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LA: GOP Gov. Takes Hands Off Approach to the Legislature

Boy, reading this piece you get the sense that Louisiana Democrats fear change – refreshing change at that.  From the Advertiser:

“He’s deliberately chosen not to be here and to make himself less accessible in a public way,” said Sen. Eric LaFleur, D-Ville Platte.

Lawmakers disagree on whether the change in management style makes it more difficult to get their work done or to know the governor’s position on legislation, but they agree the change is striking.

Some say they believe Jindal’s steering clear of potential public scuffles in Baton Rouge to protect his rising star on the national GOP stage. Some complain the governor’s absence shows a disconnect between Jindal and the Legislature. Others say the governor is trying to give lawmakers the ability to craft their proposals without meddling as directly as his predecessors.

In a state where the governor holds an enormous amount of power and lawmakers traditionally fall in line with the governor’s agenda, Jindal’s absence from the Capitol elicits both complaints and praise.

“We’re not used to having an equal branch of government. Our history is in the French monarchy, where the king is the king, and that’s the way the government has been run in this state at least in modern history going back to Huey Long,” said House Speaker Jim Tucker, R-Terrytown, a Jindal ally. He called the style change “refreshing.”

Jindal announces his positions on bills largely at carefully scripted press conferences and delegates the work for or against bills to his staff. Lawmakers more accustomed to speaking directly with the governor regularly during sessions say they often talk to Jindal’s top staff instead.

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