Jindal Admits Katrina Story Was False

Jindal Admits Katrina Story Was False

tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com

Remember that story Bobby Jindal told in his big speech Tuesday night -- about how during Katrina, he stood shoulder-to-shoulder with a local sheriff who was battling government red tape to try to rescue stranded victims?

Turns out it wasn't actually, you know, true.

In the last few days, first Daily Kos, and then TPMmuckraker, raised serious questions about the story, based in part on the fact that no news reports we could find place Jindal in the affected area at the specific time at issue.

Jindal had described being in the office of Sheriff Harry Lee "during Katrina," and hearing him yelling into the phone at a government bureaucrat who was refusing to let him send volunteer boats out to rescue stranded storm victims, because they didn't have the necessary permits. Jindal said he told Lee, "that's ridiculous," prompting Lee to tell the bureaucrat that the rescue effort would go ahead and he or she could arrest both Lee and Jindal.

But now, a Jindal spokeswoman has admitted to Politico that in reality, Jindal overheard Lee talking about the episode to someone else by phone "days later."

(visit the link for the full news article)

SO... besides giving the most vacuous and inane speech this side of Sarah Palin as a Republican response to President Obama's speech before the joint houses of congress... it turns out Bobby Jindal lied about a key part of it.

These people are so clueless and they wonder why they have been kicked out of power so roundly.

In a speech that can best be summed up as... spending bad, tax cuts good, Americans can do anything... and nothing more except talking about himself... Jindal couldn't keep from padding his resume and lying about his actions in the days after Katrina.

What I am curious about is that in these days of the internet and blogging how does any politican, conservative or liberal, Republican or Democrat think that they can get away with this stuff and still maintain any form of crediblity?

tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

This is one of the rising stars within the GOP? Wow, they really have scraped bottom barrel.

Its really time for the GOP to be split IMHO. Conservative, both ultra and neo should move off to for thier own party based on their John Birch core values and leave the party of Lincoln to regain its soul.

Easy, they don't care if they have any credibility a few days later. Once it is out in the airwaves people don't seem to notice the little details.

Fo example. A friend of mine had a friend a few years ago that was arrested for child molestation. Turned out they had the wrong guy. By the time his name was cleared he had been all over the papers in his small town, and no one wanted to hire him and everyone treated him like scum. Doesn't matter that later he was cleared, public opinion had already tried him.

Just like in this case. Guy says he did something heroic standing up to "the man"for the people. Days later it comes out that he didn't, public opinion has already knighted him. Sure a lot of us are gonna know he lied, but there are enough people that won't even read about it or believe you if you tell them cause they already decided he did what he said he did.

The point of the statement is true. Individuals lined up wanting to help were turned away. That is a fact!

Louisiana had a wild hurricane season in 2008. Compare Jindals response and preparation to Kathleen Blanco's response to the 2005 Hurricane season.

Jindal may not be ready for primetime just yet. As a citizen of Louisiana, I am fine with that! He is only 37 years old, there is plenty of time for his great ideas to hit the national stage. But for right now his great leadership is helping Louisiana! Inspite of the lies of Joe Biden...Louisiana is the only state in the Union that had a job increase in 2008.

We could have 7 more Presidential elections in which Jindal could be a factor...in 2036 he could still be a viable candidate, at the still young age of 65. Bobby Jindal is not going away!

reply to post by FredT


Well this really should have been expected... over the past 30 years the movement conservatives have taken over the Republican party and forced out almost all of its moderate and liberal members and enforced a uniformity reminicent of the most hard line facsist parties.

I expected goose stepping and brown shirts every day of the bush minor administration.

The more you enforce a uniformity of opinion the less talent you attract until all you get are those who agree with you...

movement conservatism will be the death of the Republican party yet.

Originally posted by RRconservative
The point of the statement is true. Individuals lined up wanting to help were turned away. That is a fact!

Sorry that doesn't cut it RR. Jidal claimed he was there when he wasn't. That is the point.

That is not the point. Whether Jindal was there or heard about it secondhand is not the point. The point is what actually happened...anything else is trivial.

When individuals join together to help out their fellow citizens and the government refuses to let them...that is the point.

If your friends or neighbors were stranded on top of their rooftops surrounded by water, and you had a boat and were getting ready to go save them, but was stopped by someone from the government, how would you feel?

reply to post by RRconservative


I would feel that PEOPLE who stopped me were idiots, no matter who they are or who they are working for (even government).

Do not blame the institution, blame the individuals. That way it's much easier to point out those in fault and get rid of them

Originally posted by FredT
Its really time for the GOP to be split IMHO.

I couldn't agree with this more. The Conservatives are losing any credibility they have to this crazy thing called The GOP Republicans. True conservatives could be a respectable and formidable force, but Bush/Palin/Jindal/The Plumber Republicans are weighing them down and making a mockery of the true conservative, which I respect a great deal.

I'm not too concerned about Jindal's Katrina story. It's the least of that speech that is bothersome. What really struck me is his Mr.Rogers approach to talking to the American people. I expected him to call us "boys and girls" and any moment. If he really thinks we're all 3rd graders, as he indicated, that's a much more worrisome thought than twisting the truth to illustrate a point...

Originally posted by Benevolent Heretic
I'm not too concerned about Jindal's Katrina story. It's the least of that speech that is bothersome. What really struck me is his Mr.Rogers approach to talking to the American people. I expected him to call us "boys and girls" and any moment. If he really thinks we're all 3rd graders, as he indicated, that's a much more worrisome thought than twisting the truth to illustrate a point...

Couldn't agree more. I was insulted by his tone.

So what if he lied about being in the sherrifs office? Didn't Hillary Clinton lie about being shot at? She got caught while campaining to lead the Democratic party as President. She ended up being the Secretary of State.

To say that the GOP is scrapping the bottom of the barrel is like the pot calling the kettle black.

Didn't Obama stretch the truth about his grandpa in WWII and about how the Kennedy family helped get his father to the US?


Personally, I think all politicians stretch the truth to get votes.

Originally posted by jd140
So what if he lied about being in the sherrifs office? Didn't Hillary Clinton lie about being shot at? She got caught while campaining to lead the Democratic party as President. She ended up being the Secretary of State.

To say that the GOP is scrapping the bottom of the barrel is like the pot calling the kettle black.

Great logic there, Jay Dee.

reply to post by milesp



My point is that you guys are bashing him as if he is running for President. I could care less if he said if he was digging through rubble to get to an 80 year old woman who was a parapalygic and it turned out he was in a multi million dollar mansion sipping brandy while watching it all play out on the news. You guys are trying to deface him as if he is running against President Obama.

reply to post by jd140


Hey this guy decided to take the stage with full knowledge that his words would be scrutinized and he still looked the American people in the eye and told a lie. Thanks dude.

Way to go Daily Kos and TPMmuckracker.

reply to post by Benevolent Heretic


How can Democrats talk about anyones credibility when Obama literally said, "I am proud that we passed a recovery plan free of earmarks" during his speech on 2/24/2009, when the "recovery plan" has over 9,000 earmarks? $7.8 Billion worth, including one by Obama himself. If that doesnt remove all credibility, then I don't know what does.

Why does anyone even care what this Jindal guy says? The Republicans have no control in government right now anyway. How about the Dems start making some things happen? The ball is in their court now, no sense in complaining about one idiot Republican or the last 8 years.

Originally posted by milesp
reply to post by jd140

 

Hey this guy decided to take the stage with full knowledge that his words would be scrutinized and he still looked the American people in the eye and told a lie. Thanks dude.

Way to go Daily Kos and TPMmuckracker.

Not saying he didn't lie. I'm just asking: what does it matter? Maybe he misspoke like SoS Clinton did? We accepted her explanation, why not wait and see what he says about it?

To correct my post where I said Jindal wasn't in the top three.

He actually came in second with 14%.

Doesn't change my opinion on the matter though.

It doesn't matter. It's in the same category as Hillary Clinton stating that she dodged sniper's bullets on a runway in Bosnia. Look at her. She now is Secretary of State.

And Obama, and his 'beginnings' in the Selma march. He's now president.

They all lie. They pad their resumes' and hope nobody will check.