Jindal Muddles Not Only Style But Substance- "Not Ready For Prime Time, Indeed"
by LANNY KELLER - Advocate (excerpt)

Inside Report

“Despite having no audience and no applause lines, this young, dynamic conservative who champions individual freedom and small businesses over big government gave Americans around the country a refreshingly different perspective on governance last night,” added Gene Mills of the Louisiana Family Forum, a conservative Christian group. Isn’t there something in the Bible about bearing false witness, even if in behalf of one’s own political party?

Jindal’s speech was widely panned not only for its poorly chosen examples of wasteful spending, such as volcano monitoring, but for that message coming from a governor taking most stimulus dollars that come his way. One poor speech does not undermine the real qualities that Jindal has as a communicator, but in tough times people really want straight answers. In the interview setting, with (Morley) Safer and (Larry) King, Jindal vastly improved upon his speech performance. But Jindal plays it safe in every utterance. He refuses to grapple with the implications of specific statements; his message is aimed at the conservative base of the party, who are ready to be against Obama and ask few questions. With King, Jindal wanted above all to avoid saying anything that would provoke a headline like “Jindal Breaks With Limbaugh.”

Like an agile wrestler, the phrases, “What I’m saying” and “let me be clear” signal that he’s not ready to be pinned to the mat. Not quite ready for prime time, indeed.

Cartoon by Revolutionary Rascal (revolutionaryrascal.blogspot.com)