The Democrats have just given the nomination to a politician who burst onto the national scene less than four years ago. Barack Obama is fresh, articulate and bright. He is also the first African American to secure the nomination of either political party.
Is there a GOP counterpart to Obama? Yes, it is clear; the Republican version of Obama is none other than Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal.Both are novel, intelligent, accomplished and minorities. In fact, Jindal is even better than Obama as he is younger than Obama and has already some executive experience, unlike the Illinois Senator. In his career, Jindal has already held six government jobs, been elected Congressman and Governor, earned a master's degree and working as a management consultant. He is a politician who is extremely talented with a very impressive resume.
Whether Jindal is added to the ticket or not, there is no doubt the Republicans will be promoting the Louisiana Governor. Jindal brings another face to the party that has done a horrible job in reaching out to minority voters. He can also be used to attract younger voters to the Republicans and help them negate the age issue. With McCain as a very old nominee, Jindal is the perfect balance for the Republicans.
McCain is seriously considering Jindal because he is an attractive, fresh choice for a party that is having a terrible time connecting with an angry electorate. Voters are upset after eight years of George W. Bush. They are worried about the economy and the war in Iraq and are furious about rising gas prices. Republicans have a real story to tell about their energy policies and the war in Iraq, but McCain is not a very good communicator. Jindal can communicate the Republican message and, better yet, he actually believes in the conservative message.
On a ticket, Jindal would balance McCain in many different areas. He is getting tremendous national publicity and seems much more interesting than other prospective GOP vice presidential nominees. In 2004, Obama was pushed forward by a Democratic Party looking for fresh leaders. In 2008, Bobby Jindal is serving that role for the Republican Party. This is a year that Republicans need to try something new. Possibly, Bobby Jindal would be the type of bold choice that might improve John McCain’s chances this fall. If McCain does not take chances, he will lose. He is running against a poor economy and an unpopular President of his party, so he has historical forces arrayed against him. Choosing Jindal would shake up the race and encourage more people to consider the Republican ticket and the Republican Party.
Jindal could make the Republican arguments more effectively than McCain. He compliments McCain’s experience with his energy and enthusiasm for the GOP.And is an interesting counterpart to Barack Obama. Jindal has been recommended by Rush Limbaugh, Newt Gingrich and the Washington Times among many other conservative opinion makers, so choosing him would be incredibly popular with a disillusioned conservative base.
In the last six months, Jindal and McCain have been together many times and according to McCain adviser former Louisiana Governor Buddy Roemer, the Arizona Senator is very impressed with Jindal.Roemer also likes what Jindal could do for the McCain campaign. "John for all of his life has been working to expand the base . . . and I think Bobby reconnects in a positive way with the mainstream Republican and young voters. Bobby is reminding us of who we can be. It's also the obvious strongest part of Obama - he represents the renewing of America." At this point, it is too early to tell whether Jindal will be added to the ticket, but there is no doubt that he will play a very prominent role in the fall.For Republicans, Jindal represents some hope in a rather bleak political landscape.
Jeff Crouere is a native of New Orleans, LA and he is the host of a Louisiana based program, “Ringside Politics,” which airs at 7:30 p.m. Fri. and 10:00 p.m. Sun. on WLAE-TV 32, a PBS station, and 7 till 11 a.m. weekdays on WGSO 990 AM in New Orleans and the Northshore. For more information, visit his web site at www.ringsidepolitics.com. E-mail him at jeff@ringsidepolitics.com
Jindal would bring NOTHING to the ticket. Indian-Americans make up about 1% of our population. The number of Blacks that would vote for McCain instead of Obama if McCain picked Jindal would be ZERO. McCain already has Louisiana and the rest of the South locked up. He needs to pick a running mate from a state or part of the country that would bring votes.
McCain currently has a the very strong case that Obama is very inexperienced. How could he possibly raise this issue again if he picks Jindal?
All of this hysteria has given the media something to talk about. A few months ago this web site was insisting that "the Hornets are gone". Jindal is not leaving and neither are the Hornets. Written by NolaBoy
on 6/12/2008
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Piyush is actually what is known as 'radioactive' material...... Sure, great for blah, blah, blah, but in the long run..... Just another case of siskoomba...... Written by .... Clint Eastwood for V.P.......................
on 6/9/2008
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The Republicans political landscape will not be so bleak should the Democrats have the Presidency and control of Congress with enough Senators to ramrod any and all Democratic initiatives through. They'll be enough backlash to get Republicans elected again; not that they would roll back any of the programs the Dems would have put in place. The usual partial rollback in the taxes increased during the Democratic tenure would be the bone thrown to those who have placed them back in office. Written by kpf
on 6/9/2008
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The Democrats have just given the nomination to a politician who burst onto the national scene less than four years ago. Barack Obama is fresh, articulate and bright. He is also the first African American to secure the nomination of either political party.
