Brushing off an attack by U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu this week, Gov. Bobby Jindal by Thursday was back on message against President Barack Obama, linking his opposition to Medicaid expansion to the sequestration debate in Washington. The National Review published Jindal’s online editorial “The Era of Government Greed,” restating his comments after a White House meeting of governors in which he called on the president to delay the implementation of the Medicaid expansion in order to avoid the across-the-board cuts taking place Friday. In between, he was blasted by Landrieu “for pushing his political future ahead of the economic interests of the people of Louisiana” in rejecting the Medicaid expansion. Both are playing offense with their positions on Medicaid expansion. If the governor is interested in running for president in 2016, his expansion opposition would be in line with Republican voters he would be courting in the primaries. Landrieu’s pushing the Medicaid expansion, which polls show a majority of Louisianans favor, helps her with the middle-of-the-road voters she needs for her 2014 re-election.
—Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne hasn’t shied away from voicing concerns about the effect on tourism by the governor’s suggested 1.77 percentage-point sales tax hike to partially offset the proposed repeal of state income taxes. Dardenne has said that would be “a huge detriment to small businesses in Louisiana and to people visiting that state,” which totaled 25 million last year. He added: “Sooner or later you create a disincentive to marketing conventions.” Also, the potential taxation of services “could create huge problems,” he says, if the administration follows the example of Texas, which taxes a broad range of amusement services, such as live and recorded performances, movies, sports tickets and participatory sports, including bowling. That would get the attention of the U.S Bowling Congress, which announced this week it would hold its four-month-long Women’s Open Tournament in Baton Rouge in 2017, as well as its Open Championships in the city in 2025.
They said it: “Senator Alario suggests that maybe you could move your parish closer to the coast.” —Sen. Jack Donahue, R-Mandeville, to Sen. Francis Thompson, D-Delhi, on Thompson’s failed attempt to steer some Hurricane Isaac federal grant funds to northeast Louisiana.
