I am sorry if I am not a Jindalnista, yet.

I just don’t buy Jindal’s refusals to be confronted, his brazen behavior towards the public’s right to know information and his eagerness to win an election at all costs even when he accuses opponents of being corrupt without providing a shred of evidence for support.

Nor, am I convinced he possesses the maturity despite his intelligence to be Governor of Louisiana.  He does exemplify the vigor of youth and is a better candidate this time around than four years ago, but, I am not convinced he is a better man. 

Although he has no business experience, politics has become his business which is as respectable an industry as long as the politician is entitled to the respect.

The trouble is, I also do not buy the other candidates for the same position..  At least, not yet, either.  While John Georges has made great gains in the polls and has proven to me that he would be one of the contenders, his insistence upon having sold his business while the sale is actually still pending is troubling.    He also pitches himself as a business turn-around artist, which he might be and he certainly is a shrewd business person otherwise he would not be as wealthy as he is.  But, the key is whether he knows enough about Louisiana government and national governmental affairs to make a real difference and to be really effective.

I know there are people who equate him to Edwin Edwards because of the gambling issue, but, the beloved Harry Lee was a great friend to Edwin Edwards and from what I could know, Lee liked to gamble.  So, for me, being a player in the video poker business and providing many outlets with machines does not turn me off as much does his lack of experience.

Walter Boasso is a self-made-man.  He has become a success and his ability to put together coalitions was proven during the levee reform movement.  Down in South Louisiana, he became a sudden hero, standing up to Governor Blanco on levee consolidation and then finally working with her.  However, like the other candidates, he has limited experience in government, being a State Senator for one term.  His campaign also seems to have lost some of its steam

Obviously, Foster Campbell is the most credentialed of all of the candidates.  If he were living in South Louisiana, he would probably have more of a base.  Very few people know anything about him except those who served with him for his many years in the legislature, those he represented in Northwest Louisiana and those who follow the affairs of the Public Service Commission.

Also, the (D), or the (R) or the (I) mean little to me.  What is more important is their respective honesties and openess, their abilities to run the state and their philosophies in general and when making those hard decisions.

Which, in many respects, I believe so many voters either want more time and more real debates, or are simply tuned out.  Yes, the Jindal strategy of “dodge ball” has payed off for him but and has set a bad precedent for a Governor’s race especially during time of crises.  I find it amusing that after Katrina, everyone wanted to know the plans and were glued to every word of Mayor Nagin, but so many are satisfied with stock speeches and fancy commercials creating nothing but images for the person who might become Governor which job is so much more powerful and more important than Mayor.  

So, heading into the only statewide debate on network television in Louisiana, it is easy to see why so many people are either so enthusiastic, anguished or just blanked out.  It is also easy to see why there are so many Jindalnistas.

Jindal represents the great Louisiana hope.  While George Bush is incredibly unpopular nationally and worldwide, yet, he is immensely popular in Louisiana which tells us much about why we are so different from the rest of the nation, but which phenomena alone also explains the Jindal revolution.

Like Bush, Jindal is a born-again-Christian.  I don’t think anyone can question either man’s beliefs or committments, but, in reality, politically, that status plays well in Louisiana and many of those individuals are his followers. 

Still, while he definitely is in striking distance of pulling out a first primary victory, because of his strategy, he can lose the majority advantage depending upon the debate and its immediate aftermath.

In the traditional political history, a major debate only two days before the elections would not make much difference in the vote.  However, in the days of the Internet, if Jindal wins without a real glove pasting him, or if he makes people wonder if they have had enough information to judge their vote, on Thursday night and on Friday, the Internet will be hopping. 

I believe for Jindal to take it in the first, he needs to convince voters like me during the debate that he is the only choice and the battle should be over.  Without doubt, there will be voters who are rock solid behind another candidate or who are pure Jindalnistas or even those who will push the anyone-but-Jindal protest button in hope they will get more of a debate on the pressing issues at a later date.

Then, of course, there is the black vote.  Jindal is no David Duke and he is certainly no Edwin Edwards.  It is instructive that the “new”Ray Nagin supported John Georges so it appears that for Nagin to flip flop in four years tells us that Nagin is disappointed in the way either he or that New Orleans has been treated by Jindal.  I believe those who were going to vote for Jindal will vote for him regardless of Nagin.  I think Nagin will help John Georges more than it will hurt him despite the potential “Nagin” association backlash.  I have been one of the first to express outrage over “Naginisms”, but I think he will pull more black voters (and some white voters) off Jindal than push white voters towards the front runner.  

I recognize that some readers believe that I have become obsessed with the Jindal story and some accuse me of bias.   Interestingly, they were silent when I urged Governor Blanco not to run, urged Senator Breaux to stay put and expressed my outrage when the Democratic party started to use Jindal’s Indian name.  Being unconvinced as to whom to vote due to lack of debates does not equate to bias.  Raising legitimate concerns that others are fearful to raise is not bias.

Plus, obsession is not quite accurate.  The Governor’s election post-Katrina is the most important election in our history.  Jindal for years has been the person to beat.  He has been the story.  For those who are not tied to political parties, at this momentous occasion, it is only natural to consider all of the facts and decide with full deliberation all issues, ramifications, and personalities, as if our state’s future depends upon the outcome.  It does. 

So despite blazing outrage of by the Jindalnistas that someone could possibly want a true campaign and with the current belief that their man might not be the state’s salvation, I choose to fully deliberate and weigh all options and issues privately when the time comes-- as we are days away from D-Day.  People say that there is no other alternative but Jindal.  They also said that George H. Bush was the most pedigreed candidate to ever become President.  They also said that Mike Ditka would be the turn life around for the New Orleans Saints and that this year’s version would be in the Superbowl.  Things happen and sometimes expectations do not meet reality. 

Yes, sometimes events just don’t turn out the way they are designed.  Blanco was the Queen Bee and Nagin was the “great white hope” before Katrina.  The world changes greatly with catastrophe.  All of these issues I personally will factor in the overall mix.

So, forgive me if I wait until after the debate, consider all of the issues and decide on Saturday whom I should cast my vote.  If on Saturday, I believe that either Jindal is not the right man or that I want more time for him to prove to me that he has earned my vote, then I will go against the grain.  If, however, I believe after considering all factors he is definitely the one, then I will proudly push his name.  Right now, I have not made that decision.

For many, the choice as to whom they want as Governor is easy.  It could be based upon party, appearance, philosophies and even feeling guilty that they made the wrong decision last time around.    Whatever their reasons, they are entitled since their choice is right for them, personally.  For me, I remain uncertain despite the television commercials, the glossy mailings, the email diatribes.  But, I know that when I push that button, it will be the right choice for me at this time in history.  I admit I have chosen wrong before.  As fate sometimes has it, history does teach us lessons from a totally different perspective.  Depending upon our own prejudices, we sometimes are willing to admit the once-inadmissible.  Time is often our best teacher.



 

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