While Obama is a liberal Democrat and Jindal is a Republican, both of these men are relatively young and supposedly intelligent. They are minorities who graduated from Ivy League schools and spent most of their careers in government.

Neither man has much of a background in the business world or the private sector, but both of them are comfortable dealing with government bureaucracies.  Both men are unskilled at developing interpersonal relationships. Obama is considered a loner with few good friends. Jindal is so anti-social that he recently turned down an invitation to watch the Super Bowl in the suite of owner Tom Benson.

Despite their limitations, no one can deny their political success. Obama was just elected to a second term, while Jindal won with 66% of the vote in his 2011 re-election campaign.  The Governor was victorious because he amassed a giant war chest from his constant fundraising and was able to scare off major opponents. Nevertheless, 34% of the people voted against Jindal, who faced competitors that cumulatively spent less than $25,000 on the campaign.

Unfortunately, neither politician has a set of core set of values to guide them; instead they are motivated by intense personal ambition.

At this point, it seems clear that their act is wearing thin with voters. Neither Jindal nor Obama is enjoying much of a honeymoon period after their re-election victory.

Today, a new Voter/Consumer Research poll was released. It shockingly finds Jindal with only a 49% approval rating, his lowest of all time. This level is below other statewide elected officials like U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA). The poll also found that 47% of respondents believe the state is headed in the wrong direction, while only 38% believe it is on the right track.

Obama is also suffering from a low approval rating. In a new Fox News poll, his approval rating is mired at 49% while a new Quinnipiac poll has Obama with only a 46% approval rating.

These numbers are down from November 2012 when President Obama won re-election with 51% of the vote. In that election, he faced a weak and unexciting Republican opponent. Despite this feeble completion, Obama’s margin of victory, electoral vote count and overall vote total decreased from 2008.

Since his victory, the President has been pushing tax increases for the wealthy, immigration reform and gun control. At the same time, the country has been rocked by higher gasoline prices, increasing unemployment and a contracting economy as indicated by a falling GDP in the last quarter.   

Voters are evidently not impressed with his second term agenda. Obviously Americans want action on the economy, with millions looking for work or underemployed in this economy. In contrast to action on solving our real problems, the President is pursing more planks in his liberal agenda.  

In Louisiana, Jindal is now pushing a plan to eliminate income taxes in exchange for higher sales taxes.

This plan is fraught with potential trouble, for Louisiana already has the third highest local and state sales tax rates in the country. While eliminating income taxes will make Louisiana more competitive with some of our neighbors, our state cannot afford to increase any sort of taxes.

The Governor needs to provide tax relief, but couple it with reductions in spending. Instead, Jindal is pushing a revenue neutral plan that is not the right answer to our state’s economic problems.

Another sore point for Louisiana voters is the Governor’s constant quest for the national spotlight. It is obvious to almost every Louisiana voter that Bobby Jindal is itching to run for President in 2016. For example, today, he is in Virginia promoting an education reform plan for Governor Robert McDonnell.

The people of Louisiana would prefer Jindal to focus on what the taxpayers are paying him to do, his job as Governor. Instead, Jindal will be leaving the state even more in the coming months. As Chairman of the Republican Governor’s Association, Jindal will be making more appearances throughout the nation.

Last year, his traveled extensively promoting Mitt Romney, but quickly shifted gears after the losing election and called the GOP “the stupid party.” It was a display of pure political opportunism, another unpopular trait shared by two people with plenty in common, Governor Bobby Jindal and President Barack Obama.-- 

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 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

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