The substance of his speech read fine, but his delivery was absolutely awful. It’s true that whoever delivers the response from a quiet room somewhere is always at a disadvantage, and these type of speeches are rarely memorable. But I thought Jindal came off particularly bad. His delivery was flat and his jokes and anecdotes were awkward, his grin childish. He seemed more like a high school student giving a valedictory speech than a potential future leader of the party. He may be brilliant, but presentation matters too, and this was a lackluster performance. “Ya either got it, or ya ain’t,” according to a line from Gypsy. Sadly, Jindal aint got it. Or at least he didn’t tonight.
