Looks like Americans have accepted a black running for President (half black though). Will they accept a complete brown President? It is very likely he would try for this post in eight years…
http://kevinsullivan.poligazette.com/?p=362
No matter what happens in 2008, it’s pretty obvious who is on the short list of Republican superstars for the future. Recently elected Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal has just pushed a milestone piece of reform legislation through the state’s legislature. In a state best known for its layers of cronyism and corruption, the land of Long is now run by a reform-minded conservative with undoubtedly no ceiling at this point in his career.
Rush Limbaugh has referred to Jindal as the “next Ronald Reagan.” The comparisons could soon prove to be apt, with the conservative base seemingly on the outside of the presidential nomination process for the first time in decades. The question is whether or not Jindal will have the credentials–both ideological and professional–by 2012 or 2016 to legitimately make a run at the White House. Just a cursory skim of the governor’s record should assuage those concerns. At the age of 36, Jindal already has more experience than he knows what to do with. He has served at the federal, state and local levels of government, having already managed 40% of Louisiana’s budget–the department of health and hospitals–with relative success. He was unanimously appointed by the U.S. Senate in 2001 to be the chief policy advisor to the Secretary of Health and Human Services.
Governor Jindals path isn’t accidental. Following a tough gubernatorial loss to Kathleen Blanco in 2003, Jindal promptly uprooted and headed for safer waters in Louisiana’s 1st congressional district. The seat is considered the safest Republican stronghold in the state, and upon arrival, the party threw full support behind his House bid. As the Republicans watch the 2008 Democratic nomination unfold, they must be salivating at the possibilities for presidential elections to come. After all, if Barack Obama has taught them anything, it’s that Americans love a compelling young candidate with seemingly “fresh” ideas. With a record of reform already under his belt, and a reputation of bi-partisan support in Louisiana (New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin even supported Jindal), Jindal’s message-in-the-making closely resembles Obama’s. Both have moving stories, both are the children of immigrants. Born Piyush Jindal, the governor already possesses the kind of Americana that appeals to people of every race, color and creed. Hard working, tireless and always willing to trump the conventional odds, Jindal’s record is a love story in the making.
But this “Bobby” is no Liberal. Just like Senator Obama, Jindal is in fact a party partisan. Called the “GOP rubber stamp” by his detractors, Jindal voted nearly 100% of the time with his Republican colleagues in the 109th Congress. If conservative campaigns ultimately come down to the “Three G’s” of gays, guns and God, well Jindal hits the mark on all three. A Catholic convert, Jindal is pro-life and opposes embryonic stem cell research. He has advocated for the teaching of Intelligent Design in classrooms. Anti-tax and pro-gun, Governor Jindal just might be the dream candidate for a new generation of conservatives.
Barring political disaster or scandal, the stars appear to be aligning for this Republican wunderkind. With the resume, the record and the rhetoric, it seems a question of when–not if–Bobby Jindal will run for president.