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Born at the Crest of the Empire

Monday, February 23, 2009

Spideysense

I could be wrong, but something tells me the press is getting ready to go gaga over Jindal's response.

Brace yourself. Obama is over.....

Later: Here's a preview of Jindal (from after the Governor's meeting.)

10 Comments:

  • In the age of phony "balance," Jindal looks like a marketing dream... Compelling family story, ethnic looking without being ethnic, not sounding too angry or too crazy...

    Yup. I can see media management liking him as the anti-Obama. Of course it's only superficial, but that's what the media are all about.

    By Blogger -epm, at 11:06 AM  

  • maybe Bobby Jindal is their Bobby Kennedy. Republicans see him as the future.

    on the other hand, conservatism is by definition an anchoring to the past...

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 11:20 AM  

  • Jindal still has anchored around his neck, the Bush years.

    Also if New Orleans has floundered under Jindal that will be another angle to work against him.

    Jindal/Palin '12?

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 12:51 PM  

  • "Jindal/Palin '12?" - Did you really need to put this image in my head?????

    By Blogger Ptelea, at 1:22 PM  

  • EPM, especially since Jindal matches what the media thinks of Obama. Younger, minority, change.... Has nothing to do with any policy.

    ...

    Anon, I know that's the theory, but what percentage of the GOP won't vote non-white? I don't think it's a huge number, but they have no number to spare.

    ....

    Matt, I don't think Palin would take number two again, especially since she blames her public failures on that loss of control.

    And I don't think Jindal smells as good if he sits in the warming lamp of the public eye for a number of years.

    ....

    Ptelea, don't worry. It's way too early to make anything like that prediction.

    Remember it was supposed to be Clinton v Giuliani.

    By Blogger mikevotes, at 1:50 PM  

  • I agree... I don't think Jindal holds up in the long haul under the media spotlight. a) the media will grow tired, b) there's nothing substantial about what he's saying... it's the same-old same-old, hence the expected media fatigue. Political stunts only get you so far. However, he's mulit-cultured and well educated. He could be a potential force in the GOP, but I think he'll find himself more wed to the GOP status quo talking points than as a true leader/

    More importantly, how does Jindal do with the base. As you said he's (gasp!) non-white. Maybe he's a secret Hindu monkey worshiper! Or just as bad, a Catholic... Ahhhh! I just don't see the "Joe the Plumber" crowd going for him.

    By Blogger -epm, at 2:30 PM  

  • And, he's got a little history of crazy right in him. He's a big force behind the current move to "teach critical analysis of evolution" in public schools.

    Plus, I don't think you can be a politician in Louisiana without some dirt sticking to you or one of your patrons.

    And, like Palin, oil prices will substantially hurt his state's finances. Tons of oil and gas processing along the southern coast.

    By Blogger mikevotes, at 3:55 PM  

  • Jindal looks good now because he doesn't seem like the typical Republican.
    The GOP will do to Jindal what they did to McCain, which is to give him a "makeover". By the time the campaign was over, McCain was forced into becoming the kind of Bush Republican he had made a career of standing up to.
    The GOP chooses people as icons and spokespeople because they are different, then they go about the job of twisting them into just the kind of standard Republican droid they wanted to distinguish their new icon from in the first place.

    It won't happen this week or this month, but the more Jindal becomes the new symbol, the more pressure he will be under from the Party to turn himself into just another crazy wingnut.

    By Blogger Todd Dugdale , at 5:46 PM  

  • I didn't realize Jindal has a crazy bone. I know he was well educated at respected institutions, but I guess that's no guarantee that you're not a whack job on social, religious and pseudo-science.

    There's a bit of the hocus-pocus in his views on "science." It seems he's all-in on the God, Gays and Guns issues so dear to the dregs of the base. I'd be interested to hear his views on women's issues, beyond that of the uterus (equal pay, etc.)

    After a little Googling, I'm finding I may have given him too much credit for possible moderation/pragmatism in his social views.

    By Blogger -epm, at 5:52 PM  

  • Todd, somewhat agreed. But Jindal already has some elements of base crazy in him. National appeal to the base will just bring that more into the light.

    .....

    EPM, He's tried to tone it down as his prospects in the national light come up, but it's there.

    PS. That credit you were giving him is the reason he's rising. You're not alone.


    ....

    Question. Where do the Republicans find someone deft enough to pass all the crazy litmus tests who can still speak to the middle, or do they have to lie to themselves and accept someone like Romney.?

    By Blogger mikevotes, at 9:30 PM  

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