While all the wannabe flavors-of-the-week announce they will be running for President (way earlier than any of us should even care), the one race I’ve been keeping a close eye on is the one for Louisiana’s Governor’s house. Just take a look at what the polls show:
In a bid to become the first Indian American governor in the United States, U.S . Congressman Bobby Jindal, R-La., has announced his candidacy for governor of Louisiana.
Significantly, a recent independent poll said he would soundly crush current Democratic Governor Kathleen Blanco – who has been under fire by the slow pace of recovery after hurricanes Katrina and Rita – in any rematch of their 2003 race.
In an e-mail to supporters Jan. 22, the 35-year-old Jindal said, “Our state, our communities, and our families have been through some very tough times. There is clearly a hunger for a new approach to governing…” [Link]
So what has Jindal been doing that has put him so far in front? One word: Katrina. People are sick of almost every elected official in the state of Louisiana except for Jindal (whose own house was damaged), who has escaped much of the wrath because he has been getting bills passed to help his constituents.
The poll, conducted Jan. 13-14 by Southern Media and Opinion Research, said about 59 percent of 600 likely voters said they would vote for Jindal, while 35 percent prefer Blanco.
The survey also found that the state’s voters have made up their minds about the governor’s race, with the primary set for Oct. 20 and a runoff, if needed, Nov. 17.
In a three-way race with Democratic public service commissioner Foster Campbell, the totals are: Jindal, 58 percent; Blanco, 31 percent; and Campbell, 6 percent.
Fewer than seven percent of those surveyed are undecided or refused to specify the candidate they would vote for in a race between Jindal and Blanco. [Link]
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p>Also, here is some good advice for young folks. Sports analogies = votes:
While he emphasized that Louisiana was last in so many surveys, he compared Louisiana to the New Orleans Saints and their miracle season of 2006. In making the comparison, he contrasted the 2005 year in which the team went 3-13 and said that the new Saints gave the state tremendous inspiration and results. His theme was that Louisiana needed a change in leadership and said it needed an environment of success based upon “what you know” rather than “who you know”. [Link]
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p>The only chance in hell anyone has in beating Jindal (unless Jindal reveals that he did cocaine) would be by pounding on his allegiance to his party and President:
On a controversial issue that resonated throughout Louisiana this week concerning President Bush’s failure to mention Katrina or Rita in the State of the Union Speech, Jindal said a number of times to Bayoubuzz that he thought it was a mistake for President Bush not to mention “Katrina, Rita, Louisiana or the ongoing recovery”. However, Jindal stressed that it is the actions and not the words and that as credible plans are being presented on issues such as coastal erosion, Category 5, and health care the key is the commitment Louisiana gets from Washington. Jindal also said “we need to be grateful, we have received 110 billion” and that President Bush “made a wonderful commitment in Jackson Square in front of the Cathedral” that “we need to make sure that those commitments are now fulfilled as we have these ongoing needs”… [Link]
Folks, at this point it looks like we will have a 36-year-old desi as the chief executive of a state. It’s going to make it even harder on us 30-somethings since our parents will then say, “why can’t you be a governor like that Jindal boy.”
To wit, it appears Jindal is pro-death penalty.
So those of you worried about separation of church and state can breathe easy. Those of you worried about conservatives in general, watch out! 🙂
Neal:
Doh ! you figured it out.
Vikram: How strange, this is what some people might call an example of synchronicity. Neal figures out that my moniker is from a movie that involves the ritual decapitation of chicken in voodoo and a very naked lisa bonet. And you liken me to a decapitated chicken. Hmmm…
I was about to go off on a reverie about meaningful coincidences but was then possessed by the spirit of Michael Shermer. Some joyless skeptic once said there is no way for us to differentiate between magic and sufficiently advanced technology. We have something called Google (pronounced “Goo+gull”) that you might mistake for omniscience. I tell you that it is nothing of the sort but that’s besides the point. What Goo-gull allows one to do is retrieve stuff like this You can respond that you don’t think that support for faith-based initiatives is problematic but try not to be stupid by asserting that Jindal is not pushing this issue
I do not think the end of the world is near when religous bodies take government money to perform civic tasks. I would think you would need to clear a high bar to prove a violation of the establishment clause. That being said this is not a nation founded in any way on religion, nor should it be. I am merely saying that you freak out over the little stuff you are not taken seriously when there is a clear violation of the constitution, e.g. jewish Air Force cadets being bombarded with religous material in order to get them to convert. Separtation of church and state is an important principle, but you seem to think any associate government has with religion is out of bounds. I do not.
Bobby Jindal seems to be a smart guy. I searched for info. about his wife Supriya.. Seems she is of Indian origin too (obvious from the name).. info about supriya..
link ..
What’s wrong if he (along with his wife) found “Jesus” for good reasons.. it’s not that he’s suffering because of the choice.. 🙂
The other thing to keep an eye out for is the difference between who people say they will vote for and once the curtain on the booth is closed, who they actually vote for. Harold Ford Jr found this out this past election, and many others in the past as well (there is some name for this). White people might say they will vote for a person of color in polls but sometimes when it comes to pulling the lever it doesnt materialize. Just something to watch in how it all turns out.
I am not a fan of Jindal at all, but am still glad when there is some appearance of movement in who is electable. I agree that Jindal is the kind of conservative person of color who Republicans LOVE. This has been part of his fast track in his career. Any brown folks who want to sell out to a Republican party stance and are reasonably smart and charismatic can expect to go far. I think it allows them to alleviate some guilt about social policies that someone like Jindal comes to the forefront.
Any brown folks who want to sell out to a Republican party stance and are reasonably smart and charismatic can expect to go far. I think it allows them to alleviate some guilt about social policies that someone like Jindal comes to the forefront.
Right – cause Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton never sold out to the Democrats. The relationship between black people and the Democrats is often described as between two estranged lovers. Every four years, the Democrats come flowers in hand to black people, promising that they will no longer neglect their concerns in-between elections. But as soon as Election Day is over, Al Gore goes back to talking perfect English and Hillary stops serving ham hocks at lunch, and any talk of reforming public schools is silenced.
I think the Republican voters in Lousiana have come a long, long way. From being bat shit crazy and a majority of white males voting for David Duke to voting for Jindal, they certainly have come a long way and for that they need to be lauded.
I am merely saying that you freak out over the little stuff you are not taken seriously when there is a clear violation of the constitution
Touche. Somebody should remind the ACLU about this.
Serious! Honestly, I don’t care why Bobby Jindal goes by “Bobby,” or why he converted to Catholicism, or any of that. But when it comes down to his voting record and social policies, I find I don’t agree with him on anything. Isn’t that what should matter, anyway? His actions and policies? All this “desis, vote desi!” just doesn’t have any traction for me. He can do whatever he want, but I would be no happier to see him as Gov. of LA than I am when I see Dinesh D’Souza on TV. Either way there is a big hand-slapping-forehead moment of “WHY!?”
This is just patently ridiculous and plays into this huge “Pilgrim’s Progress/Protestant Work Ethic” myth. There are tons of people in the U.S. working their butts off just to live in poverty without any social or economic safeguards and certainly without anyone giving them any respect for their work. Compounded in that (to touch on the whole assimilation argument) is the fact that there are systems of racism that exist in the U.S., and those systems have very real effects on people (not just psychological or whatnot, but tangible when it comes to hiring, promotion, access to opportunities/education/health care/capital). To quote my man, Kanye, “Even if you drive a Benz, you’re still a N*** in a coupe.”
To quote my man, Kanye, “Even if you drive a Benz, you’re still a N*** in a coupe.”
Kramer please!! Kanye grew up in the suburbs of Chicago. As Carlos Mencia spoofed, “His momma’s house is bigger than his.” Yeah – I can see what that whole immigrants coming to America is justa bunch of hooey. That’s why immigration rates keep falling, cause word got out America is unwelcoming of foreigners.
Tough crowd— What ever happened to ‘cream always rises to the top’? There should be no doubt that in between D’Souza and Jindal no matter how abhorrent their perspectives on matters that desi’s care or don’t care about that they are more than qualified to be public figures. Personally, I’d rather have Jindal in office than a host of other white/black/hispanic/democrat/liberatarian/republican/paleocon/neocon/whatevercategoryyouwishtoplace… He seems sincere and he seems from the heart. His conversion seems sincere esp. given that we have lots of brothers and sisters that have converted to every religion on the planet and ancestors that have as well… the Bobby part… welll… couldn’t he have taken something cooler… Ambrose? Augustine? Bill-Cosby
I think you’re missing the point, KXB.
It isn’t so much that Kanye cannot succeed because he’s from the ‘hood. It’s that people will always think he’s from the ‘hood (with everything that implies), even if he’s stinkin’ rich and incredibly successful. Unless of course Kanye decides to make like whitey, in which case he’ll be held up as the role model all the other kids from the ‘hood should emulate.
Anyone remember that guy, OJ Simpson?
Oh – a little footnote, Carlos Mencia’s real name is Ned, but his agent told him to change it to Carlos. There’s that bland American homogeniety. And Barry Obama became Barak, and former Maryland congressman Frizzell Gerald Gray decided to change it to Kweisi Mfume. Each one suffered for their un-American names.
Jews probably have it tougher with their names. Would Jon Stewart be as quoted if he stayed with Leibowitz? Jason Greenspan became Jason Alexander, Natalie Portman used to be Natalie Hershlag, and Kirk Douglas was born Issur Danielovich Demsky. So I guess Piyush becoming Bobby is just another way Indians try to mimic Jews.
KXB, what are you talking about? Kanye growing up in the suburbs does not undercut the point I was making (that regardless of “success” or social standing, many people of color face serious barriers to being “accepted” as having made it). I have no idea where you pulled your immigration craziness, but whatever.
SJ, but would you still vote for Jindal if you didn’t agree with his political views? I’m not saying his opponents are or are not any better. I’m just saying that it blows my mind to hear people who would normally disagree with him as a candidate if he were any other ethnic/racial background back him up because he’s brown.
It isn’t so much that Kanye cannot succeed because he’s from the ‘hood. It’s that people will always think he’s from the ‘hood (with everything that implies), even if he’s stinkin’ rich and incredibly successful. Unless of course Kanye decides to make like whitey, in which case he’ll be held up as the role model all the other kids from the ‘hood should emulate.
Hema – Kanye gets more grief from other black musicians than he does from whitey. The toughest criticism of his music comes from those who did grow up in tougher conditions than him, but he sells a preppie/street persona.
Kanye’s just an example, KXB. Substitute “minority” as necessary.
KXB, what are you talking about? Kanye growing up in the suburbs does not undercut the point I was making (that regardless of “success” or social standing, many people of color face serious barriers to being “accepted” as having made it). I have no idea where you pulled your immigration craziness, but whatever.
Why are you so concerned with being “accepted”? Most people will not accept you for something, whether it is your ethnicity, your profession, your income – there will alsways be some reason. Will Jindal convince the left-leaning browns? Probably not, but all he has to focus on is the needs of the people of Louisiana. Again, to cite Romney and Schwarzenegger – neither man was a typical resident of their respective states, but the voters in those states believed them to be the better candidate.
Kanye’s just an example, KXB. Substitute “minority” as necessary.
No – Kanye’s a celebrity. Celebrities are different from you and me, which is why using them (particualrly when discussing an election) is not an apt comparison.
Whether Kanye is a celebrity or not is not the point at all. You’re barking up the wrong tree.
The point is that minorities (even including celebrities like Kanye) never get quite the same reactions to their success as people in the majority do…until those minorities eliminate every vestige of their minority status, to the extent physicall possible.
That’s what’s wrong with the melting pot.
Whether Kanye is a celebrity or not is not the point at all. You’re barking up the wrong tree.
The point is that minorities (even including celebrities like Kanye) never get quite the same reactions to their success as people in the majority do…until those minorities eliminate every vestige of their minority status, to the extent physically possible.
That’s what’s wrong with the melting pot.
So cool I had to say it twice!
Er, sorry about the double post…
KXB, perhaps you’re being deliberately obtuse? My point is not “acceptance” in the high school clique context. Let me reorient the example, and perhaps that will help. Here are a series of anecdotal examples that may help:
At Harvard’s medical hospital, a desi resident is walking out of a parking garage and is asked to park a doctor’s car because the doctor “confuses” him for being the parking attendant, b/c of course all attendants are people of color and all doctors are white.
An Asian American woman whose family has lived in California since the 1800s is in a grocery store where she accidentally bumps into the cart of another shopper. When she begins to apologize, the (white) woman cuts her off, saying, “In America, we say excuse me.”
A Latina woman joins an academic department as a new faculty member. When she arrives to move into her office, despite the fact that she is carrying a brief case and is dressed in a skirt & suit, a colleague asks if she is the new janitor on that floor.
These are just individual examples. My point behind these examples is NOT that people are racist, nor is it that any one group has a monopoly on making racist comments. I am specifically addressing the comment that “if you work hard in America you can make it.” The fact of the matter is, if you work hard in America, SOME people make it. MANY people do not. A large number of people living at or below the poverty level are incredibly hard-working. I rarely see people in higher income brackets work 2-3 full time jobs, support other family members, engage in care-taking and housework, and still struggle at the margin.
While this overwhelmingly effects people on a class level, racism cuts across class-lines and makes it relevant for others as well, including highly educated desis who don’t see racism in their daily life or don’t think they experience racism and thus pretend it doesn’t exist. And even if you do make it, at the end of the day it might not matter all that much because people probably won’t take you very seriously anyway. If you are a person of color, and especially if you are an immigrant, you will have to contend with people assuming you are stupider, that you are fresh off the boat, that you are inherently foreign, that even if you are foreign you cannot speak English, that you are a leech on social services, that you do not deserve to succeed because you have somehow gotten to this place on something other than “merit” or “hard work,” and the list continues. It is inaccurate and misleading to continue to perpetuate the myth that success is directly tied to a person’s work ethic when it comes to social standing and socioeconomic advancement in the U.S., or anywhere, for that matter.
I’m glad to see how prejudice against Republicans/conservatives hasn’t all that diminshed among some here. Talk about making sweeping assertions and generalizing. The guy is smart, dedicated, hard working, and has strong positions that don’t necessarily line up with progressive desis. Ok, not a problem. But calling someone an uncle tom (yea, that is the undercurrent here) just reeks of intellectual dishonesty.
Lets take this step by step:
He converted to Christianity. So, if he converted to some other religion (other than that of the majority), but maintained his positions on [abortion, taxes, religion, healthcare…], then he wouldn’t be ‘playing’ to the majority, hence it’d be cool, ya know.
So, the democratic party, the plank holder of being fair and giving all minorities an opportunity to move up into strong leadership positions, has done quite well for desis? Wait a minute, didn’t Biden and Hillary stuff their foot in their respective mouths when they made ‘jokes’ about desis? There is an old boys club in both parties that maintains and desires to maintain control. Neither party is demonic nor are they clean. They’re full of opportunistic politicians that are all trying to make a name for themselves.
Above all, why does Jindal owe solidarity with brown progressive types? Hell, if anything, Bobby Jindal (assuming the current crowd here, not bloggers, but us from the peanut gallery) is quite muntinous. He isn’t your ‘average’ desi, his beliefs aren’t of what the majority here like to see, and the guy works to his own convictions. Rock on. We need more, not necessarily of his political colors, but more that challenge conventional group think. Jindal is one of them.
I’m proud to call him an American first, I’m proud to disagree with him on several stances. But I won’t compare him to a D’Souza because he simply hasn’t become what D’Souza is today. There may be similarities between a young D’Souza and Bobby Jindal, but that’s where it ends.
All that matters and should matter to Jindal is representing his constituents, people of Louisiana in a fair and clean way. It seems his youth and professionalism is what will win the race for him. How this pans out in the long run, time will tell. But for now, he’s earning his stripes. And that I can respect.
He converted to Christianity. So, if he converted to some other religion (other than that of the majority), but maintained his positions on [abortion, taxes, religion, healthcare…], then he wouldn’t be ‘playing’ to the majority, hence it’d be cool, ya know.
The real question is whether could get elected as an idol-worshipping Hindu in Louisiana, with rotund Ganeshas welcoming/sneering at his guests venturing into his living room. My guess: hell no.
then he wouldn’t be ‘playing’ to the majority, hence it’d be cool, ya know.
Gujudude, he plays to the Louisiana majority. He is very mainstream conservative within Louisiana context.
You can support him with all your heart, and lot of people do. I need to question whether you really know his modus operandi, his platform, and core base before you go ra-ra. If you know it, and still support him, it is all cool by me, Jose. All cool, my man.
However, I am trying to tell you, he plays the “race card” very slyly. All his radio talk shows he used to do in Louisiana, are very playing to white fears of blue collar Louisiana of entitled minority taking away all the resources.
It is a classic Louisiana politics which is played on race and socio-economic lines.
African Americans and rich white will eventually support Blanco, and blue collar white Jindal.
GujuDude:
Why have you sold out to your oppressor? Do you hate yourself, or are you just trying to sleep with white women?
My post was aimed at those throwing hate his way on stuff not related to his political positions, calling him a ‘sell out’ since he’s a part of the Republican Party, etc (The ra-ra was a result of the brown man a republican = sellout analogy). Honestly, I haven’t made my mind up. I’ve got mixed feelings. I recognize he IS a polarizing figure.
Again, debate his tactics, policy, positions, etc to death. I have no problem. Lets stay away from what a brown guy has to do to become a leader in the Republican Party. The top echelons of both political parties are full of elitists that don’t see any room for minorities. What you say regarding race baiting, classic LA politics, etc, I’m not as familiar. I don’t live there. It’s just funny how strong of a hate response one evokes for being either conservative or a convert to christianity, or both and being brown.
Guys like Jindal add ‘color’ to politics. He is an interesting figure. And if there is one place in the South that a unique character can come from, it has to be LA. Confederacy of Dunes man (Colorful characters).
An analysis here says he is faring worst in the districts that are more ‘heavily’ re-aligned with republicans. It would be interesting to see if there is a strong shift from the folks you noted: Rich whites and African Americans in support of Jindal and places that are blue collar white away from him. Politicans are an opportunistic bunch. With wider support (and in trying to hold said support), he may shift center (Like Clinton did when he became President)
An analysis here says he is faring worst in the districts that are more ‘heavily’ re-aligned with republicans.
Ah, North Louisiana. It gets little complicated in the Protestant stronghold, that behaves more like Texas.
I lived in Louisiana for 7 years. Six in Baton Rouge in 90s, and one in Lafayette (2001-2002). I have friends who strongly support Jindal but none of them are for the reasons you wrote in your comment.
His core base is a white blue-collar working class man, especially South Louisiana. As ALM said, he gets his strength from the group that once voted for David Duke. His Congress constituency is Southeast Louisiana (white suburbs of New Orleans). He is very against entitlements, and lot of people like him for that, I’ll give you that. That is where, along with his abortion stance, he derives his real strength.
Blanco is from Lafayette, and he beat her on her home turf in last governor elections. If African Americans had not bonded very strongly with Blanco, and rich white (on her TV debate, she talked about the death of her teenage son, and her husband is one of the deans and former football coach of UL, Lafayette, and that closely connected with richer people in Louisiana), Bobby Jindal would have won last time.
His mentor is Mike Foster, who used to be governor before Blano. He is very, very, very much of the establishment. Jindal is a right-wing mainstream Louisiana politician. Some people really like him, Nothing wrong.
However, I got the feeling from your comments that you know more about Darfur, than Louisiana politics. It amused me that you made him some kind of Jimmy Stewart in your imagination, which he is not.
Ta Ta, Gujudude.
Jimmy Stewart? That was funny ( and not with any snark, I mean, I actually liked that line).
Like I said, in these quarters (Sepiamutiny), the guy isn’t popular (therefore mutinous). Which is ok. But I simply don’t like the knee jerk republican=baaad=brown republican- Even worse! [For the record, I vote for both parties. Yes, I’m not a dirrrty conservative, nor a filthy hippie :)] I probably have my head up my fourth point of contact when trying to figure out LA politics. Everytime I think I know something about it, I wind up being wrong, outdated, or just stuck in bayou’s swamp. Back to the reading board.
It’s been a long day and my ears are still ringing, having spent the whole day in a loud factory.
Peace be upon you, Sir.