I listened to Bobby Jindal - Governor of Louisiana - give the Republican response to Barack Obama's superb address to Congress and the American people tonight.
I've got to say that Jindal's speech - in delivery as well as content - is one the lamest "opposition" speeches I've ever heard any Republican or Democrat give.
Jindal said Republicans don't want to raise any working person's taxes - seems he must have missed when Obama just said that no one earning under $250,000 a year would pay a cent more in taxes.
Jindal said don't let anyone tell you our best days are behind us - I just heard Obama talk about America resurging to its greatest heights in the future.
One point that Jindal did get right is that the President and the Democrats think the government can help in this crisis. Jindal and the Republicans want, what ? - the government to do nothing to help? Apparently nothing to help with high-speed rail lines...
Back to Jindal's outrightly inane points - he cited Katrina as an example of the "bureaucrats" being bravely overruled. And those government officials would be .... you got it - Republicans.
If Jindal has any chance of getting the Republican nomination for President for 2012, it would reside in a majority of Republicans sleeping during his speech tonight.
Chris Matthews says, "Oh God," before Jindal response
Even Fox News Pro-Republican Commenters agree Jindal speech, well, bombed:
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108 comments:
Jindal is a wooden, stilted script reader compared to Obama.
Jindal is a wooden, stilted script reader compared to Obama.
why is the kid from Slumdog Millionaire giving the Republican response?
Watching him, I felt like a preschooler having a story read to me.
The guy has the charisma of a wooden indian. Pun?
Yeah doc, it wasn't matthews, it was olbermann
--- by the way, who choreographed this thing and said "Let's have Jindal creep around the corner and speak in the hallway?"
While Bobby Jindal proved to be a very poor Republican imitation of Obama -- the paradoxically polar opposite mirror image, he was simply so underwhelming that I do not see him in the near future being the Repub party leader. I know he's a Rhodes scholar, but he truly missed the mark with his comment about Volcano Observing being unimportant -- Yellowstone's surrounding states, California, Oregon, Washington, Hawaii, and Alaska are all in the direct line of fire for volcanic activity that could affect major population centers. A very poor example of a national perspective by a Louisiana leader.
The Jindal Response: A Plan for the Next ‘Katrina’
“WHO NEEDS FEDERAL AID … WE’LL JUST DAMN UP THE LEVEES WITH LOUISIANA’S UNEMPLOYED.”
Republicans will never recover from Jindalgate.
His speech sucked so bad I thought someone was going to throw a shoe.
Before listening to the tape, I voted for Keith being the one on the tape. After listening to it...it was clearly Mathews. Perhaps he has seen Jindal in action before and knew what was coming. Can't say that he didn't warn the listening audience.
As if our night couldn't get any better, the repub kooks over on free republic are despondent. Here's a sample:
"First time I've heard him speak, like a cold mashed potato sandwich, without salt "
"I'm sorry...I cannot support Jindal...if he is our "next" leader, then I'm going to look for property in New Zealand. He has absolutely no charisma!..."
I tried listening to Piyush (his REAL name) and couldn't get past the first three minutes. But, I can imagine how the Repubs are going to shape him in the next three-plus years in preparation for him running for President:
1. Counting on people to forget Bush et al.'s screw ups;
2. Promoting Jindal as "their own Obama"; with his folksy, easygoing manner and Southern drawl, they're hoping the Repubs who otherwise wouldn't vote for a person of color will say, "He's a pretty good 'ol boy - I like him";
3. Capitalizing on his youth and education (Rhodes Scholar, etc.). They'll take advantage of his ability to phrase things in such a way that a non-thinking person will assume it to be true, when in fact it couldn't be further from the truth (case in point: when Jindal says something to the effect of "a person's insurance decision should be made between them and their doctor". I'm sorry, but none of my doctors sat down with me and helped me pick out insurance; they sat down to discuss PAYMENT, though);
4. Like Rush Limbaugh, they want Obama to fail; any perceived failure will be spun out of control and used against Obama and the Dems in 2012.
Hopefully, they will fail and fail miserably; the scary part is, with so many low-information voters out there and people who still believe Republican drivel, they might have a shot at success with this guy.
Bobby Jindal... I am having a difficult time taking seriously a man repeating OLD and failed Republican pablum and platitudes while sounding and looking a lot like Kenneth on 30 Rock.
Jindall needs more cowbell.
LOL
I think that God said "O God"
I think it was the ghost of Abraham Lincoln wondering what in the hell happened to his party.
Bingo!
"Oh, god."
In that unscripted moment, the collective emotion of millions must have been crystallized as we watched Jindal's attempt to oh-so-casually enter the room.
He walked in like he had a GOP stick up his butt.
LOL! you're right, it looked like he just walked out of the bathroom and surprise! A camera!
Awaiting the SNL skit
you heard it first on doc's blog
Jon Stewart and the Daily Show will hit it tonight for sure.
I thought this was Mr. Rogers reading a children's book. I hope he rises along with Palin to the top of the Republican ranks. A democratic win is locked in for 2012.
This video is the first time I've seen Jindal move or speak. Is he trying to do an impression of Pee Wee Herman, or does he normally look, walk and sound like that?
Referencing the non-existent high speed rail connection between Las Vegas and Disneyland?
Priceless 2012 material.
This guy's got a lot of hype surrounding him - that just goes to show the pathetic state of the republican party. He doesn't have the skills to go toe to toe with Obama, and the message is a mess. This guy's state could use some money for building better levies - which are still in an utterly pathetic condition - but I'm sure cynical political maneuvering will have him put the safety of his own citizens at risk before he will admit that any help from Obama's administration is welcome. Too bad for the people of Louisiana.
He is supposed to be a healthcare all-star....Guess which state ranks the worst in the nation in healthcare
Horrible necktie. Can't the repubs afford a fashion consultant?
Not now. They spent it all last fall on Palin.
ROFL!!
A star was absolutely NOT born. After this the GOP will need to develop an entirely new process for selecting someone to speak after Obama, like short straw has to do it.
Hilarious! Short straw indeed. Obama's a hard act to follow, especially when he is obviously so serious and so dedicated to getting us out of this mess.
OK...Dr B sensibly didn't post Jindal's speech (why give him airtime on his blog), but I just watched about four minutes of Jindal's speech on YouTube and it was HILARIOUS. I was actually crying from laughing so hard. He really sounds like he's talking to a bunch of kindergartners. I felt like I was in Mr. Roger's neighborhood. I was expecting him to change shoes, switch into a 70's cardigan sweater and feed his fish...I can't wait to see SNL. The guy is so not ready for prime-time...
I am trying to listen to the tape of him...he sounds like the commentator on a grade school science film... only less charismatic.
This is the rising star? These are the best the GOP has? Palin and Jindal and Joe the Plumber.....How any self respecting person can remain Republican or admit to being one beats me....
Good evening, I'm Bobby Jindal. Now children, open your books to chapter 3.......................
Republicans are still repeating the 3 million automobiles for the federal government canard.
They don't seem to understand that by investing in energy efficient vehicles, the government can save money on gas over the longer term.
As an additional benefit, the increased demand for fuel efficient vehicles will catalyze lowered costs for the public sector which uses something like 40% of the nations energy budget for transportation.
Booby Jindal is just another short sighted bonehead that drove the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology out of their annual meeting in New Orleans due to legislation he endorsed that "undermines the integrity of science and science education in the state of Louisiana". http://www.sicb.org/
Republicans don't have the vision to lead to this country. They don't understand the information economy or our place in the world due to an overwhelming handicap of cultural bias and religious
And the volcano sensors he spouted about actually save lives.
In Washington State I live 30 miles away from a volcano...so they don't want to pay for tornado early warning or hurricane warning systems either? Really Bobby? No warning systems for anyone? Surprise, Katrina's here again!
The GOP are a bunch of out of touch soon to be voted out male bimbos.
Feigned outrage and tired, old "tax and spend" rhetoric are no match for ideas and inspiration.
This is the new face of the Republican party? Looks more like a slightly warmed over face.
They are out-manned and out-thought. Like the British in their bright red coats marching in line right into modern Kabul.
He takes his information from Limbaugh. The high speed train route does not include Las Vegas, yet he told the public that it does. And he wants to be president....... O h g o d
Hey, if Jindal and Palin are all the best and the brightest of the GOP in 2012?
Bring. It. On.
Republican voters LOVE being talked down to like they're 5 years old though, so they're probably stoked about this guy now.
You'd be surprised the shit they believe. My repub friends email me garbage trying to change me - all I do is check its falseness on Snopes and email the Snopes info back, but they refuse to believe facts & truth. I guarantee they believe the shit Jindal said, even though none of it's true. It just has to fit the way they think. They lapped up all the lies Palin told them and begged for more, and they worship that whacko Limbaugh.
Who was his public speaking coach? Mister Rogers?
Why would a Republican speak of the ineptness of government and bring up Katrina? Did he not get the last memo?
This had to be the most surreal, stupid speech I've ever seen a politician give on national tv, at least since Palin.
It's funny cause Obama has raised the bar on eloquence and giving speeches. As much as repubs wanna discount this, it's important because it determines how many are gonna sit there and listen to you and relate to you. Jindal has a looooooooooooooooong way to go!
Campaigning early.
"We in La did this, I did that"
Railroad from Las Vegas to Disneyland?
Repubs are still trying to railroad the masses.
Same old dogma.
Obama sounded earnest;
Jindal sounded canned.
So..... Governer Piyush "Bobby" Jindal calls the Stimulus Bill "irresponsible", but still wants to take $3.7 billion out of $3.8 billion that this same bill brings to his state!!
Stunningly poor!
This is it? What is the GOP game plan? What was the party leadership thinking? What was Gov. Jindal thinking? Drinking? Smoking? Condescending, illogical, patronizing, and more than just a little bizarre. Could it be that Messrs. McConnell & Boehner are so arrogant, or have such a dim view of the American people"s intelligence, that they would foist this on their party and the country as the new face of the GOP? First Mr. Steele and now this. If this is the future of the GOP, I fear for our two party system.
Happy Mardi Gras?!??! Have these people taken leave of their senses? The economy is in shambles, hundreds of thousands of their fellow citizens are losing their jobs, their homes, their pensions and their children"s futures and they trot out Gov. Jindal who opens with, "Happy Mardi Gras!"??!!??
They should be ashamed and embarrassed.
He reminded me of the elementary school kids delivering book reports on the old PBS show Reading Rainbow with LeVar Burton. Here's my recreation...
"I read 'Government Is a Bad Thing' by Ronald Reagan and I really liked it because it talked about how government is bad and individuals are good and it made me always controlled the government because then the economy would be good because Republicans and my daddy know that Americans can do anything!"
When people started rebuilding using their own funds and initiative, their homes were bulldozed.
Jindal didn't do anything to stop "inept government" suppressing individual initiative THEN!
I wanted to say something about this clown, but like Rachel Maddow right after Jindal spoke, I just can't find the words.
the word clown is good enough.
Listening to him was as good as a sleeping pill....very monotone... he flat lined the whole speech.
The GOP is scrambling. If this is the best they can offer, I'm calling the election in favor of the Dems at least until 2032. The GOP should be able to rebuild by then. Jindal is creepy. Maybe he was nervous?
Big thing for me though. Louisiana is idling at the bottom of the list in education in the U.S. Jindal just ordered the closing of two emergency rooms at LSU in Shreveport due to financing. I won't even get started on the "rebuilding" of New Orleans. The only thing he did accomplish was carry the party line of "lie, lie, and lie some more."
Yeah...those volcanoes are only in Washington, Oregon, Alaska, Nevada, California and Hawaii...oh and Yellowstone. None in LA, so what's the big deal?
And the Vegas to Disneyland Express isn't even in a Federally-Approved corridor! If built, it will be from private, not public money. However there is a Federally-Approved high speed HUB in New Orleans. There's a spur to Houston, and another to Mobile and New Orleans will have a direct line up to Atlanta, Washington, D.C. (where Bobby will not be going), and NYC/Boston. So is Jindal gonna deny his State that money, too? Hurricane montoring money? Mississippi flood monitoring support?
This guy's a walking caricature out of a Randy Newman album!
I think a Republican presidential dream just died.
In a sick way I wish both he and Palin are on the next republican ticket.. because not only will they fail epically, it would also provide us with comedy gold for years to come..
Lol....I'm hoping for the same thing.
That was sooooo beyond pathetic. Truly cringe worthy. I just tried to imagine Jindal debating Obama in 2012, and my brain froze up.
Rhetorically speaking, Barry would wipe the floor with Bobby. Lol.
Two minutes into this "rebuttal" I was expecting to see Ashton Kutcher jump out and yell "you've been punk'd!". Imagine my fear when I realized this was the real thing. Even FOX news was shocked.
Why doesn't anyone observe that this methodical Republican obstructionism at a time of great crisis could very well be a MAJOR cause of stock drops?
Jindal's comments are flat out irresponsible.
Someone needs to send Jindal the memo that volcanoes are not a laughing matter and that they affect commerce and endanger lives in the United States every year.
Giving Jindal the benefit of all possible doubt, he was still terrible.
Same old tired Republican talking points delivered like a second-grade teacher to his students.
The Republicans should be completely embarrassed by having a spokesman like Jindal.
They won't be, though. More's the pity.
Ugh, I couldn't even make it more than halfway through the video on YouTube without hitting stop.
This is a joke, right?
The Republicans really look up to this guy?
All I can say I that I hope, hope, hope he runs for President in 2012. That will absolutely ensure that Obama gets a second term as only the far far right would vote for this guy. I would imagine that his candidacy would cause a mass exodus from the Republican party.
Jindal's response was the SOS we've been hearing since talk of the stim started. No new ideas, no new observations, nothing but a stump speech for Jindal/Palin 2012. With the new RNC chair, Steele, the repub party is finished. They've become a national joke.
What a pathetic attempt at a speech. He makes Sarah Palin look like Winston Churchill.
And he's their rising star?
What an out-of-touch joke.
"......and if you act now, we'll throw in this LED book light for free. A $9.95 value; yours free for calling now."
That's really what I expected him to say at the end of this infomercial that made me check to make sure it wasn't 3:00 in the morning.
Man, the Republicans are not only clueless and out of touch, they're also desperate. This is their go-to-guy!? Wow!
Jindal is the Sarah Palin of Louisiana, only less articulate.
LOL
Is this guy the opposite of Palin? Palin who is all charisma with no substance?
What's this guy supposed to be, all substance but no charisma?
Except that speech was just terrible. There wasn't any substance either.
This is the Republic Party's rising star? Wow, imagine this guy going up against Obama....no, don't...my brain froze up too.
Bobby, Bobby, tsk tsk...Vegas is on an already existing AMTRAK route. It isn't on a federally-approved High Speed Rail Corridor.
New Orleans is, though. Don't want that money? I'm sure that other cities will accept it!
http://tti.tamu.edu/publications/researcher/v41n3/images/corridor.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e0/High-Speed_Rail_Corridor_Designations.png
He didn't actually address anything that the President said. He just gave a stump speech for an election we're not having.
LOL. this new Republican Rainbow Coalition is a hoot. Since we now have some real leadership, I don't mind accepting their crap for what it is - mediocre entertainment.
Good one, the Republican Rainbow Coalition. Your phrase Is mine now. I'm using it every time I talk about these clowns.
They don't get it. You can put a brown face on the same old tired policies and talk about diversity for the next 4 years. But I'm not going to buy it because the Republican party supports the same old tired policies that keep poor people poor.
1) Jindal tried to link his immigrant story to Obama's.
BUT
Jindal's own party attacked Obama's background as not being American enough. And Jindal said his mother came to this country pregnant with him. Which means jindal's own party would call him an anchor baby. His party doesn't respect his immigrant story. His party hates that constitutional loophole that allows babies born to immigrants automatically get US citizenship.
2) Bobby had the nerve to drag out that Katrina folksy story about the sheriff as proof of big government getting in the way of the rescue effort.
BUT
Dude, if our government stepped up to the plate we wouldn't have to depend on individuals organizing to save people five days after the fact.
3) He tried to hold up New Orleans schools as educational reform.
BUT
That school system is in tatters. The state didn't want to spend the money to make it right so they threw every band-aid known to man at it . There are schools that will never be rebuilt.
He's counting on his audience not to know the truth. Many won't. They're known as Republicans.
Fascinating, the Republicans somehow got there hands on a cyborg. I wonder what text-to-speech
program it uses...
That was exactly my thought as well. Sounded like some prankster was randomly modulating pitch and volume on a speech synthesizer.
You're absolutely right, Mr. Jindal, Americans can do everything.
Wealthy republican American CEOs can run their companies into the ground by making rotten investments for short term gain and walk away with billions in bonuses.
Wealthy republican American lenders can pitch and approve massive subprime mortgages using predatory and outright fraudulent tactics.
Wealthy republican American real estate speculators can buy and flip houses inflating prices to bubble levels.
Wealthy republican American tycoons can run 50 billion dollar Ponzi schemes by submitting records so obviously fake in retrospect that no one can fathom how this went on for decades.
Yes, it was Americans who did all this and more, and these odious specimens are still defending their actions against all logic.
And the GOP wants further deregulation and weakening of government so that these criminals can continue policing themselves?
Give me a break. For better or for worse, government is the only way to get these jokers under control.
By the way, your delivery sucked.
I love doc's morphing Barney Jindal of Mayberry! Says it all.
Bobby Jindal is the final Cylon!
To think... this whole time he was ALREADY on Earth!
I couldn't even watch it all -
it was like the first rounds of American Idol.
wow, until last night i only knew jindal as an up and coming young conservative governor w/ an improbable background who has recently, and mystifyingly, refused to take federal help for the unemployed in his home state.
but this speech was just plain awful. and the delivery was even worse. what am i, in first grade? it was so condescending. but then again, anytime that someone is lying to you it is an act of condescension.
jindal is a joke. not as funny a joke as palin, but a joke nonetheless. the rethugs are in REAL trouble.
The Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology (SICB), a scientific society with over 2000 members, has chosen to boycott Louisiana for their annual conference because, basically, their creationist governor and legislature want to make sure kids in their state grow up without a basic scientific education.
That's right, like Bush and Palin, Jindal is a neocon creationist. Just sayin'...
Jindal = politics as usual while Obama tries to reach across the aisle and get everyone involved in solving problems.
Here are some interesting numbers from today’s NYT-CBS Poll:
* 74% believe Obama is trying to work with Republicans in Congress; Only 31% believe Republicans in Congress are trying to work with Obama.
* 65% believe Obama has the same priorities for the country as they do; 83% think that Obama cares a lot or some about the problems of people like them.
* 77% believe Obama is bringing change to the way things are done in Washington
* 63% believe Republicans in Congress opposed the stimulus bill for political reasons rather than because the legislation would be bad for the economy.
* 79% believe working with Obama and Democrats in Congress should be the priority for Republicans over “sticking to Republican policies.”
We should all call him Piyush, not Bobby (a name he picked from the Brady Bunch. True.) I had no idea that was his name. Obama was given shit by republicans for being called Barry when he was younger. I think it's only fair that Piyush uses his real name from now on per his party's own reasoning.
Sarah Palin and now Bobby Jindal, two young politicians hailed by the GOP as the next big thing that will win them the white house in 2012, yet both struck out when they finally got the chance to perform on a national stage.
You see the problem with the GOP is that they are trying to tick these demographic boxes (females, minorities, etc.) superficially with any young pol that comes along that LOOKS good, trying to imitate the success we found with Obama.
But what they don't understand is Obama is a heavyweight, intellectually, oratorically and in every other way. He is the real deal and he did not win our primaries for superficial reasons. They can't force a non-WASP candidate to just come along do what Obama did and capture the nation's imagination. They have to wait for the real deal to come along. Clearly, neither Jindal nor Palin are the answer.
Louisiana got some 'splaining to do.
A hundred bucks says the anecdote about the bureaucrat not letting boats rescue Katrina victims without proof of insurance is a total fabrication. Very convenient that Mr. Jindal neglects to NAME the bureaucrat, who was certainly a repub bureaucrat, or even what specific department he was allegedly from.
The way I recall it, there WERE boats ready to go that were held up, waiting for "Heckuva Job" Brownie to give the order to go. And waiting, and waiting, and waiting....
Top 5 Reasons Bobby Jindal Was Doomed To Fail:
1) He was following of the the most historical Presidents since Washington and one of the best orators since Martin Luther King.
2) He was not performing in front of a live audience where he could get instant feedback on his delivery.
3) He had the dual task of introducing himself to the nation while rebutting a well-received speech. A tall order.
4) He's an orthodox Republican in a political environment that craves plans and solutions over partisanship and ideology.
5) He's a regional wunderkind but not yet a national one. Hopefully he won't be.
6) he wrote a speech ahead of time and then, without listening to Obama (most likely) just delivered it anyway.
Now that shows courage and intelligence that we can look forward to. [[sarcasm]]
This guy is toast. Now and forever.
I am a Louisiana citizen, and I am seething to have this pig as our governor. His father is executive vice president of an oil company, and Jindal is a neocon bean counter. His first role in government was to cut the budget for our health care system, and boy did he. For this, the Republicans called him a "genius."
Then he was elected to Congress in 2002; and he voted for the war in Iraq, and for tax cuts for millionaires, and to CUT OUR LEVEE FUNDING because that is what his party wanted. And all the while the Republicans kept calling him a "genius."
Now he is following his Republican orders and trying to make our president fail. They will, no doubt, call him a "genius" for this.
Let this be clear: Bobby Jindal is good at math, but it is not the kind of math that helps people. Republicans use the word "genius" the same way they use the word "terrorist." They do so opportunistically, dishonestly, to get what they want.
Jindal cut gov't spending on services/programs for the middle class and poor in order to pay for tax cuts for the rich in Louisiana. that's what I got from his speech.
much of the critique of Jindal's address focused on his hokey, folksy, seemingly-forced tone and vernacular. The Governor, who has never held court on the national stage before -- remember, his speech at the Republican convention was called off after Hurricane Gustav made landfall -- showed a bit of wetness behind the ears. And the commentators let him have it, even on Fox News.
BRIT HUME: "The speech read a lot better than it sounded. This was not Bobby Jindal's greatest oratorical moment."
NINA EASTON: "The delivery was not exactly terrific."
CHARLES KRAUTHAMMER: "Jindal didn't have a chance. He follows Obama, who in making speeches, is in a league of his own. He's in a Reagan-esque league. ... [Jindal] tried the best he could."
JUAN WILLIAMS: "It came off as amateurish, and even the tempo in which he spoke was sing-songy. He was telling stories that seemed very simplistic and almost childish.
All said, the speech was received with disappointment by conservatives who have looked to the Governor as the Republican Party's next star. Jindal's background and resume -- he was raised by Indian-immigrant parents and has an undisputed intellect -- seem, at least superficially, like key pillars upon which to forge a new kind of GOP candidacy. But other politicians have been panned for their State of the Union rebuttals in the past and managed to achieve national success, including Gov. Tim Kaine, who now heads the DNC, and Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, who appears poised to be nominated Secretary of Health and Human Services.
Jindal's Katrina Story a Lie:
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/2/24/23132/9395/253/701495
Tonight was Jindal's big chance to show the nation he was the intellectual giant and savior of the GOP that we have all been told he is. This was a chance for the GOP to win us over.
Instead his demeanor vacillated between talking to viewers as if they were slow-witted 6 year olds, and talking like a demented perv who wanted me to come closer so he could stab or molest me. Very creepy. Plus very old, dumb, boilerplate GOP platform talking points. Even Fox news ripped him (thanks for the vid doc; I won't visit there)
The GOP think that to attract minorities, they have to put minorities up high in the Party (Jindal, Steele, and Palin/female).
They aren't even close to comprehending that this means nothing as long as unofficial Party Leader Rush Limbaugh is hard at work keeping the home-fires burning in Bigotville.
"Bobby's speech was downright PAINFUL.
Mr Rogers was kind and truthful, and actually was Dr. Rogers and was a really smart cookie.
Bobby didn't come close to Rogers delivery. PAINFUL. I don't want to feel sorry for the Republicans, so keep this guy off the airways.
Jeezalou-Obama wiped the floor with him.
LOL!!! That's my sweetie. You go, girl!!!
Agree with Doc & Buffy: Bottom line is, Jindal zero appeal.
Didn't I see Bobby Jindal behind the counter at the 7-11 in New Orleans??
roflmao
That Andy picture terrifies me.
Good.. it's supposed to.
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