R. Reese Fuller

Jindal as VP or stonewall?

by R. Reese Fuller

William Kristol isn't the only national pundit fanning the Jindal-for-VP flames. Speculation grows over whether Gov. Bobby Jindal will be asked to be the running mate of Sen. John McCain for his presidential bid. Andrew Ramona with Newsweek writes that Jindal, the son of two immigrants, is "arguably more exotic" than Obama (only one of his parents is an immigrant) but that the odds of McCain choosing Jindal are low.

Jindal is unlikely to help McCain electorally. Louisiana is already a deeply red state, and the moderate Republicans and Independents attracted to Obama's post-partisan message and post-racial persona - i.e., the moderates who might see Jindal as an incentive to stick with McCain - would probably see the governor's right-wing record (opposes abortion without exceptions for life, health, rape or incest; opposes embryonic stem cell research; supports teaching intelligent design in public schools; supports off-shore oil drilling; has an A rating from the Gun Owners of America; votes with the Republican Caucus 97 percent of the time) as a bit of a turn-off.

Over at The Atlantic, Ross Douthat argues that Jindal shouldn't even consider the position, offering several reasons in "Don't Do It, Bobby."

While the national spotlight postulates whether Jindal is indeed the man for McCain's VP slot, back here on the farm, serious questions are being raised about the governor's commitment to running a transparent administration. Read this week's cover story in The Independent Weekly, "Stonewall Jindal."