INDReporter

Politico names Jindal a CPAC ‘loser'

by Walter Pierce

The governor joins GOP Machiavelli Karl Rove, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and austerity auteur Paul Ryan on the list.

Citing his recycled speeches and retreaded jokes during his speech this past weekend, Beltway website Politico has named Gov. Bobby Jindal one of the losers of the annual Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, D.C. Jindal joins GOP Machiavelli Karl Rove, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and austerity auteur Paul Ryan on the list. Jindal tied former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin for ninth place in a presidential preference straw poll at the conference.

Here's what Politico had to say about Jindal:

The widespread expectation among conservative thought leaders is that the Louisiana governor will be the 2016 cycle's Tim Pawlenty, a nice guy who would make a great cabinet secretary for the next Republican president. He pulled 3 percent in the straw poll, tied with Palin.

It was a sign of how much Jindal has been overshadowed by Paul and Rubio that throngs of attendees streamed out of the room after Romney spoke and before he took the stage an hour later. Romney himself notably omitted Jindal, who endorsed Rick Perry in the primaries, from a list of nine Republican governors that the party can learn from.

Jindal positioned himself as the GOP's truth teller in the wake of the election, criticizing Romney and saying Republicans must "stop being the stupid party." Many noticed that he dropped that admonition in his CPAC address.

Otherwise, he delivered an almost identical speech to the one he gave this January in Charlotte at the Republican National Committee winter meeting and, later, at a National Review conference in D.C. The governor's advisers say that the message embracing growth over austerity is an important one that bears repeating.

Jindal also recycled the same jokes he delivered at last weekend's Gridiron Dinner in Washington.

"I see Eric Holder is with us," he said at one point, setting up a jest at the attorney general.

Holder, obviously, was not at CPAC.
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