The GOPs New Star: Jindal

[jillian]

If that is the way he always is, I think you could be right.

If the GOP were smart, they'd be looking to people like Crist.

But they won't do that.

 

[Ravi]

If that is the way he always is, I think you could be right.

If the GOP were smart, they'd be looking to people like Crist.

But they won't do that.

Looks to me like their default star is going to be Mitten.

 

[jillian]

If that is the way he always is, I think you could be right.

If the GOP were smart, they'd be looking to people like Crist.

But they won't do that.

Looks to me like their default star is going to be Mitten.

well, traditionally, the person who comes in second in the GOP primaries gets the nod next time around. so i figure you're correct.

but they're silly. crist is likeable and he'd get crossover votes.

And the religious right won't come out to vote for Mitt.

 

[Andrew2382]

I do not like Crist at all

he has single handily destroyed the insurance industry down here in Florida and is pretty much responsible with all his goverment intervention of the high premiums we have

 

[Ravi]

If the GOP were smart, they'd be looking to people like Crist.

But they won't do that.

Looks to me like their default star is going to be Mitten.

well, traditionally, the person who comes in second in the GOP primaries gets the nod next time around. so i figure you're correct.

but they're silly. crist is likeable and he'd get crossover votes.

And the religious right won't come out to vote for Mitt.

I don't think real conservatives will either. But they've trotted out a woman (Palin), a black man (Steele) and a non-white (Jindal)...all who have crashed and burned. The only real choice they have is Jeb Bush but I think his last name will work against him. So, Mitten be default.

 

[Gunny]

So, after Obama's speech last night I stayed tuned to see the GOP response.

The first thing I noticed about the new guy, Jindal, is that he comes across as extremely insincere. He may be sincere about what he says, but he didn't come across that way. His corny smile and overly modulated tone of voice gave me the heebie jeebies.

The guy is educated, not white, and comes from poverty. Admirable traits in a politician, seemingly. Here's the full text of his speech.

Governor Bobby Jindal: "Americans Can Do Anything"

"Good evening. I’m Bobby Jindal, Governor of Louisiana.

Tonight, we witnessed a great moment in the history of our Republic. In the very chamber where Congress once voted to abolish slavery, our first African-American President stepped forward to address the state of our union. With his speech tonight, the President completed a redemptive journey that took our nation from Independence Hall … to Gettysburg … to the lunch counter … and now, finally, the Oval Office.

Regardless of party, all Americans are moved by the President’s personal story - the son of an American mother and a Kenyan father, who grew up to become leader of the free world. Like the President’s father, my parents came to this country from a distant land. When they arrived in Baton Rouge, my mother was already 4 ½ months pregnant. I was what folks in the insurance industry now call a “pre-existing condition.” To find work, my dad picked up the yellow pages and started calling local businesses. Even after landing a job, he could still not afford to pay for my delivery - so he worked out an installment plan with the doctor. Fortunately for me, he never missed a payment.

As I grew up, my mom and dad taught me the values that attracted them to this country - and they instilled in me an immigrant’s wonder at the greatness of America. As a child, I remember going to the grocery store with my dad. Growing up in India, he had seen extreme poverty. And as we walked through the aisles, looking at the endless variety on the shelves, he would tell me: “Bobby, Americans can do anything.” I still believe that to this day. Americans can do anything. When we pull together, there is no challenge we cannot overcome.

As the President made clear this evening, we are now in a time of challenge. Many of you listening tonight have lost jobs. Others have seen your college and retirement savings dwindle. Many of you are worried about losing your health care and your homes. And you are looking to your elected leaders in Washington for solutions.

Republicans are ready to work with the new President to provide those solutions. Here in my state of Louisiana, we don’t care what party you belong to if you have good ideas to make life better for our people. We need more of that attitude from both Democrats and Republicans in our nation’s capital. All of us want our economy to recover and our nation to prosper. So where we agree, Republicans must be the President’s strongest partners. And where we disagree, Republicans have a responsibility to be candid and offer better ideas for a path forward.

Today in Washington, some are promising that government will rescue us from the economic storms raging all around us.

Those of us who lived through Hurricane Katrina, we have our doubts.

Let me tell you a story.

During Katrina, I visited Sheriff Harry Lee, a Democrat and a good friend of mine. When I walked into his makeshift office I’d never seen him so angry. He was yelling into the phone: “Well, I’m the Sheriff and if you don’t like it you can come and arrest me!” I asked him: “Sheriff, what’s got you so mad?” He told me that he had put out a call for volunteers to come with their boats to rescue people who were trapped on their rooftops by the floodwaters. The boats were all lined up ready to go - when some bureaucrat showed up and told them they couldn’t go out on the water unless they had proof of insurance and registration. I told him, “Sheriff, that’s ridiculous.” And before I knew it, he was yelling into the phone: “Congressman Jindal is here, and he says you can come and arrest him too!” Harry just told the boaters to ignore the bureaucrats and start rescuing people.

There is a lesson in this experience: The strength of America is not found in our government. It is found in the compassionate hearts and enterprising spirit of our citizens. We are grateful for the support we have received from across the nation for the ongoing recovery efforts. This spirit got Louisiana through the hurricanes - and this spirit will get our nation through the storms we face today.

To solve our current problems, Washington must lead. But the way to lead is not to raise taxes and put more money and power in hands of Washington politicians. The way to lead is by empowering you - the American people. Because we believe that Americans can do anything.

That is why Republicans put forward plans to create jobs by lowering income tax rates for working families … cutting taxes for small businesses … strengthening incentives for businesses to invest in new equipment and hire new workers … and stabilizing home values by creating a new tax credit for home-buyers. These plans would cost less and create more jobs.

But Democratic leaders in Congress rejected this approach. Instead of trusting us to make wise decisions with our own money, they passed the largest government spending bill in history - with a price tag of more than $1 trillion with interest. While some of the projects in the bill make sense, their legislation is larded with wasteful spending. It includes $300 million to buy new cars for the government, $8 billion for high-speed rail projects, such as a “magnetic levitation” line from Las Vegas to Disneyland, and $140 million for something called “volcano monitoring.” Instead of monitoring volcanoes, what Congress should be monitoring is the eruption of spending in Washington, DC.

Democratic leaders say their legislation will grow the economy. What it will do is grow the government, increase our taxes down the line, and saddle future generations with debt. Who among us would ask our children for a loan, so we could spend money we do not have, on things we do not need? That is precisely what the Democrats in Congress just did. It’s irresponsible. And it’s no way to strengthen our economy, create jobs, or build a prosperous future for our children.

In Louisiana, we took a different approach. Since I became governor, we cut more than 250 earmarks from our state budget. And to create jobs for our citizens, we cut taxes six times - including the largest income tax cut in the history of our state. We passed those tax cuts with bipartisan majorities. Republicans and Democrats put aside their differences, and worked together to make sure our people could keep more of what they earn. If it can be done in Baton Rouge, surely it can be done in Washington, DC.

To strengthen our economy, we need urgent action to keep energy prices down. All of us remember what it felt like to pay $4 at the pump - and unless we act now, those prices will return. To stop that from happening, we need to increase conservation … increase energy efficiency … increase the use of alternative and renewable fuels … increase our use of nuclear power - and increase drilling for oil and gas here at home. We believe that Americans can do anything - and if we unleash the innovative spirit of our citizens, we can achieve energy independence.

To strengthen our economy, we also need to address the crisis in health care. Republicans believe in a simple principle: No American should have to worry about losing their health coverage - period. We stand for universal access to affordable health care coverage. We oppose universal government-run health care. Health care decisions should be made by doctors and patients - not by government bureaucrats. We believe Americans can do anything - and if we put aside partisan politics and work together, we can make our system of private medicine affordable and accessible for every one of our citizens.

To strengthen our economy, we also need to make sure every child in America gets the best possible education. After Katrina, we reinvented the New Orleans school system - opening dozens of new charter schools, and creating a new scholarship program that is giving parents the chance to send their children to private or parochial schools of their choice. We believe that, with the proper education, the children of America can do anything. And it should not take a devastating storm to bring this kind of innovation to education in our country.

To strengthen our economy, we must promote confidence in America by ensuring ours is the most ethical and transparent system in the world. In my home state, there used to be saying: At any given time, half of Louisiana is under water - and the other half is under indictment. No one says that anymore. Last year, we passed some of the strongest ethics laws in the nation - and today, Louisiana has turned her back on the corruption of the past. We need to bring transparency to Washington, DC - so we can rid our Capitol of corruption … and ensure we never see the passage of another trillion dollar spending bill that Congress has not even read and the American people haven't even seen.

As we take these steps, we must remember for all our troubles at home, dangerous enemies still seek our destruction. Now is no time to dismantle the defenses that have protected this country for hundreds of years, or make deep cuts in funding for our troops. America’s fighting men and women can do anything. And if we give them the resources they need, they will stay on the offensive … defeat our enemies … and protect us from harm.

In all these areas, Republicans want to work with President Obama. We appreciate his message of hope - but sometimes it seems we look for hope in different places. Democratic leaders in Washington place their hope in the federal government. We place our hope in you - the American people. In the end, it comes down to an honest and fundamental disagreement about the proper role of government. We oppose the National Democrats' view that says -- the way to strengthen our country is to increase dependence on government. We believe the way to strengthen our country is to restrain spending in Washington, and empower individuals and small businesses to grow our economy and create jobs.

In recent years, these distinctions in philosophy became less clear - because our party got away from its principles. You elected Republicans to champion limited government, fiscal discipline, and personal responsibility. Instead, Republicans went along with earmarks and big government spending in Washington. Republicans lost your trust - and rightly so.

Tonight, on behalf of our leaders in Congress and my fellow Republican governors, I say: Our party is determined to regain your trust. We will do so by standing up for the principles that we share … the principles you elected us to fight for … the principles that built this into the greatest, most prosperous country on earth.

A few weeks ago, the President warned that our nation is facing a crisis that he said “we may not be able to reverse.” Our troubles are real, to be sure. But don’t let anyone tell you that we cannot recover - or that America’s best days are behind her. This is the nation that cast off the scourge of slavery … overcame the Great Depression … prevailed in two World Wars … won the struggle for civil rights … defeated the Soviet menace … and responded with determined courage to the attacks of September 11, 2001. The American spirit has triumphed over almost every form of adversity known to man - and the American spirit will triumph again.

We can have confidence in our future - because, amid today’s challenges, we also count many blessings: We have the most innovative citizens …the most abundant resources … the most resilient economy … the most powerful military … and the freest political system in the history of the world. My fellow citizens, never forget: We are Americans. And like my dad said years ago, Americans can do anything.

Thank you for listening. God bless you. And God bless America."

I don't know about this guy. I don't like his partisan propaganzing. He believes that Democrats push dependence on the Government, when really liberals only want more governmental CONTROL (because of rule by the people and our potential to make reform) and more regulation of business since businesses whose priority one is the bottom line can not be trusted to look out for the best interests of the public. Look at where we are today. And I understand that deregulation began with Carter, but he started it and Reagan, Bush, Clinton, and Bush Jr. continued it (yes, with the best of interests: to help Americans realize the dream of owning a home). But it backfired. Mainly because of over spending by Republican administrations over the last 29 years. Deregulation and over-spending didn't work.

Cutting taxes works. Obama proposes cutting taxes, just not for the wealthy or for corporations who ship jobs overseas. Why don't Republicans agree with that? It isn't socialism, its cutting taxes on the middle class who have been most effected by the recession.

The reason Obama is spending so much is to jump start the economy. Not breed dependence on the government. Didn't Bush hand out, with no strings attached, $700 billion? Why wasn't the GOP up in arms about that? The new stimulus plan actually puts Americans to work building roads and bridges, monitoring volcanoes to increase our knowledge about earthquakes, building cars for the government, teaching, etc. etc. And getting people to school and out of debt for medical costs. What doesn't the GOP agree with there? No one is simply getting a new strings attached hand out, the way Bush did it.

Obviously, Jindal is trying to lead the GOP back to its principles of fiscal conservatism, and admits to the failures of the GOP in this regard for the last decades. But he's taking the same well-worn path of helping the wealthy and not the whole of America, and breeding the concern of the individual over the collective civilization. That way hasn't worked. When we care about the whole, all of us will, in the end, benefit.

That's my opinion. What do you think?

That you're long-winded.

 

[Ravi]

I do not like Crist at all

he has single handily destroyed the insurance industry down here in Florida and is pretty much responsible with all his goverment intervention of the high premiums we have

How can you blame that all on him? Jeb wouldn't let the insurance companies raise rates either.

 

[jillian]

Looks to me like their default star is going to be Mitten.

well, traditionally, the person who comes in second in the GOP primaries gets the nod next time around. so i figure you're correct.

but they're silly. crist is likeable and he'd get crossover votes.

And the religious right won't come out to vote for Mitt.

I don't think real conservatives will either. But they've trotted out a woman (Palin), a black man (Steele) and a non-white (Jindal)...all who have crashed and burned. The only real choice they have is Jeb Bush but I think his last name will work against him. So, Mitten be default.

you know, if they had trotted out olympia snowe, they'd have done way better and made the same point as picking palin was supposed to do. (and olympia is smart and works across party lines).

why are they so self-destructive? i don't get it.

 

[CrimsonWhite]

The problem is that the GOP seems to be searchiing fervently for a "star." Why? They pull Palin from the wilderness only to kind out that she is politically retarded. Now they throw Jindal into the spolight to try to look good under impossible circumstances. Obama is a great communicator. Nobody would have been able to follow him. Plus, we saw the difference between an electric atmosphere and a man, alone, in front of a camera. Jindal looked bad, but anybody would have. The GOP would have done better to have just foregone a response. Respond next year when there is something to respond to.

 

[driveby]

Jindal’s speech was so lame even FOX News tore him apart. Brit Hume said, “This was not Bobby Jindal’s greatest oratorical moment.” Nina Easton assessed, “The delivery was not exactly terrific.” And Juan Williams concluded Jindal’s speech “came off as amateurish, and even the tempo in which he spoke was sing-songy. He was telling stories that seemed very simplistic and almost childish.” You know your party’s in trouble when your “rising star” is spinning folksy bullshit that even FOX won’t buy.

The speech was good, the delivery was mediocre, and his ability to connect with conservatives and independent voters was just fine. Hard leftists like you ain't going to be impressed.

Obama did what he does best, send thrills up the legs of MSM journalists and feed the bedazzled masses with his oration. Unfortunately, his actions have not and do not match his words. You only get so far with being able to baffle people with bullshit and that Obama's disapproval numbers have doubled in just two weeks indicate that more than just conservatives are beginning to catch on. We're being had.

I had two laughable moments of the Obama oration last night. One was the attempted "zinger" of the "deficit we inherited" line that made the Dem congressional members rise to their feet in laughter. Yeah. Pretty f'ing funny. Remind me again who has controlled the Congress over the last TWO years - the two largest deficit years of the Bush administration? And these buffoons have passed over $2 TRILLION of spending in less than half a year, with the Orator in Chief backing each opportunity to spend.

The second laughable moment actually occurred this morning. Sen. McCain was being interviewed and was asked about VP Biden being the overseer of how the 'stimulus' package is being spent. McCain's reply was, "Well, Joe is a good friend and I like him, but he doesn't exactly have a reputation here on Capitol Hill of being a watchdog for the Treasury." wow ....

Jindal, Palin, Pawlenty, Barbour, Sanford, Cantor, etc.. are the butt of many jokes now. Who'd have thought that the day would come in America that fiscal responsibility in government spending and accountability would be the BUTT of a joke? But, you get a guy who can send thrills up journalists legs and could sell sand to a Saudi, and anything is possible I guess. When the inflation hits as a result of the Obama-Pelosi Pork Package of '09, TARP, TARP 2, and the Pelosi-proposed $410 billion pork laden bill, and lord knows what else down the pike, they will have their time - and the Republicans their revolution. And it's WHEN, not if, the dollar plummets.

Folks like you will gladly go down with your Messiah. You're simply too emotionally invested and will be too proud to admit that you backed an economic dimwit when this time does come - and it will be before the end of Obama's first term, if not before the 2010 midterms. Independents though will kick Obama to the curb...........

 

[jillian]

The problem is that the GOP seems to be searchiing fervently for a "star." Why? They pull Palin from the wilderness only to kind out that she is politically retarded. Now they throw Jindal into the spolight to try to look good under impossible circumstances. Obama is a great communicator. Nobody would have been able to follow him. Plus, we saw the difference between an electric atmosphere and a man, alone, in front of a camera. Jindal looked bad, but anybody would have. The GOP would have done better to have just foregone a response. Respond next year when there is something to respond to.

I agree with 100% of what's in your post.

I know I sure wouldn't want to have to speak after Obama is done.

 

[Gunny]

He was ok...more Obama is a bad irresponsible liberal bullshit than anything else....nice way to support the country and your prez in a time of need you GOP ASSWHIPS!

What a crock THIS is. Supporting this country in a time of need has nothing to do with supporting doomed legislation.

In 6 months when the same folks are back at the altar, asking for yet another bailout, what THEN? Going to support yet another stimulus package?

At what point do you blind to reality pundits figure out you're pursuing the same stupid policies that created this mess to begin with?

 

[Zoom-boing]

I only caught a bit of his speech and was half asleep at that. Just saw a comparison of Bobby to Jack McBrayer (he plays Kenneth Parcell on 30 Rock). LOL. I like Bobby. He needs work, but I like him.

 

[AllieBaba]

Jindal's speech was fantastic.

His delivery sucks.

He'll get better (I mean does anyone remember how abysmal Obama was with his Uhs and Ums not even 6 months ago?)

But he's never going to be a real charismatic speaker. He's hard to hear...and he'd sort of trail off, and I'd think gosh, his speech is over before his time is up and he's thinking of something more to say.

But different cultures have different dialects. He's got the Indian thing going and that can affect a family's dialect for generations, and the southern thing, and it can be really hard to listen to people of a different dialect if you aren't accustomed to it. If you've ever spent much time talking to American Indians, especially the ones who have been immersed in Indian culture all their lives (and rarely leave the reservation) you know what I'm talking about. They talk soft, they talk slow, they have different consonants altogether and a different way of pronouncing things, and their words often taper off at the end, or have the inflection in weird places....Try to figure out how to pronounce Tamastslikt then look at how it's actually pronounced: Tah-MUST-slicked.

However, that's not even accurate, because the consonants are so soft.



You guys need to nominate me. I'm telling you. I can hold a room spellbound for as long as I have to.

 

[AVG-JOE]

may be smart as a whip and the next great Republican, but he's the worst speaker I've ever heard including Bush. He desperately needs to take a public speaking class cause no matter what many think, thats a big part of the job and that boy couldn't inspire a chimpanzee

It's not the messenger... it's the message. Lipstick on a pig, man.

-Joe

 

[jgbkab]

Jindal's speech was fantastic.

His delivery sucks.

He'll get better (I mean does anyone remember how abysmal Obama was with his Uhs and Ums not even 6 months ago?)

But he's never going to be a real charismatic speaker. He's hard to hear...and he'd sort of trail off, and I'd think gosh, his speech is over before his time is up and he's thinking of something more to say.

But different cultures have different dialects. He's got the Indian thing going and that can affect a family's dialect for generations, and the southern thing, and it can be really hard to listen to people of a different dialect if you aren't accustomed to it. If you've ever spent much time talking to American Indians, especially the ones who have been immersed in Indian culture all their lives (and rarely leave the reservation) you know what I'm talking about. They talk soft, they talk slow, they have different consonants altogether and a different way of pronouncing things, and their words often taper off at the end, or have the inflection in weird places....Try to figure out how to pronounce Tamastslikt then look at how it's actually pronounced: Tah-MUST-slicked.

However, that's not even accurate, because the consonants are so soft.



You guys need to nominate me. I'm telling you. I can hold a room spellbound for as long as I have to.

Jindal's speech was fantastically awful. And I didn't even watch Obama's speech. It was picking up steam at the end but he lost most of his listeners (besides the die hard republicans) in the first 5 minutes. And that damn chirping noise....

 

[AllieBaba]

It's a shame you're too shallow to pay attention to the content....

 

[CrimsonWhite]

Doesn't matter at all what people are saying about him. The fact is that people are talking about him. Nobody will remember what he said or how shitty his delivery was, the fact of the matter is that people now know his name. He is young, smart, and personable. Much like another southern Govenor that comes to mind. One that had very little chance of winning the nomination and wound up winning the presidency. The point is that people are talking.

 

[elvis]

Doesn't matter at all what people are saying about him. The fact is that people are talking about him. Nobody will remember what he said or how shitty his delivery was, the fact of the matter is that people now know his name. He is young, smart, and personable. Much like another southern Govenor that comes to mind. One that had very little chance of winning the nomination and wound up winning the presidency. The point is that people are talking.

could he defeat Jeb?

 

[CrimsonWhite]

Doesn't matter at all what people are saying about him. The fact is that people are talking about him. Nobody will remember what he said or how shitty his delivery was, the fact of the matter is that people now know his name. He is young, smart, and personable. Much like another southern Govenor that comes to mind. One that had very little chance of winning the nomination and wound up winning the presidency. The point is that people are talking.

could he defeat Jeb?

Jeb won't even run. At least he shouldn't. President Bush blew through all of that family's political capital and then some.