The New Republic

Boosters of Bobby Jindal's presidential prospects have suggested to me--correctly, I think--that his racial background could be less of a hurdle for white voters than Barack Obama's was because, as a South Asian American, Jindal would be perceived as a "model minority." Where racially nervous whites might look at Obama and think of some scary African American they saw on "The Wire," they'd look at Jindal and think of that nice young internist who took care of them while the family doctor was on vacation in Boca. READ MORE >>

That's David Brooks describing the Republican rebuttal by Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, which my colleague Greg Veis discusses in more detail in the item below. As Greg notes, the rebuttal speech is notoriously difficult to give. Jindal is, by all accounts, an exceptionally bright young politician; he'll have better days, I'm sure. The problem here is the philosophy Jindal espouses, which very much remains dominant in the Republican Party. READ MORE >>

Is there a more dangerous assignment for a rising party star to accept than a State of the Union rebuttal? Seriously, it’s hemlock. READ MORE >>

One more laff line from Jindal's speech: Today in Washington, some are promising that government will rescue us from the economic storms raging all around us. Those of us who lived through Hurricane Katrina, we have our doubts. READ MORE >>

A lowlight from Bobby Jindal's oddly stilted GOP response: As we take these steps, we must remember, for all of our troubles at home, dangerous enemies still seek our destruction. Now is no time to dismantle the defenses that have protected this country for hundreds of years or to make deep cuts in funding for our troops. READ MORE >>

Ross Douthat and Dave Weigel think I'm "completely" and "exactly" wrong, respectively, to write off Bobby Jindal's chances of winning the GOP presidential nomination in 2012. I very much hope they're right, though I remain skeptical.  Douthat argues that I vastly underestimate READ MORE >>

To follow up on Suzy's item, I wanted to note that, while there are plenty of 2012 GOP presidential aspirants who have reason to be unhappy with the McCain campaign's decisions over the last couple months (and, in particular, the Palin choice), a case could be made that no one's nearish-term prospects have been hurt more than Bobby Jindal's. READ MORE >>

With the Republicans’ presidential hopes for 2008 now all but dashed, a few upstarts in the party are—surprise—positioning themselves for future runs. Last week, Chris Cillizza flagged the appearance of Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal in a television spot for John Kennedy, the Republican challenger to Senator Mary Landrieu. READ MORE >>

Just yesterday, another reporter and I were chewing over McCain's veep possibilities, and I wondered why Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal had fallen out of speculation. "McCain would never pick Jindal, because it ruins his experience argument," my friend replied. READ MORE >>

On the heels of his recall petition, this from the Times-Picayune: READ MORE >>