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Nov

12

Evidence that a GOP VP option can just say no to the possibility


From the Washington Post:

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, who has emerged as one of the hottest names in national Republican circles since John McCain’s defeat last week, was never vetted as a vice presidential pick, according to sources close to the Pelican State chief executive.

Jindal was approached by McCain forces to gauge his interest in the vice presidency and told them he was not interested in being vetted due to his desire to continue on with his current job, to which he was elected just one year ago.

While the official reason that Jindal took his name out of contention was his lack of a desire to leave the Louisiana governorship, there was also real trepidation within his political inner circle that Jindal might wind up as the pick — McCain was attracted to his comprehensive health-care knowledge — and be caught up in what they believed to be a less-than-stellar campaign that could pin a loss on Jindal without much ability to change or control the direction of the contest.

I’ve been following Jindal because of the unusual bipartisan support he’s given the Louisiana legislature, in deed not only in words.  Knowing when to say no – even if the door is open, is at least as important as recognizing that its open in the first place, if not more important.  It’s also often a lot harder.

But don’t take my word for this.  Here’s Jeffrey D. Sadow, associate professor of political science at Louisiana State University Shreveport, saying the same thing on his blog, Between the Lines:

Gov. Bobby Jindal showed some great political instincts when he turned down an offer to be considered running mate to Sen. John McCain’s recently unsuccessful Republican bid for the presidency. If he is interested in further national political advancement, he’ll have to keep up his perspicacity in a different way over the next few years.

…

Jindal also showed in his comments that he is politically astute enough to acquire and use the vacuous staple of the Democrats’ main campaign theme this year, “bipartisan change.” Of course, this crops up somewhat at odds with his diagnosis of Republican Party ills, because to Democrats “bipartisan” means the GOP acquiescing to whatever Democrats want and “change” occurs by pursuing policy fundamentally philosophically different than that of the majority of the American people, featuring big government interfering more extensively in people’s lives and liberty. Perhaps if Jindal becomes more serious about pursuing national office, he may begin to speak more accurately of a conservative “restoration” of smaller government and greater individual autonomy. But for now, he seems content to borrow these phrasings.

Hattip Andrew Sullivan.

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By Jill Miller Zimon at 1:18 pm November 12th, 2008 in Bobby Jindal, John McCain, Politics, Sarah Palin, Vice President, conservatives 

Comments

2 Responses to “Evidence that a GOP VP option can just say no to the possibility”

  1. 1 Daniel Jack Williamson on November 12th, 2008 10:51 pm

    When you were asking why Palin was chosen rather than someone like Jindal or Romney, I think my response was on the money, and you’ve just posted some of the evidence.

  2. 2 Jill Miller Zimon on November 12th, 2008 11:03 pm

    I’m happy to have helped you out there.

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