“Epic fail” , a "distaster for the Republican Party” and “downright strange” ; these are a few of the harsher reviews of Jindal’s prime time address to the nation last night. Tapped to give the Republican response to President Obama’s first address to Congress, Jindal slowed down his typical rapid-fire delivery and attempted to turn on the charm with personal anecdotes and an overall theme that “Americans can do anything.” But the speech was less than inspiring for many viewers, and Jindal’s overearnest persona is drawing several comparisons to the 30 Rock character Kenneth the Page. While there are few positive reviews, John J. Pitney Jr., a political science professor at California’s Claremont McKenna College, tells Politico that Jindal should have ample opportunity to recover. “Obama gave a polished performance, as usual.” he says. “Jindal’s act needs a lot of work. His basic message was sound but his language was hackneyed and his performance was wooden. Fortunately he has a lot of time to improve his delivery. In the year 2040 he will still be younger than McCain was in 2008.”
Watch the video of Jindal’s speech and his followup interview this morning on The Today Show.