I had never seen Jindal before last night

[ThomWV]

First off President Obama's speech was - and this is simply stating the obvious - the clearest official statement regarding the national situation since the year 2001. It was very well presented and apparently well received.

Then came the response.

Somehow I have managed to miss Bobby Jindal. I've seen the name often enough but never the man. Last night my ignorant bliss came to an end. C-Span did not show the response live. They had 'technical difficulties' and instead quickly went to an alternative. Susan Swain interviewed a fellow who gave background information on Governor Jindal. I flipped back and forth between C-Span's bio of the Governor and the response itself, on MSNBC.

First off I was surprised to learn that the Governor is only 37 years old - that was from C-Span. Secondly I was amazed that the Republicans would offer up a man who was so condescending in language, so off point in his address, and poor in presentation - that was from MSNBC. Back to C-Span and I learn that the man was in charge of his state's medical infrastructure at the age of 27. I thought to myself, that's impossible. No one has amassed the experience needed to manage that sort of office at that age and other than having been a Rhodes Scholar they mentioned no other qualifying experience. Back to MSNBC for a quick look and by then all I could see was a weasel on the screen - and that voice, the "squeaky little pissant" alarm screeched in my mind.

So, that's the best they've got? OK.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

1. He campaigned on the corruption issues in La, like a new sheriff

in town he was going to clean up the streets... did he? I don't think anyone can answer that with any surety.

Louisiana's governor-elect pledges to clean up state

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/10/22/louisianas_governor_elect_pledges_to_clean_up_state/
KENNER, La. - Changing Louisiana's reputation for corruption would do more than just make over its image, Governor-elect Bobby Jindal said yesterday. It could help the state attract businesses and win federal aid for hurricane recovery.

A day after his historic election, the Republican US representative reaffirmed his campaign pledge to clean up the state, vowing to give Louisiana a fresh start. He has never talked about who or which agencies he thinks are corrupt. One of his first acts will be to call a special legislative session to reform ethics laws, he said., or so it was promised.

http://blog.nola.com/jeff_crouere/2008/04/in_louisiana_political_corrupt_1.html

http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/051010/10louisiana.htm

Which state is the most crooked—Illinois or Louisiana?
http://www.slate.com/id/2206523/

[Mari333]

2. Its soooo obvious

in their alternate Bizzaroo world, they came up with the idea somewhere that by presenting a 'colored' man as a representative of the GOP they would somehow ingratiate voters who swung to Obama..thats why , at the same time, they chose Palin..as if either of these candidates, Jindal or Palin, represent anyone except a bunch of wealthy old white men who really are the backbone of the GOP..
its so obvious is funny..and then to appoint a black man to head the RNC..there have been a LOT of weird meetings amongst the GOP staffers who are completely OUT of touch with the US populace that they actually think this will promote the GOP as a diverse party..all it did was make them a laughingstock...and the David Duke wing of the GOP is probably pissed off to no end..
could they be any more transparent in their ludicrous picks of candidates?

[Belial]

3. The best who has? The ppl of LA?

Jindal oversaw one of the largest evacuations in U.S. history in late August 2008 prior to the Louisiana landfall of Hurricane Gustav. He issued mandatory evacuation orders for the state’s coastal areas and activated 3,000 National Guardsman to aid in the exodus. Government officials vacated hospitals and nursing homes and put the poor, the ill, and the elderly on buses and trains out of town. The evacuation was credited as one reason that Gustav only resulted in 16 deaths in the U.S. -
Borrowed that from Wiki.. :)

He has actually done the state of Louisiana a lot of good.. maybe thats why the repubs picked him?

[ThomWV]

5. I hate to say it this way, but those responses were no-brainers after Katrina

Every one of those responses could have been listed on the back of an envelope by any high school kid who was assigned the task of finding out what should have been done preceeding and following Katrina. None of it was the result of great political wisdom or great ability emerging from emergency. In short any dam fool would have known to do that in 2008 - he deserves no great credit because he "oversaw" it.

[Belial]

9. You have never lived in LA have you? LOL

[ThomWV]

12. No - Miami actually - a place not unfamiliar with storms.

You folks are not the only ones who suffer storms. Having come from south of Miami I understand what it means to go though a storm. Unfortunately for you folks it would appear you not only get the storms but also suffer fools lightly.

[havocmom]

13. Last year, his presser when another storm was bearing down on LA., he was very impressive

He was on top of the situation, full of information and understanding, laying out exactly what was being done and what was yet needed. Havocdad said if he isn't a genius, he is at least smart enough to have efficient people working for him.

Not all really smart people do well speaking to the public. Too few of them actually have the temperament and people skills to do well as leaders. Seems Jindal may have that shortcoming. OR, his message was hammered out by the GOP; a speech by idiots for idiots, delivered by an unlucky young man who looked so much like a deer in the headlights that I felt sorry for him.

[The Stranger]

19. Most of the time, if it is truly a smart person, they develop the ability to speak well.

Being smart and speaking well are not mutually exclusive. On the contrary, a truly smart person will learn.

[RB TexLa]

17. The first storm after Betsy had a good evacuation as well. Didn't have anything to do with

who was governor or mayor at the time.

[billybob537]

4. So This is "THE GREAT RIGHT HOPE"

I've seen better heads on cabbage.

[spanone]

6. jindal/palin........? bring it on

[KharmaTrain]

7. I Think They Call It Choking Big Time...

You could just see Bobby watching Presidend Obama...a beautiful one hour plus performance and all throughout the butterflies churned and the anxiety level rose. He knew he had to hit a "home run"...not just for his own political future, but that for his corrupt party. When the lights came on, he choked, pure and simple.

[fasttense]

8. That sing-song voice as if he were trying to sooth a child

really made me flash back to McInsane when he wasn't raving like a lunatic.

[skypilot]

10. I'd only seen still photos of him...

...and before he came onto the screen last night I could tell that the GOP was thinking that they were going to make him look presidential. The area in the governor's mansion that he walked out into looked as though it had been framed to look like an area in the White House. And then the guy walks out and just ruins the setting. Bad posture, ill-fitting suit, and a tie that looked as though it weighed more than did. Honestly, I could only stand to listen to him talk for about thirty seconds because it was starting to feel as though I were reliving the idiocy of the Bush administration all over again.

[Rashel]

11. You were surprised they'd offer him up? These are the people that gave us Palin and Joe the Plumber!

;

[havocmom]

15. And the GOP is WAY too hung up on 'marketing' instead of substance

They think color is the new way to go. They are so dense that they just don't grasp the fact that Americans want SUBSTANCE and don't care so much about packaging. Color is not an issue for most people but it would seem the GOP is so hung up on it they think skin color is a strategy.

RNC head wants to hip hop his way back into power? Really? :rofl: It is another example of how clueless the GOP power-wielders really are. They are so blind they cannot see beyond surface and style to get a grasp of what Americans said in the last election. With any luck, they will stay that fucking dumb. ;)

edited because I shouldn't type in the dark before coffee

[Rashel]

16. They're still trying to manufacture a leader. Dolts.

[Kashka-Kat]

14. I thought responses were supposed to.... well, you know, respond! His speech bore

no reference to what Obama said. Aside from poor speaking quality, the content sucked. Jindal (& by extension entire repub party) just looked completely (&embarassingly) IRRELEVANT.

[Two Sheds]

18. I'm gratified to read all these visceral responses to Jindal...

I've been on to him for years. If you have a lot of education and experience in government, as he has, but you dump on them both, as he has, then I cannot believe in your sincerity. And I don't.

Jindal is a bright motormouth. I know a lot of people who got to see him upclose and work with him when he was a wunderkind working in the Mike Foster administration (for those of you unfamiliar with him, think W. with more warmth and less brains). Their verdict of Bobby Jindal was that he had a head full of facts, no ideas, and little talent for working with people. He can grasp the nuts and bolts of any government project but he will always miss the essence and the spirit of public service.

I am gratified but not surprised at the reaction. I was waiting for a national audience to see his creepy smile, his John Carradine slouch, his Sunday school-style illustrations (treating his elders like children), and his inability to control the velocity of his speech. He's okay in a situation where you have to listen to him; when it's voluntary, he comes across badly. He's a dinner theater actor doing his touring Obama impression.I had thought this moment would come when he showed up for his first debate forum with GOP primary candidates. Romney and Huckabee would blow him away; for all their problems, they have some style.