VP Choice of the Day: Bobby Jindal

Today I am sharing several articles to make the case for Bobby Jindal, America's youngest Governor, a 36-year-old Republican from Louisiana. I had heard of Jindal before as a "rising star" in the Republican party, but was unaware that he is a staunch pro-life Catholic, son of legal immigrants, from India, Ivy League graduate, and (not intentionally) delivered his own baby (3rd son Shane).


My CafeMom compatriots shared this piece from The Critical (via RedState), highlighting Jindal's professional competence and strong character.

Bobby Jindal was born in Baton Rouge in 1971. His parents were in grad school there, recent immigrants from the Punjab in northern India. He was raised Hindu, but converted to Roman Catholicism in his teens. He went to Louisiana public schools, then Brown University, where he was an honors student in biology and public policy. A Rhodes Scholar, he was admitted to the medical and law schools of both Harvard and Yale—but chose Oxford instead.

To counter Obama's claims of "young, well-educated, speaking for under-represented minorities," Jindal is check, check, and check.

While defying odds and returning to serve in his home state of Louisiana, Jindal also has experience in Washington in the House of Representatives, where he was "elected Freshman class President" and served on the Homeland Security, Education and other key committees.

In a health care policy meeting about to stall, Jindal showed his mettle:

"Off the top of his head, Jindal started going down the list. He snapped Gerard’s smaller concerns like dry twigs, citing statistics and anecdotes as if they were memorized specifically for this moment. The larger socialist arguments he hacked into little bits—this won’t work, here’s why it won’t work, and here’s three places where they tried it and it didn’t. He was polite, he was intelligent, and he was passionate. He was ruthless.....

In five minutes, Bobby Jindal made the case for free market solutions, for individual liberty, and for health care that caters to what people need, not what unions want. He did what none of the other men in the room were capable of doing. And it seemed as if it was as easy for him as breathing."

This endorsement from The American Spectator (thank you to CafeMom friend for the tip) highlights Jindal's compatibility with McCain. Both men have strong records of bipartisan progress, fighting corruption and bureaucratic red tape (no small feat in Louisiana), advocating for free market solutions and rolling up their sleeves to get tough jobs done.

But rather than being a McClone, Jindal's strengths and passions actually address some potential McCain shortcomings. Jindal's healthcare-heavy administrative and educational background equip him well on this issue. His personal experience in a legal immigrant family has led to a strong stance against illegal immigration, which could silence critics who claim McCain has not been strong enough on this issue.

I am not an expert on Bobby Jindal, but I see lots in him to like. Above all, I see the same traits in Jindal that make McCain a strong candidate: integrity, high ethical standards, results-oriented leadership. Based on initial appearances, they would complement each other well and Jindal is worth serious consideration.

See Jindal on Jay Leno's Tonight Show here: