The New York Republicans who watched Gov. Bobby Jindal's keynote address in the Big Apple Thursday night were treated to a free copy of his book, Leadership and Crisis,' while Jindal again waved off veep nomination talks when asked by a reporter. Gov. Bobby Jindal reiterated his stance on the vice presidential nom speculation Thursday night when he (again) told a New York reporter that "I've got the job that I want." But his brief "non answer," as one New York media outlet described it, apparently hasn't satisfied the out-of-state media and GOP leaders who continue to speculate and dissect the governor's every move.
New York online news source Capital, in a recap of Jindal's Thursday night keynote speech at a New York state Republican Party fundraiser, wastes no time in calling Jindal's speech an "audition" for the role of Mitt Romney's running mate: It's in the blog's headline.
Jindal's 45-minute speech, according to the Capital report, boasted the sweeping education reforms he just signed into state law, while also detailing "free-market ways to clean up an oil spill" and sharing his "immigrant upbringing:"
Some people liked it.
"Bobby Jindal is inspirational," said Carl Paladino, the party's last [New York] gubernatorial nominee, after the speech. "He's rocking."
Others seemed less inspired. As the speech wore on, Jindal's applause lines drew less and less of a response, and tables broke out into their own visible side conversations, while Jindal joked about how the vacuums used to clean up after the Deepwater Horizon spill were the same ones used to empty "port-o-potties after a football game on a Friday night."
Dinner waited in the wings until he finished, right around the 45-minute mark.
"I can assure you that I will speak shorter than our prior speakers, because the food is here," said State Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos when he finally took to the podium, to laughs and cheers.
The night was supposed to have been a little more electric.
Read the full story here.