Twenty-four hours of reflection and some well-chosen observations from retired State Budget Director Stephen Winham have us now considering the possibility that the letter from those 11 Republican Louisiana House members seeking advice on the controversial SAVE bill may not have been so much a capitulation to Grover Norquist as it was a set up that left Bobby Jindal looking like the fool he is on the eve of his formal entry into the GOP presidential sweepstakes.
And that classic no-response response by Norquist only adds to the speculation that the whole thing was a devilishly clever trap designed to ensnare Jindal in his own web of deceit and rigid demagoguery.
If that indeed was the purpose of the letter, we at LouisianaVoice have more than a little egg on our faces and an apology to the 11 legislators on our lips because, quite frankly (and there is no spin we can put on this) we were taken in as were most of us who read the letter for the first time.
Unlike traditional media, we do not bury our “clarifications” in some obscure part of our publication with a two- or three-sentence acknowledgement of the error; we put it out there for all to see.
We’re still not certain that the letter was written with the intent of putting Jindal in a box from which there was no graceful exit as opposed to the first blush appearance of pathetic groveling, but it’s sure beginning to look that way. And if that is what it was, we can only add, Touché.
The only thing that gives us pause is the fact that four members of the Ways and Means Committee who signed the letter—Cameron Henry of Metairie, Kirk Talbot of River Ridge, Joe Harrison of Gray, and John Schroder of Covington—also signed Norquist’s “no tax” pledge.
Moreover, five of the 11 (Brett Geymann of Lake Charles, Harrison, Henry, Schroder and Talbot are either current or former members of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), the national non-profit organization funded by some of America’s largest corporations, including Wal-Mart, major oil, pharmaceutical, and insurance companies and Koch Industries.
But perhaps the biggest indication that the letter was an elaborate ruse, and one we did not initially consider, is simply this: Why would the committee release the letter—and Norquist’s response—to the media unless it was just that: a scheme to back Jindal into a corner? It would be too convenient to say the letter was simply leaked; it’s more likely now, considering the meek response by Norquist, that it was spoon-fed to the media with the express purpose of embarrassing Jindal.
“I have read and re-read the letter,” said Winham in an email to LouisianaVoice, “and I still see it as a direct hit on Norquist and Jindal and that it serves as an official record of opposition to SAVE and to Grover Norquist and to Bobby Jindal.
“I also agree that, in addition to its (SAVE’s) utter stupidity, it would establish a horrible precedent that (says) pure gimmicks suffice to do anything with taxes,” he said. “I am not anti-tax and (I) believe anybody ought to have sense enough to know which services we need and that they have to be paid for. I am not for using totally idiotic loopholes as a means to pass taxes and then pretend you didn’t.”
Winham said that had he been a legislator, “I would have signed that sucker” with the view of telling Grover where he could stick it and with the admonition to “leave us alone.”
Winham is not alone in concocting his theory, not by a long shot. Sharing his views were superb Baton Rouge Advocate political columnist Stephanie Grace who has recently been taking Jindal to task on his budget proposals and his silly presidential run.
In her Tuesday column, she said the letter makes a lot of sense on a number of levels—mostly because it puts the ball squarely in Norquist’s and Jindal’s corner.
http://theadvocate.com/columnists/12585102-123/stephanie-grace-saving-save-a#comments
Another is a blogger known only as Skydancer. In her most recent post, she pours the metaphorical gasoline on the fire that is quickly bringing to a boil the hot water that Jindal finds himself in only days before his (yawn) announcement that he is a candidate for the Republican presidential nomination.
Skydancer notes that Rep. Joel Robideaux (R-Lafayette), chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, said in the letter that the bill, if enacted, “would successfully and irreparably establish the precedent that future legislatures and governors can raise taxes on a nearly unlimited basis and then claim revenue neutrality solely based on the creation of a purely fictional, procedural phantom paper tax credit.” http://skydancingblog.com/2015/06/08/monday-reads-take-our-governor-please/
But the most important endorsement of Winham’s theory comes from none other than Norquist himself. The leader of Americans for Tax Reform (ATR), Norquist initiated the infamous “no tax” pledge that a couple of dozen Louisiana lawmakers signed off on, including those four Ways and Means Committee members.
So, what was the response to the letter by Norquist? He punted. “ATR is agnostic as to whether a credit or deduction is good policy. We merely call balls and strikes regarding whether a change in tax law results in a net tax increase,” he wrote back. “ATR does not support or oppose the SAVE Act. While the SAVE Act does include a credit that can be used to offset other tax increases, there are other ways to achieve revenue neutrality, such as by repealing the corporate franchise tax and/or cutting the state income tax. If you don’t like the SAVE Act, why not find other offsetting tax cuts that are more to your liking?” he added.
Obviously, that response is significant.
First, it gives the Ways and Means Committee all the ammunition it needs to kill the SAVE bill and for the Legislature to move forward in the final week of the 2015 session in passing a budget that will almost certainly be vetoed by Jindal.
Second, it sets up a confrontation that could result in just the third override of a governor’s veto in Louisiana history.
That will look great on Jindal’s resumé when he makes his official announcement in New Orleans on June 24.
Louisiana Voice 
Thanks, Tom.
Thanks to Stephen and Tom.
Leges act according to the incentives that they are confronted with, just like the rest of us. SAVE is incredible idiocy, but if the alternative is tax increases and veto session (or something worse), Leges will do anything to escape the “white-hot spotlight” relatively intact and go back to campaigning for re-election.
The correspondence between the parties may have a major, albeit unwritten salutary effect. If the bond rating services(remember them)downgrade Louisiana’s bond rating because of the SAVE charade, it will expose Norquist as a pariah and have politicians running from “the pledge”.
Nothing has happened yet, so I am not in on a reprieve for any of them yet. What we really need is for the legislature to veto Jindal and put him out of office now. The state has become the laughing stock of the world thanks to Bobby Boy’s antics. Perhaps if nothing else, it is a perfect example of what happens when a right wing Tea Partier is allowed to get in/out of control.
I was surprised when I saw Cameron Herny’s name among the 11 since there is no love lost between Cameron Henry and Bobby Jindal. I think “the 11” (should we refer to them as such?) were trying to cover their collective political derrieres and painting Bobby into a corner who pretty soon will find himself forsaken and abandoned by his own. JON TB is correct: the legislators should use override Jindal. Has anyone been following the antics of Brownback in Kansas?
Vitter also signed “the pledge”, although he has said that it only applies to the federal government; state government being a different issue. Don’t believe it! Maybe Jindal makes Vitter look better (the alternative?), but be careful.
This just gets better and better. Short of an indictment or a sexual scandal, I can hardly think of a more effective way to cut Jindal’s b…, never mind, let’s just say, the letter makes Jindal a eunuch.
BTW, the Gravis New Hampshire 2016 poll released today doesn’t even have Jindal’s name on the list. I think Gravis gave up on the little guy a long time ago. Jindal’s announcement on the 24th is shaping up to be one hell of a dismal event, not to mention that there is no telling what could happen between now and then.
I thought the letter showed Jindal as a puppet and the letter was to the puppet master
Why just 11 if it is a ruse? I feel like there is some fancy tap dancing going on here. Love your publication.
Because there are only 11 Republicans on the Ways and Means Committee.
I’m not even going to try to figure this nonsense out. I don’t play chess well, much less three dimensional chess.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three-dimensional_chess#Star_Trek_Tri-Dimensional_Chess
What are the humble citizens of Louisiana to make of these shenanigans? Not only is it Jindal’s tail that is in a crack but the legislature’s, too. What if Jindal vetoes the budget, and there are not sufficient numbers to pass an override? What happens then? The lot of them, Jindal and the legislators, with exceptions, are now reaping what they sowed for 7 long years, but the citizens of the state will suffer the consequences.
Is the one choice for jindal a veto of the whole budget or not?
With Jindal, who the hell knows. He may come up with some rationalization to sign it without SAVE – he certainly can’t come up with anything more ridiculous. Now, thanks to the way things work in our beloved state, hammering out a deal (or, better put, actually re-writing the budget) will be left to 6 people who will hold closed door meetings, being careful to not have a quorum [if anybody cares about any of our laws anymore] among themselves and with the governor’s minions. What comes out the other end and what Jindal does with it is anybody’s guess at this point.
http://theadvocate.com/news/12613546-123/gov-bobby-jindal-veto-threat
Online report of today’s activities.
Excerpt from this report:
“Broadwater said he’d be willing to vote for the tax credit maneuver, even though he described it as a “gimmick and a sham.” He said he’d tell his constituents: “To save higher ed, I’m going to vote for the gimmick.” ”
Question for LouisianaVoice readers, in general, and Broadwater’s constituents in particular::
What do you consider braver, wiser and a real effort to do what is best for Louisiana?:
1) Sending a letter to Norquist forcing him to admit he is not really committed to SAVE and does not run Louisiana while exposing the governor’s veto threat if it is not passed as absurd both before and after Norquist’s response followed up with a commitment with over 80 signatures to override the governor’s veto in the house..
or
2) Voting for a sham because it is the easy way out, notwithstanding the fact it is not only a sham, but sets a very dangerous precedent in more ways than one. (By the way, somebody might ask Broadwater where he got the list of cuts to individual universities he presented to his colleagues?)
If I were a legislator, and I thought SAVE was a sham and a bad precedent, which I do, I’d vote against it.
Put me down for the letter to Grover.
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Both the house and the senate, despite vigorous opposition from several house members and from Senator Karen Peterson, proved they find it impossible to stand up to Governor Jindal – both bodies passed SAVE moments ago. Look at how your senator and representative voted and act accordingly.