Keywords or terms: Governor
Bobby Jindal; Louisianans; Personal Ambition; Times-Picayune; New York Times;
Lt. Governor Jay Dardenne; State Capitol; AWOL; American Exceptionalism; Indian-American;
Poverty Rate; Health Outcomes; Health System; Aggressive Slashing of budget on
Education; CNBC.Com; American Economic Legislative Council; Senator Tom Cotton’s
letter to Iran; and US Presidency
Bobby Jindal is gradually,
if not completely, abdicating his responsibility to citizens of Louisiana; and,
the various interest groups forming his constituent are crying out for help.
There were reports that the governor has been out of the state for about fifty-percent
of the time, seeking his personal ambition for a national office, while the
duties and responsibilities of his office are left unattended. No matter how indifferent
the governor is to current assessment of his state’s economy by many well-meaning
Louisianans and outside observers, the shadow of his constant absence from the State’s
Capitol, is unacceptable to tax payers and continues to undermine whatever achievements
he may be adducing to his stewardship as the Governor of the Pelican State.
In what is probably
an indication that things are not well in Louisiana, the State most read and
probably the leading circulated Newspaper, the Times-Picayune, called for
Republican Governor Bobby Jindal to step aside and let the lieutenant governor
take over, in an editorial arguing that his national ambition is overcrowding
the enormity of the challenges confronting the state. Coincidentally, or
collaboratively, Charles Blow of the New York Times, saw the sense in
Times-Picayune position and advanced that Louisiana has enormous problems and
deserves a full-time governor, not one that is always ready to take off; concurring
with the argument that Lt. Governor Jay Dardenne, take over at the State
Capitol. If the State’s economy and revenue base ever turn uglier, the strains
over the governor’s constant travels outside the state will not only divide the
state, but also create probably the worst advisory for his national ambition.
The state of four and
a half million people, bordering the Gulf of Mexico, has been going through
revenue short-falls due to the falling world oil prices and poor priorities in
budget cuts. The Pelican State or Sportsman paradise, is gradually losing its
zing as her governor goes AWOL, making residents wonder why they allowed the
first Indian-American governor to last this long, as they watch their health,
education and infrastructure deteriorate, and economy tank. The ultimate issue before residents of the
state now is for how long they are willing to have a governor, more interested
in his national exposure rather than the advancements of the state’s economy
and objectives. The backbone of the State Economy, big oil, is now in rough waters,
will the state leaders, Republicans and Democrats alike, continue to
accommodate a fly-by governor? It was, and remains, the inevitable question, is
the falling oil prices a pre-amble to more challenging future for the State’s
economy?
Further, Poverty rate
has been multiplying in Louisiana under Governor Jindal; health outcomes and
health system, not much to write home about; and, an underfunded education
system that is undermining the accomplishments of the State’s Research Universities
in the past three decades. The governor is reported to have been away 165 days
in 2014 and 74 days in 2013, while the state relies on borrowing and spending
cuts, especially at public university to shore up the state’s budget. Aggressive
slashing of the state’s labor force and budget, has handicapped so many
business activities in the state and made Republican counterparts decry in no
uncertain terms, the impact of budget cuts to all Louisiana public university
system.
To make matter worse,
Governor Bobby Jindal has directed his anger to all these observations in a
letter forwarded to the New York Times editorial board insisting these
observations regarding his stewardship as: “good examples of how liberals at The New York Times and I
have a different opinion on how to measure successful governance.” The reality however, about how bad things have gone under his stewardship as governor of
the state, is probably indisputable with current statistics on education,
business competitiveness and economic performance ranking by CNBC.COM and the
Conservative Group, American Economic Legislative Council. Comparatively with
other states in the union, Louisiana is 45th on education impact of
its citizens; 40th in business competitiveness, and, 29th
economic performance and ranking. The future from here is not as promising as
many of the state’s residents know and are clamoring for alternative direction
for the State. These are what Governor Jindal has failed to recognize by taking
issues with others who are assessing his stewardship against criteria that are
universal for all governors; and are reasons to alert him that his absenteeism from
the state capitol is impacting the residents adversely, and may be doing more
harm than he might be thinking.
The moral and
political implications of how Governor Jindal has conducted himself, bring out
two fundamental questions: is the governor really ready for the dream he is
chasing? Is he really ready for the national stage, if he cannot appreciate
that his state is standing on a sinking ground? As the governor crisscrossed
the nation in private planes at the largesse’s of wealthy business supporters, giving
speeches and campaigning for Republican candidates to local offices, his own
state continues to be mired in economic woes. While residents of the state are expecting
leadership in many areas of the state’s economy, the Governor’s attention is completely
focused outside the state, looking for other opportunities for himself. By one
estimate, it is feasible that the governor will be gone away from the state
capitol for more time, as the campaigns for the White House precipitate over
the next one year.
Moderate Republicans
in the state worry that there is a gap between Governor Jindal’s ambition and
the reality of the national political terrain; competing against other
well-established and better funded Republican aspirants, Bobby Jindal hardly
stands a chance. The former vice-chairman of Republican Governor’s Association
continues to live off the largesse’s of rich Louisianan’s families as the
Davidsons of Ruston, Zuschlags of Lafayette and Chouest family of Bayou Lafayette
as reported in the Advocate Online, while advocating draconian economic
restructuring that has led to loss of jobs for thirty thousand state public
servants and an unending shrinking economy. The rationalization of Jindal’s stewardship
of the State Capitol in Baton Rouge by the governor himself as a success,
brings out another angle to his national ambition, can this man understand the
fault line in confrontations with other national governments, if arguably he
ends up becoming the US President. A leader who can hardly appreciate that his
state’s budget is facing a new reality due to the falling oil prices, can he
know when to, and when not to, deploy force against perceived or real threats
from Iran or North Korea?
It is conceivable
that Governor Jindal current ambition to seek supports and funds for a National
Campaign for the office of US Presidency, is more important to him that being
the Governor of the State of Louisiana. What will hanging around Baton Rouge, Louisiana,
the State’s Capitol, do for him considering his national ambition? Such a
question is probably the explanation for his muted decision to travel outside
the state constantly, without batting an eye-lid. However, that is hardly what
honorable statesmen do. When you are confronted with a decision to seek a
different office; and the responsibility and duties of your current office seem
to be overshadowing the possibility of reaching your higher or national goal;
the ideal thing to do is to step down, give a genuine and heart felt
explanation to your constituent for stepping down and immerse yourself in your
new endeavor or enterprise. Anything short of this, is hardly honorable; and, this is what Louisianans are seeing and calling for the governor to step down.
Just as the apostle
of Noam Chomsky’s caricatured new religion, American Exceptionalism - Bobby
Jindal, has a muted response to his job approval rating of 28 percent as a
governor of his home state, so is Louisianans’ discomfort with his using the
state as a stepping stone to the higher office. It is true that the US Presidency
is a more prestigious office for the child of an immigrant like him, so also
are Americans outside the state wondering about the Governor’s antics with the
context of national politics. Is he just lip-frogging the concept of American
Exceptionalism to divert attention from his ineptitude as a governor or shortcomings
in executive office? Can Governor Jindal really mount a successful campaign for
the White House, when he has conducted himself as a traitor to the nation by
signing Senator Tom Cotton’s letter to Iran, on current White House negotiations
on that nation’s Nuclear Ambition? The major opposition to the governor’s
action on this issue is good enough turn-off to kill his ambition. The current
slate of Republican candidates seeking their party’s nomination have a better
chance of being nominated over Governor Jindal as the party’s flag bearer; and
this alone, is good enough for the Indian-American to see the writings on the
Wall and return home to Baton Rouge. However, if he doesn't, there is no other
way than see him as a governor not only about to go through implosion at his
state level; but also, on a national stage.
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