Governor Kathleen Blanco will be coming to New Orleans to appear on “Politics With A Punch” during the same week that her 2004 opponent and ultimate successor, Republican Governor Bobby Jindal has met with incoming Democrat President Barack Obama.

She will not be the only panelist on the part serious and very funny panel discussion I coined “Funnier Than Laughing Gas”.

Over seven years ago, I created the idea of a local Political Incorrect and asked Jeff Crouere to be the moderator who has done a masterful job handling the unruly, the professional, the powerful and the famous.  Former Governor Treen has graciously honored us with his presence as a panelist, however, nobody has been as recently powerful and as controversial with the name recognition as does Governor Blanco.

There is a certain irony that Governor Blanco who has been relatively quiet during the past year is willing to speak out in a humorous panel discussion on the same week that Governor Jindal had serious talks with Obama. 

Governor Jindal, a Republican is not satisfied with some of the current federal policies, the republican message which resulted in an election debacle and has been very pointed and honest about the lack of assistance to Louisiana during its critical time of need. 

However, when Governor Blanco stood up to President Bush and a Republican Congress and demanded assistance for Louisiana, she was roundly and rudely criticized by her opponents for taking on President Bush, for demanding that Louisiana be treated equally and for urging that the recovery be sped up.  In effect, her career was in the hands of the Republican President and Republican Congress during the early years of the recovery when very little money flowed to Louisiana and the fate of this state and our major cities and towns were in great doubt.  Likewise, the fate of Governor Jindal is in the hands of Democrat President-elect Barack Obama and a dominant Democratic Congress.  Complicating matters is Jindal’s possible eye might be on the White House which is causing a stir nationally and locally and which Bayoubuzz and others have urged the current Governor to focus upon Louisiana and not upon national political ambitions.

Interestingly, both a former Democrat and a current Republican Governor Louisiana Governor have been very strident in urging the federal government for money to take care of some of the state's needs, yet, when Governor Blanco engaged in such urgings, she was ridiculed as being soft and not engaging in "self-help".   In fact, our current junior US Senator David Vitter said a few years ago tha Louisiana has all the money it needs for rebuilding.  So far, Governor Jindal has been praised for taking the same general tack as his predecessor on this issue and I assume he would disagree with Vitter on that statement although he is supporting his re-election.

It should come as no surprise that I am honored that Governor Blanco has chosen Politics With A Punch to have fun and talk policy.  It also should come as no surprise that I am a big fan of both Governor Blanco and of Governor Jindal.  However, some believe that I am overly critical of our current Governor but I praise him when I believe he deserves praise and criticize him when I believe he has gone or is going astray.

I have also had my disagreements with Governor Blanco but deep down I felt her pain and her love for Louisiana.  I also feel I understood her policies and her weaknesses.

I personally believe that the criticisms against Governor Blanco were brutal and I have seen somewhat of a double standard in favor of Governor Jindal.  Yes, Governor Blanco eyes were moist during chaos.  So many people said that she showed weakness by being human.  Others claimed she would set back women in politics for decades.  The latter has not occurred.  I personally cried many times for almost two years post-Katrina.  Perhaps I am a wimp, but, I cared for our state that was in ruins and was in disbelief after seeing close friends kill themselves over Katrina.  Governor Jindal has been praised for his policies and actions this year that have been somewhat chaotic but he should be thanked for standing strong for Louisiana as it is still very weak and is now facing a bitter economic down turn. 

I often wonder how Governor Blanco handled herself privately during this twin catastrophe of Katrina and Rita that caused her to cut one billion dollars from the budget months after the storm because the federal help was not on the way.

As Governor Jindal said during Gustav, “I will believe it when I see it” when he was talking about necessary supplies.  Louisiana went almost two years before seeing any federal money other than immediate clean up money and funds to fix an interstate that was important to the entire Gulf South.  That was no way to rebuild a state and when President Bush paid lip service concerning during his state of the union speeches, his die was cast as it was when he padded “Brownie” for doing a great job.

No Governor or State Chief Executive in modern US history has had to endure what Kathleen Blanco did while she was in office.  When she embraced the Republican-authored Baker Plan named after Congressman Richard Baker to deal with our housing needs, that plan was vetoed by President Bush despite total agreement by virtually everyone in Louisiana.  As a result, Louisiana took on the Road Home program which was ineffective due to the scope of the problem and the burdens of making certain that Louisiana did not live up to its poor reputation.

Blanco devised the Louisiana Recovery Authority which dealt with rebuilding from a disaster.

She focused upon rebuilding the Superdome and the New Orleans Arena to ensure that the world knew that this area would be able to make a comeback.

Governor Blanco did make missteps and was not perfect as her successor is not perfect.  She was slow in taking the lead in levee consolidation for Southeast Louisiana.   She allowed a company ICF to put together the plan for Road Home and then bid on the project.  To her defense, the Ethics Board approved the arrangement and as a result a Virginia company took over the most important component of the recovery.  However, the Jindal administration and various agencies are currently contracting with out of state companies for its needs on some major projects, so those hard core Jindalnistas have little room to talk.

To her credit, prior to her testifying before Congress and only months after Katrina, she put what some people say were over one million documents online for the world to see her administration’s response to an oncoming storm and the aftermath of Katrina.  In return, President Bush put up nothing and hid behind National Security claims.    I am still wondering how Katrina had anything to do with National Security and why those documents that did were not redacted, but, Bush will have to answer those questions one day himself.  Again, as mentioned before, I am grateful that President Bush’s administration has agreed to the Va hospital in New Orleans.  I only wish he would have been Louisiana focused years ago when we desperately needed him as we now will need President Obama and a Democratic Congress.

On Monday, I saw the Brad Pitt movie the Curious Case of Benjamin Button which emphasized how a single event of fate could turn a world around.  I sometimes wonder how a Governor Jindal would have handled an international city under water for weeks, parishes totally demolished beyond belief as did Governor Blanco with an unfriendly administration and Congress.  Gustav and Ike were horrible storms but they were nothing compared to the likes of Katrina and Rita.  Governor Blanco had that opportunity and some feel she failed.  I feel that history will judge her as time progresses, as her successor is compared in like circumstances, lord forbid.

In conclusion, I honor both Governor Kathleen Blanco and Governor Jindal.  It took great pain years ago for me to write a column asking her to not run for re-election.  I knew how hard she tried and how much Governor Jindal was being touted as a miracle worker.  She had no chance.  I do not know whether she read that Friday column but the weekend past and on Monday she announced to the world that she would not run.  I admit, tears ran down my eyes because I felt she had been maimed by her opponents, yet she could not win the election.

So, that was then, and now is now.  Governor Blanco has had a year to think about what went right and what went wrong.  She possesses a strong wit that will certainly be on full display on Thursday.  It is my honor that she has accepted the invitation to be on a very prestigious panel, make fun, probably engage in self-deprecation and defend some of her policies.  She might even compare and contrast herself to our current Governor in the process.

Governor Blanco is a world-class-person.  The last part of her administration was marked with picking up the trash and starting a rebuilding process.  Governor Jindal is implementing some of the plans, has much on his own plate, is fighting with the federal government and has learned that the world does not change with a snap even when the Administration is friendly.

I hope that both Governor Blanco succeeds as continues to speak out defending herself and helping to set policy.  I also hope that Governor Jindal stays put in Louisiana and finishes the job her fought so hard to win.   He is a good man and time will tell if both he and Govenor Blanco will be viewed as good Louisiana Governors.   

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