Word is that GOP rising star Bobby Jindal (Louisiana’s governor) said no to being considered for McCain’s veep over concerns that the campaign would suck. Aside from notching a point for Jindal in the foresight category, this also suggests that Jindal will be running for the nomination in 2012 or 2016. Interesting, and definitely a good sign for Republicans worried about the future of their party.
On the other hand, are Republicans actually ready for a non-white leader of their party? Judging from the racist fulminations and rank bigotry at McCain and Palin rallies, I wouldn’t think so. This election cycle demonstrated just how deep-rooted racism is in certain segments of the GOP, and I can’t imagine that those significant hordes will be go quietly into the night, if at all. I also imagine (as does conservative David Brooks, among others) that the party will be veering hard right for the next few years as it attempts to fashion a future for itself, a possibility that would seem to preclude a Jindal nomination.On the other hand, if the party was presented with a Palin-Jindal faceoff, surely the instict for self-preservation would kick in at some point, right? Thoughts?
November 11, 2008 at 11:21 pm |
It would be very interesting to see how the very right wing segments of America handle the choice of a non-Caucasian versus a non-male. It seems that so many people had a problem with Sarah Palin long before we knew anything about her (after we had gotten to know her, it seemed fair that no one felt she was qualified, of course) because she was a woman. There are many people out there who still believe politics is a man’s world. Unfortunately, I feel like Palin may have undone many of the positive steps made by other important female politicians. Anyway, given that Palin has been dubbed a rogue, unqualified problematic person even by many within her own party…one wonders what the republicans who wouldn’t want a candidate who is not white would say about a candidate who is not a man, either. Imagine if it did come down to Jindal and Palin. Ch-ch-ch-changes!
November 12, 2008 at 12:05 am |
I think your assessment equating a far right stance of GOP wtih racism is naive. We have Rice and Powell as prime examples of non-white republicans who are greatly respected in the GOP. It wouldnt take any stretch of the imagine to see them lead if they wanted to (well maybe less so Powell now!).
Jindal is a savvy politician who has a real future within the party. He plays to the religious base of the Republicans and will have no problem with the values driven segment of the party given his stance on abortion and guns. I think a move further to the right would only benefit him.
November 12, 2008 at 12:37 am |
Bobby Jindal looks like he could be my dad, or @ least some sort of uncle.
That’d be sweet….
November 12, 2008 at 7:30 am |
I sure hope the Republicans are ready, cause I think he’s running.
I think a vast majority of Republicans aren’t the people you’re saying that were behaving badly at rallies. Those are nuts and a vast majority of Republicans denounce what they do.
As Jeff mentioned in the comments, Powell is a Republican leader…not because of his race, but because of what he believes. Powell could have been President in 2000 if he had wanted it. Same for 2008…had he only wanted to.
There are idiots on the fringe of either party. Remember J. Wright, Obama’s racist pastor?
Bottom line is: Louisiana elected Jindal (a Republican) to be Governor of the state in a landslide victory. If he can get elected Governor there (one of the most historically racist states) then he can surely do it across the U.S. It’s on in 2012..and I’ll pulling for Jindal.
November 12, 2008 at 8:35 am |
Perhaps I’m more pessimistic about the far right fringe of the party, but I do think it’s linked very closely to racism. Take just a few examples:
The rallies (those were more than just a few people – did you see videos of the people outside of the rallies? The knee jerk association of brown skin with racism was on full, sickening display there)
The attempt to blame the entire economic meltdown on the CRA and Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (an implicit – at best – laying of the blame at the feet of poor minorities)
The ACORN hysteria
All of these are at the very least implicitly related to race. And while Rice and Powell are/were greatly respected members of the party, they were also never elected – they were appointed. I’m not saying they couldn’t have been elected, though – I’m just saying that it would have been an uphill battle to be elected by GOP voters. Which is what Jindal would face in the primaries.
And Jindal 2012, there are idiots on the fringe of either party – Wright is a pastor, though, not a party member, and he was roundly denounced by Obama and the entire party (it was a little over the top). Meanwhile, Palin and McCain were explicitly courting the far right fringe at their rallies.
I sincerely doubt he would win the nomination in 2012, and I doubt he will even run – I think 2016 will probably be his best bet, though of course things can change in the next four years.
One thing that Jindal has going for him, and I didn’t think of this before, is that he won’t have to deal with many of the racist slurs simply because he’s running for the GOP. He would during the primaries, and I think they would be fierce and potentially game changing (remember Bush’s robocalls about McCain’s brown-skinned adoptive daughter in 2000?). But in the general election? He’d probably be fine on that front.
I think the GOP is already catering to the far right of the party, and I think that’s about as far as Jindal would want it to go, for two reasons. One, the further right you go, the more power the race-baiting fringe accumulate. Two, I think this election was a pretty historic shift for America, and moving further right would be moving away from the wishes of the voters. The GOP blathering about abortion and guns didn’t work this time, and I doubt it will work four years from now.
And yeah, having Palin and Jindal run against each other to lead the party? Would be absolutely crazy. Both literally and figuratively.
November 13, 2008 at 12:46 am |
The Obama win means that the Repubs are playing defense: who they run in 2012 will be totally determined by the success of the Obama administration in the first 4 years and the 2010 midterms. If he is in a good position (as I hope,) we can hopefully watch conservatives pass the nomination around like a ticking time bomb. If he is perceived as weak, I think Jindal will run. Obama himself proved that you don’t need a track record, or a long time in the spotlight, to win a campaign.
And I dont think race will be a factor, because his story of converting to Christianity fufills the manifest destiny saga so nicely. It’s not that white people hate minorities, they just hate the heathen ones that act out. Ok some hate all minorities. Whatever.
Sooooo…How bout that rap music? Need more writers?
November 18, 2008 at 11:41 pm |
[...] I posted a little while ago on a couple of reasons why I thought Bobby Jindal likely would have problems winning the Republican nomination if the party swings right – basically, I thought it would be tough because he’s not white. I still stand by that. [...]