A rumor circulating in Louisiana is that David Vitter, Louisiana Senator, and Bobby Jindal, the Governor, are set to trade jobs when the governorship opens up in 2015. It makes sense politically for both of them.
David Vitter, because of his exposure by a madam in a DC investigation and his apparent peculiar inclination to wear diapers while being ’serviced’, is unlikely to ever work his way into a leadership role in the Senate. He only rarely appears on any talking head program; it seems the party is afraid of the unanswered questions about the incidents. So, although, he has his seat for life, it is unlikely that he will be satisfied being a back-bencher while each election brings another newbie or two to attract national acclaim.
Bobby Jindal still harbors some hope that he will be the GOP nominee for President in 2016. Unfortunately, his combination of not liking people very much and a laziness that he seems to have picked up as Governor, make it unlikely that he will make any headway in what promises to be a crowded field. If you recall, his entrance to national exposure was his response to Obama’s 2009 State of the Union speech, where he trotted out to the Governor’s mansion and gave a listless speech. He tirelessly worked for Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign in hopes of being appointed Secretary of HHS. He gave a speech at the Gridiron Club, which he liked so much he repeated it verbatim at CPAC, including jokes that made no sense in that setting. His national electoral chances are currently nil, but he is still young.
As Senator, he would have decades to remake himself, and could leave Louisiana behind, except for a month or so every six years. In the meantime, his favorability in Louisiana has plummeted as he has taken up the task of ‘eliminating’ the state’s income tax by raising the sales tax. Unfortunately, he has had to raise the sales tax rate estimate repeatedly as he has agreed to maintain some important exemptions for his political allies.
A poll conducted by Vitter’s polling firm found that he is the frontrunner for the Governor’s election, even beating Mitch Landrieu, Mayor of New Orleans. Why anyone would want to be Governor rather than Mayor of NOLA is a mystery to me. Once Vitter would be elected, in this scenario, he would appoint Jindal to complete his term. They would then set out to rehabilitate their own reputations in their new offices.
