Find your veto pen, Bobby

As much as I respect Newt Gingrich, I have to break with him when he says that Gov. Bobby Jindal is McCain's best bet for vice president.  I think, as the Club for Growth has noted, that we should use caution before crowning Jindal the next Reagan.  Now we find out that like President Bush, Gov. Jindal is hesitant to veto negligent spending in the face of political pressure:

The public outcry remains intense over a bill that Louisiana legislators introduced for a possible self-imposed pay raise doubling their salaries, but questions are left unanswered on the political fallout if the bill passes and Gov. Bobby Jindal doesn’t veto the pay raise.

On Friday, the La. House amended the bill, reducing the proposed salary from $50,000 to $37,500, as lawmakers continued to feel the heat over the airwaves of talk radio and on the Internet.

[...]

All eyes, then, would be on Gov. Bobby Jindal, who could veto the pay raise.

Gov. Jindal said that he disagrees with the pay raise, but said that he will not oppose it.

For those of us who have been upset about exploding spending under President Bush and a GOP-controlled Congress, this isn't exactly welcome news.  Gov. Jindal has released a statement on the bill (emphasis mine):

"I still disapprove of this pay raise.  While I'm glad they reduced it, it's still more than a doubling of their pay, which I believe is excessive.  The legislature is a separate branch of government and must manage their own affairs. There is still time for them to turn back. They will have to answer directly to the people. "One thing is for sure, I will not bail them out on this and do their job for them. 

I will not veto this as it is very clear to everyone that the result would be a grinding halt to the tremendous reforms and progress our state is making.  I will give them no excuse to stop doing the people's business, and I will not allow the momentum of our state to stop over this or anything else."

Given that this is the Louisiana legislature we're talking about, it wouldn't surprise me if they reacted that way to a veto.  I think that is a believable response, but still unfortunate. 

My concern with Jindalmania! is that the GOP will paint itself intself into the same corner that the Democrats have this election cycle.  This man, who I agree has a great political future with the Republican Party, needs to be vetted thoroughly before people proclaim him as the standard-bearer for conservatism. 

***Thanks for the link, Club for Growth!  Everyone make sure to take a look around the blog.  It's full of plenty of other good stuff from doubleplusundead, bmac, Moron Pundit, Sean M., and yours truly. 

Posted by: It's Vintage, Duh at 07:41 PM | Comments (8) | Add Comment
Post contains 469 words, total size 3 kb.