Victory: Jindal changes mind, vetoes wildly unpopular legislative pay raise
posted at 12:54 pm on June 30, 2008 by Allahpundit
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The latest tally of recall petitions filed against state legislators stands at five, with Jindal facing one himself as of Friday afternoon. A poll of House Speaker Jim Tucker’s district found 83% opposed to the pay raise, and 59% willing to sign the recall petition against him.
Which is to say, not every flip-flop is a mistake.
Gov. Bobby Jindal announced today that he has vetoed the legislative pay raise.
After days of saying he would not reject the unpopular measure, Jindal said this morning that he had changed his mind…
Jindal had been criticized for his inability to stop the raise before it was passed and his refusal since then to veto the pay raise bill. He said he had promised lawmakers that he would not use his veto, but he also pledged during his gubernatorial campaign last year to prohibit an immediate legislative pay raise.
He asked the legislature to take out their anger over the veto on him instead of on voters. I’m, er, sure they’re broken up about it, governor. Congratulations to Louisianans for the most impressively intimidating display of civic outrage since, well, you know.
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{doing happy dance}
It’s about time!
Laura on June 30, 2008 at 12:58 PM
zzz
corona on June 30, 2008 at 12:59 PM
Dumb move.
rockmom on June 30, 2008 at 1:01 PM
If ever there is a case, this was a case of don’t argue with the boss–the public.
RBMN on June 30, 2008 at 1:01 PM
Jindal is learning yopu lead by taking tough stances not by working with the opposition
Someone wake McCain up to that idea.
William Amos on June 30, 2008 at 1:01 PM
Problem is, Jindals vacillation on the issue paints him as someone with his finger in the wind. And, since the legislators were begging him to let them off the hook with a veto, it almost looks like he’s bailing them out. He should have made his move much sooner.
a capella on June 30, 2008 at 1:02 PM
That it took more than 2 seconds to do this is concerning. Please, please, don’t let him be just another politician.
bopbottle on June 30, 2008 at 1:02 PM
I wonder if this news report that came out Friday that showed the Legislators of that state breaking the law and voting when not actually present had anything to do with his decision.
Absentee Voting by LA Lawmakers
JeffinSac on June 30, 2008 at 1:02 PM
Absolutely.
Weight of Glory on June 30, 2008 at 1:03 PM
No, anyone can tell you in Pennsylvania, it was a smart move. Our legislators voted themselves a nice fat pay raise, and there were a lot of incumbents voted out of office in the next election.
Hey Allah, what gives? No humpbot after Heller, and no humpbot now?
doubleplusundead on June 30, 2008 at 1:06 PM
This is a positive thing. State governments need to wake up, because people are sick of their crap.
BigD on June 30, 2008 at 1:06 PM
Who is this “public” of which you speak? Pish posh, there is no such thing, campfire tales to scare kids.
Everyone knows that the Professional Political Class are our betters and don’t need the masses dictating anything to them.
Bishop on June 30, 2008 at 1:07 PM
I see this as a small sign of potential positive character of Jindahl. I think he has a long way to go but is on the right path, more the reason to have him stay in Louisiana and show his mettle.
MNDavenotPC on June 30, 2008 at 1:09 PM
AP, weren’t you wondering why anyone would be upset about this relatively minor raise? Did you “flip-flop” also?
right2bright on June 30, 2008 at 1:11 PM
They should receive a pay cut for every INCH of the state that isn’t rebuilt by this point.
Bfunky292 on June 30, 2008 at 1:13 PM
Lesson learned: Never promise not to use your veto. That’s like dropping your garbage can lid in a rockfight.
whitetop on June 30, 2008 at 1:15 PM
Allah said he understood the outrage when he saw the video of how little the legislators work there.
amerpundit on June 30, 2008 at 1:16 PM
Too late – his Potemkin ethics reform has already proved he is. Which is not to say he can’t learn, and I devoutly hope he will.
Laura on June 30, 2008 at 1:16 PM
Is Bobby Jindal’s Reforms failing ?”
William Amos on June 30, 2008 at 1:21 PM
This is why Jindal needs a little more time as an executive to get more seasoned and toughened by a self-interested legislative body before being considered for a national ticket.
HawaiiLwyr on June 30, 2008 at 1:23 PM
The Louisiana politicians were much more effective when they were working from their roof tops, waiting for the helicopters.
2Tru2Tru on June 30, 2008 at 1:24 PM
Sounds a little tin-eared to me. Legislators taking out their anger on those they represent? Bobby might think of getting a speech coach as a sounding board and maybe a refresher on who he is working for. Hint: it’s not the legislature and it’s not some amorphous Louisiana, but Louisianans. They’re the Board of Directors, not the employees.
Dusty on June 30, 2008 at 1:26 PM
Wow. The criticism from the responses is pretty strong against Jindal. He actually keeps a campaign promise, despite being torn by immense pressure that he almost caved into & people are complaining?
Give the man some credit. He earned it.
Tim on June 30, 2008 at 1:26 PM
Well done, Louisiana.
Spirit of 1776 on June 30, 2008 at 1:27 PM
This is why executives are the only kind to nominate for President. Senators, et al, have little to show– vetoes prove more about true character of the politician. Bush would be more popular today if he had treated the House as juveniles in need of a strong father figure than as their enabler with a treasury of (borrowed) cash to pacify them. Vetoes of huge House spending bills would have secured his legacy.
If teachers can be limited to merit raises, why can’t politicians?
leftnomore on June 30, 2008 at 1:29 PM
What the Hell!!!
Is Louisiana part of America or part of Zimbabwe? !!!
Voters in America can take their anger out on politicians, not the other way around.
MB4 on June 30, 2008 at 1:30 PM
Indeed.
We the People, you know!
Why in the world should the legislature be mad at the voters?
I agree with those above. Politicians have really got to get over the idea that they are the boss and they grant us their rights.
They SERVE at the WILL of the PEOPLE!!
Ingrained in the American mind is the really radical idea that our rights were endowed to us by our Creator and NOT by the government. They’re going to have to take the Declaration of Independence out of the schools and the halls of government and erase our British heritage before we’ll forget that!
INC on June 30, 2008 at 1:34 PM
I think this veto is a victory for the people of LA. The authority of government derives from the people and the legislature had forgotten that. With the pay raise issue and the other issue where members of the legislature are illegally voting for their absent colleagues so the latter can appear to be there tells me all I really need to know about the quality of their state legislature. It is corrupt, contemptible, and needs some serious overhaul.
If Jindal follows the will of the people, he will go far, will get his reform stuff passed. The people will support him and perhaps reelect him once they get enough of the legislature voted out either through the normal election process or through recall. Jindal still remembers that the power of government comes from the bottom, the people, not the top, the elites. The legislature has forgotten. They will learn soon enough one way or the other.
Weebork on June 30, 2008 at 1:35 PM
should be:
They do need to realize that we’re the ones who grant them the privilege (NOT right) of their term of office!
INC on June 30, 2008 at 1:36 PM
No, no Gringo! I like my little Juan just the way he is now. Bought and paid for and semi comatose .
VinyFoxy on June 30, 2008 at 1:36 PM
I have a system for dealing with politicians like that. I put them on a stool with a rope around their neck, then I don’t shoot the rope, I shoot the legs off the stool. Adios.
Tuco on June 30, 2008 at 1:40 PM
I put them on a stool with a rope around their neck, then I don’t shoot the rope, I shoot the legs off the stool.
That’s a waste of a perfectly good stool.
I R A Darth Aggie on June 30, 2008 at 1:45 PM
It won’t matter. It’s too late, all the naysayers will complain and whine.
roux on June 30, 2008 at 1:50 PM
And who gives a crap if they are?
Poppycock! (g-rated site, you know)
They don’t grant us anything. They’re sworn to protect and uphold our constitutional rights, not be benevolent cake servers to the masses.
BacaDog on June 30, 2008 at 1:52 PM
Bobby Jindal did the right thing but it comes with some real political damage to his image. Probably not fatal but after all the talk about ethics reform and fiscal responsibility during special sessions, it was disappointing that he took such a hands-off position on this issue and was only goaded into doing the right thing by public opinion.
highhopes on June 30, 2008 at 1:52 PM
Just like i have been saying this guy is the REAL DEAL. You go Bobby!!!!
thmcbb on June 30, 2008 at 1:52 PM
Good job, Louisianans. You deserve this victory. I only hope Jindal can earn back your trust. He seemed like such a great politician.
Esthier on June 30, 2008 at 1:54 PM
I agree. He’s going to have to put in some diligent work to recover.
INC on June 30, 2008 at 1:59 PM
Jindal lied, voters cried…. tears of joy!!!
custer on June 30, 2008 at 2:03 PM
I am daily amazed by the quality of Bobby Jindal. he signs the intelligent design bill, and now he’s vetoes the legislative pay raises. Both tough actions to take. Both in keeping with his principles. Both of which your typical Leftist would have crapped their pants rather than face head on.
Way to go Bobby!!!!
seanrobins on June 30, 2008 at 2:10 PM
For pity’s sake – learn the facts, already. I’ve gone from being a long time supporter to someone who is decidedly skeptical, and that’s based *purely* on his performance as governor. We fought to get him in on the first vote so he didn’t have to run a full campaign, and he thanks us by allowing his ethics reform to be gutted? Then goes on Leno to brag about his great ethics reform? He’s fighting to make himself and his staff exempt from sunshine rules, did you know that? That’s very disturbing, and it’s just the beginning of a long list of things he’s done since the election. Jindal is not the man we thought he was. He may still, on balance, turn out to be an adequate governor but we’re clearly going to have to watch him like a hawk.
Laura on June 30, 2008 at 2:11 PM
Alright, issue over. I’m a little pissed that it took him so long, but he did the right thing in the end. Drop it.
malan89 on June 30, 2008 at 2:15 PM
Did you perhaps vote for the last La. Governor? What was her name. you know, the one that Louisianans have insisted all those statues be erected in her honor? You know, the one who, along with Ray Nothin’ convinced New Orleaners that Katrina was not a summer shower that they should ignore?
What was her name???
seanrobins on June 30, 2008 at 2:15 PM
I was one of his supporters and was feeling pretty betrayed. But now that he’s vetoed the bill, I can forgive him his vacillating. People don’t realize just how corrupt and useless the LA legislature is. Jindal thought that throwing them a (pretty huge) bone would help entice them to come around to his agenda, but he had to learn the hard way that you can’t give them an inch.
It’s not a bright spot in his new administration, but a politician who can learn a lesson and change in the right direction is a good one. Here’s hoping he keeps that lesson in mind.
vonspringer on June 30, 2008 at 2:15 PM
seanrobins, I was a Republican my entire life and only voted Dem once – and that was for Edwin Edwards when Duke managed to snag the GOP nomination. I changed my party affiliation to Independent in protest of shamnesty. You can check my personal blog to find post after post advocating conservative political values. Just because I’m not drinking the dittohead koolaid doesn’t mean I’m a Dem.
You have NO IDEA how frustrating it is to hear all these pronouncements of how great Jindal is and what a great national career he’s going to have, all the while he’s screwing over the people who fought for him. And the reason why it’s so infuriating is he’ll never have a reason to behave the way he campaigned if we can’t hold him to account when he doesn’t.
Laura on June 30, 2008 at 2:18 PM
Yes. The primaries here were a bloodbath.
rightwingprof on June 30, 2008 at 2:28 PM
I know – your victory in PA really kept us going because we felt like if it had been done, it could be done again. I had a long chat with Russ Diamond to see how we could model the La. movement against the pay raise after the Clean Sweep movement.
Laura on June 30, 2008 at 2:33 PM
My favorite flip-flop was Ronald Reagan, who supported cutting down some old growth redwoods with his line “when you’ve seen one tree you’ve seen them all”.
After a public uproar Reagan backed down. It made me like Reagan even more because he responded rapidly to the public outpouring without heel dragging or resentment towards the people. He obeyed his boss and he did not go back to the subject
Jindal could not have chosen a worse cause to champion in hard times. The raise was an assault on the milk money io the cookie jar and sided him with the legislature against the public who according to polls feel politicians no longer represent the public but their own self interests
A bad move that Reagan never would have taken. Reagan would have gone directly to the public explaining why government is too greedy using the pay raise attempt as an example. Reagan would have done that because that is what he believed
entagor on June 30, 2008 at 2:41 PM
Whew.
Jaibones on June 30, 2008 at 2:45 PM
Laura, Congratulations!!!
MB4 and Inc are absolutely right – take out their frustration? They should get a reality check, if this hasn’t given them one yet.
The national and local hordes of politicians/whores, from the left to the right, should also get a lesson from this.
They forget who represents whom.
Serve a term or two and go the hell home, back to your old jobs, to find out how the rest of America has to live.
Primadonas, each and all!
Entelechy on June 30, 2008 at 2:57 PM
Laura: small correction–Duke never got the GOP nomination. Roemer got the short straw in that 3 way primary. So that left Duke and Edwards. The GOP never nominated Duke as far as I can remember, except possibly Duke’s seat in Metarie.
I was at SLU during that election–what chaos!
Vanceone on June 30, 2008 at 2:58 PM
Not a true flip-flop.
Just a flip, and a correct one at that.
mattshu on June 30, 2008 at 3:04 PM
Vanceone on June 30, 2008 at 2:58 PM
You’re right. I’m glad Duke didn’t get the official nod. I’d forgotten a lot about that election. It’s certainly sobering to think that Jack Kent set Louisiana’s course to the extent that he did and purely for revenge against Roemer; there are still ripples from that today.
Laura on June 30, 2008 at 3:18 PM
The air has certainly been let out of the tires for the recalls, but we’ll target them at election time, and in the interim do what we can to make their (legislative) lives miserable. We’ve got volunteers who want to keep on, so we’ll build dossiers on every last one of them and keep their constituents informed. You know how it is when you flip the light on – the roaches scatter. :-)
The best part is how all kinds of groups banded together on this and got it done; everybody gets the credit. If people had even ten percent of this level of activity year round, government would look VERY different at all levels.
Laura on June 30, 2008 at 3:31 PM
The easiest veto decision evah.
T J Green on June 30, 2008 at 3:31 PM
As the economy goes down the drain, the voters are waking up to the gross failure of government. The more the economy goes downhill the stronger the reactions to these types of things will be from the voters.
This should be a wakeup call for the pork spenders in congress. At $4.00/gal gas the American people will not suffer our “leaders” to waste our money.
This is good news for McCain. Now hammer it home on a national level.
unseen on June 30, 2008 at 3:52 PM
Job well done. Congratulations!
Branch Rickey on June 30, 2008 at 5:05 PM
Mission accomplished!
:D
Vatican Watcher on June 30, 2008 at 5:52 PM
Power to the people. This is why McCain, and his accomplices in Congress, can expect another arse whipping if they bring up their Amnesty plan again.
orlandocajun on June 30, 2008 at 5:59 PM
Sure hope so…
Laura on June 30, 2008 at 7:24 PM
Awesome. Good for Louisiana. Cherry on top is that Humpbot video in the other post.
James OK on June 30, 2008 at 7:34 PM
I think I can speak for many in Louisiana when I say “We ain’t done.”
Just wait…
And Laura, sorry to miss you so much, I’m in Navarre Beach this week. ;-) But you did a fine job. lol
Diogenes of Sinope on June 30, 2008 at 9:24 PM
Dot bingo!!
Good job Laura (and all the rest of the LA civic troopers)!!!!!
You make me proud of my country!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Memo to McCain and and all the other “immigration reform” stooges… this too can happen to YOU!!
Mcguyver on June 30, 2008 at 9:32 PM
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