The American Spectator

The Spectacle Blog

On the main site Friday, James Lucier proposed that John McCain pick Bobby Jindal as his running mate. While I agree that Jindal would add much needed excitement to the ticket, I think it would be far better for Jindal, as well as for conservatism in general, were he to remain as governor for a few terms. Eight years from now, he'll still be young, but will have a lot more experience under his belt, and if he lives up to expectations, he'll also have an impressive set of accomplishments to tout. More importantly, if conservatism is to make any headway in regaining the confidence of the American people in the wake of the Bush administration, conservatives will not only have to make strong philosophical arguments or provide policy solutions to contemporary problems, but we will need to be able to point to examples of competent conservative governance. Having taken over Louisiana in disasterous condition, Gov. Jindal is ideally positioned to demonstrate how a place can be turned around by the application of conservative principles. That's something the movement desperately needs, and we won't get it if Jindal becomes McCain's running mate.

topics:
John McCain, Conservatism