Bobby Jindal used to be one of my secret conservative crushes: He was interesting. He attended my alma mater. He believed in exorcism. He seemed technocratic and whip-smart, having racked up a massive number of achievements by his early-thirties. Last night, though, Jindal lost his luster. I think Ezra gets it exactly right: “Jindal made a mistake accepting the GOP’s invitation to give this response. Yesterday, he seemed like a different kind of Republican. Today, he doesn’t.”
Jindal’s delivery was too fast, too bouncy, and lacking in gravitas. In terms of policy, his basic message was that government causes problems, and can’t fix them. The thing is, during this time of economic uncertainty, Americans are looking toward government for help and reassurance, not for a cold shoulder. Jindal seemed especially incensed about transit spending in the stimulus package, which he caricatured as frivolous, mentioning a Disneyland to Las Vegas rail line that isn’t even part of the legislation. In fact, a new survey shows that 81 percent of Americans are enthusiastic about high-speed rail. Many believe the stimulus package doesn’t go far enough; 50 percent of Americans actually want the federal government’s investment in transit to equal its investment in highways. Republicans such as Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood and Rep. John Mica understand that there is nothing inherently “liberal” or “conservative” about mass transit. Too bad Jindal hasn’t gotten the message.
This means my one remaining conservative crush is Nicolas Sarkozy. And I doubt I can be reformed on that one.
—Dana Goldstein
