I have just been too busy this summer to write about my favorite topic: desis in politics. Politics waits for no man however, and there is much afoot. First, most have heard by now that the Republicans want to make healthcare reform “Obama’s Waterloo.” If that be the case who better to play the part of Gebhard von Blücher than the exiled Kenneth the Page Governor Bobby Jindal? The healthcare policy wonk is back baby:

“Governor Jindal has seen enough,” said Curt Anderson, a consultant for Jindal. “As a health-care policy expert, he strongly believes that the House Democrat[ic] plan would be a disaster for the long-term health of the American people, and the long-term health of the economy.”

That Jindal is adding his voice to the chorus of Republican critics of Democrats’ approach to President Obama’s chief policy priority — Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele will offer his own critique today at the National Press Club — is evidence that the youthful governor sees a role for himself in the national policy debate despite a rocky introduction to the country earlier this year.

Jindal, who is widely regarded as one of the rising stars within the Republican party, was chosen to deliver the party’s response to Obama’s February address to Congress. His performance was, to be charitable, weak and turned him — briefly — into fodder for the late night talk shows due to his resemblance to one Kenneth the Page. [Link]

If I was an angel on Jindal’s shoulder I would tell him to keep a low profile. There is no need to be the Republican casualty of the week this far in advance of ’12. And speaking of Republican casualties, how is Nikki Randhawa-Haley surviving the Sanford debacle? Not so bad as far as the money goes. She is hanging in at a respectable third place:

U.S. Rep. Gresham Barrett — The congressman from Oconee County raised $500,000 in the second quarter; cash on hand, $975,011.

State Rep. Nikki Haley — The Lexington state representative raised $204,000 in the second quarter and now has $193,555 cash on hand.

Attorney General Henry McMaster — McMaster, of Columbia, raised $232,490 in the second quarter after raising $300,000 in the first quarter. McMaster ended the quarter with $1.1 million in cash on hand. [Link]

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p>Recent reports indicate that Barrett’s campaign (or those tangentially associated with it) may be using dirty tricks against Haley.

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p>In other news, Jay Goyal of Ohio is slowly making his way up the chain in Ohio. If we don’t see a Congressional run by him next year I would look to see some movement in 2012. I think he has a bright future:

State Rep. Jay Goyal, D-Mansfield, moved up the food chain last week when he was named ranking member of the House Ways and Means Committee. This came the same day he reported carrying forward and raising $153,337 in campaign money last year. Goyal was among the top five House Democrats for campaign cash.

Gov. Ted Strickland said nice things about Goyal in a press release announcing his new status on the ways and means committee: “Jay Goyal is a rising young legislator who is working hard to ensure that his constituents are represented well. This appointment speaks to his effectiveness in serving his residents and the people of Ohio to the best of his ability.”

The ways and means committee considers bills on taxes, property foreclosures and other issues. [Link]

And from the bright future we take a trip back to the dark past. George “Macaca” Allen recently released a book. A book is what some out-of-office politicians release when they believe they have spent enough time in purgatory and want to make a comeback:

In The Triumph of Character, Allen brings together two all-American passions–politics and sports–and reveals what Washington could learn from the enduring principles found in athletic competition and team sports. Having spent the better part of his life with one foot in both the world of sports and the world of politics, Allen will draw parallels and contrasts between the two arenas. Using his own engaging and entertaining personal stories, Allen will illustrate how “characters with character” in the meritocracy of sports can provide principled, competitive examples of the ways to surmount challenges facing America. [Link]

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p>Triumph of Character? Really? Wow. I wonder how many football analogies there will be inside. I still maintain if not for the Macaca comment, Allen and not McCain would have been the Republican party’s nominee in 2008.

I will try and do a better job of keeping up with politics here on SM. Between now and October I hope to make some major political announcements here, as well as interview some desi 2010 Congressional candidates. Stay tuned.