Posted on 09/27/2008 7:47:43 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
Just before Hurricane Gustav blew into the Gulf as the GOP powers that be were calling off the party in Minneapolis-St. Paul, I mused about whether Republicans would come to wonder if they might be better off in the presidential race had John McCain picked a different running mate.
In the wake of newly hatched Palinmania, it seemed a sacrilege to question the choice of a governor who had so excited the conservative base. Considering the excessive media tear against Palin, as opposed to the kid-gloves treatment afforded Barack Obama, it was no surprise that anyone in the media who questioned the selection of Palin — regardless of whether he or she fell on the right of left side of the aisle, or somewhere in between — was regarded as having nefarious ulterior motives by fans of the newly created ticket.
But I’ve rarely seen a leader so pulled together in the face of crisis as Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal. And on the eve of Gustav, as Jindal delivered some of the most comprehensive and detailed press briefings around (with information subsequently printed and easily accessible for all on the governor’s Web site), I wondered if, after all was said and done, it would become clear that Jindal should have been No. 2 on the GOP ticket.
Mind you, this was before all the Palin drama began; the veritable circus surrounding her candidacy and the comparison of her length in office compared to Obama’s, as if they were facing each other for the same spot; before the morbid punditry that presumed McCain wouldn’t last long enough to see the end of his first term, thus the justification given for going after Palin with both barrels. And before we knew that Gustav wouldn’t have the same catastrophic effect as Hurricane Katrina.
But as soon as I blogged on the possibility that storm season could show Jindal may have been the smarter choice, commenters in conservative forums were calling me a Marxist mainstream media louse who was surely making the suggestion to sabotage a right-wing dream ticket (though, it should be said, McCain was in the not-too-distant past considered a poseur Republican, and any pundit who pitched him in the primary over Mitt Romney or Mike Huckabee was roundly castigated). Never mind that I was suggesting another Reagan Republican as McCain’s ideal running mate.
This is because you won’t find many doubting Jindal’s conservative credentials — but you also won’t find many doubting his managerial, financial, or gubernatorial chops.
It was clear early on that Jindal, who became America’s youngest current governor not even a year ago, felt he as a leader should stay at the job to which he was elected. In fact, when early speculation fell on Jindal as a potential VP pick, he stressed (again), “Let me be clear: I have said in every private and public conversation, I’ve got the job that I want. … I look forward to continuing to be governor of Louisiana. This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to improve our state.” Jindal also added on Fox & Friends that he thinks there should be one key quality in a vice president: “I think the most important thing in picking a vice president is not what state they come from, not what demographic they appeal to, but rather whether the senator thinks this person would be ready to be president if — God forbid — that situation arises. That’s probably the only thing that should matter.”
Spoken like a lot of present-day punditry.
If Jindal had taken that convention stage as McCain’s running mate, he would face much of the same criticism on his social-issue stands as Palin is. But it would be hard to dock the 37-year-old on experience, particularly when paired in the odd president/vice president comparison now being done between Obama and Palin. A Rhodes Scholar who advised Fortune 500 companies after earning a graduate degree at Oxford, the Baton Rouge native began his government career overseeing some 40 percent of the state’s budget as director of the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals. He completely turned the department around from deficit to surplus, judiciously trimmed wasteful spending, and led the National Bipartisan Commission on the Future of Medicare.
Not that much older than your standard undergraduates, Jindal next was appointed president of the University of Louisiana system, with oversight of eight colleges under his belt. Two years later, George W. Bush appointed Jindal to be assistant secretary of Health and Human Services for Planning and Evaluation. Endorsed by everyone from the Times-Picayune to now-infamous New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin, Jindal ran for governor in 2003 and lost to Kathleen Blanco. In 2005, Hurricane Katrina struck (Jindal having handily won a seat in Congress the year before), and the rest is history with Blanco’s boondoggles. In Washington, meanwhile, Jindal was getting experience in yet another policy area with a seat on the House Committee on Homeland Security.
So here you have a guy younger than Obama, also a history-maker (the first Louisiana governor of color since Reconstruction, as well as America’s first Indian governor), and with a resume that would have been hard for his opponents to crack: leadership in the key domestic issues of health care and education. Real-world experience in the business community. Bipartisan support. Homeland security experience.
And, of course, his superior crisis-management skills or the ability to orchestrate mass evacuations and keep residents safe and informed as Gustav threatened to strike as Katrina Part Deux. As the storm blew through and southern governors recorded taped messages for the delayed start of the Republican National Convention, Jindal didn’t partake in the P.R. He had more important things to do. That’s a sign of a leader. And that’s a simple declarative statement of what Jindal could have brought to the ticket, not any sort of conniving underhanded dig at Palin.
Some in the throes of Palin euphoria quickly respond to the suggestion of Jindal on a ticket by suggesting a Palin-Jindal campaign for 2016 — based on the assumption, of course, that McCain-Palin will win, that McCain-Palin will win re-election, and that Palin would, at the end of that, be jonesing to campaign for the presidency. Then, in that theoretical scenario, eight years of Palin with Jindal at No. 2 would mean 16 years before he ran for the presidency.
I’m not sure the GOP can wait that long, though, to bring someone of Jindal’s caliber to the forefront. Both the right and left tickets have their Achilles’ heels in this election, so we’ll see who can eke out a win come Nov. 4. The rest should be interesting to watch.
Sunshine Palin patriots?
uh lemme think about that no
In a word, no.
No.
Remember, they savaged Palin before her fantastic speech. Much more critical than the debate with Old Gas Bag Biden.
They are savaging her now. She will come out swinging.
Those “interviews” were mini abush debates.
stupid.
We have the right VP candidate.
Yes, I am sure the media would have embraced Jindal with open arms and would not have unfairly smeared him like they’re doing with Palin </ sarcasm>
I think McCain picked the right person.
No.
McCain’s pick was brilliant...Just look at the lefties reaction to it.
Gezz the media would have attacked anyone Mccain picked
Bobby Jindal would have been a great choice, but he said he didn’t want it. Sarah Palin was the right choice.
Jindal publicly said he didn’t want to be VP.
Palin was an excellent choice.
What a bunch of cr*p. Gov. Palin was the right choice for a number of reasons. In addition to all of her attributes to us - conservative credentials, executive experience, true middle America qualities - Gov. Palin also is a draw for the PUMAs, who can’t be discounted. I’ve browsed a number of PUMA sites, and not only do they hate the Obambi like poison, they despise the dem party for dissing their girl, Hillary. Yes, I know it’s hard to believe, but they do, and they’re very much in support of McCain/Palin.
Nope!
I calmly asked her how SHE would feel about giving interviews to the media that as soon as they found out Sarah was running as VP, pounced on her 17 year old pregnant daughter? I got a deer caught in the headlights look and she didn't say another thing about Sarah.
That being said, my sister-in-law is still going to vote for the human "Me Too Obobble head."
You just can't reason with emotion.
The Romneybots at National Review aren’t too happy.
would loved to have seen biden explain his 7 eleven comment.
Sarah Palin is "our girl"....
If McCain/Palin don't succeed this time around...look for Jindal+Someoneolder in 2012...
He is smart...
He will be about 41 (better than 37)
He would have been trashed from the start.
A VP doesn’t do much of anything. Better for Jindal to run for president after fixing Louisiana. Clinton did next to nothing for Arkansas, except use it as a stepping stone for higher office. Maybe Jindal will fare better with Louisiana.
In short, “no.”
If she does reasonably well in the debate, AND if McCain’s people will then turn her loose on a search and destroy mission that consists of equal parts bonding with the folks, talking up women, and dumping on Obama in cutting terms, then for the first time the VP choice will have a significant impact on the outcome of an election, and that impact will be positive for McCain.
While I’m not a PC kind of guy, Palin’s ascendency gives the GOP a much needed, and hopefully long enduring facelift in its image with women. I am still very happy about the pick, even though Jindal’s resume is more impressive than anyone in US politics today, and I hope to see him become President some day. If God forbid, McCain/Palin lose this election, I’d like to see a Jindal/Palin ticket 4 years hence. That ticket would be the dream team as far as I’m concerned. God bless Sarah Palin. On a different note, I hope to live to see the day McCain attacks the Democrat party with the same gusto that he has attacking Republicans...
They would attack whoever McCain had picked no matter what .
No. Jindal is great and I hope he looms large in the not-so-distant future of presidential politics. Sarah, however, was and remains the right choice.
NO.
But I sure am looking forward to a Palin/Jindal ticket in 2012 or 2016!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Nope. Palin was the perfect choice.....C
They would be going nuclear against ANYBODY who McCain picked.
Palin's only problem is the two-foot leash the McCain campaign is keeping her on.
I can't wait for the VP debate. I fully expect Biden to drop out rather than face her.
No, Palin should have...
Did you ever see Jindal in interviews...smart man, can't believe he is 37...extremely confident and articulate...without the uhuhuhuh
No, not no how not no way. The Palin pick was genius, she has revived conservative republicans. Palin naysayers deserve atomic wedgies.
McCain made the PERFECT choice. Remember that many here at FR were lobbying for Sarah weeks before she was picked. And after she demolishes Plugs Biden on Thursday, FR will finally get the recognition we deserve.
Go Sarah!!!
Jindal was my second choice....a distant second choice. McCain got this right. You have to remember where his campaign was during late August. He wouldn’t even be where he was today had he picked anyone other than Palin or Jindal, and I would think that Jindal would not have excited the base (much less independents and swing voters) as much as Sarah Palin has.
Even more stupid than it was yesterday .
Sarah took the shine off the O-worship. Not only did she get the attention, but her “styrofoam column” crack was brilliant.
Just wait for the next debate. Sarah will prove her worth. Don’t let the MSM and the Feminist-Nazis drive her from the ticket. I think she will win the debate like Grant took Richmond.
Is that you, Obama?
He’s out of his freaking mind...
In answer to the title.........
NO! He did perfectly fine!
Sarah is just the right one.
God bless her and her precious family.
God bless John McCain and his precious family!
And God Bless America!!!
I think I smell a troll.
http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/by:seekandfind/index?brevity=full;tab=comments
The media has their long knives out for anybody that competes with Obama.
Even you, Bridget.
I love Governor Jindal, but Sarah can pick him for her VP in 2016. :)
One of the main democrat talking points right nowe is that the Cloic interview was a disaster for Governor Plain. Article like the one for this thread are sent out to reinforce that crap, so the one posting this thread is immediately suspect. I don’t trust democrats. They lie, they have no moral compass, they are despiscable scum. I’m not so darn sure the posters filing these crap on Palin threeads aren’t democrat operatives. Some of them have been unable to cover their stench. We will wait and see about this comparative n00bie.
They haven't really been happy with Palin since day one. They are a very grumpy lot over there, some more than othes.
In my opinion, had McCain picked Romney, he would be down about 10 points right now, and with at least $10-15 million less in the bank, a less enthusiastic GOP base, and much less interest from Independents and swing voters.
With all this overblown handwringing over the Couric interview, the pressure is once again on Sarah to come through in her debate against Biden. If she performs like she did in her debate against Tony Knowles in the Alaskan governor's race, she will do more than come through.
NO
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