Jindal Speech Gets Bad Reviews -- On The Right
The reviews have been coming in on Bobby Jindal's response speech to President Obama's address to Congress, and he's getting a lot of negative feedback ranging from the content to the awkward delivery -- and that's from a lot of conservative outlets.
David Brooks was decidedly nonplussed:
"But to come up at this moment in history with a stale 'government is the problem,' 'we can't trust the federal government' -- it's just a disaster for the Republican Party," said Brooks.
The Fox News panel weren't impressed:
Brit Hume: "The speech read a lot better than it sounded. This was not Bobby Jindal's greatest oratorical moment."
Nina Easton: "The delivery was not exactly terrific."
Charles Krauthammer: "Jindal didn't have a chance. He follows Obama, who in making speeches, is in a league of his own. He's in a Reagan-esque league. ... [Jindal] tried the best he could."
Juan Williams: "It came off as amateurish, and even the tempo in which he spoke was sing-songy. He was telling stories that seemed very simplistic and almost childish."
I thought his delivery was weak. The content will play well with the party base but seems unlikely to expand it...That said, it is hard for anybody to come out well from responding to a presidential speech to a joint session of Congress.
Kathryn Jean Lopez tried to play up the positive elements, but admitted there were problems:
Jindal does exude a practical hope, rooted in things that work. And he forces the point that politics should be about ideas -- competing ideas -- and that the best ones should win.
You can tell, though, that he's used to just speaking (because he can) and not delivering prepared speeches.
And here's Jim Geraghty:
Maybe Jindal Should Have Just Done a Q & A
Like Ramesh and Kathryn, I thought the text of Jindal's argument was fine, but the governor's delivery just wasn't working for me. He seemed to have somehow figured out a way to speak too quickly and too slow at the same time. (A couple readers, who wanted to rave about him, agreed, using terms like "robotic" and "Mr. Rogers.") His remarks sounded like they were being read aloud, not spoken naturally.It came as something of a shock, considering how well Jindal performed on Meet the Press and at the White House meeting yesterday.
Josh
Elana
Matt
Eric
Maybe Jindal's performance will get all of them, including Chris Matthews, to stop trashing Geithner as jejune.
February 25, 2009 10:54 AM | Reply | Permalink
Heh. Geithner does come across as pretty lightweight, doesn't he? Kinda like he's out of his element. He could really use a transfusion of gravitas.
Josh has a headline on the front page MORE ON JINDAL. I think Josh forgot how to spell moron.
February 25, 2009 11:24 AM | Reply | Permalink
Yeah, I've noticed that too. It really seems odd, considering that Geithner's education, experience and qualifications are so strong. But no mistake about it, when he's speaking he sounds like a scared teenager. Makes you wonder what the psychological impact of that is on the markets.
Still, I agree with Kathleen: Jindal was way worse. But I doubt seriously that that will cause anybody to give Geithner a pass.
February 25, 2009 11:40 AM | Reply | Permalink
The text of jindal's speech was fine???????? What alternate reality are these people living in? The text was atrocious and was devoid of reality. What are the republicans plans???? What are they? Other than the katrina response was a catastrophe, so just give the wealthy more tax cuts and get rid of government? Gee, that makes sense. Unbelievable.
Brooks was right on target. The rest of them are delusional.
February 25, 2009 11:00 AM | Reply | Permalink
I agree, the substance was very thin. If it's all about competing ideas, where were his? All I heard (and have been hearing) was 'government is the problem so we're just going to sit on our hands, good luck guys!'.
There's a fundamental dissonance between Republican rhetoric and policy. Their rhetoric is that government is always the problem, never does anything right. But their policy is for stricter criminal law, stronger defense, and several other things that they recognize as properly being administrated by government. Instead of all this hyperbolic rhetoric, just be straight with us and admit that government should assume some roles and not others, and then tell us why.
February 25, 2009 11:09 AM | Reply | Permalink
I agree completely. The thing that struck me most about the content was that it was so unbelievably old and tired. This is the new rising star of the GOP? Every single thing he said was a rehash of the same old worthless talking points we've been hearing for a month. The polling showed that Americans hated this stuff, and he just trots it all out again! Stimulus=Pork, government shouldn't do anything, tax cuts, anti-science. Even the boldfaced lie about a maglev to Vegas, after even the cable talkers figured out it's not in the bill! It was just crazy.
And then there's the one new thing: Katrina. Even aside from the fact that it's dumb for any Republican to even utter the word, the argument he makes here is so completely backward it hurts my brain. Everybody has long since agreed that the big problem with the response to Katrina was inaction. The government didn't get there fast enough with enough resources, and those that did get there were poorly managed. And now Jindal wants to tell us that because of this the government shouldn't act boldly to fix a financial disaster? Truly weird.
February 25, 2009 12:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
Right, absolutely...and I say to them, hey, keep it up.
February 25, 2009 12:31 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'm not sure it was Jindal that trotted this stuff out. Take your pick of Republican party leaders to find the roots of it. He was put out there because... they though he was the right demographic - a black appearing Republican governor. The party reaction was not unlike the auto execs driving hybrid cars to the hearings after being taken to task for separately flying big corporate jets to beg for a handout.
February 25, 2009 3:56 PM | Reply | Permalink
I just thought Jindal was talking down to us, trying to teach us the way the world is as if we've never given a thought to it before. It wasn't so much the words as the tone and inflections in his voice.
It very much sounded like he was talking to a child, where Obama always sounds like he's talking to a fellow adult.
February 25, 2009 11:01 AM | Reply | Permalink
Agreed. He reminded me of some of the hosts of my two yr olds' favorite tv shows.
February 25, 2009 11:05 AM | Reply | Permalink
Obama launched his national political career with his keynote address to the Democratic Convention in 2004; Jindal may just have sunk his.
February 25, 2009 11:29 AM | Reply | Permalink
The introduction was the worst on this score. You know those classroom videos from elementary school about the state bird, or mineral or whatever? Watch the first thirty seconds or so of Jindal's speech again and picture it as the opening moments of one of those. It's a lot more fitting.
February 25, 2009 11:46 AM | Reply | Permalink
I'm just stuck wondering how tax cuts will help get people out of the way of unexpected rivers of lava. This and other science blogs point out these programs have already saved money:
http://blogs.nature.com/news/thegreatbeyond/2009/02/volcano_monitoring_row_erupts.html
February 25, 2009 11:04 AM | Reply | Permalink
It seems every time the Republican politician picks on something as "pork" or unwarranted spending they try to mock a science program like the flatlanders mocking Columbus. Kinda like Palin mocking fruit fly research.
The Republicans have become the party of science deniers.
February 25, 2009 11:09 AM | Reply | Permalink
The Republican solution is simple: people who live around volcanoes stop supporting gay marriage and abortion, and then God will stop making the volcanoes erupt. See? Not a dime of taxpayer money spent.
February 25, 2009 11:10 AM | Reply | Permalink
You are so righteous dude. I think that is a great idea and if it doesn't work, we can send Jindal around to exorcise it!!
February 25, 2009 3:15 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'd say ol' Bobby has pretty much cremated himself in Oregon, Washington and Hawaii.
February 25, 2009 3:53 PM | Reply | Permalink
I wish I had been the first to mention it was a performance reminiscent of Mr. Rogers. As a friend and I watched, we just kept looking at each incredulously....thinking, "This is all you got?"
February 25, 2009 11:06 AM | Reply | Permalink
Can't you hear Fred saying, "Americans can do INNything."
Cut to Mr. R. pulling himself up by his bootstraps.
February 25, 2009 11:12 AM | Reply | Permalink
It felt to me like he was reading a children's book to me. I wanted my blankie and some Thorazine.
February 25, 2009 11:10 AM | Reply | Permalink
It came across like a homebrew infomercial to me. Some auto-dealership dude plugging his own deals instead of hiring a professional ad agency.
February 25, 2009 11:20 AM | Reply | Permalink
Bingo. I only heard excerpts, but my first impression was also that it sounded like a bad informercial.
February 25, 2009 2:53 PM | Reply | Permalink
Jindal, Steele, Palin, McCain -- what a pathetic class of "leaders" the GOP is offering up these days. This is a bankrupt party in search of a brain.
February 25, 2009 11:19 AM | Reply | Permalink
And a heart.
And courage.
For that matter, they don't even have a man behind the curtain anymore!
February 25, 2009 11:29 AM | Reply | Permalink
Bada-bing!
February 25, 2009 11:32 AM | Reply | Permalink
:-)
February 25, 2009 11:45 AM | Reply | Permalink
Is it just me, or did Jindal come across to anyone else like he could be Obama's evil Republican alter-ego from a parallel universe? Like a sort of anti-Obama, what you would have if you took all of Obama's positive character traits and made them the opposite...
February 25, 2009 11:20 AM | Reply | Permalink
BizzarObama
February 25, 2009 11:30 AM | Reply | Permalink
His Katrina story was the most bizarre thing of the night to me. Some Sherriff (a government employee) and Congressman Jindal (an elected representative to D.C.) get into a spat with a FEMA or Coast Guard person during a crisis that was by all accounts the biggest clusterf*** in emergency responce in U.S. history and since some level of government fought with another level during the responce somehow this means the Republican Party is for less (or no) government intervention. Hunh?? The message I got was we can't or shouldn't ever count on a (Republican) government to help during a crisis. Like in a war or terror attack or a natural disaster or a finanacial crisis.
I liked Rachel Maddow's speechless reaction.
February 25, 2009 11:23 AM | Reply | Permalink
Beware friends, beware! Remember what Jack Donaghy said about Kenneth:
Jack: Kenneth, I really wasn't going to fire you, I just wanted to remind you that I could. I want you back here at six in the morning sharp so you can sweep up these shrimp tails.
Kenneth Parcell: Yes sir, Mr. Donaghy!
Jack: I have my eye on you Kenneth.
Kenneth Parcell: You will not be disappointed sir.
Liz Lemon: Well it was nice of you to let him keep his job.
Jack: The Italians have a saying, Lemon, "Keep your friends close and your enemies closer." And, although they've never won a war or mass-produced a decent car, in this area they are correct.
[Kenneth unlocks his bike and they watch him happily ride away]
Jack: In five years we'll either be working for him, or dead at his hand.
****
Also, just for fun:
Jack Donaghy: ...let me ask you a question, Kenneth. If Mr. Bright here told you to vote Republican, would you do it?
Kenneth Parcell: Oh, uh, no, sir. I don't vote Republican or Democrat. Choosing is a sin, so I always just write in the Lord's name!
Jack Donaghy: That's Republican. We count those.
February 25, 2009 11:23 AM | Reply | Permalink
On any speculative presidential map, Jindal just wrote off any chance of success in Hawaii, Alaska and Washington state. 14 other states have volcanoes, and if you count time like Bobby Jindal, they've all been active within the last 5,000 years. (Hey, maybe some of those eruptions wiped out the dinosaurs.)
February 25, 2009 11:30 AM | Reply | Permalink
Maybe we should offer this deal to Jindal: we'll agree to cut the volcano monitoring program if you'll agree to cut funding for federal hurricane monitoring efforts.
February 25, 2009 11:33 AM | Reply | Permalink
How f*cked would Jindal be if there was a major eruption at Yellowstone this week? I'd laugh through tears.
February 25, 2009 11:37 AM | Reply | Permalink
Isn't there a volcano in Alaska that's about to burst? That was a few weeks ago, I haven't heard anything since... maybe it's quieted back down. Shame.
February 25, 2009 12:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yeah, it's a good thing Naples isn't part of the US...perhaps in more ways than one.
February 25, 2009 12:35 PM | Reply | Permalink
If there's an eruption at Yellowstone, we're all fucked.
February 25, 2009 3:33 PM | Reply | Permalink
Well, I'm with you on HI and WA. AK, not so much. Maybe in the primaries, but in a general election he could say he was going to blow up Anchorage and still win there.
February 25, 2009 12:11 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'm just disappointed that I've never seen 30 Rock. So I don't get the full humor from all the "Kenneth the Page" references.
*grumble, grumble*
February 25, 2009 11:30 AM | Reply | Permalink
You, sir or madam, are depriving yourself unnecessarily. Start watching. It's easy to pick up. There's a show at an NBC studio, and the characters are the executive producer (Fey), her irrascible boss and NBC executive (Baldwin), a couple of needy and messed up stars of the show (Morgan and Krakowski), and a page (Kenneth).
It's My Favorite Year meets Mary Tyler Moore. It's not Lost, and it ain't rocket scientry. Give it a whirl. you won't be disappointed.
February 25, 2009 11:36 AM | Reply | Permalink
I think 30 Rock is available on OnDemand. So, maybe tonight I'll try giving it a watch.
February 25, 2009 11:40 AM | Reply | Permalink
Much of it's available online http://www.nbc.com/30_Rock/video/
if you don't have a TV.
February 25, 2009 11:40 AM | Reply | Permalink
Also, check out http://www.hulu.com/videos/search?query=30+Rock
They only keep up the most recent 5 episodes (thanks NBC!), but it's something.
If you have Netflix and the ability to use the "Watch Instantly" feature on a game console or laptop, you can put it on your queue and watch it there too.
February 25, 2009 12:23 PM | Reply | Permalink
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_volcanoes_in_the_United_States_of_America
February 25, 2009 11:31 AM | Reply | Permalink
haha true, Jindal did make Geithner's speech look powerful.
I had two thoughts last night: How different McCain's speech would have been if he had won the election. And, finally jingolism is officially over in America. Education is our new call to service.
February 25, 2009 11:32 AM | Reply | Permalink
Both parties ought to learn that no one can speak after a President does the full deal joint session with all the pomp and ceremony and come off looking anything but diminished. Jindal was awful. He is awful. But no Democrat ever looked good speaking after one of Bush's joint session appearances either.
February 25, 2009 11:34 AM | Reply | Permalink
Two words: Jim Webb.
February 25, 2009 11:39 AM | Reply | Permalink
Beat me to it by a second.
February 25, 2009 11:41 AM | Reply | Permalink
I'm a liberal woman. Webb has no appeal for me. Can't there be any choice besides center-right and lunatics?
February 25, 2009 11:44 AM | Reply | Permalink
And so he has no appeal to you, his response sucked wind? That's not a very liberal way of looking at things. Webb's response was very progressive/liberal and his response concerning the war was right on point. His message in 06 was in many ways obama's message during the campaign. What was there not to like?
February 25, 2009 12:13 PM | Reply | Permalink
Your comment said that no democrat looked good after Bush's SOU speech. They pointed out Jim Webb and you try to make this about the ideology of the speaker.
February 25, 2009 12:18 PM | Reply | Permalink
Oh, I disagree. Webb was awesome and came off much better and more knowledgable than the king in 07. His response was probably the best in a long time. Unfortunately sebelius in 08 wasn't so good, but it was a hell of alot better than the mr. roger's tripe spewed by jindal.
February 25, 2009 11:40 AM | Reply | Permalink
Webb was excellent, even if you don't like his positions.
I thought Jindal was supposed to be the next big thing. Given last night's response, the Republicans are in deeper doodoo than I thought.
Maybe Michael Steele will give the response next year, and talk about all the bling, baby, in the budget.
February 25, 2009 12:23 PM | Reply | Permalink
Too funny. I will bet that steele will not be around for long. Too vaudville. He will be taking a break to be with his family.
Jindal looked pathetic. However, it comes down to the message and there is none from the republican party right now. They have no message and are completely devoid of any game plan. Mcbush had the same problem during the election. No message. Also, no leadership. They are in deep doodoo. What a shame.
February 25, 2009 12:34 PM | Reply | Permalink
Not just the next big thing - the next great big beat the pants off Obama thing. Young, dark complexion, skinny, and ... a really charismatic speaker, just like Obama. WTF!
It was worth listen to Jindel last night just to see the clip of David Brooks about to lose it. Bless his heart, it must be frustrating trying to support the junk the GOP is spitting out now.
February 25, 2009 3:30 PM | Reply | Permalink
I was actually concerned about Jindal. I guess I fell for the GOP hype about Jindal, after his "performance" on the Sunday babblehead shows.
But after watching the speech, I basically heaved a big sigh of relief. First impressions can be tricky to overcome, and for the majority of Americans, last night was their first time seeing and listening to Jindal.
Oof.
February 25, 2009 6:08 PM | Reply | Permalink
I come to you with a heavy heart, a proud Looziana native, ashamed at the Fine governor of the Formerly Great State...Slumdog Jindal
The speech he SHOULD have given
High Popalorum, Low Popahighrum
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwdqeeuGc6g
February 25, 2009 11:48 AM | Reply | Permalink
THIS IS EXCELLENT NEWS!! FOR JINDAL!!!
February 25, 2009 11:49 AM | Reply | Permalink
An Andrew Sullivan reader
February 25, 2009 11:51 AM | Reply | Permalink
Have you ever noticed that everybody knows who the Urkel character is, but almost no one knows who the actor who plays him is?
February 25, 2009 12:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
Jaleel White and I share the same alma mater (UCLA- Blossom went here too), and Mr. White and I have met a few times at games and spoken about stuff. He is an incredibly nice and talented guy.
That said, if Jaleel had given us as much in the rest of his career as Will Smith did, we might know him by his real name (or if he had pulled a Tony Danza like Will did on Fresh Prince).
February 25, 2009 12:21 PM | Reply | Permalink
Jindal's speech does play well with their far-right conservative base, but that base is rapidly shrinking.
Republicans also have no credibility whatsoever to lecture others about reckless, irresponsible deficit spending and the need to practice sound economic policies.
February 25, 2009 11:53 AM | Reply | Permalink
Here's the thing with Newt and his protege Jindal as far as Im concerned. They always speak of conservative solutions to America's problems. But then they turn around and blast government as not the answer.
When I hear these jokers speak I hear this. We can solve your problems with our conservative solutions but Govn't can't solve your problems with solutions.
It is a completely contradictory message that has turned on themselves inadvertently. They often use it to rally against Democratic solutions but now that people are looking to Govn't to step in and solve health care their ENTIRE philosophy doesn't allow them.
Kind of ironic.
February 25, 2009 11:59 AM | Reply | Permalink
Well, that's the thing. The Republicans are simply built to be an opposition party. In that role they're actually remarkably effective, and we actually need them. But let them get hold of the mechanisms of actual governance and you're in for a whole lot of bumbling incompetence. I have a few possible explanations for this.
The first is that they've simply been in the minority the vast majority of the time. So they are used to sniping and complaining, not coming up with ideas for governance. Eric Cantor's video is a great example of this...he considers leading a powerless minority to unified objection to be "back in the saddle." I'm sure he was terribly uncomfortable back when they actually held the reigns.
Then there's the history of the conservative movement, which was basically a reflexive response to the Great Society. In other words, the movement which would define Republicans wasn't a movement for anything...it was always simple anti-liberalism.
And finally, in a related explanation, since the main criticism of GS was that it was too much government, newer Republicans came to reverse-engineer that and come to the conclusion that all government is bad. Reagan of course embodied this with his "government is the problem" stuff, and so many people bought it that it has completely defined the rhetoric of the right ever since. And here's a big surprise: it's not the best idea to put government in the hands of people whose ideology is based on the idea that government can't do anything right. They will prove themselves right every time.
February 25, 2009 12:41 PM | Reply | Permalink
Shorter Hunter:
Just because you are an excellent tail-gunner, doesn't mean you can fly the plane.
Exactly!
February 25, 2009 1:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
I agree we need an opposition party, but I would disagree that we need this one. The usefulness of an effective opposition party is to prevent excess and to come up with alternative ideas that aren't in the ideological worldview of the majority party. Opposing the very idea of government and trying to undermine the majority to prevent them from having any accomplishments to run on, regardless of the merit or success of their ideas accomplishes neither of these. I am hard-pressed to come up with a single example of the GOP doing either of these since the ascendance of movement conservatism under Reagan.
One possible example is the Earned Income Tax Credit, which was a conservative idea that was initially opposed by liberals. But once it was shown to be a success, it was embraced by liberals and opposed by conservatives, demonstrating that they were never interested in effective alternatives, just in having ideas that would let them sound less heartless while opposing liberal programs.
Just because having an opposition party is a good thing doesn't make any opposition party better than none.
February 25, 2009 1:25 PM | Reply | Permalink
Absolutely. There is a world of difference between principled opposition (the lifeblood of any successful democracy) and simple dog-in-the-manger obstructionism, which is all that the current GOP has to offer.
February 25, 2009 3:08 PM | Reply | Permalink
Republicans have been anti-science for years. They dislike the science establishment because they cannot control it.
But now the Republicans have gone beyond that - now they are anti-Nature. They want Nature to obey Republican wishes.
You, there, Volcano: do not erupt ! Waves and wind, stay back ! Climate- stop that, whatever you are doing! Molecules : stop emitting that wavelength !
Well they may win this one ... but somehow I doubt it.
February 25, 2009 12:04 PM | Reply | Permalink
Well, Jindal seems to be a practitioner of one of the darker arts:
http://tpmelectioncentral.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/06/bobby_jindals_dance_with_the_d.php
February 25, 2009 12:27 PM | Reply | Permalink
No kidding - what fun ! An exorcism instead of the usual frat-boy pranks ... one must admire the novelty, the brass, the daring.
Can amateurs perform exorcisms ? I thought qualifications were required. Was he ever at seminary ?
Can he command the waters not to rise ?
You viruses : stop evolving ! Cancer : I cast thee out !!
February 25, 2009 12:41 PM | Reply | Permalink
Jindal, Steele, Palin. That's not a leadership team, it's a punchline. And the joke's on the Repuglican Party.
February 25, 2009 12:46 PM | Reply | Permalink
They tried to get a priest to help, but he refused. (Not a joke, that's really what happened.)
February 25, 2009 12:48 PM | Reply | Permalink
I just couldn't believe the Republicans were using Louisiana to argue against the government spending money on repairing our infrastructure. What's their message, we should only spend billions after a disaster occurs? Somehow the governor of a state that has received so much government funds in the past few years arguing against big government spending just didn't fly for me. I literally was sitting there with my mouth dropped open, which occurred near the beginning, right after Jindal referenced the unemployed as some of those who are going through hard times, followed by referring to Katrina as example of bad government. It was just such embarrassing PR for the Republicans, and then Jindal's delivery was disasterous.
February 25, 2009 12:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
Wasn't the government that Jindahl was complaining about a Republican government???
And in his great story about how he got the rescue boats launched over the objections of the bureaucrat -- wasn't that a Republican bureaucrat???
Hypocrisy - thy name is Republican!
February 25, 2009 1:15 PM | Reply | Permalink
So at this point, its fair to ask, have the Republicans managed to steal all the media oxygen from Obama's speech simply by dint of the sheer awfulness of Ken's speech? Could this be a new tactic for them--have people respond to Obama with speeches that are so awful, so dogmatic and intellectually vapid, so condescending, so poorly produced, poorly lit and poorly delivered, that that's all anyone can talk about the next day?
Say what you will, its a strategy that certainly plays to their strengths and they've got a plethora of talent in the wings beside Jindal, to execute it: McCain, Palin and Bachman are masters of the form. Katherine Harris would love an opportunity to get back on the horse.
February 25, 2009 12:25 PM | Reply | Permalink
Please don't give them ideas!
February 25, 2009 3:39 PM | Reply | Permalink
You folks have convinced me: I'm going to check out 30 Rock. That's hard for me to do, too; I just don't DO prime time. But I'll try it on your suggestions.
As for Gov. Jindal, it probably wouldn't be wise to count him out. If he's as sharp as it is said, then he'll learn from this. I recall Bill Clinton's first appearance on national television was laughtrack worth -- no, wait, it was long and boring and dreadful.
As a Democrat, I'll predict that Gov. Jindal is no Bill Clinton. But I could be wrong.
February 25, 2009 12:26 PM | Reply | Permalink
Clinton's "maiden" speech was indeed overlong, but I don't recall anyone describing his performance as "zombie like," "weird," or "clueless," all of which have been used (repeatedly) to describe Jindal's train wreck of last night.
February 25, 2009 1:01 PM | Reply | Permalink
The Republicans are so out of ammunition at this point, they're throwing rocks and launching dead horses from catapults.
February 25, 2009 12:35 PM | Reply | Permalink
Jindal was pretty bad, I thought. He really seemed to be condescending, noting that we really cannot "do" things as a government. It's as if the government doesn't educate people today. The government doesn't build roads or schools or rail or pay Medicare doctors or rebuild countries we destroy. The guy is a hack.
I really hope to see more of him in the future.
February 25, 2009 12:43 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yes! Please, Jesus, put this clown on the teevee each and every night for the next four years! Laughter is the best medicine, and Jindal's nothing less than Comedy Gold!
February 25, 2009 12:57 PM | Reply | Permalink
I noticed how repeatedly Governor Jindal mentioned the Republican party. He wasn't offering solutions, he was just telling us how great the Republican party would be if they were in charge.
It's time to move past the if-only mantra. I had thought the Republicans were beginning to realize they were no longer in the majority, but the Governor's speech demonstrated that they are still fighting the last election.
February 25, 2009 1:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
Jindal/Palin 2012
He can't talk and she can't shut up.
February 25, 2009 2:26 PM | Reply | Permalink
A permanent republican minority?
February 25, 2009 2:51 PM | Reply | Permalink
Is Lorne Michaels currently trying to persuade "Kenneth the Page" to spoof Gov. Jindal on SNL this weekend?
February 25, 2009 3:44 PM | Reply | Permalink
The speech read a lot better than it sounded
Who wrote Jindal's speech, anyway?
February 25, 2009 4:19 PM | Reply | Permalink
It's obvious now why he failed the screen test for Slumdog Millionaire.
February 25, 2009 7:46 PM | Reply | Permalink
On the other hand, I thought it was a nice touch when he ended his remarks by bowing and invoking the traditional Hindu blessing, "Mariska Hargitaty."
February 25, 2009 7:49 PM | Reply | Permalink