Governor Jindal's 2012 Prospects Doomed?

Governor Bobby Jindal's name has been circulating around political circles with speculation high that he may be the GOP's best chance to defeat President Obama in the 2012 election. The GOP is desperately looking for a Republican figure who represents a stark difference from the stereotypical, and recently much despised, Republican. Governor Jindal may be our guy. The first thing some people might notice about Jindal, and I will admit that this is the first thing I noticed when I saw him, is that he is Indian. Jindal was born in Baton, Rouge Louisiana, but his parents were born in India. This is not to suggest that the Republicans have essentially tapped him as a potential contender in 2012 simply because he is a minority. Gov. Jindal has demonstrated as Governor of Louisiana that he can be a strong leader despite the drastic disasters that his state has experienced over the last few years. Gov. Jindal is also considered a good, confident speaker, and moderate enough to appeal to soft Democrats and Independents, that is until he delivered the rebuttal to Obama's speech on Tuesday night.

The Republicans tapped Gov. Jindal to deliver the rebuttal speech about two weeks in advance and he had ample time to prepare it. Political careers can be defined from one speech, we saw this when President Obama made his now famous speech at the Democratic National Convention in 2004 on behalf of Senator John Kerry. After President Obama's electrifying speech, many commentators predicted that he would be a strong candidate in 2008, and clearly he was. Gov. Jindal was given a good opportunity after President Obama's speech to the joint session of Congress, but many think Gov. Jindal did not hit his speech out of the park. GOP commentators and Democrat commentators alike have described Jindal's speech as 'childish' and as a 'disaster,' describing it as lacking character, and not really making a strong statement to boost the image of the GOP. Still, many people defended Jindal, and still think he will make a strong candidate in 2012 against President Obama. Gov. Jindal is still relatively unknown across America and many questions still remain about him and his policies. Do you think Gov. Jindal will make a good candidate or do you think Republicans are simply pushing him as a candidate because he is a minority? Was his speech a disaster, or did it just pale in comparison to a huge speech from the President in front of a joint session of Congress? Could anyone have looked good going after President Obama?


Please visit Governor Jindal's home page where you can view the entire rebuttal speech and learn more about the governor:

http://www.bobbyjindal.com/index.php

Palin 2012?

It has become increasingly easy for Democrats and some Republicans to blame the loss of John McCain in the 2008 election on his running mate, Sarah Palin. Since the election I cannot count the times that I have overheard people discussing the election and placing all the blame on Sarah Palin. Immediately following the election, most of the major news networks were also quick to blame Palin, to the point that she became very frustrated and appeared almost unstable in her post election interviews. I reject the notion that Governor Sarah Palin is the number one reason that Senator John McCain lost the 2008 Election.

After the election, I spent over 6 hours analyzing exit poll data from the election. Exit polls are taken by random voters immediately after they cast their vote. The data is compiled from polling locations nationwide and in this election cycle, 17,836 voters were polled, making the data extremely precise and reliable. The data strongly suggests that Palin was not the reason McCain lost. One question asked, "Who is Qualified To Be President if Necessary?" 91% of respondents who voted for Obama answered "Only Biden," while 96% of those who voted for McCain answered "Only Palin." More Republicans thought Palin would be qualified to be president then Democrats thought Biden would be qualified. Another question asked, "Is Biden Qualified to be President if Necessary?" Only 71% of those who voted for Obama answered "yes" while 91% of those who voted for McCain answered "yes" to the question, "Is Palin Qualified to be President if Necessary?" This indicates that those who voted for McCain, mostly Republicans, had more confidence in Palin than those who voted for Obama, mostly Democrats, had confidence in Biden. This is only a fraction of data that indicates that Palin did not have a negative effect on McCain's bid for the presidency. I know from a personal perspective that Palin energized the GOP and Republicans who were not excited about McCain became excited when Palin was chosen as the running mate. I strongly believe that Palin was a positive factor of McCain's ticket. The exit poll data can be found at: http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/results/polls/#val=USP00p2

My Thoughts on the Stimulus Bill

The Republican Party for years attempted to establish themselves as advocates for a small government and a free market. The current stimulus bill, pushed heavily by President Obama, exemplifies the exact nature of what Republicans need to stand up against if they are to re-establish themselves as fiscal conservatives. The Bush administration passed a massive stimulus bill and it was heavily criticized by conservative talk show hosts including Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity. President Bush's bill put money into the economy immediately and banks quickly received money in order for them to continue lending. It is still not clear whether or not the bill was effective. The difference between President Bush's bill and the one that President Obama proposed is that President Obama had ample time to get it right. President Obama claimed to have been working on a solution for the economy since before he was even elected, and this is what he came up with? Minutes after his Secretary of the Treasury announced the specifics of the Obama plan the stock market responded by plunging dramatically. President Obama promised a new era of transparency and proclaimed that a copy of the stimulus bill would be available online for the public to read before Congress voted on it. This did not happen. The bill is full of pork and pet projects for the Democrats. The Republicans were given very little say in the bill and this bill was not bi-partisan. The bill contains measures that will not put money into the economy for another 3-4 year. We need money in the economy now. The jobs that it will create will only be temporary and the average citizen who has recently lost a job will likely not want to take these jobs. I agree that something must be done to help the economy, but it has to be a good plan, lets get it right. Not a single House Republican voted for the bill, and only three Republican Senators voted for it. This is the first step in the Republicans re-establishing themselves as fiscal conservatives, and it's about time.

Talk Radio Running the GOP?

There has been a lot of talk lately in the media about the lack of leadership in the GOP and speculation that talk radio hosts including Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh are taking control and becoming party leaders. I disagree with the notion that conservative talk radio hosts are attempting to become party leaders and I would argue that the hosts are simply providing a voice of opposition to President Obama's policies.

Rush Limbaugh has consistently been cited as the leader of the talk show coup against Republican leaders, and that should come as no surprise when considering that Limbaugh has been the most-listened-to talk show host since the mid 1990's. Limbaugh has an estimated 14 million listener base and recently signed a contract earning him $38 million a year through 2016. Limbaugh has also stirred the most controversy since the inauguration of President Obama, stating that "he hopes Obama fails." The media has been swift in playing Limbaugh's quote and criticizing him for not giving the President a chance to prove himself, but it is Limbaugh who has not been given a chance to criticize the new President. Taken out of context, Limbaugh's statement does seem premature and irresponsible in the sense that all Americans are depending on President Obama succeeding as President for the good of the country, but Limbaugh's statement is perfectly clear in the view of Conservatives who do not want to see America transformed into a socialist country. Limbaugh's statement in its entirety is in defense of American ideals of democracy, capitalism, and the free market. Limbaugh made it known that if President Obama's policies are going to turn the country into a socialist county, that he hopes President Obama fails, and so do I. President Obama was elected with a record indicating that he was the single most Liberal Senator in the Senate and it is only natural that liberal policies are going to be implemented. Conservatives must have the opportunity to oppose the Liberal agenda and it is no surprise that we would want Liberal policies to fail.

Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity have been critical of the stimulus bill that President Obama has been exhaustively advocating. Sean Hannity hosts a syndicated radio program on hundreds of stations across the country and hosts an hour long program weekdays on the Fox News Channel. Hannity has been opposed to the stimulus bill since President Obama began pushing for it, claiming that the bill is polluted with pork spending and will do very little to improve the economy. Limbaugh has dubbed the stimulus bill the "Porkulus" bill and urges Republican Senators daily not to vote for the bill. House Republicans stood strong and not a single Republican member of Congress voted for it.

Conservative Talk Show Host's opposition to liberal policies should not be seen as an attempt to exert control over the GOP and should be seen as constructive criticism. Conservative Talk Show Hosts are rallying the Conservative base and putting social issues back in the spotlight, allowing Republicans to shine. There is a visible lack of leadership in the GOP, but Limbaugh and Hannity are not trying to fill the positions, they are attempting to educate their listeners so that those listeners can then select the new leadership that can rebuild the GOP.

Check out Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity's websites at:
http://www.rushlimbaugh.com
http://hannity.com

New Leadership for the GOP Makes History

Michael Steven Steele was recently elected as the new chairman of the Republican National Committee. Steele makes history as the first African American to hold the position.

Steele was elected as Maryland's Lieutenant Governor in 2002 despite the fact that a Republican had not been elected to the State's executive office in close to 40 years. As Lieutenant Governor Steele focused on reforming the state’s Minority Business Enterprise program and chairing Governor Ehrlich’s Commission on Quality Education in Maryland.

Steele has established himself within the Republican Party as a strong public speaker and he was selected to deliver the counter speech at the 2004 Republican National Convention against then Senator, Barack Obama. Steele ran for a vacant U.S. Senate seat in Maryland in 2006 but was defeated by the Democrat opponent.

The election of Michael Steele as the chairman of the RNC is a positive step forward to rebuilding the GOP's image across the United States. The Republican Party is often criticized for not being representative of African Americans and other minority groups. An African American now leads the entire Party and African Americans may be more inclined to identify with the Party. Steele was also a critic of many of President Bush's policies and actively spoke against the Iraq War, often times referring to the initial phases of the War as a failure. Steele was also a vocal critic of the Bush Administration's handling of hurricane Katrina. Steele's willingness to speak out against Republican mistakes and view-points may show Democrats and Independents that Republicans are willing to compromise on issues and learn from past mistakes.

The emergence of Michael Steele as the chairman of the RNC may be the first step to rebuilding the GOP.

A recipe for change: How can the GOP rebuild their image and win elections?

Hello and welcome to my new blog. This blog is dedicated to the analysis of the convoluted task that the Republican Party faces in rebuilding their party in order to win elections. The 2006 midterm elections overwhelmingly demonstrated that Americans are tired of Republicans and the Democrats took control of the House of Representatives and the Senate. The 2008 general election reaffirmed the sentiment that the American electorate is willing to give Democrats the chance to implement policies that will have a positive effect on issues pertaining to the country. The 2006 and 2008 elections made one thing very clear: Republicans must do something to show the electorate that they can be a positive force for the country. The image of the Republican Party is distorted and it is going to take drastic measures to realign that image.

This blog will offer my ideas on what the Republican Party must do to enhance their image and reclaim majorities in the House and Senate and begin winning elections. I intend to produce several posts a week that will focus on issues such as: Who will emerge as the new leaders of the GOP? Do Republicans like Governor Sarah Palin and can she be elected? What major platform issues should the Republicans focus on? Is President Obama performing well, and should the Republican attack his policies and decisions? And many more topics that may arise in this ever changing political climate.

Please check back often and post as many comments as you would like. I am open to criticism from Liberal view points and I would love suggestions for future post topics.