Bobby Jindal just won’t go away.
The best explanation we can come up with is the psychiatric definition of denial: “A primitive-ego defense–mechanism by which a person unconsciously negates the existence of… stress-producing reality in his environment by disavowing thoughts, feelings, wishes, needs, or external reality factors that are consciously intolerable.”
The stress-producing reality in this case is:
- He is no longer governor;
- He was a disastrous laughingstock of a presidential candidate;
- In the last two presidential nomination sweepstakes, he has endorsed candidates (Rick Perry and Marco Rubio) who failed to capture voters’ interest;
- He has been reduced to just another talking head spouting misrepresentations about his miserable eight years of botched fiscal policies.
And so it was that last Thursday (March 24) Bobby Jindal was the featured speaker at something called the Mary Elizabeth Babcock Lectureship in the American Conservative Tradition at Denison University in Granville, Ohio.
It was enough that Bobby the Boy Blunder spoke at the event that in the past has showcased such conservative notables as William F. Buckley, Jr., James Kilpatrick, George Will, Zbigniew Brzezinski, David Gergen, Jack Kemp, Robert Bork, Bob Dole, and J.C. Watts.
But in terms of pure, undiluted B.S., the advance press release from Denison on Jindal’s “Challenges and Opportunities in America’s Political Landscape: the 2016 Election and Beyond” was way over the top.
Some examples of the drivel contained in that press release:
- Bobby Jindal has a well-earned reputation as one of America’s most successful public sector executives and one of the boldest innovators in the health care and education sectors.
- Jindal used his two terms as Governor of Louisiana to rebuild and diversify the state’s economy and financial footing in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
- Jindal’s agenda included top-to-bottom reformation and privatization of the state-run charity hospital and the state’s healthcare payer systems. Fiscally, Jindal reduced the state budget by 26 percent, reduced the state employee headcount by 30,000, and implemented the largest income tax reduction in state history. With a bipartisan consensus, Jindal implemented statewide school choice programs and moved the state from the bottom five in ethics laws to the top five.
- Jindal’s dramatic rework of Louisiana’s policy structure paid measurable dividends in the form of eight credit upgrades, $60 million in private capital investment and a ranking in the top ten in the nation for job creation and the highest ever per-capita income ranking in state history.
- Despite being the nation’s youngest governor when he was elected in 2007, Jindal had been well-prepared to become the state’s CEO, with stints as the head of the state Department of Health and Hospitals, as president of the University of Louisiana System, assistant secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and executive director of the National Bipartisan Commission on the Future of Medicare—all before his 30th birthday.
- In the private sector, Jindal advised senior management of Fortune 500 firms as an associate at McKinsey & Co. Jindal analyzed potential acquisition targets, assisted with product launches, and evaluated manufacturing processes versus best practices. Jindal managed teams of clients and consultants and aided health care payer, pharmaceutical, manufacturing and information technology clients.
Of course, Denison’s fairy tale press release, obviously written either by Jindal, Rolfe McCollister or some other delusional member of his team, neglected to say that:
- He served less than a year with McKinsey & Co.—not exactly supportive of all the accomplishments claimed in the news release;
- That “well-earned reputation as one of America’s most successful public sector executives” is pure fiction, concocted by someone likely smoking some really good stuff.
- “…rebuild and diversify the state’s economy and financial footing” after Katrina and Rita? Jindal, for once in your miserable, deceitful career, tell the truth: You squandered a $1 billion surplus you inherited when taking office, thanks to federal funds for Katrina and Rita recovery, and left office with a $2 billion black hole of a deficit.
- As far as his “top-to-bottom reformation and privatization” of the charity hospital system and his school choice programs, we’ll just let the record speak for itself. Ethics? That word isn’t even in his vocabulary.
- “Well-prepared” to become the state’s CEO? The only thing he was well-prepared for was racking up frequent flyer miles in pursuit of higher office and running up monumental costs in the use of State Police security—a tab picked up by the taxpayers of Louisiana.
No, Jindal just won’t go away and he is doing everything he can to perpetuate the myth that he was an innovator who pulled the state from the brink of disaster.
That’s denial of the obvious.
For the real story of how his administration was rotten from top to bottom, you can pre-order a signed copy of my latest book, Bobby Jindal: His Destiny and Obsession.
After a couple of delays in the editing process, the book is now on track to be released around mid-April.
You may pre-order by clicking on the illustration of the book cover located on the upper right side of this post. You will be placing your order through Cavalier House Books of Denham Springs, which is only about three blocks from my home. When the books are received by Cavalier, the owner will summon me to the bookstore to sign each book to each purchaser before they are mailed out.
I can promise a much more accurate picture of our former governor, presidential wannabe than was provided in the Denison press release. The book, unlike that claptrap, is rooted in reality.
He will always remain a blight on Louisiana.
Here is an email I sent to Mary Frazell (the person responsible for Jindal’s appearance at Denison) day before yesterday:
I read the following item with amusement leading to anger earlier this week:
http://denison.edu/events/event/64626
I’m sure you agree truth is an important value we should all treasure. Researching objective media reports of former Governor Jindal’s record would have revealed glaring misrepresentations in his biographical sketch. I am not talking about philosophy here. I am talking about simple facts, the most important of which are his failed leadership and dishonest budget policies.
It is certainly your prerogative to invite anybody you please to appear on your campus, including our former governor. I realize the lecture series in question promotes conservative values. Your list of previous distinguished lecturers is impressive. I personally do not believe Governor Jindal belongs on that list.
Stephen Winham
Former Louisiana State Budget Director
Saint Francisville, Louisiana
Amen….
Good letter, Stephen. This would be considered a public service.
Please let us know if you get a reply Stephen.
Thanks to Tom for bringing us the awful news that jindal again has a forum for his lies, and to Mr. Winham for posting the link to Denison University so we can send Mary Frazell and her colleagues some observations of our own. (Mr. Winham, you were so kind and diplomatic in referring to the BS in jindal’s bio as “glaring misrepresentations.” I’d call that steaming pile of manure “outright lies and the ravings of someone who lives in an alternate reality.”)
Quoting from the link: “Denison and Harvard alumna Mary Elizabeth Babcock…had a lifelong interest in education, government and politics. She engaged in a wide range of charitable, educational and community interests… for many years.” If the university has, and the late Ms. Babcock had a real interest in charitable, educational and community interests for anyone other than the 1 percent, they should be appalled at having a charlatan such as jindal at their podium.
From Denison University’s website:
What Matters Most at Denison
Vision & Values
Students… apply their liberal arts foundation locally and globally in service, commerce, and innovation…At the core of this experience is a set of rock-solid ideals: integrity, reason, scholarship, community, diversity, intellect, dignity, respect.
Mission Statement
Our purpose is to inspire and educate our students to become autonomous thinkers, discerning moral agents and active citizens of a democratic society…we engage students in the liberal arts, which…demonstrates the transformative power of education. We envision our students’ lives as based upon rational choice, a firm belief in human dignity and compassion unlimited by cultural, racial, sexual, religious or economic barriers…
Guiding Principles
Our curriculum…a liberal arts foundation in the arts, the sciences, the social sciences and the humanities…our students…develop the framework for an integrated intellectual life, spiritually and morally informed… The University provides an environment sensitive to individual needs yet grounded in a concern for community, in which the principles of human dignity and ethical integrity are paramount…Foremost… is a commitment to treat each other and the environment with mutual respect, tolerance, and civility.
Denison is a liberal arts university. Wonder if they know that jindal once floated the idea of eliminating college liberal arts curricula, as having no economic value?
Perhaps Denison should issue an apology to those who attended jindal’s speech and let them know the administration was completely hoodwinked by a skilled liar whose sociopathic characteristics in no way reflect the noble vision and values that Denison University espouses. Either that, or what the university states as “what matters most” has as much validity as jindal’s assertions.
As I told Tom in an email about this last week, it is interesting to note Mr. Jindal’s speech is tagged “diversity” on the Denison site. The only diversity I saw was that from the truth and, as earthmother points out, from what seems to be the mission of Denison.
It will be interesting to see if Ms. Frazell responds in any way.
We must all agree that Mr. Jindal did in fact have a tremendous propaganda team throughout his 8 year reign. That is about the only accomplishment that can remotely be considered an accomplishment.
Thanks for letting us know what the little twit has been up to. Thanks also for informing us about how utterly clueless some organizations can be. Jindal’s presence as a speaker is an automatic stain on the organization which books him.