Truthdig - Ear to the Ground - Indian-American Could Beat the Odds in the South

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Indian-American Could Beat the Odds in the South

nytimes.com

The voters of Louisiana are very close to electing as their governor Bobby Jindal, a conservative Republican congressman of Indian descent. While the chattering class is preoccupied with whether the nation is ready for a black or woman president, the conservative Republicans of Louisiana, many of whom once threw their support behind former klansman David Duke, seem to have moved on.

New York Times:

An Oxford-educated son of immigrants from India is virtually certain to become the leading candidate for Louisiana’s next governor in Saturday’s primary election. It would be an unlikely choice for a state that usually picks its leaders from deep in the rural hinterlands and has not had a nonwhite chief executive since Reconstruction.

But peculiar circumstances have combined to make Representative Bobby Jindal, a conservative two-term Republican, the overwhelming favorite. Analysts predict Mr. Jindal, 36, could get more than 50 percent of the vote in the open primary, thus avoiding a November runoff and becoming the nation’s first Indian-American governor. If he fails to win a majority, he would face the next-highest vote getter in the runoff.

Louisiana Democrats are demoralized, caught between the perception of post-hurricane incompetence surrounding their standard bearer, Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco, who is not running for re-election, and corruption allegations against senior elected officials like William J. Jefferson, the congressman from New Orleans.

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TAGS: conservative democrats election governor indian jindal katrina louisiana politics primary republicans

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By Ken Hechtman, October 21, 2007 at 4:29 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)

Will wrote: “Louisiana is voting for Jindal because he is a born-again hypocrite who votes with George Bush 99.8% of the time [...]”

Not quite. Not even close.

In his three years in Congress, Jindal voted with the Democrats against his own party line almost 20% of the time, mostly on economic issues like free trade and minimum wage. He also (for one reason or another) failed to vote with the Republicans another 20% of the time. Most recently, he didn’t vote on the Surveillance bill and he didn’t vote on withdrawal from Iraq.

http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/members/j000287/

He’s still a Republican, but he’s not the worst there is.

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By Harry H. Snyder III, October 21, 2007 at 11:33 am #
(Unregistered commenter)

Great another Anti-Union, out-sourcer, who will help locate still more Indian companies in Louisiana, and no doubt will advocate for still more H-1b visas so those companies don’t have to pay US wages….and notice how commerce trumped the “bible-belt” mentality. Yeap, Louisiana HAS changed…back to what it was! The plantation-owners of yore must be Gaw-Fawing in their graves. The South shall rise again.

Welcome to the new, somewhat modified, slavery!

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By Douglas Chalmers, October 20, 2007 at 11:40 am #

New look for Louisiana Zydeco scene, ha ha http://www.bhangraomega.com/videos/dilbagh-oh-tina-42

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By jatihoon, October 20, 2007 at 10:54 am #

If you are good enough, you are Republican enough.Jidal is intelligent and capable and should be elected.

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By lilmamzer, October 20, 2007 at 7:57 am #

Jindal is a natural ally of real progressives and real liberals - those who believe in real freedoms, unlike the Hugo Chavez-loving, David Duke-worshipping, Ahmedinejad-hugging, Islamo-Fascist-cock-sucking TruthDig crowd.

Indian-Americans and the billion other Hindus around the world stand against the leftist dark forces personified by Scheer, Hedges, Zinn, Kucinich, McDermott, ANSWER coalition, Chomsky, Ward “I’m An Academic Fraud” Churchill, and the rest of those losers.

You go, Bobby.

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By Outraged, October 20, 2007 at 2:42 am #

It just goes to show you. Neocons are totally “unbiased” when it comes to race. Looks like the old adage applies here, the “proof is in the pudding”.

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By Douglas Chalmers, October 20, 2007 at 2:10 am #

Anglos never did have what it takes to solve their own problems, uhh. Just one thing though, South Asian = status quo so stuck with the GOP Republicans. No smart moves except to subsume Louisiana with their own culture. But where better for Bhangra (music), eh?

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By thomas billis, October 20, 2007 at 12:34 am #
(Unregistered commenter)

This article is outrageous.In other words if you are an Indian American you cannot be what he is a right wing idealogue.I guess the kings in africa who sold tribesman into slavery could not be either.Louisiana has moved on to shooting at people trying to flee over a bridge to get out of New Orleans and persecuted 6 black kids in Jena.That is just what makes the national news.Do some research into Jindal and you will find as the commenter before me mentioned Louisiana has not moved on at all.

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By Will, October 19, 2007 at 9:51 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)

Don’t believe the hype. Louisiana hasn’t moved on - they’ve just found someone who will ape their conservative “values”. Louisiana is voting for Jindal because he is a born-again hypocrite who votes with George Bush 99.8% of the time and will do/say whatever is necessary to get elected. Sadly, Jindal is intelligent and capable but he thinks he has to stoop to right wing pandering to get elected.

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