When only
4.6 percent of your state thinks you're doing an "excellent job," you can pretty much do anything, which is exactly what GOP Gov. Bobby Jindal is doing.
After Louisiana lawmakers watched Indiana explode following passage of its so-called "religious freedom" bill, they decided to take a different path Tuesday, benching their own version of the legislation. The bill would have prohibited the state from punishing anyone who refused to serve LGBT Americans based on their religious beliefs about marriage. But Jindal, who desperately needs the support of social conservatives for a "likely" presidential bid, swooped in to keep the political grenade in play, reports Brian Slodysko:
Hours after the bill was rejected, Jindal issued an executive order aimed at doing the same thing as the bill, only on a smaller scale limited to the executive branch.
"What we are seeing today in America is an all-out assault on religious liberty," said Jindal, who called the executive order the "next best thing" to signing the bill.
The order would be effective several months beyond his administration's end unless Louisiana's next governor rescinds it, Jindal said.
Critics of Jindal's action say it is largely a toothless political ploy. Here's Stephen Perry of the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau:
Perry, a former chief of staff to one of the state's previous Republican governors, said case law and even the state constitution limit the governor's ability to rule by fiat. "No Executive Order of a governor may create substantive law, even in an emergency situation," he said in a statement.
Still, good on Jindal for not only governing on principle, but also walking through a door that no sane politician would ever even open. Can't imagine how his job approval ratings sunk
a full 10 points lower than President Obama's in a red state like Louisiana.