Yesterday I noted that Louisiana Governor and hardline Republican Bobby Jindal is contemplating turning down stimulus funds as a way to burnish his conservative credentials in advance of a 2012 or 2016 presidential run. Now it looks like the rest of the GOP’s potential presidential candidates are doing the same. Here’s MSNBC’s First Read:
A half-dozen Republican governors are considering turning down some money from the federal stimulus package, a move opponents say puts conservative ideology ahead of the needs of constituents struggling with foreclosures and unemployment. Who are these GOP governors? They’re a “who’s who” of possible presidential candidates in 2012 — Sanford (SC), Jindal (LA), Palin (AK), Perry (TX), and Barbour (MS).
This is a dangerous game. For the sake of making a ideological stand (and scoring some political PR points), these governors are endangering the livelihoods of their constiuents. There is no serious argument for turning down stimulus funds, after all. Sure, these governors may have (wrongly) thought that tax cuts would serve as a better stimulant of their local economy, but now that the federal money is available, it’s not as though it can make things worse. And if we have a national tax increase 15 years from now to pay for all this spending, certain states won’t be exempted because of the actions of their governors today.
