The New Republic Puff Piece On Jindal - Praises His Hypocrisy!

[TomCADem]

So, this is what leadership looks like. Attacking the stimulus, then accepting its benefits. Using the 2009 State of the Union response, to preach small government and tell the federal government to get out of the way ofprivate business, then to whine about not getting more resources than his neighboring states, and demanding even more federal assistance? What about sponsoring the 2006 House bill that ended the moratorium on off shore oil drilling, but now complaining about such drilling?

Heck, who will be the bigger hypocrite? Palin who is now spreading the lie that Democrats receive more in contributions from the oil industry than Republicans (actually Republicans get 71% to Democrat's 29%). Or, will it be Jindal who was even right of John McCain in calling for the expansion of offshore oil drilling, and whose environmental appointees are members of the American Petroleum Institute.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=127234526

But then came his disastrous response to President Obama's State of the Union in 2009, after which GOPers mercilessly mocked the governor for the same dorky qualities they once cheered. He no longer looked like presidential material in their eyes — and his mealy-mouthed acceptance of federal stimulus money only boosted the hard-line right's belief that their hopes in him had been misplaced. And now, with Louisiana facing quite possibly the greatest environmental disaster in U.S. history, Jindal has infuriated the Republican base (outside of Louisiana) on an entirely different level.

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All that knowledge has forced Jindal to admit that his state is facing a huge crisis — one that merits an equally huge state and federal response. This big government position hasn't exactly endeared him to his GOP colleagues (who think he's in league with an alarmist camp of environmental groups that want to villainize Big Oil) or to Democrats (who think his impassioned calls for a greater government response smack of hypocrisy), but Jindal has displayed the kind of smarts and ideological flexibility that we should applaud in our leaders, no matter the party.

* * *

Jindal also hasn't been shy about mobilizing his own state's resources to meet the challenge, doing it despite a big budget deficit he's pledged to close and the small government mantras he likes to repeat. (James Garand, professor of political science at LSU, calls his performance "extremely proactive.") Jindal announced he would call up members of the Louisiana National Guard to join state wildlife agents in an effort to help make up for the "inadequate" federal response. He's also stated on numerous occasions that Louisiana shouldn't stop its cash from flowing to counter the worst effects of the oil spill. As a result, Jindal's drawn flack from some Democrats, like State Representative Sam Jones, who've noted that his response doesn't square with his routine calls for limited government. But emergencies rightly require a departure from dogma, and Jindal seems prepared to spend as much as it takes.

* * *

To be sure, Jindal is walking a fine line between advocating for what's right and attempting to score points with Louisiana voters and against Obama. The administration's point man for the crisis, Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Thad W. Allen, argues that they're fulfilling all the demands outlined within the plan agreed upon by the gulf state governors, and that they'll get to Jindal's additional requests next. Allen also takes issue with Jindal's claim that his sand-island scheme could begin working within 10 days of approval, arguing that construction would take closer to nine months. Then there's the legitimate question of whether it'd even work: "For the cost involved, the chances of being successful at doing any good … are minuscule," speculated Jerome Milgram, a professor at MIT. Nevertheless, Jindal seems determined to avoid the fate of his predecessor, Governor Kathleen Blanco, who decided not to seek reelection after incurring harsh criticism for her lackluster response to Hurricane Katrina and the rebuilding effort that followed. It still may not make him presidential material, but Jindal's proving himself to be an effective leader during a crisis.

[marmar]

1. The New Republic has been a joke for a long time now.....

nt

[tularetom]

2. We are surely living in Bizarro World

When this asshole is praised for bad mouthing the federal government out of one side of his mouth while whining for more federal assistance from the other side. They ought to call his bluff and put some of his stupid "solutions" into practice so he can be the fall guy when they fail.

[TomCADem]

4. Its Typical GOP Privatize The Profits, But Socialize The Losses Rhetoric

When oil companies are making money hand over fist, Jindal says to keep the government out. However, when the shit hits the fan, then Jindal wants the federal government to do something while Jindal also complains about federal spending. The irony is that after the U.S. spends millions cleaning up the mess, Jindal will complain about tax, the deficit, and the imposing liability on the oil industry, the job creators of the State of Lousiana.

[OHdem10]

3. CVonservatves are good at using media even their own Conservative

Media to push their own up the ladder.