ran in Louisiana? Certainly none in Wisconsin. These guys haven't had a decent idea for governance since Scott Jensen left town. It's all bullshit conscience clause bills, concealed carry, gay marriage, that trainwreck they called TABOR. It's backwards faux-populism and blue-collar pandering masquerading as public policy.
Put bright, intelligent, thoughtful conservatives like Jindal back in charge and you'd be surprised how quickly the non-extremists will come back to roost. Jindal recognizes something so many in Wisconsin don't these days - the fastest way to saving money isn't by slashing government's tires, but by fundamentally changing and improving how government works. And there's the message that wins. Not "government sucks" but "here's our plan for doing things better."
Jindal may be an anomaly. He certainly is in this state. He carried the parishes (counties for the rest of you) in the North part of the state that he lost last time by playing up the "Bubba's for Bobby" vote. But he did not really do that much campaigning. He skipped most of the televised debates for example. Now what remains to be seen is how much of his popularity is simply remorse from those who voted for Blanco last time.
I am guardedly optimistic. Though I have been burned in the past.
James
Baton Rouge, La.
Jindal is a smart man.
Which is why he supports teaching creationism in public schools.
That makes up for a lot of the more progressive ideas he has for many LA Republicans I guess.
We'll see about Jindal. Yes, he can be called an idea conservative of sorts, but you are only highlighting some of Jindal's ideas that resonate with you. You should also be fair and note that some of Jindal's other conservative "ideas" include teaching intelligent design in public school science classrooms and repealing an executive order signed by his predecessor that bars state agencies and outside contractors from discriminating in their hiring practices on the litany of inherent, immutable characteristics.
Hello to my interlopers from Louisiana, and thanks for your contributions.
Yeah, I'm aware Jindal has a pretty out there record on some of the social issues.
Personally, I have no problem with the repeal of hate crimes legislation. I'm not sure it's for the government to say that some motives are, by fiat, worse than others. Leave that to a jury.
The creationism stuff is kind of out there for me, even as a practicing Christian. If you want to teach creationism in schools, do it in a religious studies class, not biology. I think it's fine for a biology teacher to acknowledge that some people believe in creationism, but let's face it, biology teachers aren't qualified to teach theology.
In terms of Jindal's suitability for a higher, national platform, his first term as governor will be a big test. While voters in socially conservative parts of LA might be okay with this intelligent design claptrap, it's the kind of thing that will get him flatly rejected out of hand in a national election. To the average American, intelligent design is an issue trumpeted solely by evangelical wackos.
If Jindal can shelve the goofy social stuff and focus on cleaning up government, he could be in good shape for a national run down the line. But if he does, he's going to have to acknowledge that his personal views are his personal views and not going to be the basis for the policy that he advances.
I'm opposed to electing people like Jindal.
Having coloreds in public positions will hurt the Republican Party in the long run.
I'm sure he's talented. I'm also sure there are many positions behind-the-scenes in which he could excel.
You may have completely missed the boat on the reasons for Jindal's victory. One thing he had going for him was that he resonated competence (which his predecessor proved she lacked at a crucial time) and at least gave the impression that he wasn't corrupt or a hypocrite (Nagin, Jefferson, Vitter). Boasso and Georges gave off that last impression and none of the other candidates had enough name recognition.
I know that the fact Jindal projected an image of competence in a state that has virtually no history of it among elected officials was a big plus in this race. Thanks for calling attention to that, though. You're right to acknowledge it as a big part of his success.
Do you suppose Jindal would have been elected if he did promote creationism?
From what I understand, in this particular race, it may not have mattered. Sounds like most people in Louisiana, after the last few years, were just happy to have a bright candidate who projected an image of competence. And as it goes, Louisiana voters are relatively conservative from a social standpoint, Republicans and Democrats both.
The one thing I certainly wouldn't do is make any extrapolations about 'what this means' to any other race. This shouldn't be taken as a hopeful sign for any national races. There is no party shift going on here. This was strictly a local circumstance and there is still a lot of outright anger here over the mismanagement of Katrina, which is largely blamed on the GOP.
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