Tuesday, February 25, 2014
After Meeting With Obama, Governor Goes on the Attack
Lately Obama has been pushing to raise minimum wage from $7.25 to $10.10 an hour, and this clearly had some people upset as seen in this article. After meeting with President Louisiana Republican Governor Bobby Jindal came on the offensive and accused Obama of "waving the white flag of surrender.” I kind of love the chippiness between government officials it's always fun during an election year. I personally think raising the minimum wage would be great for me because I work off minimum wage, however I can see how it could cause damage to a recovering economy.
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Similar to gay marriage, this issue has sprung up quite a few times in the last couple weeks, and although I work off of minimum wage and wouldn't mind a bump in my pay, I can understand where Governor Jindal is coming from with his argument. Raising the minimum wage might not be good for the economy. Despite that, Jindal was sort of out of line when he made those statements, considering that the meeting of the governors is generally bipartisan, because it brought political views into something that they're typically not a part of. I guess it shows how differing political views and rivalries can easily surface when people of different parties meet together.
ReplyDeleteIt seems to me like Governor Jindal pulled a cheap political trick denouncing Obama's minimum wage plan like that at a meeting that is generally supposed to be nonpartisan. Speaking out like that took advantage of the meeting because it ensured that people would take special notice of him, since nobody else was being overtly partisan. Feelings of the minimum wage plan aside, Governor Jindal used the meeting to get attention for his position. It was a move directed by political strategy.
ReplyDeleteThe article begins with "it is definitely an election year in Washington," and Jindal's words and actions reinforce this statement. Jindal clearly wanted attention in the media in such a crucial year, and he received it by accusing Obama of "waving the white flag of surrender." Personally, I am in favor of raising the minimum wage, but I think the more important factor of this article is the tension between officials of differing political parties.
ReplyDeleteEven though Jindal opposes the boost in minimum wage, his partisan attack at Obama was definitely more for attention, and this article is proof that it worked. This further proves what we've learned in class many times before about how politicians care more about reelection this time of year, and now because of this Jindal definitely stands out among the rest. I think minimum wage is just one of the many issues that will be growing in size for both parties as midterm elections come around.
ReplyDeleteLydia brings up a good point. Jindal wants to make sure that his constituents know who he is. As we've discussed, name recognition is one of the reasons incumbents have a greater advantage when it comes to reelections. I think this once again shows the tensions between the two political parties. I never realized the extent of the minimum wage issue until recently. It seems to be one of the focal issues of this election year.
ReplyDeleteWe will certainly be hearing even more about possible minimum wage increase and the controversy around it. While it seems Jindal was trying to draw attention by being so partisan against President Obama, this meeting seems to be more of a bipartisan facade than an actual bipartisan coming together of leaders.
ReplyDeleteThough I'm pretty much against everything Jindal supports, I do have to give him credit for speaking his mind at an event where everyone seemed to be just going with the flow. He obviously is just trying to get noticed for the upcoming elections, though it may have not been the best time to do that. If it does come back to bite him then it's his own fault. As far as his statement regarding Obama raising a white flag of surrender I have to say that I don't quite understand what he's trying to say. If surrendering means giving people more money, than what does giving people less mean?
ReplyDeleteAlthough I am still unsure about how I feel regarding a large minimum wage increase, I think that Governor Bobby Jindal's actions were incredibly inappropriate. He is clearly just trying to receive media attention, and in doing so he put a dark cloud over one of the few bipartisan things left in our government. Jindal may also just be upset about the possibility of change, because there is currently no state minimum wage requirement in Louisiana.
ReplyDeleteMy other classmates bring up good points regarding the article. Governor Jindal was out of line by addressing the possible minimum wage increase at a bipartisan meeting at the White House. Like Michaela, I don't have a definite position on this issue. I also don't know whether to be upset because of Governor Jindal's disruption of civility or to give the governor props for taking the spotlight and furthering his campaign for reelection.
ReplyDeleteI understand that acts such as governors meeting with the president are strictly to make the news. I realize that most of it is for show as it doesn't seem that headline worthy solutions come from these sort of things. Even though these things are somewhat of a circus already (as politicians are putting on an act to take pictures and say they met with the president) I do not appreciate the fact that Governor Jindal tried to make it a hectic circus. Stating that the president, who just invited you over, "surrendered the white flag on the economy" isn't fair. If he had just waited to speak his mind at another event I wouldn't mind, but since this is not the case I think Jindal was out of line.
ReplyDeleteThis seems like a quite the hot topic in our blog lately. It seems everyone has an opinion about the minimum wage increase which is uncommon. The president was said to be “waving the white flag of surrender.” This is a pretty bold accusation. He definitely seems confident in saying this but hopefully he has enough information to back himself up.
ReplyDeleteThe president's remark at the end of the article sort of alludes to this competition some of you mentioned in your comments, “I enjoyed watching some of you with your eyes on higher office size up the drapes — and each other.” While the article is about minimum wage, a raging issue at the moment, I think the dominant theme in the article is definitely the hunger for attention and competition for favor of these political figures (*cough cough Governor Jindal.*)
ReplyDeleteWhile Jindal’s attack on Obama may or may not be political in nature, I do completely agree with him. The fact that Obama is focusing so strongly on the minimum wage makes it almost appear that he is accepting the prospect of more Americans needing a low wage (and subsequently government aid in the form of programs such as food stamps). The best cure for American wage levels is a strong economy and one area where he could improve the economy is by approving the keystone pipeline (something that Jindal noted). Given the fact that a study showed that the environmental concerns were moot, any opposition to it is foolish and political in nature.
ReplyDeleteJindal's actions were definitely out of line. It seems to me that this was just a way of getting attention on himself. Like Yarrow said, he just wants to make sure his constituents know who he is and where he stands on his position. I am personally in favor of the minimum wage increase, beings that I work a minimum wage job and a bump in my paycheck would be nice.
ReplyDeleteI dont understand why Jindal felt as though he needed to say what he did, seeing as to how he provided no new argument or view point other than an ad hominem attack. If your going to break from tradition, you better have a good reason to do so and Jindal certainly did not. Perhaps the governor from Louisiana thinks that the publicity will help him, but i definitely think it will back fire as it was a weak and low attack of the president.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I disagree with Jindal's actions, I do think it was a very smart political move for him to increase his name recognition. It may be a risky move to so openly go against the president, but since presidential approval ratings are so low I think his actions will help him in the election rather than hurt him.
ReplyDeleteJindal acted out of line and it wasn't the smartest thing her could have done, but, although I don't necessarily agree with Jindal's action, I do agree with his opinion expressed. Raising the minimum wage would not be good for this country, although I wouldn't mind it. A raise in minimum wage would hurt the economy not help it.
ReplyDelete