Should We Be Worried About Bobby Jindal?

If he can resist being corrupted by Louisiana, he'll be a better candidate for sainthood than the executive branch.

Jindal is just fine. He's caught in a bad spot in the legislature raise and he's going to catch heck either way. Still there can be no doubt by any objective observer that Bobby Jindal is a fiscal conservative, unlike the socialist leaning Huckabee. 

Huckabee supporters are really worried about Jindal and well they should be. The comparison makes Huckabee look very bad.

Both fiscal and social conservatives will vote for Jindal. Huckabee loses badly with anyone who has a basic understanding of economics.

One thing most christians are spoonfed from the cradle, is the belief that you cannot serve God and money (mammon) too. The struggle between the two worldviews was never more evident than in the stuggles going on in the base of the GOP right now.

And I really don't know how we fix it.

We don't fix it. If a candidate has socialist leanings on fiscal issues he's a no go for any fiscal conservative. I think you just identified why we aren't electing a national preacher. The country MUST have a sound fiscal policy in order to survive. Redistribution of income is a socialist/communist belief.

There is no way on God's green earth that I will ever cast a vote for Mike Huckabee. I'd as soon vote for Barack Obama and that has exactly zero chance of happening.

This is the favorite line of attack on Huckabee.. and one on which none of the 'explanations' is acceptable to hardliners.. so won't repeat them again ad nauseum.

Suffice it to say he's no socialist.

The facts showed that Huckabee governed as conservatively as he could, given the Clinton/Tucker mess he inherited, and a democratic legislature. He governed wisely, and the people and state prospered. That's good government, what we desperately need.

Socons admire Jindal, a lot, he reminds us of Huck in many ways, and we'll be thrilled to vote for him someday.. he may even be on a ticket with Mike..who knows.. One does not have to be a pastor of a faith to embrace and apply it's philosophy, and if we can't have Mike, we'll be happy to embrace Jindal.. anything to get away from this trend that seems to dictate that there should be limited place for people of faith in government. 

The bible verse that says we cannot serve God and Money too is talking primarily about greed, and self interest. We're talking about having the heart of an 'embezzler' here.. you know, the Enron types. Responisble fiscal conservatiism if it benifits all the people should be compatible with social conservatism, I and most traditional middle class social conservatives, just think that there should be a provision for human judgement to make a final call on policy, rather than saying its 'this way or the highway' every time.

If the rule of thumb is that the christian world view is not compatible with fiscal conservatism, then strike every true believer off the list for holding office in this country, and that's not the America I know. What the teaching does say is that christianity teaches that the love of money above all else including God, is not acceptable.  There are however, parables about the wisdom of investing resources wisely over hoarding, also to be found in the bible. There are ways to be fiscally responsible without going over the edge into selfish greed, but it feels sometimes like too many on the right walk way too close to that line for some.

Again, some will be willing to cut Jindal some slack now after 6 months, but the true test will be his record after say.. 10 years, like Mike. If he is as rooted in his spiritual beliefs as he says he is and it influences how he governs, fiscon idealogues will probably soon run out of excuses for any percieved lapses from the fiscal straight and narrow, and reasons to support him, to all of our detriment.

I hope not.. because he has the potential to be an amazing public servant.

I don't expect everyone to vote for a Huckabee type republican.. but there are millions who will. Maybe someday enough to get him into the WH.. GWB did it on our backs once already, and most would prefer a Huckabee over an Obama any day of the week.

Huck's greatest political sin was smearing economic conservatives for doing anything that might actually make money, and particularly Romney for resembling "the guy who laid you off".  Eat my shorts, Huck.  Even Bill Clinton recognized that you can promote economic growth policies and also try to help the displaced workers.

McCain does a lot of this too.  I'd like to ask McCain about the "obscene profits" in the beer distribution industry.  Perhaps he can shed some light on the precise amount of money a company is allowed to make before it is unbecoming.

Bush doesn't qualify as a real economic conservative because, as Grover Norquist would put it, he has a problem with "spend too much".  But Bush doesn't irritate the economic conservative eardrums like Huck and McCain do.  The difference is largely rhetorical, and Huck and McCain use the Leftist talking points to attack their fellow partisans.

I don't know if Jindal has a problem with "spend too much", but as long as he avoids attacking business with commie rhetoric he'll be doing himself a big political favor.

To the poster who said he won't vote Huckabee....you are certainly entitled to your very minority opinion, yet all the survey USA election polls show that Huckabee helps McCain's ticket a full 2.58%, Romney only .58 and Pawlenty and Lieberman actually run it negative.  So, you see, if you really want McCain to win, you would want the person on the ticket who can help it the most.  Obama is running way ahead and, believe me, Senator McCain is going to need that 2% edge that Mike Huckabee gives his ticket.  This is without Mike campaigning with McCain.  Once that would happen, the numbers will soar as there is not a better campaigner anywhere than Huckabee.  I had the pleasure of seeing him at the NC convention and the crowd was wild for him!!  Most everyone likes Mike (very few liberal bigots don't). Those folks who don't like Mike, would never vote Republican in the first place.  We will lose few to no votes with Huck and gain many votes.  The lethargic republican conservatives will "come to life" with Huckabee on the ticket.

So much of your hostility to Huckabee seems to be rooted in what you percieve to be a slight on Romney..

It wasn't a perception, Renson. Huckabee made very dirty, ugly, underhanded, bigoted attacks. Huckabee is now seen by many, many Republicans and conservatives as a religious bigot due to his own words and actions. That will never go away.

But it goes much deeper than his religious bigotry, or that of his supporters, for that matter. I don't vote religion. I don't vote for populism. I don't vote for socialism.  Mike Huckabee smacks of both.  I vote issues and there are many conservative Republicans who do the same.

This website is supposed to be about bringing Republicans together. That is never going to happen as long as Huckabee is a factor.

For every evangelical who supports Huckabee there is another Republican conservative who will never vote for him.

I would advise you to consider what Ronald Reagan stood for, and the role that his religion played in his campaigns and in his terms in office, and look for a believer in that mold. Most Republicans will have no problem with moral beliefs patterned after either Reagan or Bush but evangelism cannot be the main issue that the candidate runs on. There are not enough evangelicals in this country to elect such a candidate.

To get back on topic here, I plan to follow Bobby Jindal very closely over the next few years. I do believe he has a future in higher office and I do not believe that there is any similarity whatsoever between Jindal and Huckabee.

You've been listening to too many of the pundits.  Huckabee has always been against socialism.  What is socialistic about getting rid of the IRS and implementing the FairTax to stop penalizing productivity?  He promotes education to help people get decent jobs so they aren't living off the government by welfare or incarceration.  Jobs increased and unemployement decreased under Huckabee's leadership.  Huckabee promotes personal responsibilty. 

When Hurricane Katrina hit; Huckabee called on help from private organizations.  Instead of being dumped in huge "human cattle barns" refugees were distributed across the entire state. Private camps (religious, Boy and Girl Scouts, etc.) were opened with shelter, food, and clothing ready before the people arrived.  They literally had to call to find out what was taking them so long to get there.

I have never felt offended when people of other religions ask questions about my faith.  As for Huckabee's question about the Mormon religion; I'll let Huckabee answer that one himself:

Speaking with CNN Wednesday, Huckabee expressed disbelief that the comment has caused an uproar.

"We were having a conversation over several hours, the conversation was about religion and he was trying to press me on my thoughts of Mitt Romney's religion, and I said 'I don't want to go there.'" Huckabee said.

"I really didn't know. Well, he was telling me things about the Mormon faith, because he frankly is well-schooled on comparative religions. As a part of that conversation, I asked the question, because I had heard that, and I asked it, not to create something -- I never thought it would make the story."

Huckabee, who has surged into first place in Iowa, also reiterated that he doesn't think a candidate's religion should be an issue in the campaign.

"I don't think his particular religion is a factor in whether or not people should vote him or against him," he said. "I'd like to think that my being a Baptist isn't a factor in people voting for or against me."

HUCKABEE: And I regret it. And I went to Mitt Romney afterward, when we were in the debate in Des Moines, and I said, "Mitt, I want to tell you, I apologize. I understand that hurt you and made you feel that I was saying something about your religion. I'm not. I don't particularly care for people attacking my Baptist faith. I'm not attacking yours. And I was simply asking a question. And I apologize. And I would not hurt or offend somebody else's faith."

Huckabee has demonstrated  incredible political prowness on a number of occasions; he was first in the Republican party primaries to note that the economy would be a major issue and spoke to it with common sense solutions and heart-felt sensitivity. With skill, authenticity, and keen awareness, he immediately connected with voters. Americans, as a whole, are sick of career politicans speaking with "forked tongues" and lining their pockets all the while; additionally, they are impatient with empty promises of change while our government remains inept and corrupt. The special interests have provided for themselves and the corporations they work for while depleting the average American's paychecks and sending our country's deficits through the roof. Bankrupting America is not fiscal conservatism. Huckabee was the first candidate since Reagan to actually speak to these revelant concerns and provide hope for dramatic improvement in the way government works. He certainly does not want to strip corporate growth; in fact, he built corporate investment in AR while governor and provided corporate incentives such as improving infrastructure to accomodate their transportation needs. He also advocates the fair tax which would bring back corporations to the mainland; remember, many  have left because of the country's high corporate taxes. These corporations have taken thousands of jobs with them. We would see an immediate and significant economic impact if they come back to America to operate. No primary candidate was more fiscally conservative  than Huckabee; he accomplished more with less. Additionally, when Huckabee was governor, he took the state of AR from a considerable deficit to a multi-million dollar surplus. This is what we need in government. Fiscal conservatism is putting money in the coffers, not borrowing, and certainly not spending more than you have. It is building business, not sending it overseas. It is making products in American rather than China. Huckabee is a pro in this regard!

I have no problem with Bobby Jindal and would certainly vote for the McCain ticket if Jindal is on it; however, he has far less executive experience than Huckabee and is unvetted and unproven in many respects. Because McCain is running on experience, Jindal could be a distraction. I do like his socially conservative credientials, and love the fact that he is a devoted Catholic. He, like Huckabee, has clear beliefs that align with biblical principles and social charity.

Mike Huckabee would help McCain on so many fronts. He is the best on the economy ( the major issue for 2008) and with his communication skills would bring much needed excitement to McCain's campaign. He can truly connect with youth and the working class. Republicans must include the conservative, middle-class American in the party, or they will lose. This segment of the electorate will turn this election, and Huckabee is clearly the best man to speak to this sector. McCain/Huckabee 2008!

I agree that I will never move toward Huck but I'm not so sure that we can't agree on some things.

(Palin is still my number 2 pick in that regard)

I just left you a message further up about Sarah Palin. She is a very acceptable pick to me too.

It's fiscally sound decision..

But I hope it doesn't open doors to corruptiion or slow down the progress that was otherwise made when the two offices were working together happily..

I actually think it was biting the hand that fed him to do this.. we'll see how that works out.

Guess Jindal is going to try to have it both ways after all