Have Republicans found their Barack Obama in Bobby Jindal? Some seem to think so. After all, he’s young (37), not white (Indian), and smart (Rhodes Scholar). Surely that’s the new winning combination. And I guess this makes sense for a party who’s struggling to look past the surface.
Youth is the new Republican buzz word, and I’m not denying that they will need new blood to survive. What I’m saying is that what ails the Republican Party can’t be solved by simply repackaging the same, old ideology in a youthful, brown face. Psst… Obama didn’t win because of his skin color or his age. In fact, both were considered obstacles. Treating Obama’s win like the latest fad, worthy of duplicating, is not only politically shallow it also demonstrates a complete and total unwillingness for serious introspection.
Not seeing my point? Then let’s look past Jindal’s trendy exterior.
…social conservatives like what they have heard about the public and private Jindal: his steadfast opposition to abortion without exceptions; his disapproval of embryonic stem cell research; his and his wife Supriya’s decision in 1997 to enter into a Louisiana covenant marriage that prohibits no-fault divorce in the state; and his decision in June to sign into law the Louisiana Science Education Act, a bill heartily supported by creationists that permits public school teachers to educate students about both the theory of “scientific design” and criticisms of Darwinian evolutionary concepts.
Sounds a little out of step with moderates, don’t ya think? And this is the real problem facing Republicans. Didn’t anyone ever tell them that no matter how “pretty” someone is on the outside, it’s what’s inside that counts? These extreme, militant positions on abortion, stem cell research, marriage, and creationism scare the hell out of average people.
Honestly, did the Republican Party learn nothing from Obama’s win? Did they not notice how much time and effort he put into reassuring the middle? Obviously not, since the only names we’re hearing out of the Republican camp are Jindal, Palin, and Huckabee.
The truth is that Republicans have a golden opportunity at this moment in time. They need to scrap the “loyal opposition” rhetoric, roll up their sleeves, and get to work helping to fix the country. Why in the world they are focusing so much of their energy on 2012 instead of 2008 boggles the mind. Don’t they understand that what happens in 2012 will be shaped by what happens in 2009, 2010, and 2011? Are they only about winning elections?
Jindal’s sudden rise to the top demonstrates how little Republicans have learned. I don’t care how you dress it up. It’s the ideology, stupid.