Very Early Exit

Because it’s never too early to not run: “Bobby Jindal — the Indian-American Louisiana governor who is widely viewed as one of the front-runners for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination — flatly said Tuesday he’s not interested in seeking the White House,” CNN tells us. ” ‘No,’ Jindal said definitively when asked if he was interested in being president.”

“I’d say this confirms that Jindal isn’t an idiot,” writes Kevin Drum at Mother Jones:

Sure, it’s possible that Barack Obama is going to crash and burn and turn 2012 into a Republican year. But what are the odds? Far more likely is that Obama is a shoo-in for a second term, and whoever runs against him will suffer the same fate as George McGovern, Walter Mondale, Bob Dole, and Bob Kerry. The GOP will find someone to embark on this suicide run, but it will have to be someone both dumber and with a lot more jejune self-regard than Jindal. Palin 2012!

[Note: As many Opinionator readers have pointed out, Drum seems to have meant John Kerry, not Bob Kerrey.]

While Steve Benen at Drum’s old Washington Monthly perch isn’t so sure:

I’m sure that’s what Jindal said, and it’s likely he meant it. But I don’t really believe him.

Political leaders do this with some regularity. I distinctly remember Barack Obama, among others, saying in 2004 that he would not launch presidential campaigns in 2008. He did. Bill Clinton assured voters in 1990 that he wouldn’t run for president in 1992. He did. It’s not dishonesty; it’s the result of new and unexpected circumstances. Not only do voters tend to understand, I can’t think of a single recent political figure who’s been punished for this kind of reversal.

Opportunities arise. It happens. Making iron-clad pronouncements about one’s professional future are not only inherently difficult, they’re necessarily subject to change.

Indeed, says Ben Smith at the Politico:

A later version of the AP story quotes Jindal trying to tack back to his previous position, which had seemed to leave the door open.

“I think anybody who is even thinking of running would be well served to roll up their sleeves and support our new president,” Jindal said. “I told our people, ‘It doesn’t matter whether you’re Republican, Democrat or independent, it doesn’t matter whether you voted for him or not, President-elect Barack Obama is our president.'”

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Isn’t there a quote from Obama that he wouldn’t ever run for president in 08? I think this is just the standard sort of thing that politicians do. He’ll wait and see, I’m sure, how Obama’s looking in ’12 before doing anything. No one will begrudge him changing his mind in a couple of years…

Saying you are currently “not interested” in something is not the same as saying you won’t do it in the future.

The article quotes Steve Benen:
I distinctly remember Barack Obama, among others, saying in 2004 that he would not launch presidential campaigns in 2008. He did. Bill Clinton assured voters in 1990 that he wouldn’t run for president in 1992. He did. It’s not dishonesty;”

Of course it’s dishonesty. There’s every chance for for these folks to say they probably wouldn’t run but they didn’t. The simply said they wouldn’t run.

He is smart indeed, for it is too early to even show interest—clearly he is not governor of Alaska.

Suddenly, ethnicity is IN! Jindal will succeed Obama, maybe in 2016, but whenever. And then there really ought to be an Italian. I don’t think we’ve every had a serious Italian candidate for President. But that’ll put us back in Europe. So, maybe an Asian will be next. I see minorities dominating Presidential politics for the next 20 years.

Jindal was hyped so much it wasn’t even funny. He is too young and too unproven; he makes Obama look like a grand old statesmen. Furthermore, his conversion to Catholicism (based on his allegedly seeing an “exorcist” )might be just a wee bit off-putting for some.
As for Palin, forget it. She is damaged goods. The GOP’s best hope lies with a moderate — I repeat, MODERATE– Republican. Not Newt (“I Left Two Sick Wives”) Gingrich or Mitt (Phony Stuffed Shirt) Romney — those two won’t fit the bill, either.
Although one wouldn’t call him conservative, Mike Huckabee might actually have a real chance — but NOT if he caves into the social conservative base, like John McCain did.
I know the GOP and its minions in the gasbag media are salivating about 2012, because they naively think this recent scandal in Illinois is going to severly damage Obama.
Dream on, right-wingers. Clean up your own cesspool first, and quit obsessing over abortion, gays and guns. You might just win again.

Kevin Drum’s take is consistent with the now mainstream view that Obama is the second coming of FDR and Lincoln. I wish the NFL would operate this way: then we could award the Super Bowl before the pre-season and save everyone the time and expense.

More likely Jindal sees something all the named pundits missed, to wit the slow, painful and lingering death of the Party of Lincoln, destroyed by Bush and those he allowed to plunder the dying corpse. Who wants to stand in front of that crowd?

Oh, for a third party!

amalendu chatterjee December 10, 2008 · 9:20 pm

You need full Hispanic and African American support in addition white Americans support to be President of America. First two groups including Asian Indians supported Obama in 2008. All these ethnic groups constitue almost over 30% of voters. Unless Obama screws up badly in first 4 years hardly any voter will turn to Bobby JIndal. In addition, Jindal was born Hindu and changed religion to Christiniaty. He never gave any solid rationale behind it. He can never be as christian conservative as Governor Palin. He has to do lot of explaining. Moreover, American society and voters are evolving towards more progrssive, secular and liberal agenda. In US constitution, there is a separation of church and state. Many voters are slowly saying in the election campaign that religious belief should take a back sit at candidate’s home not in the public forum. I like this trend as that is the only way to combine all people together to fight Islamic, christian, Hindu, Jew or any other extreme fundamentalism for preserving humanity and its civilization.

You think Obama’s young? Jindal is YOUNG. He’s 37.

He’d be 41 years old in November, 2012. Heck, he’d spend most of his time campaigning while he was 40 and some time campaigning before he’s even legally old enough to be President.

Unless Obama spectacularly crashes and burns, Jindal would be nuts to run against him. He can wait until 2016 when Obama’s 2 terms are over and Biden’s too old to be a threat. Or he can wait until 2020. Or 2024.

After all. if he skips 3 election cycles and runs in 2024, he’s only be 53 years old. That would STILL make him younger than the majority of our nation’s presidents.

Peter Steinberg
//www.FlashlightWorthyBooks.com
Recommending books so good, they’ll keep you up past your bedtime. 😉

I would prefer Sarah Palin over Bobby Jindal any day. At least she is not Phony- she is what you expect her to be. But Mr. Jindal, oh no, he studied biology@Brown and then attended the best univ in england and now he says our kids should all study creationism and other voodoo theories. This guy has some scientific temper.

Bobby Jindal, the guy who believes there is no proof that global warming is manmade? Gimme a break.

Was John Kerry’s run so bad that he is now confused with Bob Kerry?

Jindall was definitely much superior to Palin but Palin was chosen to steal Hillary’s votes and not for her competence. However, she helped GOP to get the racially prejudiced vote and Jindall would have driven them away. Each one has ones +s and ones -s.
Cheers :)

Jindal is probably the smartest governor Louisiana has ever had. He come across almost unbelievable because
he exudes a quiet sincerity but a firm grasp on matters.
I believe that he would rather be a US Senator before he throws his hat into the presidential ring unless Obama flubs it too badly to cover it up and Palin offers Jindal the Veep nomination.

He is definitely a man with a future but in nobody’s pocket–
a rara avis indeed for LA.

Mr. Drum makes a very astute point: if Gov. Jindal decides to run in 2012, by 2016 we may very well be referring to him as Johnny Jindal.

Somewhere, ‘Bob’ Kerry is groaning…

This is why journalists rank at the bottom of trustworthiness polls. Why even type a “story” like this? What a waste of time and resources when there is so much going on in the world.

Before 2006 everyone thought George Allen, Al Gore or even Condi Rice were gonna be nomiees for the Presidency. Guess what, none of them threw their hat in the ring. In 2007 everyone one thought that Hillary Clinton and Rudy Giuliani would be the nominees for President. Well, Rudy Giuliani didn’t get anywhere close, and Hillary Clinton was defeat by a Tall Skinny black guy with a funny name.

1995-96 everyone was sure that Colin Powell was gonna run for President, once again nada. 1984-88 everyone was pretty sure that Mario Coumo after that incredible speech at the DNC 84, would most definitely be the nominee for President, but that again was a non-starter. The Point is we can speculate and debate about the 2012 election as much as we want, but guess what that’s four years away. So I have an idea, why don’t we wait and see what this President-elect does first, before we start looking for someone new.

Who’s Bob Kerry?

Really, wasn’t the 2008 presidential election long enough at 2 years of campaigning. Must we start this early on 2012! Give the public a break already!

How is Obama a “shoo-in”? He has yet to take office and do anythign in his political career that suggest he will be a “savior” as so many of his followers say.

Time will tell.