The Case For McCain-Jindal

I just finished watching John McCain speak in Louisiana, and the most startling thing I heard was McCain say that with him in the White House, there would be no permanent campaign that has existed in both the Clinton and Bush Administrations.  But there is a real reason for that, because both were seeking reelection and in this era one has to start almost instantly because of the pressures of challengers now starting so soon.  What I take away from McCain's statement is this could be his last campaign and he has no interest in framing him administration around running for reelection.

Because he won't be running for reelection. 

I blogged about this yesterday and I'm beginning to think that McCain, privately, might be working on the assumption that he will be a single-term president who plans to use that freedom to forge ahead with his reform agenda, counting on his ability to reach across party lines in Congress just as he did as a senator, unafraid of political reprisals because he won't be running.

Questions abound . . . McCain will still have the responsibility of leaving the party a record to run on if he does forsake one term.  Will his bi-partisan approach, while popular with the electorate, hurt Republicans fighting for a conservative agenda?  If McCain is not worried about running for reelection, he might not worry that much about reaching out to conservatives.  Then again, depending on what we are talking about, McCain has been good recently about talking about conservative themes as solutions to the country's problem.

This leads us to the most important question for McCain, and the point of this post . . . who will he pick to be his running mate?  In my mind, there is only one:

Gov. Bobby Jindal of Louisiana

I kept trying to find reasons to say, "no, this is a bad idea."  He's too young, the media will turn him into Dan Quayle, he doesn't have enough experience, he needs to stay in Louisiana and finish what he started, he has no foreign policy cred.  Its all crap, of course.  Jindal has accomplished more in his 36 years on Earth than nearly every member of the US Senate, and certainly moreso than the do-nothing junior senator from Illinois.  While Obama speaks of change in our politics, Jindal has lived it.  I spent nearly an hour trying to type a good recap of Jindal's record, but I found someone else who has done it better.  Read this Human Events article:

Do some think this is an election about experience? Jindal, who was elected to Rep. David Vitter's seat when Vitter ran for U.S. Senate in 2003, was re-elected for a second term with 88 percent of the vote. That's not enough experience? It's as much experience in Congress as Barack Obama has to show for his three years. Oh, and by the way, Jindal, in his last term, had an ACU rating of 100, with 96 for both terms. In addition he has consistently taken the No New Taxes pledge proposed by Americans for Tax Reform.

Maybe some think that this is going to be an election about health care? Jindal's the man. In 1991 he was a young Hill staffer working for U.S. Rep. Jim McCrery. One day McCrery asked him to look over some Medicare plans being proposed in committee. A couple of days later, he brought back to the boss a totally revised system that was so impressive McCrery introduced him to Louisiana Governor Murphy J. Foster Jr. A few years later, Jindal, at the age of 24, was appointed Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals. He took hold of the state's Medicare program, which was running at a loss of $400 million, and in three years produced a surplus of $200 million. He later became chairman of the National Bipartisan Commission on the Future of Medicare. In 2001, he was nominated by President George W. Bush and approved by the U.S. Senate to be Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation of Health and Human Services. If Jindal gets a chance to debate Hillary Clinton, Hillary will be fumbling for her cue cards.

Is this going to be an election about education? Jindal is an expert at that too. Jindal graduated from high school at age 16, took a bachelor's degree at Brown University, and then got a Masters degree at New College, Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar. After he cleaned up the Medicare mess in Louisiana, he was appointed in 1999 as President of the University of Louisiana System.

Maybe you think the central question in this election is going to be about immigration. Jindal knows all about that first hand. Jindal was born in Baton Rouge, La., of hard-working parents who emigrated from India. His father was one of nine children from a poor family in a small village in the Punjab. He could give a lot of advice to McCain. Jindal favors immigration -- legal immigration. He is strongly opposed to illegal immigration. As an addition to the white-bread McCain ticket, he would reach out to all people of color. It would be interesting to see him go head-to-head with Barack Obama in an immigration debate.

But what about the "values voters"? Will they cotton up to the son of immigrants? It doesn't seem to have prevented him from rolling up huge majorities in Louisiana. Born a Hindu, Jindal converted to Roman Catholicism in high school and has remained a devoted practitioner of his faith. He campaigns four-square in favor of the human rights of unborn children. He is opposed to embryonic stem-cell research, and same-sex marriage. In the gubernatorial election, he visited scores of pentecostal and evangelical churches and won them over with his testimony. As a result, he had majorities or pluralities in 60 of the 64 Louisiana districts. In the Louisiana open primary system, Republican and Democrat candidates all appear on the same ballot, and all compete with each other. If no one gets 50 percent, a run-off is held. That's why Jindal's 54 percent win on the first ballot was so significant.

THE FINAL QUESTION that remains is, what does he know about terrorism? Well, when he was a congressman from the first district of Louisiana he voted against a $6.5 billion aid bill for post-Katrina restoration because it included the Democrats' poison-pill for the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq.

Like every choice in life, there are a million reasons to say no.  But Jindal compliments McCain in every way, while remaining reformers.  Where McCain is old, Jindal is young; where McCain is a maverick, Jindal is a dedicated conservative; where McCain is Protestant, Jindal is Catholic; where McCain is strong on foreign policy, Jindal has mastered domestic policy; and finally where McCain attracts moderates, Jindal will fire up conservatives because they will be making him the next nominee.  Most importantly, Jindal is all the best conservative politician in the country.  He's proven, a real conservative, and he fosters an excitement and optimism in Republicans that we really need right now. 

I make no mistake about understand what a formidable candidate Barack Obama is.  He has history on his side, and an argument to make history.  He got Democrats motivated as never before, and his rhetoric is soaring and moving.  But there are chinks in the armor.  On the very night he declares victory, he loses South Dakota.  In fact, as it became clearer and clearer that he would be the nominee, he began to lose more and more states.  He is perhaps the least prepared candidate to ever attain a major party nomination.  Despite his best rhetoric, his actual record is that of a partisan Democrat unwilling to reach across the aisle to get things done.  As a matter of fact, Barack Obama has done nothing in his political career to suggest he knows anything about the change he speaks of.  Certainly his Senate record is one of the most barren of any legislator.  And don't give me the excuse that "he's new," because "new" senators from both party's have made impacts:  Tom Coburn and Jim Webb come to mind.  Much like the Democrat candidate for Senate here in Virginia, the rhetoric does not match the reality.  Obama's entire life suggests that he is nothing more than a go-along politician. 

John McCain, who's been a reformer before being a reformer was cool, has the problem of the entire media establishment actively working on Obama's behalf.  There can be no better way to put Obama's non-existent reform record in the spotlight than by selecting another reform minority candidate who, unlike Obama, is the real deal.  Putting Jindal next to Obama will expose Obama's two sentence record of reform when put up against the reams of effective change both McCain The Maverick and Jindal The Conservative have accomplished.  There is no longer any question about it, no debate and no recourse.

BOBBY JINDAL MUST BE JOHN MCCAIN'S VICE-PRESIDENT

 

Comments

[The Northern Virginia Conservative]

Jindal is Superman. Certainly a better choice than Romney, to say nothing of that marshmallow Charlie Crist.

[James Atticus Bowden]

I prefer J C Watts, but would LOVE Jindal.

[J. Tyler Ballance]

If Jindal were White, everyone would say that he's too inexperienced and just too much of an unknown quantity to be an asset on the ticket. Eric Cantor has more to offer than Jindal and nobody is whispering for McCain to get that Jewish guy from Virginia on the ticket (yet).

Republicans are supposed to stand for MERIT. We must not stoop to the racist tokenism practiced by the Democrats. If the Democrats could get away with it, they would make it law that businesses would have hiring and promotion quotas based on racial proportions of the country. Democrats are all about patronage and giving favors to their pet minority members. If left unchecked, their policies would leave America looking like a larger version of Haiti. When there was no food or fuel left, they could still cling to their "diversity" quota programs and sing kumbaya.

Bobby Jindal has a great future. Let him show what he can do in the Bayou State, then let's give him a shot in 2016; if he has helped turn that cesspool of corruption in Louisiana around.

Let's not be like the Democrats and pick candidates because we feel sorry for their race. Let's pick proven performers, based on each man's performance as an advocate for LIBERTY.

In the Republican Party, let's be sure that we are open to every segment of society and that everyone understands that individual MERIT shall determine our selection of candidates and leaders; not the flavor of the month.

[Isophorone]

I agree about MERIT. However, Jindal has a more meritorious resume that Obama. That being said, I do think Jindal wants to have a record of executive accomplishment in Louisiana, and he should have that chance. If Jindal were a second-term Governor, this choice would be easy, or Jindal might be the Republican nominee right now for all I know.

Should Obama win this year, I may find a "Jindal 2012" sticker (or at least a grqaphic for my blog) the day after the election.

[Deryl Bryant]

Research is a good thing.

May I suggest you try an "in-state" perspective. I would also recommend that you attempt a look a little further into the future; something more equivalent to the horrific past of Louisiana.

http://louisianaconservative.com/?cat=5

On a personal note, I will dedicate myself to Bob Barr's campaign should Governor Jindal decide to be McPain's VP.

Oh, and you might want to know that Senator Joe "Cutsey" McPherson, a long time Dimocrat opponent of Governor Jindal and a long time member of the "Good Old Boy Club", completely responsible for Louisiana being in a perpetual last place position, was handing out similar bumper stickers on the La.Senate floor a couple of weeks ago.

You might want to rethink the company you keep.

[George Templeton]

I don't see the lack of merit in Bobby Jindal, Mr. Ballance. He's been a governor, a congressman and served in a variety of capacities in Louisiana government. He's far more experienced then Senator Obama and yes if he was white there might be misgivings, but Jindal is a consistent conserevative before and after an election. This would not be tokenism and to suggest such is wrong in my view.

I agree with George Templeton and the others who defend Bobby Jindhal. He may be young, but he has the resume. I don't feel sorry for Bobby Jindhal. I don't give a damn what color he is. I just think he merits the vice presidency.

[Chris]

Look, lets not be ridiculous here. It DOES help us that Jindal is not white. I'm not going to pretend thats not an issue, but I do genuinely feel that in the face of the history Obama is making, we cannot ignore that either.

It just so happens that while Jindal is not white, he is also exceptional and perhaps the most talented Republican holding office in the entire country.

And Tyler, I don't know anyone who feels "sorry" for the Indian "race," as it where. I can't think of a group of immigrants who have succeeded more that Indians in America.

We all can agree that we legitemately feel that conservatism is the natural home for minorities. Yet we don't often enough put up candidates that they can relate too, that "look like them." As much as that might drive conservatives crazy, I really believe that.

We can also be happy that Jindal's talent and list of accomplishments does make him viable to make a happy marriage to what his heritage brings as well. I would put Jindal's first year as governor against any sitting governor right now. He certainly buries our hapless chief executive.

So, as you define Tylere, that you want the VP choice to be based on merit - Bobby Jindal is way ahead of any Republican officeholder right now under consideration.

[Crystal Clear Conservative]

You know, I might put aside my bottle of anti-McCain venom to support the McCain/Jindal ticket. Bobby Jindal is a good Conservative candidate, who would balance out McCain's not-so conservative record. Jindal is a pro-life, limited government, fiscal hawk conservative, and this is the balance McCain needs to draw conservatives back to supporting him.

However, another man to look for in the McCain Veep watch is South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford, who is a TRUE conservative leader. Sanford has stood up for keeping government off of people's backs. He is fiscally conservative and a young leader, as well...something McCain needs to win back the conservative vote.

[George Templeton]

Mark Sanford is the other great choice Crystal Clear Conservative. If McCain wants to win he will pick Sanford or Jindal.

To be clear, and I noticed Chris wisely put the word in quotes, there is no such thing as the Indian "race." We too often confuse race, color, ethnicity and national origin (like where you or your parents came from).

None of these distinctions are important to me when I vote.

[Chris]

Jindal is the clear choice for Mccain. I happen to think that he brings a whole heck of alot more to the table then age and ethnicity. He's got the brainpower of a genius, values of a saint, defend his positions like a veteran attorney and comes across as a natural authentic and honest person. He's more then just the winning choice, I actually took off my party hat and had a feeling that he may just be what this country needs right now. I'm all for a Mccain/Jindal ticket.