[StBernard] Spots claim Boasso a clown, Jindal heartless

[Westley Annis]

Spots claim Boasso a clown, Jindal heartless

By MICHELLE MILLHOLLON
Advocate Capitol News Bureau
Published: Sep 20, 2007 - Page: 1A 

Two top candidates for governor tore into each other's records in television
ads airing across the state.

U.S. Rep. Bobby Jindal, R-Kenner, contends in two commercials that state
Sen. Walter Boasso, D-Arabi, is part of a "corrupt crowd" and is "clowning
around" with voters.

Boasso's ad features a Slidell woman saying Jindal should be ashamed for her
mentally disabled brother's eviction from a nursing home while Jindal headed
a state agency.

Jindal's first ad claims, "Walter Boasso wants us to THINK he's fighting
AGAINST insurance companies."

Jindal alleges Boasso advocates for the insurance industry because he took
campaign contributions from insurance companies and because he voted as a
legislator to raise auto insurance rates.

Jindal's second commercial is a quick-fire response to an ad from the Boasso
campaign that criticizes Jindal's service as secretary of the Department of
Health and Hospitals.

In Boasso's commercial, Lynn McNiece of Slidell, says Jindal put her
disabled brother out of a nursing home and onto the street by cutting
mental-health services.

"Bobby Jindal has no heart," McNiece says, adding that she was not notified
of her brother's plight, leaving him to wander the streets for two weeks
before she found him. 

The commercial claims a federal judge found that Jindal "broke the law" in
the case involving McNiece's now-deceased brother, John.

Boasso's campaign spent $430,000 to buy time to air the commercial
statewide.

Jindal responded swiftly to the spot by launching a short commercial
Wednesday that contends he "rescued Louisiana's health care for the
indigent" while he was head of DHH from 1996 to 1998.

The commercial thrusts Jindal into familiar territory - defending his record
as secretary of DHH.  In his campaign biography, he touts turning DHH's $400
million budget deficit into a surplus of $220 million.

In the last governor's race, Kathleen Blanco criticized the cuts that Jindal
made while running the state agency. Jindal lost to Blanco in the runoff.
Many political experts attribute Blanco's victory to Jindal's reluctance to
respond to attack ads.

Blanco is not seeking a second term in the Oct. 20 primary election.

Jindal said, "The ad calls me heartless. It's a direct attack on my
character," he said.

Jindal said he did not know about the McNiece lawsuit until the commercial
began airing.

"It sounds to me like this was a sad case," Jindal said. "There are a lot of
sad cases."

Boasso said voters deserve to know the facts about Jindal's record.

Boasso, who is vowing to take insurers to task for raising policy premiums
and for failing to pay storm claims, accused Jindal of being the one who "is
bought and paid for by the insurance industry."

Boasso said in an interview Wednesday he collected $10,000 in contributions
from insurance companies, while Jindal collected $178,000.

Campaign finance reports filed with the state show Jindal received $27,275
in contributions from insurance agencies between Dec. 14, 2006, and July 9,
2007.

For that same period, Boasso reported $6,500.

Because of the state's laws - which do not require contributors to disclose
their occupation - it is difficult to discern whether a backer is connected
to the insurance agency unless it is a business with "insurance" in the
name.

Jindal's campaign claims Boasso's contributions from insurance companies and
related political action committees total $13,500.
Jindal counters that Boasso is being hypocritical.

"He claims he was fighting insurance companies. Don't attack us for doing
something you're doing," he said of taking money from the insurance
industry.

Jindal points to Boasso's vote on a bill to raise the minimum amount of auto
insurance as further proof that Boasso is cozy with the insurance industry.

The legislation in question, Senate Bill 223, would have increased the
minimum coverage required for the insurance called motor vehicle liability
policy.

Insurance industry officials testified against the bill during the recent
legislative session. Personal injury lawyers advocated for its passage.

Blanco vetoed the bill, saying it would make insurance unaffordable for more
motorists.

The bill's sponsor, state Sen. Mike Michot, R-Lafayette, contributed $5,000
- the maximum allowable by law - to Jindal's campaign.

Jindal contends that there were "absolutely people in the insurance industry
who supported the bill." 

  
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