MAYBE HE HAS A PROBLEM WITH THE PROSTITUTES…. Sen. David Vitter (R) is seeking re-election in Louisiana, despite his numerous scandals and humiliating questions about his character, and appears likely to win another term. Not surprisingly, the GOP establishment has rallied behind him — Vitter remains a Republican in good standing no matter how many prostitutes he’s hired, or how many violent criminals are on his staff.
But there’s one GOP leader in particular who has held back and kept Vitter at arm’s length: Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal.
Vitter faced a couple of primary challengers, who were dispatched easily, but Jindal declined to endorse the incumbent.
And now that the race has turned to the general election, Jindal has an opportunity to side with his far-right ally in the Republican Party — but he hasn’t.
Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal has finally answered a questioned asked of him for months: Will he endorse embattled Republican Sen. David Vitter’s reelection bid?
The answer is no.
“Voters can make up their own minds,” the Louisiana governor and fellow Republican told local television station WDSU.
Jindal added he doesn’t like to get involved in federal races, though the station reports he has backed federal-office seekers in the past.
What’s especially interesting about this is that Jindal’s support for Vitter was assumed. Had the governor not said a word, the default position was a Jindal endorsement. But eight weeks before the election, the governor apparently isn’t quite ready to be associated with his scandal-plagued ally, who’ll face Rep. Charlie Melancon (D) in November.
Speaking of Vitter, Louisiana Democrats released a fairly devastating “Forgotten Crimes” video late last week, telling the story of the senator’s multiple sex scandals in the form of a documentary-style video. It not only features quotes from a variety of locals, but it even includes a reenactment of Vitter’s misconduct, including quotes from one of his prostitutes.
It’s too long for television — it runs over five minutes — but the state party hopes to raise funds to get the video on the air, perhaps in a truncated form.
There’s no doubt that Louisiana Dems consider this Vitter’s Achilles’ Heel — when a right-wing senator runs on a family-values platform and gets caught with hookers, that’s not surprising — and perhaps Jindal’s reluctance to endorse Vitter may renew questions about whether conservatives can tolerate questions about the senator’s character.
