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After Right Attacks, Jindal Quiet On Whether He Favors $300 Million Landrieu Secured For Louisiana

Does conservative Governor Bobby Jindal favor the $300 million in Federal money that could be heading his state’s way, thanks to Senator Mary Landrieu’s successful efforts to secure the cash in the health care bill? His office won’t say.

To the best of our knowledge, Jindal has been publicly silent on whether he supports the money, ever since some on the right waged an aggressive attack on the funds, widely deriding the cash as the “Louisiana Purchase.”

Jindal’s spokespeople declined repeated requests throughout the day yesterday and this morning from our reporter, Ryan Derousseau, to clarify where he stands on the money. They’re stiff-arming the Louisiana press in similar fashion.

As you know, Landrieu announced over the weekend on the Senate floor that she had secured $300 million in Federal funding in the Senate health care bill, money that was obtained by boosting federal Medicaid subsidies for “certain states recovering from a major disaster.” Conservative commentators like Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck have been on a tear, deriding her as a prostitute and worse.

Here’s where the plot thickens: The Jindal administration, it appears, wanted the money.

Landrieu herself has said that Jindal privately urged her to pursue the cash. Sources on Capitol Hill confirmed as much to Newsweek.

It gets better. The Jindal administration’s secretary of the state health department recently said the money would be helpful — but explicitly noted he wasn’t speaking for Jindal!

Yet Jindal, as best as we can determine, now won’t publicly clarify one way or the other whether he views $300 million to his state as a good thing. We’ve also asked his spokespeople where he stands on descriptions of Landrieu as a prostitute. If we get any answers at all, we’ll update you.

(Hat tip to the Institute of Southern Studies for the line of inquiry.)

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Posted by Greg Sargent | 11/25/2009, 11:27 AM EST | Categories: Senate Dems, health care

35 Responses

  1. Tena | November 25th, 2009 at 11:36 am

    Jindal will probably take it. He hasn’t been mouthing off about secession like Perry. Perry took stimulus money, but if he wins next year, he’s going to have a very hard time avoiding opting out of HCR.

    I’m going to vote in the Repug primary I think, so I can vote for Fluffy.

  2. mike from Arlington | November 25th, 2009 at 11:37 am

    Jindal is trying to steer clear of the crazy which is a short term political tactic going on to keep the base pissed off for the mid terms.

  3. Tena | November 25th, 2009 at 11:44 am

    “Jindal is trying to steer clear of the crazy”

    Yeah, he’s one of a number I’ve watched who are trying to walk a tightrope between the crazy and the rest and I doubt he’ll be able to stay up there.

    Fluffy Hutchison is trying to do that and she just ends up sounding totally muddled.

  4. News Reference | November 25th, 2009 at 11:51 am

    Right wingers are always the first in line for a government handout.

    Republican Sarah Palin’s biggest accomplishments in government were in handing out private-oil-corporation’s money to voters and in taking Federal funding for the Bridge to Nowhere.

  5. John Dillinger | November 25th, 2009 at 11:55 am

    The slow motion destruction of a once promising young politician’s career contiues.

  6. Kelley | November 25th, 2009 at 12:03 pm

    “I’m going to vote in the Repug primary I think, so I can vote for Fluffy.”

    After the debacle at Ft Bragg (the hubby’s a vet also, and that’s where we met) that’s what Mr Kelley is planning on doing with La Palin.

    “Mr Kelley” doesn’t have quite the same ring as “Mr Tena”–definitely going to have to come up with a better moniker for him.

  7. Tena | November 25th, 2009 at 12:13 pm

    ““Mr Kelley” doesn’t have quite the same ring as “Mr Tena”–definitely going to have to come up with a better moniker for him.”

    LOL

    How many people have “tena” as a last name? I think that’s the difference.

  8. BBQ | November 25th, 2009 at 12:32 pm

    Sen. Landrieu really stepped in it to go on bloviating about the money before the bill was passed. Taking the victory lap early, she’s set herself up as selfish and political…willing to hold a bill that effects an entire nation hostage for some cash to her home state.

    Now, we all know that this goes on all the time in DC – but Sen. Landrieu probably shouldn’t have bragged about it. Stupid, stupid move.

  9. amk | November 25th, 2009 at 12:37 pm

    Greg, for that 300 mil tab, what did Reid get from her ? A full support for PO ?

  10. Liam | November 25th, 2009 at 12:42 pm

    Governor Jindal will solve that problem, and make the government money acceptable, by performing an exorcism ritual to drive Satan out of all that Government funding.

  11. Kelley | November 25th, 2009 at 12:43 pm

    Governor Jindal will solve that problem, and make the government money acceptable, by performing an exorcism ritual to drive Satan out of all that Government funding.

    LOL! Maybe get Sarah’s preacher involved, too!

  12. Greg Sargent | November 25th, 2009 at 12:44 pm

    amk, if I knew the answer to that question, you would have read about it on this blog by now.

    :)

  13. amk | November 25th, 2009 at 12:51 pm

    Greg, That’s what I want you to find out. ;)

    If harry let her have the cake and let her eat it too, then he is a fvcking idiot.

  14. News Reference | November 25th, 2009 at 12:55 pm

    Republican Jindal’s exorcism and Republican Palin’s witch-hunting preacher really define what the right wing love about them.

    http://www.google.com/search?q=Jindal+exorcism

  15. GPS | November 25th, 2009 at 12:56 pm

    This is a great. Something you won’t hear on conservative radio. This will probably kill his chance at the presidency. He won’t make it out of the primaries with the pork hating conservatives

  16. amk | November 25th, 2009 at 01:07 pm

    Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

    You better be kind to the turkey. :)

  17. alan | November 25th, 2009 at 01:13 pm

    Overheard at the State Dinner last night: PM Singh to Pres Obama while both are looking at Jindal: Thank God you have him here!.

  18. jzap | November 25th, 2009 at 01:18 pm

    Bobby Jindal makes me feel old and left behind.  All those cultural references to Kenneth the Page go right over my head

  19. Kelley | November 25th, 2009 at 01:22 pm

    amk: my turkey alway get a nice briny bath. A briny turkey is a happy turkey!

  20. Liam | November 25th, 2009 at 01:24 pm

    JZAP,

    Don’t you watch 30 Rock? It is not just for the younger crowd, I love the show, and I am older than a creationist’s pet dinosaur.

  21. News Reference | November 25th, 2009 at 01:28 pm

    “30 Rock’s” “Kenneth the Page” responding to the question ‘what are children good for?’: ‘They make our shoes and wallets!’

    http://www.hulu.com/30-rock

    The last episode also had a funny cameo by former Democratic President Al Gore.

  22. jzap | November 25th, 2009 at 01:36 pm

    Liam & NR:  No, but on your recommendations, I might give it a try.  Most sitcoms make me cringe.  Maybe this one will be different :-)

  23. holyhandgrenaid | November 25th, 2009 at 02:04 pm

    Hang on… That $300 million is going to any state that had a disaster in the last 5 years- sure its focused on Louisiana, but it’ll end up going to Texas and Mississippi for hurricanes too, as well as states like Kentucky, West Virginia, and New Hampshire that got absolutely savaged by ice storms last winter, North Dakota and Minnesota following the flooding of the Red River last spring, Iowa for the floods there the year before.

    Its not like this is only going to Louisiana, they’ll just get the most of it.

  24. rukidding | November 25th, 2009 at 02:08 pm

    “We’ve also asked his spokespeople where he stands on descriptions of Landrieu as a prostitute.”

    This is what ultimately is going to doom the right. They are so fearful of the hate mongers Limbaugh and Beck that they won’t even speak up on something as obviously wrong as referring to a sitting U.S. Senator as a prostitute and in Beck’s case a hooker as well. Where is the outrage?

    If David Letterman called Sarah Palin a hooker or prostitute can you imagine the outrage?

    Sadly many if not most of the folks listening to Limbaugh and watching Beck would call themselves Christian…however they apparently are unaware of his teachings. I’m very ecumencial respecting all religions and certainly no expert…but even a lay person like me can understand that when Christ delivered his famous “Sermon on the Mount” he taught giving us all the 8 beatitudes…several of which include…
    “Blessed are the meek,
    for they shall inherit the earth.”

    “Blessed are the merciful,
    for they shall obtain mercy.”

    “Blessed are the peacemakers,
    for they shall be called children of God.”

    I do not mean to prostelyze here…I’m not even a Christian. I’m simply trying to discern how those who do take pride in the teachings of Christ could possible use Beck or Limbaugh for their entainment?

    They certainly would not be characterized as meek!!!
    It’s hard to view them in any sense as merciful.
    And it’s just as difficult to view them as peacemakers when they call a sitting U.S. Senator a prostitute!!!!!!

    And so I ask any Christian bloggers that if we take Christ’s teachings literally does this mean Beck and Limbaugh are not children of God?

  25. rukidding | November 25th, 2009 at 02:10 pm

    Edit…meaning no disrespect to anyone’s beliefs I should have typed His teachings with a capital H.

  26. Ess Emm | November 25th, 2009 at 02:22 pm

    Orly Taitz aka Birther Queen, please make note of this new rising star in the Republican party Bobby Jindal, while he was born here in the USA, his parents were not, so according to your crazy formula of Presidential Qualifications he should be disqualified. Or just may be this qualification test is only for Democrats like Obama.

  27. Tena | November 25th, 2009 at 02:23 pm

    “does this mean Beck and Limbaugh are not children of God?”

    I think the answer to that is the same as the answer the famous zen koan: does a dog have Buddha nature?

    answer: Mu.

  28. News Reference | November 25th, 2009 at 02:23 pm

    FAIR WARNING:

    30 Rock will definitely ‘make you cringe’, but I definitely find it funny.

    The “green” episode last week was especially ‘cringe-worthy’, it simultaneously mocked the left-wing while mocking how right wingers see left-wingers.

    http://www.hulu.com/watch/109158/30-rock-sun-tea#x-0,vepisode,1,0

    “sun tea” … “smell my flowers” … indeed…

  29. Tena | November 25th, 2009 at 02:51 pm

    “‘what are children good for?’: ‘They make our shoes and wallets!’”

    yeah that cracked my s*h*i*t up no end.

  30. Evenie | November 25th, 2009 at 07:29 pm

    As a Louisiana resident, I will tell you that our healthcare system is still in shambles post-Katrina. It will take still several more years to return our infrastructure to what it was before it was destroyed. Jindal is concerned with maintaining his status as a conservative, not necessarily with what this state needs to attract business and talent. This is very ugly politics at work.

  31. John Charles | November 25th, 2009 at 08:59 pm

    Are all state rep’s going to follow the Louisiana

  32. Steve | November 25th, 2009 at 09:49 pm

    Like most Republican men do, Jindal is showing disrespect for a woman and for a female Republican Senator.

    It’s a woman, after all. There is no value, there.
    (To them.)

  33. am2513 | November 26th, 2009 at 02:49 am

    To rukidding: Where have u been? Letterman may not have called Palin a postitute but he DID suggest her daughter was rape bait. There was no end to the outrage and frankly it’s time for him to go but that’s besides the point. Landrieu did charge money for her services (her vote) so how is translating that to prostitution unfair?

  34. Cow Eater | November 26th, 2009 at 02:53 am

    Jindel is a joke Indian who has no place in the Repub Party. We only want intelligent white people.

  35. News Reference | November 26th, 2009 at 07:18 am

    @am2513

    Right wing logic: Right wingers claim to be allowed to do something that is MORE offensive because sometime, somewhere, somebody ALMOST did something as offensive.

    So right wingers calling a left winger a “prostitute” is okay because sometime, somewhere, somebody ALMOST did something as offensive.

    Right wingers support the sadism of torture because sometime, somewhere, somebody ALMOST did something as offensive… oh, wait, that doesn’t apply because there was someone who committed the same sadistic torture that the Republicans used: The Communist Chinese.

    Republicans are often guilty of doing exactly what they blame other people for.

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