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.”
Some of Bobby’s votes.
So will Jindal have the support of Ray Nagin, or would that be the kiss of death.
“why can’t you be a governor like that Jindal boy.”
shut them up response: where’s the nearest church i can get baptized, beeyatch?
My folks would disown me if I turned out anything like Jindal…ditto for most of the other desis I know
Whats wrong with Jindal, and why do so many desi not care for him. I’m seem like a good guy to me. Maybe cause I’m a moderate whitewashed coconut canadian desi and to me Jindal seems likes a guy I would support if he ran for office in canada.
I guess in Canada I’m center of right and in the States I’m center of left so Jindal doesn’t seem bad to me.
Clueless: Either you don’t understand Jindal’s platform or you don’t know what it means to be left of center in America. Jindal is a right wing social conservative Republican working to destroy the separation of church & state in this country. This is of concern to most liberals (and liberal repubs like me), coconutty or not…
Clueless,
There is nothing wrong in supporting Jindal.
However, I am dead against Jindal. And, yes, he had support from Ray N. of N’Awlins in last elections, and even then he lost. At the last moment, African Americans and dixiecrat white Americans rallied for Blanco because Jindal does race baiting (African Americans have never liked him), and Blanco comes from old Louisiana family. It probably will happen this time too.
However, you need to educate yourself in such matters, including Punjab, etc. too. Some effort. Some more nuance.
Does anybody know what Jindal stand on immigration and the whole melting pot vs multiculturalism for newcomers. Has he even spoken out about those issues. That issue is the most important to me other the enviroment.
Since In my life I have chosen not to have religon in my life, I don’t agree with Jindal on the seperation of church and state. Since I’m pro-abortion and pro-gay, those are 2 more issues I don’t think Jindal and I would agree.
Google = Jindal + immigration
You might like him, you might not. As I said, he always had some solid support in Louisiana, and some people like his stance.
Down here in Amreeka, we do not sing songs of “multiculturism and newcomers-old timers holding hands“. Nobody does.
Quick glance at Jindal immigration views seem likes one thing that I could agree with him on. You Americans are so lucky that you country has the melting pot for newcomers. Jindal is good example of someone who intergrated into American society, I just wish he didn’t have to make religion so important in his life.
What is Louisiana desi population, and is big enough to make an impact in a close election.
I just did alittle research and found out that there is only 10000 desi’s in Louisiana, so the desi vote as not gonna matter much.
Bobby Jindal stands against just about everything the majority of Asians (70%+ Democrat) stand for. Yes he is Indian and a popular politician, that’s about all he has in common with our folks, with the exception of his skin color and his family. And yes, his Campus Crusader personality does scare the hell out of me, as it should Muslims and Hindu and Buddhist and Atheist Asians. Indians keep giving him money bcause they like the face, but just remember the saying, “what have you done for me lately” because Bobby’s answer to that is nothing.
Oh that’s an easy one. Ask them :
Why couldn’t they be a CEO or a Venture Capitalist or even a chief executive of a country
Though Jindal makes my blood boil, I think in the long run it will be good for the desi-American community if he gets elected.
Damn good news.
Somebody with roots in the third world will be the one to raise Louisiana out of the the third world.
I hope he crushes the snot out of Blanco.
If you’re center of anything, Jindal should be bad to you. He’s as right wing as they get.
Sriram —
Could you elaborate on this?
choked while i read this. yes, agree with PP, elaborate please.
A governor is a very powerful position. Though I find Jindal’s politics objectionable, I do believe it would be good for the community that someone of the community is wielding power. That is, I think it is a strong image with which the rest of the country will be viewing us. As for his strong conservatism, politics is like a pendulum so any hard right stances he takes will balance out over time with actions taken by future governors.
One question does come to mind. Where is the liberal equivalent of Jindal? Kumar Barve is an influential state politician in Maryland, but he doesn’t have anywhere near the name recognition of Jindal. It is surprising to me that the center-left and left has not produced a South Asian politician with the potential for national recognition, especially in states like Jersey, New York, and California.
Considering that liberal Massachusetts had Mitt Romney (conservative Mormon) as a governor, liberal California elected a Reagan-style Schwarzenegger – it’s a bit rash to say Jindal is too right-wing for the governor’s house in Louisiana.
As for his religious background, can anyone demonstrate that Jindal has let his personal religious belief has negatively affect his constituents? Or is the just another bogeyman? When Muslim Keith Ellison was elected to Congress from Minnesota, any suggestion that his Muslim faith will interfere with his duties was criticized as bigotry. But perhaps Indian Christians who are registered Republcians are just SOL.
Jindal’s personal views inform his support of policies wrto abbortion, public funding of religious non-profits. Right, Catholics are a beleaguered minority in Louisiana.
i personally think jindal is junk — that’s as a desi living in another part of the southeast. however, he could be great for louisiana at the local level — multiculturalism is not exactly placed on the forefront when compared to katrina.
i know many louisiana south asians who have praised jindal’s local actions.
I don’t agree with this at all — for two generic reasons and for one that is specific to Jindal. For one thing, simply “wielding power” by itself does not confer a favorable image — unless what he is doing with that power is independently worthy of value, then it does no such thing. In fact, to the contrary, if the first South Asian person in a position like that use that power badly, then it would have exactly the opposite effect.
For another, if that power is being wielded in a manner that is detrimental to “the community,” then what good is the favorable image? I’ll evaluate how good some politician is for the long-term interests of “the community” by looking at tangible actions and consequences over symbolism any day of the week. For example, is Clarence Thomas good or bad for the black community? He’s an accomplished, intelligent black lawyer who has reached the pinnacle of his profession, and that’s unquestionably good for the community at one level, but he’s obviously not the only one who could have been in that position, and the long-term net balance is more complicated than that given the way he actually rules in cases that come before the Supreme Court, which many blacks (obviously not all) find detrimental to the interests of the black community.
Finally, for a third, in this particular case it’s also possible that the “strong image” you think many people would perceive from Jindal being governor would only extend as far as Christian Indians who take extremely conservative political positions and use Americanized nicknames. That’s obviously not an attack on Jindal for being Christian or for using the nickname “Bobby” — I think it’s silly, at best, when people try to make an issue of either to suggest he’s not sufficiently “Indian,” although I think it’s completely fair game to criticize his embrace of political positions associated with the Christian right on the merits. Rather, it’s simply an observation that there are probably certain political benefits that have accrued to him by virtue of that assimilation, and that those benefits may or may not extend to other South Asians were he elected governor. Mind you, my own hope is that your assumption is right — but in reality, it’s far from clear what the impact of his election would in fact be.
(And in that regard, I question your assumption about liberal equivalents of Jindal not being “produced” — it may be that some of them have faced barriers that a conservative Christian Republican in Louisiana named Bobby Jindal simply hasn’t faced to the same degree.)
that $5,000 Received From ARMPAC could be an issue for Jindal..seems like an easy thing for the opposition to dig into…
As far as I know Jindal has never said anything that would contradict the idea of separation of church and state. He was asked that question before and he said he believed in separation of Church and State, and his own parents were hindu, or something to that effect. Jindal did a marvelous job in formulating public policy for medicaid…that cut out the fat and made the state program run in black. I find it amazing that some indians are so enthralled by failed socialist policies of the democratic party, that they will criticize anything republican. Socialism has not worked anywhere …and never will.
Jindal feels like an electable Dinesh D’Souza to me.
desi republican: Umm..have you seen any criticism of market policies here ? I’m a republican. Jindal will of course make noise about supporting the separation of church/state. He just doesn’t feel that using tax money to support religious charities is problematic.
“Jindal feels like an electable Dinesh D’Souza to me”
Of course he is..that’s why the repubs get all wet over him. a scenerio of a repub mind: ‘I mean that’s a model minority..not a dirty mexican on welfare…ahhhhh..repub breathes a sigh of relief dreaming of Jindal and drowing blacks in Katrina while reaching for a Cohiba and a bottle of Margeaux 82’.
82′
Your own prejudiced views shining through in bold. As far a supporting religious based charities…most of them are more effective in terms of money reaching the intended and not the management. Its not as if it’s curse of the devil.
“Your own prejudiced views shining through in bold”
HAHAHAHa… No I was simply stating what Republicans like you keep hidden in the sewers of your heart…When you say “socialism won’t work”..you want to “fuck over the poor”…THAT IS YOUR PURPOSE….don’t bold text me pissant you couldn’t hang …trust me.
No I was simply stating what Republicans like you keep hidden in the sewers of your heart.
Dang – did someone give away the secret code book?
desi republican:
Well…it comes with the following strings attached: a) A heavy dose of old-timey religion where tolerance is not stressed. I have no problem with Catholics believing that Hindus are hell bound & that the practice of Buddhism is “masturbation”(i.e. the views of the lovely current pope). I just don’t want my tax money funding the promotion of these beliefs B)Do you really want US tax money funding madrassas here in the US? CAIR endorsed the Bush presidency pre-9/11 with this in mind. As a fellow repub, perhaps an analogy to the old nonsense with the NEA can be drawn. Some people (e.g. me) believe public funding of Shakespearean promotes the public good. Others (i.e. not me) believe that Mapplethorpe is high art. Best to dodge the problem altogether
Oddly, if you were to look at the Christian groups that are the most tolerant in regards to other religions, it would be Catholicism. If he happened to be a Catholic of the regular mold instead of a religious fanatic, he’d be a much more respectable guy.
Clueless, the potential for nationwide desi funding matters very much.
Desirepublican, I’m not sure if that’s actually true.
You Americans are so lucky that you country has the melting pot for newcomers.
Wow. I don’t even know where to start…with a statement that’s so wrong, it’s practically baked in wrong sauce.
IMO, the melting pot does not exist for newcomers, it exists against them. The melting pot idea, carried to its logical conclusions, would have immigrants adopt the language and social mores of the majority, and eventually become part of some amorphous, indistinct mass (and assumes that the majority also absorbs language and culture from the immigrant class, which does not happen, except in the most superficial sense).
As much as many Americans like to pretend otherwise, this is not the ideal situation. Jorge growing up in the Barrio and speaking perfectly good English but holding on to his Latino heritage is considered “not properly assimilated” until he changes his name to George and starts dressing and talking like a gringo. This is exactly what Jindal had to do to become a viable political candidate.
The irony is that people continue to tout Jindal as a role model for the desi community. But to become that role model, he had to become as “un-desi” as possible.
Hema
What you wrote applies more to the Borg than to America. Ask a second-gen Turk in Germany or a second-gen Algerian in France which model they would want – the US or European immigration model.
hema,
Jorge better be able to speak a form of English the rest of us can understand (after a reasonable amount of time), but I don’t think anyone (who matters) really cares what he does in his private life as long as it’s legal. Yes assimilation to cultural norms to the extent of becoming a functioning part of society is important. If that is not the case, then immigration serves to weaken and not strengthen the nation whether that be the United States, France or India. Why come here if you want to live exactly like you lived in your country of origin?
Gazsi.
Yes assimilation to cultural norms to the extent of becoming a functioning part of society is important.
I agree with that, but the issue appears to be to what extent an immigrant has to be assimilated to cultural norms. Do you have to adopt the language and mannerisms, and you’re good? Or is it more than that? Do you have to change your religion, the social constructs you were raised with, etc. It’s the majority that gets to decide who has become assimilated to cultural norms, after all.
Maybe Jorge does speak English well enough to be understood by everyone else, but maintains a Latino accent for social interaction with his peers. As long as he stays in the Barrio, he is “Mexican” (with all the attendant stereotypes and emotions the term arouses). There is also an associated issue of whether culturing norming makes him an “outcast” within his peer group.
Jindal’s views (some of which I think are out of line with the desi diaspora) are part of his attempt tp be properly assimilated to the prevailing cultural norms in Louisians. The fact that he felt this was an absolute necessity for a career in politics is what makes me skeptical of the success of the melting pot theory.
Jindal changes his name to Bobby in first grade. It had nothing to do with politics. It had to do with being named Piyush. I can only imagine little first graders going ‘Pee yooo’ and giggling….kids can be cruel. I believe he wanted to become a medical doctor, and was set to attend a prestigious medical school after the name and religious change. Religion change was not a calculated effort in order to enter politics
Jindal changes his name to Bobby in first grade. It had nothing to do with politics. It had to do with being named Piyush.
I have some sympathy for that, but not enough to not be skeptical about it. My name was endlessly made fun of, growing up, but I was never tempted to change it just to be accepted. I don’t know which is the right way to go on that, for what it’s worth (i.e. I’m not claiming any moral superiority here). I’m just saying changing from “Piyush” to “Bobby” is something that the melting pot trope engenders.
Religion change was not a calculated effort in order to enter politics
Maybe not, but it’s hard not to see that as a possibility. I mean, I can believe that a person can have a spiritual awakening at age 15. Call me a cynic, but a Hindu converting to Roman Catholicism in a heavily Roman Catholic state, and then running for office only a decade later, makes me just a litte skeptical.
I mean seriously give the guy a break. Sometimes one thing leads to another, he might have converted without the intention of using this as a political tool, and later realized it could be used as a political tool.
And I think this website kind of proves the point of the desi diaspora having a very wide variety of views, some of which the gentleman is undoubtedly out of line with.
Also, you may or may not be pleased with the melting pot’s results (ie the cultural homogenization and ubiquitous McDonald’s restaurants), but the fact is that in America if you do as the Americans you can be successful if you work hard (work smart? luck?) no matter where you are from. And this I think is something to be valued.
Gazsi.
The reason I talk about asslimation so much is cause I live in Canada, but I spend a couple of months a year in California[mostly Fresno or Bay area]. And desi in those 2 countries are world apart in how asslimated into there new countries.
My mom family in California[ most who came in the mid 80’s] has done a very good job of asslimating, but has kept a very good balance between both culture’s. Which is alot different then in Canada.
Jindal is nothing like most desi’s who run for office in Canada. I don’t think Jindal could win in Canada. But I also don’t think most desi who run for office in Canada could win in the States.
the fact is that in America if you do as the Americans you can be successful if you work hard (work smart? luck?) no matter where you are from. And this I think is something to be valued.
The counter-argument being that if it’s all about hard work, it should be possible to be successful without having to “do as the Americans”.
It’s entirely possible that Jindal is totally innocent of becoming more of a generic American to court the vote. But it’s also possible he’s not, and there’s no denying that the change is politically useful. That’s my point anyway…that America equates success with being more American, except that “American” is ultimately defined by the majority, most of whom are a few generations removed from the immigrant experience.
Anyway, I won’t labor the point. I think it’s clear what I’m talking about here.
Maybe not, but it’s hard not to see that as a possibility. I mean, I can believe that a person can have a spiritual awakening at age 15. Call me a cynic, but a Hindu converting to Roman Catholicism in a heavily Roman Catholic state, and then running for office only a decade later, makes me just a litte skeptical.
If you know what you will be doing career-wise (with 100% certainty) in 2017, I will be impressed. That you can guess his motivations for switching to the Catholic team tells us more about you than Jindal. If Jindal converted to Islam, would his motives be suspect by those posting here?
That you can guess his motivations for switching to the Catholic team tells us more about you than Jindal.
A guess is, by definition, conjecture. Take from that what you will.
Way OT – Louiecypher, is your name an “Angel Heart” reference? Because that would rock.
I don’t think it’s possible to really pin down why Jindal switched faiths. I don’t think it’s fair to try, either. I think it’s unhealthy to dissect every segment of a politician’s biography through the lens of his current political ambition. That’s when you start seriously believing that, say, a war hero intentionally wounded himself in order to brag about a Purple Heart during his Presidential campaign thirty years later.
But of course it makes sense to evaluate a candidate on his current policies and speech. And that’s where Jindal scares me. As much as many Desis don’t like to admit it, we are minorities in this country. We do ourselves no favors by rebelling against that fact and pursuing retrograde policies. And while it’s great that Jindal has been effective in reaching out to African Americans and fixing hurricane damage, I don’t see how he could win and keep winning in the Louisiana GOP without courting some of its more “traditional” voters. I don’t think this is good for Desis at all.
I don’t think it’s possible to really pin down why Jindal switched faiths. I don’t think it’s fair to try, either.
Fair enough. I really wasn’t trying to point fingers at Jindal. He was just the most noteworthy example I could think of for the point I was trying to make.
Louiecypher
Please provide evidence that Jindal is trying to destroy separation of church and state. Screaming like chicken little doesnt make it so.
I’m neither Republican nor Democrat nor particularly religious or….non-religious but for all my Desi brothers and sisters preaching ‘tolerance’ and Jindal’s apparent lack of it(I’ve never seen it personally and I doubt anyone else has either, it seems that simply being associated with Christianity and Conservatism relegates a brother to the pits of Uncle Tom-errry and Facism). It’s just sort of ironic… those beating the drums of tolerance are the same folks playing the fiddle of prejudice. I’m confused.
Keep in mind india, sri lanka, wherever has a strong tradition of christian roots and it’s not being very kind or tolerant to crucify Brother Jindal for his change of conscience.
Speaking of taxing toward religious institutions? There’s also tax benefits and monies for Planned Parenthood and other organizations that lots of our christian brothers aren’t particularly fond of.
The way I feel about religion, philosophy, whatever… is that no matter how much we want to run away from some ideology… in it’s place will be a vacuum and something will come to replace that… be it rampant secularism/atheism/whatever… or religion. Either way, a moderate Catholic that ain’t beating the war drums and reinstating any holy wars, crusades or anything else if fine with me. Give the brother a chance it seems like he’s doing something right down there…
Jindal in 08′ wha-wha-wha-what! Desi or Die. Let’s go.
Vikram, Please google = Jindal + abortion.
He has a very extreme stance. Maybe, you fully agree and endorse with him on his social issues but I would like to point it out for everyone else – just in case.
Also, please read wiki on him.
Jindal’s views on abortion are somewhat extreme, considering they don’t even allow for the mother’s health exception that most pro-life advocates/voters are in favor of.
However, I think it goes too far to say this represents a destruction of the separation of church-and-state. After all, a person can be opposed to abortion for perfectly secular reasons. I don’t know to what extent Jindal’s views are influenced by his religion. The most we have to go on so far was his vote on the stem cell bill.
One “test” for whether his views are influenced by religion is to see whether his views on the death penalty match the views of his church. The Catholic church is opposed to death penalty, but most conservative politicians are in favor.