From the DPVA:
Virginia Republicans have no shame marching straight to the right wing this week. From their extremist chair-apparent to an influx of Tea Party primaries, the Virginia GOP is exploding with extremism. And to cap off this right-wing week, the Republican Party of Virginia will host Bobby Jindal tonight, a governor infamous for building up to a presidential run while simultaneously running Louisiana into the ground.
“Bobby Jindal is the consummate obstructionist, and it's sad to see Virginia Republicans embracing his Tea Party tactics,” said Morgan Finkelstein, press secretary for the Democratic Party of Virginia. “His hyper-partisanship and extremist policies have been disastrous for Louisiana, from gutting education to denying hundreds of thousands of citizens health insurance. Virginia Republicans should be moving toward finding solutions for the Commonwealth, not doubling down on failed Tea Party ideas.”
Bobby Jindal is the perfect example of how not to run a state, especially when it comes to the issues that matter to Virginians. Is this who Virginian Republicans want to model themselves after?
- Jindal On Shutting Down the Government: “We Absolutely Should Use Whatever Opportunity And Tactic We Can To Repeal And Replace Obamacare.” “At least one Republican governor here, though, voiced support for the effort to tie spending on the health care law to the broader measure that finances the federal government: Bobby Jindal of Louisiana, the head of the Republican Governors Association and a potential 2016 presidential candidate who most likely does not want to cede any space to his right. 'We absolutely should use whatever opportunity and tactic we can to repeal and replace Obamacare,' said Mr. Jindal, deeming the prospect of a shutdown nothing more than ‘a false threat’ and ‘scare tactics’ from Mr. Obama’s administration.” [New York Times, 8/4/13]
Jindal's Tea Party policies are costing his state billions of dollars and have already left hundreds of thousands of citizens without health insurance. Sound familiar? Speaker Howell is already all too eager to follow his example.
- Jindal Said Support For The Medicaid Expansion Was “Foolish, Shortsighted, Short-Term Position.” “But Jindal, who once served as Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals, said that if Medicaid were expanded in Louisiana, the number of people who would move to Medicaid from private insurance would exceed the number of uninsured residents who would gain coverage. 'I told my hospitals I thought that [supporting Medicaid expansion] was a foolish, shortsighted, short-term position,' he said.” [Washington Times, 9/22/14]
- HEADLINE: “Refusal Of Medicaid Money Is Hurting Louisiana.” [Editorial, Times-Picayune, 9/7/14]
- Louisiana Ranks 48th In Overall Health. [America's Health Rankings, United Health Foundation, 2013]
As if denying quality healthcare to his own constituents wasn't bad enough, thanks to Jindal, Louisiana families won't be able to afford quality schools, either. Virginians demand and expect a world-class education, not drastic cuts at every single level.
- 2014: Louisiana's Superintendent Of Education Claimed A “Cash-Flow Issue” Was To Blame For Louisiana's Public Schools Being Short $55 Million Of What Was Needed To Cover All Of The State’s Students This Year. “State financing for Louisiana's public schools is short $55 million of what is needed to cover all the state's students this year, Superintendent of Education John White told lawmakers Tuesday. White said $35 million of this year's shortfall is tied to having higher-than-estimated student enrollment for the 2013-14 school year. The rest of it he described as a 'cash-flow issue' that he said Gov. Bobby Jindal's administration could explain.” [Associated Press, 4/8/14]
- Since Bobby Jindal Reduced State Support For Higher Education, Students Have Had To Pay 70 Percent Of The Cost Of Attending College, Reversed From Six Years Ago When Louisiana Paid 70 Percent. “Increasing tuition hasn’t helped campuses because every time it goes up, the administration of Gov. Bobby Jindal reduces state support, he said. Six years ago, the state paid 70 percent of the cost of attending college, but now students pay 70 percent and the state pays 30 percent.”[Shreveport Times, 1/7/14]
The extremist ideals and bad policies, espoused by Bobby Jindal and guiding today's Republican Party of Virginia, couldn't be worse for Virginians. Republicans should reject Jindal's example and instead come to the table and work to get things done.
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