Posted on 10/24/2008 12:41:50 PM PDT by nickcarraway
Former presidential candidate Mitt Romney predicted Thursday that Gov. Bobby Jindal will consider a 2012 run for the White House if John McCain loses on Nov. 4.
“Bobby Jindal will certainly be taking a look at it,” Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, said on WWL-Radio.
Jindal denied Thursday afternoon that he is mounting a presidential campaign despite multiple fundraising trips outside the state and an upcoming visit to Iowa.
“I am not running for the White House in 2012,” Jindal said.
He said he plans to run for re-election for governor in 2011. It is not his “intent” to run for the White House in 2016, he said.
Jindal said his goal is to serve two terms as governor and then leave public office to focus on his family.
“I don’t have any intent of running for any other office. I’d like to ideally go back to the private sector,” Jindal said.
Before landing a job with former Gov. Mike Foster, Jindal briefly worked for McKinsey and Co., a consulting firm based in Washington, D.C.
Jindal said he wants his three young children to grow up in Louisiana.
“What’s important in life is to use your talents to help improve your community,” he said.
Jindal fueled speculation about his future plans by accepting an invitation to speak in Iowa.
The governor is scheduled to speak on Nov. 22 in West Des Moines at a banquet sponsored by the Iowa Family Policy Center.
The policy center is the same organization credited with helping former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee win the Iowa caucuses in what was ultimately a failed bid for the 2008 Republican nomination for president.
The Wednesday editions of The Washington Post wrote about Jindal’s upcoming trip and added that “politicians NEVER — we can’t stress this enough -— go to Iowa accidentally. They know exactly what a trip to Iowa means.”
Bryan English, communications director for the policy center, said Gene Mills with the Louisiana Family Forum recommended Jindal as a speaker.
English said he has not expended a lot of energy on speculating about Jindal’s political ambitions.
“We invited him because we know he’s going to be a great speaker,” English said.
The buzz earlier this year was that Jindal and Romney were under consideration to be McCain’s running mate on the GOP ticket.
Jindal and Romney attended a Memorial Day weekend barbecue at McCain’s Arizona ranch.
Jindal said he has not spoken to Romney since the May barbecue.
Romney was in New Orleans to raise money for state Sen. Bill Cassidy, who is running for Congress against U.S. Rep. Don Cazayoux, D-New Roads, and state Rep. Michael Jackson, No Party, Baton Rouge.
Romney, who sought the Republican presidential nomination earlier this year, said he will not be on the 2012 ballot.
“I think it’s unlikely that I’ll be running again,” Romney said.
Romney compared a run for the White House to a window opening offering the right timing and the right opportunity.
Like Romney, Jindal is on the fundraising trail.
The governor will be in Washington, D.C., today to raise money for his campaign. On Saturday, he will attend a fundraiser in Greenwich, Conn.
In recent weeks, Jindal has traveled to Missouri, Mississippi, Florida and Texas to raise money for others or for himself.
I like Jindal but, I can already hear the *macaca* in the wind.
Please! Can we just get through this one first? This campaign has been going on so long that I think there should be limits on campaigning. It’s just ridiculous!
Gee, Mitt. McCain just might win!
Nice to see Mittens is already looking towards a Mac defeat.
What?!
Mitt, are you assuming McCain is going to lose? Or is Jindal going to run against the sitting president in 2012? Come on, stop saying stupid things!
As long as Mittens doesn’t run in 2012.
People make jokes about Hillary undermining Obama so she can run in 2012. What the heck do they think Romney is doing here (the implied message is “hope McCain loses so we can run someone better like Jindal in 2012.)
Man. Can't you even wait till after the election to plan the next one. I use to like Romney. Use to.
We must embrace The Other for they are better than us, for they are The Other.
And other idiotic tautologies.
Please clarify. What do you mean? I have never heard of Jindal saying anything controversial, rude or off-key.
Are you saying he has, or are you saying something else?
Too soon to even talk about. Let the guy get something done first.
“Romney behind attempts to undermine Palin????”
If McCain (and Palin) win Romney’s chance to ever be president is gone. Ka-put.
Romney was pulling the conservative base simply because he was the closest thing to an actual conservative running (even though most conservatives had huge mis-givings about him.)
In a race between Romney and Palin, I doubt Romney would pull 10% of the conservative base. The higher Palin’s star rises, the lover Romeny’s falls.
Mitt the Dick. It rhymes , it’s true , it’s a great slogan for his next run.
Being a Gator fan, my favorite Jindal quotes:
“Instead of talking about football, let’s talk about something a little less controversial: The presidential election,” Jindal said. The governor then told the audience 10 things that he thought everyone could agree on, among them that McCain loves the United States, Gators fans will help McCain win, and that “OSU sucks.”
“Mitt the Dick. It rhymes , it’s true , it’s a great slogan for his next run.”
LOL! Mac the Knife and Mitt the Dick.
“We must embrace The Other for they are better than us, for they are The Other.”
Do you consider Jindal “The Other” just because his parents are Indian? He is Roman Catholic, and I assume that does not mark him as “Other”.
The problem with Barack Obama is not his exotic background (Kenyan father, grew up in Hawaii) but his socialism and anti-Americanism.
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