Here is a taste of what we Louisianans are cooking over at Daily Kingfish, a community blog where the progressive and Democratic Louisiana communities discuss Louisiana politics.
This is a relatively easy analogy to unpack: Landrieu engages in oversight, while Jindal is derelict in his duties as Congressman of LA-01.
During a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee oversight hearing on 10 May 2007, Mary Landrieu asked Condoleezza Rice why the US Government only accepted a fraction of $854 million of foreign aid in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. To quote Landrieu: "[the] people I represent were not able to take advantage of this aid[,] because there are obviously some major problems in how we receive aid [when people are in] their most desperate need [of help]."
Rice's answers to Landrieu's questions were, of course, unsatisfactory, and Landrieu asked Rice to send her a letter alerting her when the 9 recommendations made by Frances Thompson in a White House report on the lessons learned form Katrina would be implemented, as their implementation is 11 months overdue. Landrieu mentioned this White House report, as one of its recommendations discussed foreign aid: the State Department and Department of Homeland Security, according to the report, should develop procedures to "review, accept or reject" offers of international assistance during a catastrophic event similar to Hurricane Katrina. And Landrieu is right to ask Condoleezza Rice why we were incapable of receiving aid and why were are still unprepared to do so if a similar situation were to arise, for Rice, our nation's first foreign diplomat, was not on the telephone with foreign donors three days after Hurricane Katrina made landfall; she was in New York purchasing shoes at the Ferragamo store on Fifth Avenue. Rice was clearly part of the problem, not part of the solution, and Landrieu will ensure that Rice will be held accountable for this egregious error of the federal government.
The exchange between Landrieu and Rice can be viewed in the video entitled "Watch the May 10 Foreign Operations Hearing with Secretary Rice." Advance to 1:11:15 to view Landrieu engage in her oversight responsibilities.
To return to our analogy, Landrieu engages in oversight. Notice how the analogy establishes an antonymic relation between Landrieu and "Bobby" Jindal, who apparently wants to become Governor of our state: just as Landrieu is to oversight, Jindal is to dereliction. For according to an article in this morning's Times-Picayune, an article to which Oyster of Right Hand Thief directs our attention in the previous diary on Vitter's unwillingness to represent our state's interests, Jindal was not present at an oversight hearing on FEMA conducted by the House Committee on Homeleand Security, of which Jindal is ostensibly a member. Benny Thompson of Mississippi was present, and thankfully Rep. Thompson, a Democrat, asked the difficult questions, thereby providing some form of representation for our region. Leave it to a Democrat from another state to represent our interests. For Jindal was absent, even after his "Chicken Little" "Bobby" moment with his letter to Blanco and to the state legislature wherein he disingenuously accused Blanco of mismanaging our state's recovery efforts from the hurricanes of 2005. I guess Jindal only engages in oversight when it is partisan and related to his gubernatorial ambitions. For Jindal is incapable of rigorous oversight; even if large portions of St. Tammany, Tangipahoa and Washington Parishes were levelled by Katrina, he can only politicize our recovery, not represent his current constituents' interests.
What is the excuse "Bobby" issued to the media for his dereliction of his duties? According to the Times-Picayune,
Rep. Bobby Jindal, R-Kenner, the only Louisiana member on the committee, didn't attend the hearing. A spokesman said the start of the hearing coincided with a meeting Jindal hoped to have with the family of a slain police officer from his district. The family canceled, the spokesman said, and Jindal had other previously scheduled meetings.
Allow me to be the first to say that the priorities of "Bobby" Jindal are skewed. Hundreds of thousands of people were affected by the hurricanes of 2005. But "Bobby" believes a meeting with one family from his district is more important than performing oversight on behalf of the many people who are still struggling from the recovery? His meeting with the family bereaving the loss of their relative could have been rescheduled, and I imagine they would understand then necessity to reschedule, as they are from a district affected by Katrina. The excuse issued by the office of "Bobby" frankly fails to hold water, and in my opinion it borders on the insulting. Once again, "Bobby" strikes out, and Louisiana loses. What are the priorities of "Bobby" Jindal? Who does he plan on representing if he is elected Governor? Absent from the oversight hearing conducted by a committee of which he is a member, he certainly is not interested in representing ordinary Louisianans.
And what are these other meetings about which Jindal's office speaks? Who is more important than the struggling families of Louisiana who desire answers from the federal government? Who is the scheduler of the Congressman? Jindal is woefully derelict in his duties as Congressman, and his actions have cost our state dearly. This is not someone fit for public office, let alone an excutive position over a state that is still in the processing of recovering from two deadly storms.
The differences could not be more clear: Landrieu, a Democrat, represents our state and holds public officials accountable on our behalf, while Jindal, a Republican, treats our recovery efforts with reckless levity. Jindal is lazy and incompetent, and Jindal will make any excuse to try to account for his inability to represent us in Washington, DC. Do people seriously believe someone who issues poor excuses for not doing their job can serve as Governor of Louisiana? I hope such people wake from their political slumber very soon, for our state cannot afford the petty partisan games of "Bobby" Jindal.