No sooner had The Donald pulled off the biggest political upset since 
than the speculation on who would hold which cabinet position had begun. And it got downright scary.
There was former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani being touted as Attorney General.
Yep. That’s all we need: A doddering old has-been who has all he can handle to remember his own name standing in as the premier legal authority in the land. He’s probably the only one who could make John Mitchell look good.
And Newt-for-God’s-sake-Gingrich as Secretary of State?
And the Republicans thought Hillary was bad in that role?
Next thing you know, Trump will be tossing out Charles Koch’s name as Secretary of the Interior.
And how about Chris Christie as Secretary of Defense?
Or Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback as Secretary of the Treasury? I mean, look what he’s done for that state’s finances.
But according to The Wall Street Journal, in a story quickly picked up by state media, a familiar name (to Louisianans, that is) is being pitched as a potential choice for Secretary of Health and Human Services.
Bobby Jindal.
Are you kidding me?
Apparently not. http://www.wdsu.com/article/report-former-gov-bobby-jindal-being-considered-for-cabinet-role-in-trump-administration/8263712
For some reason the locals believe that because he worked for former Gov. Mike Foster as Secretary of Health and Hospitals and for former President George W. Bush as a special adviser to the Secretary of Health and Human Services, he somehow has a shot at a similar role in the Trump administration.
I would refer those reporters to chapters 30 through 37 of my book Bobby Jindal: His Destiny and Obsession. Those chapters include the sordid details of how Jindal single-handedly dismantled the state’s model public teaching hospital system to benefit a few greedy political hangers-on—even to the point of signing off on a contract containing 50 blank pages. A rhetorical question: would anyone reading this ever sign his or her name to any document containing even one blank page?
As an added bonus, I would refer you to Chapter 17 of the book which details how Jindal’s Commissioner of Administration Kristy Nichols landed a cushy lobbying position with Ochsner Health System after helping negotiate a deal whereby Ochsner would partner with Terrebonne General Medical Center to take over operation of the state’s Leonard Chabert Medical Center in Houma.
At least the WSJ thought to mention failed GOP presidential hopeful Dr. Ben Carson as also being under consideration for the Health and Human Services post.
That would, after all, make a little more sense. After all, Carson did pipe up from time to time on behalf of Trump’s candidacy. We heard nary a peep from the Louisiana wannabe wunderkind Piyush Jindal after he removed himself from the Republican presidential sweepstakes last November…and no one noticed (of course they didn’t notice while he was running, either). All he did was join the board of some Texas corporation and quickly fade from memory—helping the Republican Party but crushing my book sales in the process.
Hey, Donald, here’s a heads-up. After Tuesday’s race for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by David Vitter, there are two former U.S. Representatives who ran unsuccessfully for the upper chamber who are now unemployed.
And they both just happen to be doctors.
But how can you trump (pun intended) a Rhodes Scholar?
If James Comey wasn’t doing such a splendid job, you might even consider Louisiana State Police Superintendent Mike Edmonson to head up the FBI. Think how regal he’d look sitting behind old J. Edgar’s desk.
But while you’re at it, you may be needing a new Secretary of Immigration and Border Protection. We understand David Duke just pulled an astonishing 3 percent of the vote in that same U.S. Senate race and may be looking for something to do. And we already know the rapport he has with minorities. Why, he’d fit right in.
And while you’re at it, you may be on the lookout for someone to replace Jeh Johnson as Secretary of Homeland Security.
There’s this fellow who previously did such a stellar job running the Louisiana Office of Alcohol and Tobacco Control—into the ground. Troy Hebert did even worse than Duke, racking up a whopping .5 percent of the vote in the 24-person Senate race. That’s one-half of one damn percentage point. Imagine what he could do for Homeland Security.
He may even still have his badge from his ATC days.
Yep, Donald, if you’re looking for washed up political has-beens to lead your administration—and it appears that you are—we have a boatload of ‘em down here in Louisiana.
Take your pick.
Please.
(Apologies to Henny Youngman.)
Louisiana Voice 
Could Trump be that nuts? Oh, right, we’re talking about Trump.
Perhaps Trump could initiate a marching tune for the GOP: “Send in The Clowns”
I don’t see Jindal getting the position for several reasons:
1. Jindal is most definitely NOT a team player. He believes he is ALWAYS the smartest person in the room (or on the planet for that manner) and he would soon try to dominate cabinet level meetings and turn on that motor mouth and never shut up. That would not only the case for his area of coverage but every other cabinet members’ area of responsibility too. That style won’t last five minutes with Trump. Carson, on the other hand, is a very slow and deliberate speaker who chooses his words carefully. He’s also well-respected and doesn’t have all the baggage of years of corruption Jindal would bring to the table. He won’t offer his opinion on other coverage areas unless it is specifically solicited.
2. Carson wasted no time endorsing Trump when he dropped out and never said derogatory words about Trump. Jindal, on the other hand, in an utterly desperate move to try and gain even a tiny bit of momentum in his delusional quest, became the “self-proclaimed point man” to slam Trump and, when that didn’t work and Jindal dropped out, he cast his lot with Rubio. It wasn’t until the handwriting was on the wall that Trump was going to be the nominee that Jindal, in his true fashion, hitched his wagon to the current favorite (much the same as he did with Rick Perry when Perry had his VERY brief meteoric rise after some “faith initiative rally” — or some similarly-named gathering — in New Orleans in the early stages of the 2012 race).
It sounds good to say for Trump PR purposes to say Jindal is under consideration (much as the Jindal-inspired hype of him potentially being vetted for Romney’s VP slot in 2012 when he wasn’t even remotely being considered). I don’t think he’ll get the nod, however, and, even if he does, I’m willing to wager heavily on an over/under wager with six months being how long it takes Trump to utter his famous words, “You’re fired!”
As I said in a post on Tom’s previous article (LSTA corruption and cronyism), I strongly support Giuliani for AG for the reasons stated in that article.
Not that consistency is his byword, but I believe President Donald has already branded Jindal a loser. Of course, he views at least 99% of us as losers so that doesn’t necessarily disqualify Jindal.
By the way, with regard to our POTUS-elect, never has the phrase, “saints preserve us!” been more apropos.
Robert Burns – I keep hearing “Confederacy of Dunces” in my head and I am trying to be circumspect and civil…but, I just read that Sarah Palin is up for Secretary of the Interior….
The wailing and gnashing of teeth is music to my ears and it’s coming from both sides of the aisle! Trump was not my choice, I voted for Pence.
Tom,
1. PLEASE send a copy of your book about our ex-governor to VP-Elect Pence before he does any hiring! If you send it, I will pay for it.
2. I went to vote this week and went in the booth to submit a write-in ballot for president. I did this in 1976 in NJ, voting for Gov. Reagan. It’s a vote I have been proud of ever since.
Well, I was told by the booth person that I could not do that. Knowing that I could, I asked the next three persons at the table and got the same response. I next met with the precinct captain-person and she wasn’t sure. She called our Clerk of Court, spoke to her for a minute, and then handed the phone to me. The CoC told me I would have to fill out a provisional ballot. I said “fine, thanks.” But she said I could only vote for president and senator using it. And then she warned me that basically my ballot, sealed in a letter, would be handled differently and then I am not sure what she said. I had the impression my vote would not be counted or something like that, at least immediately.
I was really disappointed that I could not vote locally or on the 2nd Amendment (I am a professor in my 9th year of no pay raises — basically my salary gets reduced by $1500 every year with inflation, but that’s another story, perhaps — and it is a story, believe me).
I don’t want to cause a fuss, and certainly don’t want to raise Louisiana’s costs, but do you believe that my voting rights were diminished a bit (I hate to use that “disenfranchised” word)? I would greatly appreciate your thoughts, if you have a free moment! Should I contact the State person on this?
Thanks,
Sean Dwyer Ruston, LA
On Wed, Nov 9, 2016 at 10:02 PM, Louisiana Voice wrote:
> tomaswell posted: “No sooner had The Donald pulled off the biggest > political upset since than the speculation on who would hold which cabinet > position had begun. And it got downright scary. There was former New York > City Mayor Rudy Giuliani being touted as Attorney Gener” >
I was disappointed Hillary did not win, however, I must congratulate the $$Republicans, they did an outstanding job playing to our fears, ignorance, and prejudices, the foundation of ALL communication. Ratf**** was the key and the golden rule, He who has the gold , makes the rule. love always, ron thompson