Jindal’s Secret
As regular readers know, Bobby Jindal, the conservative 32-year-old Indian-American Republican candidate for governor in Louisiana, is running neck-and-neck with “moderate” Democratic Lt. Governor Kathleen Blanco.
Keep in mind that this is Louisiana, the same state which, about a decade ago, featured the “governor’s race from hell” between notoriously crooked Democrat Edwin Edwards and former Ku Klux Klansman David Duke (both are now in jail.) And keep in mind that there have been only two Republican governors elected in Louisiana since reconstruction. And Louisiana is the only state never to have elected a Republican US senator.
How could such a state end up electing a 32-year-old Indian-American Republican whizkid governor? The answer lies in Jindal’s carefully calibrated campaign strategy of being all things to all people.
Start with the obvious issue of race. Jindal is neither black nor white. That immediately allows him to sidestep the long history these two groups have had in Louisiana and allows him to paint himself as a neutral outsider. A certain percentage of African-American and white voters will see his race as a negative; but, overall, it allows him to appeal to both groups. To whites, he’s a whip-smart, conservative minority candidate, exactly the kind of minority candidate they feel comfortable voting for. To blacks, he’s not white, which is reason enough to absolve him of any suspicion of racism and make him exactly the kind of conservative Republican they feel comfortable voting for. That’s why prominent African-American leaders have taken the unprecedented step of endorsing a conservative Republican for governor.
Go on to his youth and political inexperience, which would ordinarily be a net negative in a state that elects seasoned politicos. Jindal uses his age and political inexperience as a cudgel, proudly proclaiming, “I’m not a politician. I’m a problem-solver.” Meanwhile, his extensive (and successful) experience as an administrator in various high-level positions allows him to claim that he’ll make a competent governor.
What about his conservatism? Well, when you’re running against an opponent who’s almost as conservative as you are, it’s very hard for her to draw distinctions on policy issues. In addition, Jindal has different messages for different audiences. On talk radio, he airs ads touting his conservatism. On TV, he uses the “I’m a problem solver” theme to appeal to independent and moderate voters. To African-Americans, he promises economic hope and opportunity and a willing ear (Jindal won the endorsement of the New Orleans-based African-American BOLD group in large part by courting them more than Blanco did.)
Through a combination of nature, nurture, intellect, political skill and niche marketing, Jindal has become a Schwarzeneggerian Rorschach blot. People see in him whatever they want to see.
Bobby Jindal has managed to achieve every politician’s dream: He has become all things to all people.
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