After exploiting far-right fears of “no-go zones” for all they’re worth, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) will be in the nation’s capital today, condemning a policy he used to support.
Two prospective 2016 Republican presidential contenders are scheduled to speak at events Thursday in Washington, D.C., hosted by the American Principles Project.Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal is scheduled to keynote the APP’s State Lunch at the Mayflower Hotel, which will feature a “high-level discussion” on Common Core.
Remember, as we discussed in August, Jindal used to love the Common Core education standards. He embraced them, decided to implement them, persuaded his state’s education officials to adopt them, and even sought federal funds to incorporate them into Louisiana’s curricula.
Then he learned how much the Republican base hates Common Core, at which point the Louisiana governor sued the Obama administration, accusing federal officials of “coercing” states into accepting the standards he used to like.
In case anyone’s forgotten, when Louisiana sought a federal grant to adopt Common Core — three times — Jindal “never mentioned overreach, illegality or coercion.”
I suspect this won’t be included as part of the governor’s remarks today. Call it a hunch.
And speaking of Jindal, the Republican governor and likely presidential candidate is overhauling his political operation, launching a super PAC called “Believe Again,” which will be chaired by former Rep. Bob Livingston (R).
If Livingston’s name sounds familiar, he was the Republican congressman who was going to succeed Newt Gingrich as Speaker in 1999, right up until a sex scandal ended Livingston’s career. Now, he’s partnered with Jindal as he eyes national office.
As for the governor’s ambitions, if the far-right candidate hoped to generate attention for himself with his recent antics, it appears to have worked out quite well. Peter Beinart recently explored Jindal’s “sophisticated bigotry” in unflattering detail, while Michael Gerson, himself a conservative, criticized Jindal’s “appalling” ideas.
Ed Kilgore said of Jindal last week, “I don’t think he’s going to win the presidential nomination, but right now he’s a cinch for a Cabinet post if Republicans regain the White House.”
All the more reason, then, to take note of his over-the-top missteps.
Recommended
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."