Paul Revere by Cyrus Dallin, North End, Boston

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Saturday, February 28, 2009

MORE ON GOVERNOR JINDAL

My conservative friend, Gordon, who guest-blogs over at A Political Glimpse from Ireland, has a post up titled "Hearts and minds, or Why liberal bigotry is okay, and the main thrust of the post is what Ann Althouse IMAGINES people think about Gov. Jindal:

"Bad, bad Bobby Jindal. Quick! Help me think of all the ways Bobby Jindal is just terrible. Ack! Don't look at him! He's horrible! I can barely stand to look at him. When he first emerges from behind a curtain, I moan "Oh, God." This is terrible. This is automatically horrible. A man of color, who is not supporting our side. One look and I am disgusted. How loathsome!"

There isn't anything in her post that links to any ACTUAL racial bigotry toward Gov. Jindal. Only her imaginings and opinions. What a colossal waste of time and bandwidth.

Gov. Jindal was criticized for his awful delivery of his rebuttal to President Obama's speech to the joint session of Congress. And it was awful. No one denigrates his educational achievements nor his political accomplishments. But, as important as those are to a rising politician, there are other attributes that one needs in 0rder to be perceived as a contender for the presidency. To point that out is not bigotry.

One more thing. A number of conservatives have made fun of Pres. Obama's use of the name Barry when he was a young man. He tried it for a time, because he felt the name Barack was too exotic, and like all young people, wanted to "fit in." As he matured, he became comfortable with who he was and accepted the name his parents gave him. No big deal. Except conservatives routinely use the name "Barry" derisively when they refer to Pres. Obama.

Now the Republicans have one of their rising stars who also wanted to "fit in" and decided his given name, Piyush, was too exotic, so he chose the name Bobby, (from the Brady Bunch, which he so admired at the time).

Will the conservatives disrespect Gov. Jindal's wish to be called what he chooses to call himself, "Bobby," and instead mock him by using his given name, Piyush? Just wondering. Because they were so diligent in calling Pres. Obama "Barry," a name he decided he didn't want.


On another issue, Gov. Jindal has a problem with honesty (see my post below) and with hypocrisy as well, and it isn't bigotry to point that out:

Louisiana to seek New Orleans-Baton Rouge passenger rail line from federal stimulus pot that Jindal called wasteful
by Robert Travis Scott
The Times-Picayune
Friday February 27, 2009, 6:08 PM


BATON ROUGE - Louisiana's transportation department plans to request federal dollars for a New Orleans to Baton Rouge passenger rail service from the same pot of railroad money in the president's economic stimulus package that Gov. Bobby Jindal criticized as unnecessary pork on national television Tuesday night.

The high-speed rail line, a topic of discussion for years, would require $110 million to upgrade existing freight lines and terminals to handle a passenger train operation, said Mark Lambert, spokesman for the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development.
Jindal on Tuesday delivered the official Republican Party response to President Barack Obama's address to Congress. He criticized the stimulus package passed by the Democratic-majority in Congress and the president and noted examples of projects that he found objectionable.

"While some of the projects in the bill make sense, their legislation is larded with wasteful spending," Jindal said. "It includes ... $8 billion for high-speed rail projects, such as a 'magnetic levitation' line from Las Vegas to Disneyland."

8 comments:

Handsome B. Wonderful said...

Could it be that they are projecting their own bigotry and racial views onto others when jumping to the conclusion that Democrats and Liberals feel that way toward Jindal?

I think that there is some truth there...

dmarks said...

Yes, there are plenty of criticisms of Jindahl to discuss without the "he is there just because of his color" idea.

Gordon Scott said...

Actually, there's quite a bit in her post about racist attitudes toward Jindal. And there's the imaginings and opinions of at least three other people in the post as well.

It seems to me that she's working on an explanation of why Barack Obama is perceived as cool and sexy, while Bobby Jindal isn't.

And to say that Jindal was criticized for his awful delivery doesn't explain why Chris Matthews did his open-mike gaffe before Jindal even spoke. Nor does it explain why Keith Olbermann uses the slur "Sir" when referring to Jindal--as you have yourself.

Anonymous said...

Dearest Gordon, anyone who can't see the difference between Obama and Jindal just from those two speeches delivered moments apart, is either blind, deaf or both. Jindal may have his good points, but he's NO Barack Obama. A person like our president comes along once in a blue moon. Cool & sexy? Look at them. Hello? Our president does happen to be both. Jindal, neither. It is what it is. I think it's funny that the right get to call Mr. Obama all kinds of horrible names, racial and otherwise, question his patriotism, religion, citienship and his "exotic-ness" and then they parade Jindal out!! As far as I'm concerned, he's fair game and if they continue to hold him up there as a potential candidate in 2012, the right is going to hear about it. Personally, I plan to forward every email I get with negative reports about him. The right wingers wanna play? I'll play.

Shaw Kenawe said...

Why on earth would Althouse want to work on an explanation on why Barack Obama is perceived as cool, and Bobby Jindal isn't?

What is the purpose for that? She surely won't be able to find the answer. That sort of speculation is a waste of time. Unless her goal is to try to somehow portray people who believe Obama is cool as anti-Jindal, or racist. What rubbish.

It's a fishing expedition for her to whine about bigots who aren't there. I've been down that road with her before, and she made a fool of herself then, too.

Both Obama and Jindal have had the benefit of a Ivy Leaague education and both are decent men. One captured the imagination of the country, the other didn't. That's life.

But the Right is standing on its head, trying to make Gov. Jindal into Obama 2.0, hoping Obama's star quality will rub off on Jindal. It won't.

Na ga happen.

So far, I haven't heard anyone on the right label Jindal an America-hater, a radical Communist, question his citizenship, question his family ties, make fun of his wife, his friendships, wonder if he's "Indian enough." Yeah, I have heard people go after him on his creationism beliefs and his belief that it should be taught alongside science [what a strange position to take for a biology major!]. And his weird experience with exorcism while in college.

BTW, will the right make fun of him for changing his name and his religion as they did Obama? Will they find some nefarious reason for Jindal's rejecting the faith of his entire family for Christianity?

Give it up.

The Right needs to get over the fact that Jindal flopped on his Big Night. It doesn't mean he can't do better the next time, but it will be more difficult for him to erase the negatives he gave himself during that awful presentation.

Shaw Kenawe said...

That should have read "so far I haven't heard anyone on the LEFT."

Shaw Kenawe said...

And Gordon, WTF does anyone care about what Tweety Matthews says?

He's an entertainer, like Limbaugh.

And the "Sir" in my topic is a parody on a poem. Since when is "Sir" a slur. People use it to address letters and the POTUS.

Now you're claiming using the honorific "Sir" is a slur?

You've gone off the deep end, my friend.

It's the term "Boy" that's the slur when addressing people of color.

PS. You've never heard of African-American mothers who, during our period of demeaning them, named their sons "Sir" to counter the rotten bigotry of people who referred to grown men with the slur "Boy?"

Arthurstone said...

Re: Use of the word 'Sir'

Good manners are 'politically correct' and should always be avoided.

I believe 'Asshat' is the preferred term.