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The Spectacle Blog
In addition to this being President Obama's first speech to a joint session of Congress, it's also Bobby Jindal's chance to introduce himself to a large national audience in delivering the Republican response. According to the Washington Post, Jindal will be delivering the speech from the governor's mansion in Baton Rouge, which is more or less a typical way to deliver the response. I think he would have been better off taking a page out of Christine Todd Whitman's book. Back in 1995, when she was the tax cutting governor still in good graces with the party, she delivered her response in front of an audience in the New Jersey state assembly chamber, which mitigated the natural advantage that President Clinton had by delivering a speech in front of Congress with all its pageantry.
I'm still waiting to see how Jindal performs as governor, and see his views fleshed out more, but what I find most appealing about him is that he is undeniably brilliant. I watched Jindal's performance on "Meet the Press" this week, and it was refreshing to see a Republican who was actually able to provide a detailed defense of his decisions and policies. At one point, David Gregory grilled Jindal about his decision to reject some unemployment money from the stimulus package because it would require permanent changes to state law that would impose obligations down the road. Gregory quoted Sen. Mary Landrieu saying that Jindal was wrong. "Her point being, you could insert a sunset clause when this has to go away, but it would certainly be beneficial at a time when you're in economic stress," Gregory said.
Here was Jindal's response:
GOV. JINDAL: That's great, except the federal law, if you actually read the bill--and I know it was 1,000 pages, and I know they got it, you know, at midnight, or hours before they voted on it--if you actually read the bill, there's one problem with that. The word permanent is in the bill. It requires the state to make a permanent change in our law. Law B--our employer group agrees with me. They say, "Yes, this will result an increase in taxes on our businesses, this will result in a permanent obligation on the state of Louisiana." It would be like spending $1 to get a dime. Why would we take temporary federal dollars if we're going to end up having a permanent program?
And here's the problem. So many of these things that are called temporary programs end up being permanent government programs. But this one's crystal clear, black and white letter law. The federal stimulus bill says it has to be a permanent change in state law if you take this state money. And so within three years the federal money's gone, we've got now a permanent change in our laws, we have to pay for it, our businesses pay for it. I don't think it makes sense to be raising taxes on Louisiana businesses during these economically challenging times. And what it shows is what we're going to do in the stimulus is we're going to look at every program, every dollar. If it makes sense for Louisiana, makes sense for our taxpayers, we'll use those programs and dollars. If it doesn't, like on Friday we said, "This doesn't make sense for us. This is not a good deal for us." It makes--my job is to represent Louisiana's taxpayers. Makes no sense for us to take temporary federal dollars and create permanent state obligations.
One thing I would say is that, perhaps because he has such a command of the details, at times he tends to speak a bit too fast and drop wonky terms. I think that could turn some people off from his message, and that's something he'll need to work on as he matures as a politician. He's smart, yes, but does he come across as likeable enough to connect with a national audience? We'll see how he performs tonight.
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More Blog Posts by Philip Klein
http://spectator.org/blog/2009/02/24/jindals-moment
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Bob| 2.24.09 @ 12:43PM
As I've said here on numerous occasions, I generally like Jindal. I agree with you that he needs to mature, however -- not only in presentation, but in message. He opened himself up for criticism in mentioning the high speed rail from Disneyland to Las Vegas which doesn't exist in the bill and talking about an extremely small point -- about 1% of the bill -- in terms of the unemployment payments to part timers. He actually agrees on almost 90% of the spending in the bill. That's the problem, it makes him look like another politician and not a leader. Instead of making these political points, I hope he talks about about a political philosophy that relates to communicating the truth to the American people and the fact that we need to put the government on a diet -- just like we're doing at the kitchen table with our own finances. He should talk to making this country better for our children and grandchildren and not try to make political points as he did on Meet the Press.
Furthermore, he should talk about working with the President for the betterment of the country and fighting on the side of fiscal responsibility.
That said, I fear that he will come across as a political hack -- something that the American people currently rate very low as all the current polling indicates. We'll see.
Charlene| 2.24.09 @ 1:03PM
Love him. Hope he runs 2012.
Heather| 2.24.09 @ 1:25PM
Bob, talk got us no where, NO WHERE! The Dems didn't want any part of the Reps ideas. But then swung a bat at them for not voting for this abomination. Talk to your children Bob, teach them, spending to get out of debt is STUPID! Doesn't work in this house and I know it doesn't work in yours. And for Mr. Jindal to stand up for whats right even though its not popular is the exact same I teach my son "Stand for whats right, EVEN if you are standing alone!"
Bob| 2.24.09 @ 1:59PM
Heather, that's what politicians do -- they talk. They can decide to talk about things that mean something, or they can talk about little things that will eventually make them look dumb. Leadership is not about opposing little things, it is about putting forth a great idea and then executing it well. Republicans will suffer as long as they look like political hacks. What you have to realize, is that even very conservative economists agree that the government must spend at this juncture, but the question is what are the spending priorities. Your simplistic statement that "spending to get out of debt is stupid", will not fly because it shows you don't understand what's going on right now. Tax cuts, which comprise a third of the stimulus, is SPENDING because it reduces revenues. This whole thing is about jobs, not spending.
Ruth, Jindal, so far, has done a much better job than that know nothing, Palin. Palin wouldn't even go on Meet the Press.
ruth| 2.24.09 @ 2:36PM
Governor Palin acquitted herself quite well on an interview with Maria Bartiromo of CNBC last year. She was knowledgeable and articulate. I like Palin and Jindal, I hope both of them stick to their conservative principles; smaller government and lower taxes.
Interloper| 2.24.09 @ 3:52PM
Of course Piyush Jindal will come across as a hack because he is a hack. We are talking about someone who first gained attention by dumping 40 percent of those covered, mainly children, from Louisiana's already rudimentary health care program while still in his twenties. A biologist who insists creationism be taught in his state's failing school system. Someone who rejected his heritage in favor of ersatz redneckhood, including extreme Catholicism. (He would join Opus Dei if they would have him.) An Oreo with who prefers a name from a television sitcom.
The only thing Jindal has ever accomplished outside of academics is getting appointed or elected to positions where he was either a hatchet man or a seat warmer. As governor, it is the latter. There isn't a single positive change he has achieved in the increasingly rare times he is actually in Louisiana. In fact, the state is on its way to achieving the dubious accomplishment of knocking Mississippi and South Carolina aside for the lowest statistics in every type of well-being, from infant mortality, to educational failure, to low wages, to early death.
The real issue is how anyone could imagine Piyush Jindal or Sarah Palin are somehow competitive with President Barack Obama. That the GOP leadership can has a lot to do with its inability to understand why the President was elected. It is not because he is relatively young, photogenic and a minority. It is because he is a brilliant person who has dedicated himself to achieving progressive goals for an entire society, not personal enrichment. Indeed, Obama rejected the kinds of selfish choices made by Jindal and Palin before he finished college.
Kat| 2.24.09 @ 4:17PM
Brilliant? The Teleprompter Messiah can't even fill his cabinet.
ConservativeWanderer| 2.24.09 @ 7:18PM
The whole cabinet, Kat? Barack Hussein Obama (since Interloper seems to be insisting on legal names) can't even find a Commerce Secretary who isn't involved in some sort of shady dealings!
Ken| 2.25.09 @ 4:05AM
So as W. tapped danced on the White House steps while this great country was being driven into the ground by the Bushy Republicans, the Ditto-heads and don't forget the little man, Karl Rove, pulling all the strings behind Republicans failed deological
curtain. Now George Bush legacy continues to pollute, for Bush saw the republican potential Of Jendal in 2001. Now we see the fruit of Bush's wisdom, unveiled to world in the Republican's
response; Sadly, Jendal's speech was another embarrasment to Rebuplicans and Louisiana!
Frosty| 2.25.09 @ 10:17AM
Ken has BDS.
dave| 2.27.09 @ 9:32PM
I can't believe someone who supports obama would use the term oreo. the traditional definition fits the president better. BUT pres. Obama will easily win in 2012 if the economy improves, if it doesn't , then any republican candidate will take over. no ideology, no values, no contest, it will be a single issue election
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