Bayoubuzz

Written by {ga=admin} Tuesday, 07 September 2010 12:13

Over the Labor Day weekend, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal hit the GOP campaign trail once again. This time, he helped raise money for Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty.

During the oil spill crisis, Jindal postponed his book tour and curtailed his political fundraising; however, now that the well has been plugged and the oil has stopped flowing, Jindal is back on the road.

Jindal has company on the GOP campaign trail, for his Chief of Staff Timmy Teepell is on leave from the administration assisting other GOP candidates in the fall elections. Both Jindal and Teepell are collecting political chits that can be cashed in prior to the 2012 Republican presidential race.

While Jindal is a strong favorite to win re-election next year and will presumably not run for President in 2012, he might be considered a Vice Presidential candidate for the Republican ticket. If he is not chosen for Vice President, Jindal may be tempted to take a high profile cabinet position in a new administration, assuming the GOP can win back the White House in 2012. Another possibility is that Jindal will run against Mary Landrieu in 2014 for the U.S. Senate. All of these scenarios are possible and show the conventional wisdom that Jindal will eventually tire of his gubernatorial duties.

In Louisiana, if a Governor leaves office in the midst of a term, the Lt. Governor becomes Governor and fulfills the remaining years of the term. Thus, the challenges of being the chief sales person for Louisiana are not the only reason why eight candidates are vying for the post of Lt. Governor. One potential reason for the interest is the continuing speculation that Bobby Jindal will not serve two full terms as Governor of Louisiana.

Based on recent polls conducted by Bernie Pinsonat of Southern Media and Opinion Research and Ron Faucheux of the Clarus Research Group, Secretary of State Jay Dardenne has a five to six point lead over his nearest opponent, country music star Sammy Kershaw, in the race for Lt. Governor. Dardenne enjoys statewide name recognition for his years in the Louisiana Legislature and his four years as Secretary of State.

As frontrunner, Dardenne has attracted criticism from some conservative activists and tea party members. They claim he does not have a strong conservative record. Opposition from tea party members is one reason why Hunt Downer did not fare well in the 3^rd congressional district’s GOP primary. Unlike Downer, who waited too long to respond to tea party attacks, Dardenne has been aggressively defending his record in office.

Dardenne has initiated a campaign on statewide talk radio stations and conservative websites to promote his conservative credentials. A website has even been launched to promote Dardenne’s conservative record. The site lists Dardenne’s support for the repeal of the gift and inheritance taxes, his opposition to gambling and oil processing taxes and his sponsorship of the motion picture tax credits, which created jobs and revenue for the state’s economy. It also mentions his support for the TOPS program, traditional marriage and his many battles with former Governor Edwin Edwards. Because of his record as a conservative, the site notes that Dardenne received regular endorsements from the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry and was named the 2004 National Republican Legislator of the year.

As the frontrunner, Dardenne will continue to be the target of attacks from his seven opponents. However, he will have ample resources to forcefully defend his record. In the all important fundraising battle, Dardenne leads his opponents with approximately $750,000 in the bank as of the end of the last reporting period.
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Jeff Crouere is a native of New Orleans, LA and he is the host of a Louisiana based program, “Ringside Politics,” which airs at 7:30 p.m. Fri. and 10:00 p.m. Sun. on WLAE-TV 32, a PBS station, and 7 till 11 a.m.weekdays on WGSO 990 AM in New Orleans and the Northshore. For more information, visit his web site at www.ringsidepolitics.com. E-mail him at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Discuss this column below on our Buzzbacks.  Who do you think will win the Lt. Governor's race?  Why is Gov. Jindal campaigning?

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dag nab it (my apologies for the "strong language")

"...return from THE office...." I meant to say .. .ah well .. I will now go risk my life to provide - even clueless "greenies" - with plentiful, affordable hydrocarbon energy (what a guy!!!!).

GEAUX SAINTS .... oh .. yeah .. .how 'bout dat field goal kicker boy spends some extra time practicing kicking dat futboll BETWEEN the uprights .. just a thought coach .. just a thought.

Kerry Fox , September 10, 2010

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I hope there was no "cheatsheet" involvement here (egads!)

Only you know whether you knew that off the top of your head or looked it up. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and say "well done" for your knowledge of our state history; but I will maintain my assertion that the return from office of Lt. Governor is not worth the money the citizens pay for it. It's just another example of wasteful, needless ("pointless" even) government spending. It's yet another example of a government job that needs to disappear.

Kerry Fox , September 10, 2010

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...

James Fitzmorris, terms one and two, Bobby Freeman, term three. Melinda Schwegmann, term four.

David Quidd , September 09, 2010

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Lt. Governor?

Going back a hundred years or so I had an ancestor who was La.'s Lt. Governor. Can't remember his name though. If I could, I doubt anyone would recognize it. Lt. Governor of the state of Louisiana. If that isn't an example of wasteful use of taxpayer money, there is no such thing as wasteful use of taxpayer money. QUICK! Name one Lt. Governor during any one of EWE's terms in office ..... that's what I thought.

Kerry Fox , September 08, 2010

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...

Jindal has abandoned his campaign for president in 2012 in favor of winning the Vice Presidential nomination. Jindal has little incentive to help Sarah Palin. Tim Pawlenty or Mitt Romney are more likelt to tap Jindal as their running mate. The Lt. Governor's race is wide open as the Alliance For Good Government's endorsement of Kevin Davis would suggest. Dardenne starts with the best name recognition but could wilt under fire from his opponents. He considered challenging David Vitter but changed his mind when the GOP refused to open its primary to Independents. While he has had the support of LABI, Kershaw was given a prominent role in the Oil Industry Rally in Lafayette. Villere has failed to catch fire outside of his homebase of Jefferson Parish and is the biggest stumbling block for Davis' chances of making the runoff. Caroline Fayard is picking up steam and won a dual endorsement from the Jefferson Parish Democratic Executive Committee last night with Butch Gauthreaux who has the backing of the AFL-CIO and many fellow Democratic Legislators. While unlikely, it's possible that Fayard and Gauthreaux could wind up facing each other on November 2d.

David Quidd , September 08, 2010

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