The Governor's Credit Crisis

Let the record show that the extreme partisanship of Governor Bobby Jindal emerged in full bloom in the second year of his term as governor.

Sure, there were the vetoes of funding for projects favored by legislators who had crossed him in some way; the ham-handed attempt to replace a BESE board member who had the temerity to think for herself (and still supported Jindal on most issues, but not ALL issues).

But, an item in The Sunday Advocate's Inside Politics column lays bare how Jindal's careening ego, combined with his ambition to become a national Republican standard bearer, are leading to some pretty petty political decisions even by the standards of this administration.

Here are the opening paragraphs of the brief story:

State projects financed with federal stimulus dollars will have no signs that say that, said Mark Lambert, spokesman for the state Department of Transportation and Development.

Lambert said the decision was made by DOTD Secretary William Ankner.

“He directed that signs not go up,” Lambert said of Ankner.

The state is supposed to get about $300 million of the federal aid. The most visible area project will be the widening of Interstate 10 from Siegen Lane to Highland Road.

The article points out that state projects funded with state budget surplus dollars (remember when we had a surplus?) have special markings pointing to the funding source.

But, not the projects funded by stimulus dollars.

And, while the Governor has been blitzing the state delivering checks (many funded with federal disaster relief dollars), he's doing so as if he went out and personally found the money he's delivering.

It's all about his ambition. It's all about claiming credit for things he did not do. It's all about denying credit to those who do not share his agenda.

It's also petty and transparent.

Grow up, man.