Lost this week in all the controversy over Blagojevich’s follies has been Gov. Bobby Jindal’s announcement that he will not seek the presidency in 2012. This tells me that Jindal is a pretty smart politician and more ambitious than one might think.
In announcing his decision not to seek the presidency, Jindal referenced his upcoming reelection for Louisiana Governor in 2011 and his desire to remain the CEO of the state. Implicit in his announcement is an acknowledgment that he cannot raise the $700 million necessary to compete with President Obama. It would be impossible to win reelection in 2011 and then turn his entire operation into presidential mode in such a short period of time. Moreover, gubernatorial candidates cannot transfer funds from their state account to a federal account because each state has different campaign finance laws.
Although Jindal may be out in 2012, his future in the GOP is bright. He will likely win reelction as governor then could be a leading candidate for a cabinet position in a Republican administration, a leading candidate for Vice President on a Republican ticket or a leading candidate for a Senate seat from Louisiana. Time is on Jindal’s side- he’s young [not even 40] and can afford to wait until the GOP brand is rehabilitated before he becomes its standardbearer. Modern electoral politics has a new unwritten rule: you get once chance at the presidency. Jindal is smart enough to know this and wait until the time is right for him to run.
Although Jindal appears to be nothing but squeaky clean, he should take a lesson from the Blagojevich mess this week. First, you’re one bondeheaded scandal away from losing it all. Second, Jindal should have learned that he and Obama have much more in common than one might think. Like Obama, Jindal comes from a state notorious for political corruption. Like Obama, Jindal is not a native of his political state and has cultural and religious past that is woven with the same complexity as Obama’s is. Jindal should be commended for his well earned reformer credentials, yet one day the people he met on the way up in Louisiana will likely make him cringe in the same way that Blagojevich et al makes Obama cringe.
Watch out for the Gov from Louisiana ….he’s going to be a household name one day.
-Rizzo
December 13, 2008 at 6:41 pm
The rebranding process is crucial for the republican party. The democrats have managed to go through their painful time of adjustment (and perhaps still have a ways to go), and now it looks like the republicans will be in for the same thing. Sadly, the social conservatives and the neo conservatives pulled the republicans too far to the right for most of America. The Cheney/Dobson fusion has clearly collapsed in failure.
December 15, 2008 at 6:18 pm
If his aspirations are for the senate, that almost seems a sure thing barring any political harrangs or poorly managed disasters in the interim. But given the success rate of governors elected president versus senators, I would think he might try for president in 2016. Certainly running at the end of Obama’s tenure (assuming there are two terms) is to his advantage. Age prejudice will be diminished after 8 years of a young president. Racial prejudice will be diminished after 8 years of a black president. And as you say, he won’t be tarnished by the folly of running and failing against Obama in 2012.