Playing favorites

In Clancy Dubos' Gambit column this week (not online at the time of this posting Here it is), he explains the recent dip in Bobby Jindal's approval rating as "inevitable" and a result of having to make "tough decisions" during "tough times" adding "Give the Governor credit for not playing favorites," because the cuts affect every geographic region of the state. This strikes me as utter horseshit. Jindal is clearly "playing favorites" in more than one respect.

At the very least he's favoring an ideological agenda and his own political ambition over any policy that could be reasonably explained as dictated by "tough times." At the same time, and as a direct result of Jindal's ideological grasping,  the Governor is also favoring the private education and private health care interests who benefit directly from  these transfers of public resources.

So Jindal is clearly showing favoritism with his policy agenda.  And since these decisions are right in line with his continuing national political ambitions, they are in no way "tough decisions" for him to be making.  I realize Clancy may feel compelled to include this language in order to give his article an element of "In fairness to Jindal..." or whatever but it's very much off the mark in this case.