BOBBY JINDAL

October 9, 2003

Comments

John Fund profiles a man who may be the next governor of Louisiana:

Republican Bobby Jindal, the son of immigrants from India who placed first in Louisiana’s all-party primary for governor Saturday, was so unknown in the state that he wasn’t even included in the first statewide poll on the race last January. But the former Rhodes Scholar will now face a runoff on Nov. 15 against Lt. Gov. Kathleen Blanco, a Democrat. If he wins, Republicans will have not only a bright new star on the national stage but a powerful symbol of their efforts at ethnic outreach.

The 32-year-old Mr. Jindal he had already impressed many in the state’s elites with his intelligence and administrative ability. He became the head of the state’s health-care system at age 24, director of the Breaux-Thomas national commission on Medicare at 26, president of the University of Louisiana system at 27, and a top adviser on health policy to President Bush at 29.

Nothing like someone emerging as a university system president two years younger than you get your Ph.D. to make you feel small. How in the world does that happen?

One response to “BOBBY JINDAL”

Paul

October 9, 2003 at 10:58 am

How in the world does that happen?

Because, Jindal is a freaking genius.

Notice that line… ” He became the head of the state’s health-care system at age 24, ”

At 24 years old, he took the worst system in 50 states and made some incredibly effective changes. It is not #1 today but it is an order of magnitude better than when he took on the task.

…and It took him about a year.

The scary thing is that this morning the news says he is trailing in the polls to a woman who, quite frankly, has done nothing.

I hate to knock the woman but during the debate when they asked that tired “Why should voters vote for you?” question, she said that children and healthcare were important and everyone knows women are just better at things like that.

The biggest bullet on her resume is that she was in charge of Louisiana tourism. She likes to tout that tourism did well under her watch. Yeah, like The French Quarter, Bourbon Street and Mardi Gras would have gone unnoticed without her.

It will be an interesting election to watch.

My prediction is that Jindal will trail until the first debate. Then she will be toasted.

But we shall see.

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