BATON ROUGE – Governor Bobby Jindal’s cynical campaign stunt to plead for national attention from out-of-state interests and far right extremists seems to be having a real impact, though possibly not in the way the governor intended. Since announcing his executive order, Jindal’s desperate flailing on the national stage has put Louisiana in the spotlight as a state hostile to business and unfriendly to tourism. Given the $1.6 billion budget nightmare Jindal’s failed policies created, it’s the kind of notoriety our state can least afford.
The New York Times compared the move with other states and noted: “Legislators in Texas failed to act on a similar bill last week, reflecting the degree to which business interests have come to see the bills as projecting an image of intolerance that is bad for a state’s business climate. That is a particular issue with the tourism industry in Louisiana.”
Politico pointed out the convenient timing for Jindal’s campaign-in-waiting, saying “his executive order came the day after the Louisiana Republican announced he is forming an exploratory committee for a potential White House bid in 2016.”
The Washington Post lead by highlighting Jindal’s hypocrisy, beginning their article by writing: “A Republican critic of President Obama’s executive orders will issue an executive order of his own that some say will allow Louisiana businesses to discriminate against gays and lesbians.”
Other outlets, including the Associated Press and Salon joined the national chorus shaking their heads at the self-destructive and self-serving stunt already driving badly needed business revenue away from a state that needs every penny.
“After mounting a recovery that was by any measure miraculous in recent years, our tourism industry and our state’s business community are being callously undercut by Gov. Jindal’s stunt,” said Stephen Handwerk, executive director of the Louisiana Democratic Party. “The nation is watching, and Gov. Jindal is failing the people who elected him at every turn.”
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