Friday, May 23, 2008

Bobby Jindal: A Bright Future for the Republican Party

I've spent quite a bit of time tonight looking at Bobby Jindal's history (if you don't know much about him see wikipedia here).

I looked at a number of his 2007 gubernatorial campaign ads and the one that stood out to me was War on Corruption. This ad epitomized the essence of his candidacy and shared many similarities to Senator Obama's.
Here is Why I Think Jindal Has Tremendous Potential:

  • He is Youthful
    • Jindal has the aura of someone with youth and vigor--something that people like John McCain lack.
  • He is Not a WASP
    • This seems to be a hot commodity in American politics (see all the energy about Senator Obama's and Clinton's candidacy--Clinton is a WASP, but not a man).
  • He Inspires
    • His message of a new beginning for Louisiana carried the day. His speeches are inspiring (although not quite at the level of Senator Obama). Moreover, unlike Senator Obama, Jindal is better able to connect to working class voters.
  • He Endured Scathing Political Attack Ads
    • If you think you've seen it all in the form of attack ads, see this. I watched a lot of nasty attack ads for the Louisiana governor's race, but this one takes the cake. I believe that Jindal's ability to take this type of rough and tumble attack and still win is a strong asset and a good predictor of his ability to weather attacks.
  • He Knows His Policy
    • I watched Governor Jindal about 3 weeks ago at the DC Press club on CSPAN taking questions from guests and Jindal spoke with a clear knowledge of the issues.

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