Indian Immigrant's Son Possible Governor of Louisiana

[Dreadsox]

[Q]A whiz-kid Republican whose parents emigrated from India is the unlikely front-runner for governor in Saturday's open primary in this state where a majority of white men voted for extremist David Duke just over a decade ago.

Piyush "Bobby" Jindal, 32, will face a host of veteran Democrats. If, as expected, no one gets more than 50 percent, the top vote-getters will meet in a Nov. 15 runoff.

Judging by the polls, one of them will be Jindal, who has confounded political prognosticators in Louisiana, a state that has not put a non-white in statewide office since Reconstruction. Jindal has gotten as much as 27 percent support in the polls.

Jindal, a Rhodes Scholar and former assistant secretary in President Bush's Health and Human Services Department, has changed the political calculus in Louisiana by making a strong appeal to the right, with radio ads extolling the Ten Commandments and deriding liberals and gun control. The ads also make frequent mention of the Roman Catholic convert's faith.

In addition, Jindal is the protege of Louisiana's most prominent Republican, popular Gov. Mike Foster, who has served two terms and cannot run again.

Jindal's position on the perennial concern of Louisiana voters, jobs, does not differ greatly from that of three of the four Democrats battling him. Louisiana did not participate in the 1990s boom and has lost out to Southern neighbors in recruiting industry.

Jindal, along with state Attorney General Richard Ieyoub, Lt. Gov. Kathleen Blanco and Randy Ewing, a former state Senate president, all promise to make Louisiana more friendly to business by repealing corporate taxes.

The odd man out is former Rep. Claude "Buddy" Leach, whose Huey Long-style populist campaign has been based on promises to tax big oil companies and raise the minimum wage.

All four Democrats are competing fiercely for Louisiana's black vote, 30 percent of the electorate. Jindal is expected to get few, if any, black votes.

Of the four Democrats, Blanco and Ieyoub are given the best chances of winning the second slot in the runoff. [/Q]

This would be a historic event and shatter some of the impressions that the south is too racist to elect a non-white immigrant!!!!

The Republican Party again showing that it is a party of inclusion

 

[melon]

The Republican Party again showing that it is a party of inclusion

Until I read statements like this:

...has changed the political calculus in Louisiana by making a strong appeal to the right, with radio ads extolling the Ten Commandments and deriding liberals and gun control. The ads also make frequent mention of the Roman Catholic convert's faith.

Religion and inclusion seem to be polar opposites.

Melon

 

[nbcrusader]

Re: Re: Indian Immigrant's Son Possible Governor of Louisiana

Religion and inclusion seem to be polar opposites.

Why? Everyone has a religion.

 

[melon]

Re: Re: Re: Indian Immigrant's Son Possible Governor of Louisiana

Why? Everyone has a religion.

I'd rather not derail this thread. My response would probably be more appropriate in the Religion forum.

Melon

 

[anitram]

Re: Re: Re: Indian Immigrant's Son Possible Governor of Louisiana

Everyone has a religion.

Since when?

 

[deep]

Using religion in politics is not what American politics should be about.

That is for demagoges.

 

[Dreadsox]

The lack of responses to this thread is amusing....

 

[deep]

Piyush "Bobby" Jindal, 32, will face a host of veteran Democrats. If, as expected, no one gets more than 50 percent, the top vote-getters will meet in a Nov. 15 runoff.

If, as expected, no one gets more than 50 percent, the top (2) vote-getters will meet in a Nov. 15 runoff.


This is an excellent way to elect someone to office.



If we did this in our CA recall Arnold would easily beat Dem. Bustamonte (They will be the top two vote getters, Arnold 39-43%, and Bustamonte 30-33, my guess) . Arnold would be a more credibly elected Governor .

 

[Bunbury]

Not to sound like a dick, nothing against this man in any way.
But really, I highly doubt he has a chance in winning in a state like Louisiana.
A man of Indian decent governor of Louisiana? It just sounds odd.
But more power to him if he can find a way to pull it of.

 

[verte76]

This is interesting. I just wish the guy wouldn't do "liberal-bashing" for obvious reasons. Louisiana politics has its similarities with Alabama politics; we are both Southern states and I don't automatically vote for Southern Democrats. "Liberal bashing" is an exclusive act (as is "conservative bashing") to me.

 

[deep]

The lack of responses to this thread is amusing....

All this focus on skin color? Why?

This guy sounds like Mr. Conservative Republican to me.

former assistant secretary in President Bush's Health and Human Services Department, has changed the political calculus in Louisiana by making a strong appeal to the right, with radio ads extolling the Ten Commandments and deriding liberals and gun control. The ads also make frequent mention of the Roman Catholic convert's faith.

In addition, Jindal is the protege of Louisiana's most prominent Republican, popular Gov. Mike Foster, who has served two terms and cannot run again.

The Republican Party again showing that it is a party of inclusion

The Taliban accepted John Walker and Richard Reid, I guess they are inclusive, too.

 

[deep]

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana (AP) -- An Indian-American running as a conservative Republican finished first in an open primary for Louisiana governor Saturday, leaving three veteran Democratic politicians scrambling for the second spot in a runoff.

With 58 percent of the vote counted, Bobby Jindal had 34 percent, or 280,521 votes

 

[Dreadsox]

All this focus on skin color? Why?

Did you read the article.....there has been no one since reconstruction that has not been white?

All this focus on the fact that he is conservative? Why?

Why should that matter....isn;t it something to celebrate when someone appears to be breaking through barriors no matter what the party.

Funny...very funny...comparison for you to make about the republican party. Pretty insulting comparison.

 

[verte76]

I'm wondering why there hasn't been a damn thing in the local newspapers about this. If this guy wins the run-off and becomes the governor of Louisiana it will help the South as a whole, I believe, although I don't subscribe to his political views. People will be voting on conviction and principle and not because of someone's ethnic background. To heck with the idea that we're more likely to vote for the KKK-backed guy than someone of Asiatic heritage. It's these people who've been catching hell since 9/11 because they're wrongly associated with the terrorists. The first ethnic killing after 9/11 was, in fact, someone of Indian heritage. It was in Arizona and I saw Sen. McCain practically in tears the day after the killing denouncing it. If this guy gets elected I'll bet he'll be happier. It will also prove that the one-party system of the Dixiecrats is dead. In spite of the guy's conservative views with which I do not agree there's plenty to cheer about this story. I'm firing off suitably irate e-mails to the local newspapers for not covering this.

 

[deep]

Louisiana Governor Field Is Cut to 2

By Scott Gold
Times Staff Writer

October 5, 2003

Louisiana narrowed its field of candidates for governor on Saturday to two: One spot went to Republican Bobby Jindal, 32, the son of immigrants from India. Three Democrats were vying for the second spot ? with Kathleen Babineaux Blanco, 60, holding a narrow lead.

"I'm exhausted, but thrilled," said Jindal. "We have believed all along. Our message was resonating from Day One."

Jindal, a conservative who says he is guided by his Christian faith and has compared his politics to President Bush's, was leading by a substantial margin, according to the Louisiana secretary of state.

The top two vote-getters in the primary election will meet in a head-to-head election Nov. 15. The winner will replace Louisiana Gov. M.J. "Mike" Foster Jr., a Republican who has served for eight years and could not run again because of term limits.

Jindal, a Baton Rouge, La., native, was a Rhodes scholar and is seen as something of a political prodigy; he was named secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals at just 24. Most recently, he served as assistant secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, a job he quit to move back to Louisiana to run for governor.

Blanco, a moderate Democrat who has served as the state's lieutenant governor for the past eight years, was duking it out for second place with two other Democrats: Richard Ieyoub, 59, the state's attorney general since 1992, and former congressman Claude "Buddy" Leach, 69.

With 93% of precincts reporting, Jindal had 32.4% of the vote, according to the secretary of state. Blanco had received 17.5% percent of the vote. Ieyoub was in third with 16.7% and Leach was in fourth with 14.1%.

Even for a state with an electorate that one analyst called "volatile," the campaign was one of the most surprising in recent history. It was remarkable in part because of the success of Jindal and Blanco. Since Reconstruction, only white men have served as governor.

Earl Black, an author, professor of political science at Rice University and a noted observer of Southern politics, believes Louisiana conservatives merely found the right candidate in Jindal, the son of immigrants from the Punjab province of India.

"For a lot of Republicans, they would be very happy to support somebody that would show, in contrast to some accusations, that they are not prejudiced," Black said. "They just want someone with a common ideology."

Though from different political parties, Jindal and Blanco share many beliefs: Both favor restrictions on abortion rights, for example, and oppose gun-control efforts. Both ran on a pro-business platform and want to eliminate a corporate tax structure that they say discourages economic development.

Many observers also said the campaign was remarkable for what it wasn't ? rife with controversy, corruption or cronyism, like some past elections. Instead, the leading candidates said they sensed early that voters wanted them to address the state's many problems, such as poverty, job losses and large numbers of residents who have no health-care coverage.

Louisiana has an unusual election system. Candidates for governor typically declare a political affiliation, but all candidates' named are listed on a single ballot. And if one candidate does not win more than 50% of the primary votes, the top two vote-getters, regardless of political party, meet in a runoff.