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La. Republican Rends Partisan Garment

Bobby Jindal an 'idiot' says sheriff who endorsed him. Also: 'To hell with Grover Norquist'
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Hoo boy. Newell Normand, the Republican sheriff of Jefferson Parish (suburban New Orleans), seeing the complete disaster that former Gov. Bobby Jindal and the GOP-run legislature made of the state’s fiscal situation, is volubly repenting. Excerpts:

“The state budget, what a mess,” Normand said. “Bobby Jindal was a better cult leader than Jim Jones. We drank the elixir for eight years. We remained in a conscious state. We walked to the edge of the cliff and we jumped off and he watched us.

“And guess what? Unlike Jim Jones, he did not swallow the poison. What a shame.”

Normand accused Jindal of “trying to rewrite history” since leaving office, attempting to deflect responsibility for budget gaps estimated at $943 million between now and the June 30 end of the fiscal year. The state is also estimated to face a $2 billion shortfall in the 2016-17 budget year.

“He’s trying to get everybody to believe that he did a phenomenal job. We have to just say no,” Normand said. “I’m a Republican. But I’m not a hypocrite. … We did this to ourselves, myself included, because I endorsed that idiot. And now we’re going to try to play partisan politics as it relates to this.”

He said GOP ideology has been a catastrophe for the state. More:

“We’re facing enough challenges today,” Normand said. “We do not need to face the stupidity of our leadership as it relates to how we’re going to balance this budget, and talking about silly issues, because we’re worried about what Grover Norquist thinks. To hell with Grover Norquist. I don’t care about Grover Norquist. Give me a break.”

Whole thing here. Ruh-roh. First Donald Trump starts blaspheming against Republican orthodoxy, now this. Interesting to consider whether or not the Grand Inquisitors (Limbaugh, Levin, et alia) have any power left to smite rebellious Republicans.

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