Jindal was one of the young conservative leaders many of us had hung all of our hopes and dreams on…until his debut on the national stage and that absolute disastrous response when President Obama’s addressed the nation for the first time. It was so disastrous, we’ve haven’t heard much from since then, which was unfortunate because his voices is one we could have used all throughout 2009.

That was then. Now, while people argue over whether it’s worse to play golf or go yachting, Gov. Jindal is declaring war. So sayeth the Gov. in a local editorial…

We proposed 24 segments of sand booms to fortify against the oil. While the Corps’ review process drug on, we took matters into our own hands and redirected our state-operated dredger on East Grand Terre to begin creating a sand boom wall of protection on that island. Only days after we directed this work, oil hit that area and today the sand boom on East Grand Terre is actively holding oil back from entering interior wetlands and waterways.

After weeks of delay, the Corps finally approved six segments in our plan. But the Coast Guard announced it would only call on BP to pay for one segment. We wouldn’t take no for an answer. We got together again with coastal parish leaders and met with the president and National Incident Commander Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen.

We told BP to stop sending us lawyers and lobbyists; they had two choices — either begin work on the segments or get out of the way and let us begin the dredging work ourselves. We chose option two for them and signed an emergency contract to begin work on the sand boom segments ourselves — again taking matters into our own hands to protect our coast.

The war against this oil spill continues today, and our commitment to winning this war has only grown stronger. We will not wait on bureaucracy or wishful thinking. We will continue to move forward on our own to implement our own ideas for protecting coastal Louisiana, even when BP and the Coast Guard don’t agree with our plans.

I know the President has been mocked for saying we should “pray,” but in response to Jindal’s response…Amen!

That’s disappointing because his is a voice we as conservatives definitely need as part of the health care reform debate. His entire background revolves around medicine and the medical industry. He is to Republicans for health care what Mitt Romney is to the economy and Sarah Palin is to jobs. So when he finally spoke up aboot health care, I was excited.

I wasn’t quite expecting this though…

“I think now is the perfect time to pivot and to say, not only here’s what we’re against, and not only here’s how we’re going to contrast ourselves, but here’s what we’re for,” Jindal said in an interview with POLITICO. Jindal acknowledged that the Republican Party for years had been too slow to stake out positions on the health care debate “to our peril and the nation’s peril.”

“I think that in some circles, it was viewed as a Democratic issue,” said Jindal, who served in top posts at the Department of Health and Human Services during the Bush administration and ran his state’s health department in the ’90s. Jindal urged congressional Republicans to go to the White House and find common ground with Obama.

“Let’s start anew,” he said they should tell the president. “We’re willing to work with you in a bipartisan way.”

Here’s my problem with this…WE’VE BEEN TRYING TO. Republicans wanted to work with the President and has been saying that we should start over and work together. It’s the Obama campaign and the Democrats who aren’t having it. They have the votes to do whatever they want, and then claim we’re the one’s standing in the way.

It’s also hard to work with someone who constantly lies to the American people that Republicans don’t have alternative health care reform solutions President Obama knows damn well we have. Look them up: H.R. 77; H.R. 109; H.R. 198; H.R. 270; H.R. 321; H.R. 464; H.R. 502; H.R. 544; H.R. 917; H.R. 1086; H.R. 1118; H.R. 1441; H.R. 1458; H.R. 1468; H.R. 1658; H.R. 1891; H.R. 2520; H.R. 2607; H.R. 2692; H.R. 2784; H.R. 2785; H.R. 2786; H.R. 2787; H.R. 3141; H.R. 3217; H.R. 3218; H.R. 3356; H.R. 3372; H.R. 3400; H.R. 3438; H.R. 3454; and H.R. 3478.

So I pose the question to Gov. Jindal…what do you propose we do?

Take it away, Ben Smith…

Romney spokesman Eric Fehrnstrom confirms that the former Massachusetts governor is helping put together a Boston fundraiser for the Louisiana governor and a possible rival in 2012.

“Governor Romney wants Republicans to succeed, and he’s busy raising money and supporting candidates. He wants to do what he can to help Bobby Jindal, and so he agreed to help sponsor a fundraiser for him in Boston,” emails Fehrnstrom, who added that one of Romney’s top fundraisers, Steve Roche, is organizing the April 16 event.

Bobby Jindal has said he’s not interested in running for President, and instead is focused on running for re-election in 2011. I take him at his word, and outside of a week when I caught the Jindal Fever, I never thought he was going to run in 2012 anyways.

That said, if he wins re-election in 2011 and the Republican nominee in 2012 (like say, oh I don’t know, Mitt Romney) asks Jindal to be his running mate in the late summer of ’12, it would be really easy for Jindal to agree to this “once and a life time opportunity” after he was true to his word and ran for re-election other than President.

The fact that Romney is holding the fundraiser in Boston as opposed to travelling to Jindal’s native Louisiana and raising money for him there (where he’d actually be running for something) is a bit of a noodle scratcher.

Someone is up to something!

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Everyone is done going Bobby Jindal crazy. It’s all anyone seems to be talking aboot. A lot of the traffic this blog has been getting for the past week is from people searching the words “Bobby Jindal,” plus there’s been an uptick in racist comments from open minded and tolerant progressives comparing him to Apu from “the Simpson’s” (I delete most of them, like I do the racist comments they post aboot Michael Steele), which of course they do anonymously from behind their keyboards.

I’m over the fact that it was one bad speech that I think a lot of us (me included) over-hyped amongst our selves. He sounded much better the next day on “the Today Show,” there was a great profile of him on “60 Minutes,” and even Kathleen Parker (who lately has been sounding like a complete dingbat) suggested we all take a step back and slow our role a little.

So sayeth Ms. Parker…

In coaching him to dim the lights a tad, they stole his spark. Dumbing down doesn’t come naturally to wunderkinder such as Jindal. In trying to sound human, he sounds fake. In attempting to convey everydayness, he comes across as an extraterrestrial. Tuesday’s speech was a setback, much like Bill Clinton’s droning 1988 Democratic convention speech, but hardly a career-ender.

When Jindal apparently slipped his collar and resurfaced Wednesday morning on the “Today” show, the Rhodes scholar Jindal (who was accepted to both Yale and Harvard medical and law schools) was back. He dropped his “I’m-just-a-regular-guy” shtick and managed to articulate his conservative principles without putting the audience in mind of cookies and milk. Praising Obama’s objectives — while conceding that Republicans have lost fiscal credibility — he emphasized his preference for policies that help businesses create jobs rather than government programs he fears will require a taxpayer feeding tube in perpetuity.

We have to be careful when it comes to declaring someone “our Obama” and jumping ahead to the 2012 election. All of our young upstarts (you’ve seen the list) are going to have setback or not have as successful a TV performance as we would like. Just remember that nationally we have until 2010 for the next big election, and Gov. Jindal himself has nothing to run for until 2011.

I’m fine. You’re fine. Bobby Jindal is fine. We’re all fine. It’s going to be okay.

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There’s nothing wrong with being honest that that Bobby Jindal gave a bad speech. And I’m not talking aboot the activists like MSNBC or HuffPo; they decided it was a bad speech before he gave it. I mean from actual conservatives – the ones who will actually support him – the speech was universally panned. It’s okay to admit that, it’s not the end of the world, and as you see in the video at the end Gov. Jindal bounced back just fine the next morning on “The Today Show.”

I think it was a combination of over hype and an overwhelming desire amongst the right to find “our Obama” to where a single slip up seemed like the end of the world, and that’s just silly. It’s barely 2009 and there are tons of Jindal’s, Palin’s, Romney’s, Newt’s, Sanford’s, Pawlenty’s, Cantor’s, DeMint’s, Coburn’s, and others that could step up, we have time to let our leaders develop.

And as Michael Gerson points out, there’s A LOT more to Bobby Jindal than just one speech…

At a recent meeting of conservative activists, Jindal had little to say about his traditional social views or compelling personal story. Instead, he uncorked a fluent, substantive rush of policy proposals and achievements, covering workforce development, biodiesel refineries, quality assurance centers, digital media, Medicare parts C and D, and state waivers to the CMS (whatever that is).

Jindal has the ability to overwhelm any topic with facts and thoughtful arguments — displaying a mastery of detail that encourages confidence. Both speak of complex policy issues with the world-changing intensity of a late-night dorm room discussion. In recent days, Jindal has displayed another leadership quality: ideological balance. He is highly critical of the economic theory of the stimulus package and turned down $98 million in temporary unemployment assistance to his state…but unlike some Republican governors who engaged in broad anti-government grandstanding, Jindal accepted transportation funding and other resources from the stimulus — displaying a program-by-program discrimination that will serve him well in public office. Jindal manages to hold to principle while seeing the angles.

Ultimately, however, Jindal is a problem-solving wonk, fond of explaining 31-point policy plans (his state ethics reform proposal actually had 31 points). This can have disadvantages — a lack of human connection and organizing vision. But this approach also has advantages. Jindal is a genuine policy innovator. “His reforms,” says Yuval Levin of the Ethics and Public Policy Center, “are the only constructive thing Republicans are doing on health care anywhere.”

I bolded the last part because our next big battle is going to be healthcare, and we need people who a) have a record of reforming it, b) have an alternative to the Democrat Party wanting to taking over the healthcare industry, and c) can offer something other than “no.”

So while yes, Jindal gave a bad speech and we all got inundated with left-wing trolls leaving blog comments aboot how we all suck, my man Bobby isn’t going anywhere and all of us with an (R-State) after our last name need to slow our role and calm down a little.

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So yeah, I was as disappointed as the rest of us who was looking for him to “hit one out of the park” and unofficially announce his candidacy for President. After sleeping on it, there are three points I’d like to touch on…

1. It was bad, like, really bad. It was a bad speech. He’s not being “Palinized.” People aren’t criticizing him because they’re afraid of the threat he brings. It was just a badly performed speech. ‘Nuff said.

2. There was an article on Politico.com yesterday aboot how Tim Kaine, Kathleen Sebelius, Harry Reid, and Nancy Pelosi have all been panned for their terrible response to past State of the Union addresses.

3. Had I not read that article on Politico.com last night, I would have had no idea any of them even responded to a SOTU in the first place.

So while it was bad, everyone needs to calm down a little bit. It wasn’t the end of his political career. He’ll get panned to say and the Democrat Activists on MSNBC will have a big laugh over it (as they were caught doing on air yesterday), but other than this too will be forgotten.

We’re just going to need to eat the criticism today.

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“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.

…

“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.

“The strength of America is not found in our government. It is found in the compassionate hearts and enterprising spirit of our citizens.

…

“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.

…

“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 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.

…

“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.”

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Tuesday night is Gov. Bobby Jindal’s big night. While most of you reading this blog right now already know and/or adore him, for most of America who don’t follow the politics as closely, their introduction to Jindal will be in response to Dear Leader’s speech to a joint session of Congress. No pressure, okay Big Guy?

There are two key questions: what will he say, and how will he, for lack of a better term, “perform?” We may have gotten a glimpse of what we might see as Gov. Jindal left the White House Monday afternoon.

I think Allahpundit summed it up perfectly…

Jindal sounds poised, informed, and reasonable while eviscerating the Porkulus bill. Instead of working explicitly from a philosophical point of view, he rattles off the facts of Porkulus to establish the basis for his fiscal conservatism. In doing so, Jindal enjoys much more credibility as a critic of Obama’s economic plans – and forces Obama to defend his plans on the specifics rather than Chicken Little diatribes.

That’s not to say he can’t still have an off night. As Politico pointed out, he wouldn’t be the first to “choke” in a response to the President’s address…

Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine was widely panned for his performance in 2006, and Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius drew mixed reviews for her State of the Union response in 2008. Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid were mocked outright after they gave an uncomfortable, stilted response to Bush’s energetic speech in 2005.

I will say that if he performs more along the lines of what Allah described, with all eyes on him in response to President Obama, it’s going to be real difficult to take him seriously when he says he isn’t considering a run in 2012.

I still think 2016 would be a better year for him, but Jindal/Sanford ’12 is might tasty.

UPDATE: Meh.

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My man Bobby, the Ghost of Reagan Future, said that he might not take all of the bailout money that the Obama Administration was borrowing from China and saddling your grandkids with massive debt to give him. He wanted to read through it line by line to make sure every dollar was beneficial to the people of Louisiana, had no strings attached…you know, the things some might consider to be “fiscally responsible.”

It appears the Governor is putting your money (that the Obama Administration is borrowing from China and saddling your grandkids with massive debt) where his mouth is…

“Increasing taxes on our Louisiana businesses is certainly not a way to stimulate our economy. It would be the exact wrong thing we could do to encourage further growth and job creation,” said Mr. Jindal, although the Louisiana legislature could override his decision.

He said accepting the money would have required a change in state law and, after federal money runs out in three years, would have led to a $12 million increase in taxes on his state’s businesses to keep funding the benefit. He also warned other states against the program.

“I strongly suggest that other states also look closely at this provision in the bill so they can also avoid ultimately passing on a significant tax to businesses that will be left paying for this expansion of benefits when the federal money dries up,” he said.

The Governors of Alaska and South Carolina are considering similar options, and I think it’s a smart idea. There are a lot of us who think the “stimulus” plan is a giant crap sandwich, but it’s was still signed in to law. If Gov. Jindal rejected the money outright, the people of Louisiana would still be paying for it, but the aide would be going to neighboring states.

Not to mention, the only people Bobby Jindal owes any explanation to is the people of Louisiana. He’s the one who has to make the case as to why he’s agree to take some money and not the rest of it, and why he feels his decisions are the most beneficial to his state.

This move to only take some of the money, and potentially turn down more of it, makes his response to the President’s speech Tuesday night a lot more interesting.

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First you had him announced to be giving the GOP response to the President Obama’s speech next week. Then you had him saying that his state might not take all of the crap sandwich bailout money.

Then there’s this story aboot the mad money Gov. Jindal has raised in only his first year in office, a total of $3.5 million in 2008 from more than 2,100 donors over the past year, with $3.38 million left in the bank and more than two years remaining before he stands for reelection in 2011. I’ve been saying that I didn’t see him running for President in 2012 and Chris Cilliza, the political junkie we all hope to grow up to be, agrees.

However…

Does Jindal’s $3.5 million take in 2008 mean that he can raise those huge sums in a few years time? No. But, it does indicate a significant level of excitement for him among donors in Louisiana and nationally, an excitement likely to increase after he gives the Republican response to Obama’s Congressional address next Tuesday.

“Leading into Jindal’s [State of the Union] response, these numbers show his already huge appeal to Republicans in Louisiana and nationally,” said Phil Musser, a Republican consultant and former executive director of the Republican Governors Association. “They also show he’s got a solid, disciplined staff in place and is committed to — and is executing — a strategy to organize and monetize that interest.”

Jindal has played coy to date on a 2012 race, insisting that he is focused on winning re-election in 2011. We believe him. But, assuming he wins that race — and wins it easily — he will have to look seriously at whether or not a national bid makes sense. That decision is still a ways off (and budgetary struggles in Louisiana could complicate his glide path) but with his moves over the first few months of 2009, Jindal is putting himself in a place where he will make a decision on a presidential run from a position of strength rather than one of weakness.

If you’ll allow a football analogy, Bobby Jindal is like a first round college Quarterback choosing between finishing his senior year of college, and making the jump to the NFL. Sarah Palin was in the same position, and some argue she made the wrong decision in hitting the national stage too fast and too early. If nothing else, I think that might be what gives Jindal pause aboot 2012. Better to run as a successful two-term Governor, as opposed to announcing your candidacy right after the people of your state elected you to that second term.

All that being said, the response + the bailout + the excitement and fundraising = Jindal-Sanford ’12?  Hey, if it would piss off this asshole…

UPDATE: Awe-s0me…

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Basically, nut up or shut up.

The former appears to be what Bobby Jindal, Louisiana Governor and the Ghost of Reagan Future, might be prepared to do. Or, if he doesn’t turn it down outright, he might turn down some of it.

So sayeth everyone’s favourite future [place year here] Presidential candidate…

“We’ll have to review each program, each new dollar to make sure that we understand what are the conditions, what are the strings and see whether it’s beneficial for Louisiana to use those dollars.”

I’m torn. As much as I think this crap sandwich is a colossal mistake, we’re going to be paying for it regardless of if our state takes the money or not. We’re still going to take on the additional $2 TRILLION deficit. If the government is giving out the money, and your state turns it down, another state is going to get it but you’ll still be paying for your share.

On the other hand, Bobby Jindal is giving the response to President Obama’s address to the joint session next week. If he uses that address to tell the President, “thanks but no thanks,” and then lays out what he’s going to do in his state instead, and encourages other states to read the fine print and do the same, it would said up an incredibly interesting debate. Frankly, a debate I think we as a country needs to have.

And here I thought Shawn Michaels vs. the Undertaker was going to be the smackdown I was most looking forward to.

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I’ve been the guy who, even though I’m a big fan of Bobby Jindal, has been saying that there’s no way Jindal runs against Obama in 2012. It would make so much more sense to him to run in 2016. I had even blogged aboot it the other day that at best, he might be a V.P. candidate in ’12.

All that said, even I am all giggly with anticipation at Gov. Jindal being the cat chosen for the GOP response to President Obama’s address to Congress on Feb. 22.

Minority Leader’s John Boehner and Mitch McConnell had some kind words for the Ghost of Reagan Future…

“Gov. Jindal embodies what I have long said: the Republican Party must not be simply the party of ‘opposition,’ but the party of better solutions. His stewardship of the state of Louisiana, dedication to reforming government, and commitment to bringing forth new and innovative ideas make him a leader not just within the Republican Party, but in our nation as a whole.”

“Gov. Jindal’s leadership during a time of recovery in Louisiana, his commitment to real government reform, and his protection of hardworking American families make him an excellent choice to offer Republican solutions for the challenges which lay ahead.”

Obama vs. Jindal – Round 1!

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Louisiana Governor and conservative wunderkind Bobby Jindal agrees. He spoke on this at one of the many, many, many Lincoln Day Dinners that are going on this month:

“The country fired us from our congressional majority in 2006. Why? The country didn’t stop being conservative. The Republican Party did,” Jindal told a gathering of Arkansas Republicans. “We became what we came to Washington to change – the party of earmarks and government spending. The party needs to stop worrying about what to do to fix itself. Let’s worry more about fixing our country. Then the party will fix itself.”

Jindal also discussed his push to put a new set of ethics rules in place in Louisiana – a state where he said half of it is under water and the other half is under indictment. “Hundreds of members of state boards and commissions resigned in protest,” he said. “That was fine with me. I knew they could be replaced by people who’d work for free and wouldn’t mind having everyone know what they were doing.”

Everyone is looking for him to be the Ghost of Reagan Future who’s is going to lead us out of the wilderness like Jacob to freedom. As I’ve been saying, I agree…just not in 2012. He would have had to be putting some moves in place by now, and for some reason when he says he’s not running I believe him…at least in 2012.

So it’s re-election to the Louisiana statehouse in a few years, though I wouldn’t expect him to completely sit out of the 2012 primary season. If not an endorsement (or maybe even a V.P. slot), he’s definitely a cat I expect to speak up and continue his ascent to the national stage.

Or, he could make a liar of me and run in 2012 anyways. I’m still going to vote for him.

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Chris Cilliza from the Washington Post has an interesting list (with analysis from Geraghty the Indispensable) that makes a good jumping off point. Numbers one thru ten are from Cilliza, eleven and twelve are mine (just so I could make it a dirty dozen). And since his list was made prior to the nomination of our new RNC Chair, I replaced Rush Limbaugh (#8 ) with Michael Steele.

If you have any others you think should be on the list, or that I should keep an eye on, let me know…

12. Jim Tedisco (R-NY)
11. (tie) Jim DeMint/Tom Coburn
10. Rob Portman
9. Eric Cantor
8. Michael Steele
7. Mike Huckabee
6. Tim Pawlenty
5. Mark Sanford
4. Bobby Jindal
3. Mitt Romney
2. Haley Barbour
1. Sarah Palin

I would also keep an eye on Newt Gingrich, the NY duo of Rudy Giuliani and Pete King, the California duo of Meg Whitman and Carly Fiorina, and due to recent polls the gubernatorial candidates for New Jersey and Virginia, Christopher Christie and Robert F. McDonnell respectively.

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No, there was no interview. However Gov. Jindal (who also happens to be my close, personal friend on Twitter) sent along a press release having to do with something most conservatives aren’t really known for speaking on…Mother Earth.

Here’s what’s going on down in the Bayou…

The Governor’s Office of Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority signed an agreement with Ducks Unlimited to restore and protect nearly 2,500 acres of coastal marshes in Cameron Parish. I was proud to join them today in Lake Charles, and in the next two years this public-private partnership will put more than $3.2 million towards the construction of nearly 250,000 feet of marsh terraces in Black Lake marsh and the adjacent West Hackberry Marsh.

These areas were seriously damaged by saltwater intrusion and wave action, largely from Hurricanes Rita and Ike. The new terraces will encourage plant growth, improve the quality of water, limit saltwater intrusion and break up waves that are a main cause of coastal erosion. The area is also vital to the protection of a natural habitat for ducks, geese and other animals that depend on these marshes for their survival.

See that? Gov. Jindal is being all environmental and shit, while engaging the private sector to partner up and take some of the financial burden off of the tax payer. Jindal proves that it is possible to make the Earth a better place, while not running around like the Chicken Little progressive screaming that it’s the end of the world as they know it (and they don’t feel fine).

Mmmm…Romney/Jindal ’12..:

(drools)

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