I couldn’t help but respond to Bob Mann’s latest nasty column filled with personal attacks published July 14. Since starting to write for The Times-Picayune, Mr. Mann seems to have one goal with his weekly columns: Smear the record of Gov. Bobby Jindal.

Bob Mann’s political allegiances are clear: He is a partisan Democrat. Mann has been a passionate supporter of Obamacare, even arguing that Gov. Jindal and others who opposed the law’s expansion were employing racist language to argue against it. He also is an avid supporter of gun control legislation, praising Sen. Mary Landrieu’s recent vote for a bill that would limit our 2nd Amendment rights.

However, Mr. Mann’s allegation that the governor’s many reforms since taking office are “in tatters” is a real doozy. Mann seems to ignore the fact that on the education front under Gov. Jindal, high school graduation rates have hit an all-time high, college-going rates are up significantly, public school teacher salaries are on the rise and the school choice scholarship program is more popular than ever — with applications up more than 20 percent this year.

Gov. Jindal’s record on economic reform and job creation is equally impressive. Louisiana has finally reversed our trend of out-migration. Our state’s GDP and personal income levels have shown remarkable growth. Also, under Gov. Jindal, private sector employment has hit record highs in recent months.

But the crux of Bob Mann’s column is the perpetuation of an inaccurate argument by the left that has grown to an absurd level: that Gov. Jindal travels outside Louisiana too often and has lost touch with the state. This argument is ironic given that Gov. Jindal recently launched a 64 parish tour where he intends to travel the entire state by the end of this year, something that he has done nearly every year he has been in office.

According to media accounts, Gov. Jindal has already made nine stops on his 64 parish tour in recent weeks and made economic development announcements that will amount to more than 2,000 jobs. So the argument by Mr. Mann and our state’s liberals that Gov. Jindal leaves Louisiana too often and has lost touch is getting tired and is rather silly.

The Republican Party of Louisiana hopes Bob Mann can find something else to write about in his Times-Picayune columns other than a weekly personal attack on our state’s governor. But we are not holding our breath, and we will not allow him to do so without a little truth telling from our side.

Jason Dore’ is the Executive Director of the Louisiana Republican Party. This piece originally appeared at the New Orleans Times-Picayune.