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This Guy Wasn't the Real Jindal

Politician's handlers fail to showcase his talents

By Amelia Atlas, Newser User

Posted Mar 1, 2009 11:55 AM CST

(Newser) – He may have looked like Bobby Jindal, but the man delivering the Republican response to President Obama's congressional address on Tuesday was no Bobby Jindal. Rather, the "brilliant statesman" was "equal parts Mister Rogers, Bobby Brady, and Kenneth the Page," writes Kathleen Parker in the Washington Post. In real life, Jindal is "the intellectual equivalent of a nuclear power plant," but his handlers forced the embarrassing performance.

Not only did Jindal's speech feature "amateurish stagecraft" and condescending writing, it also failed to showcase his quick mind. Jindal's staff is dumbing him down and by "coaching him to dim the lights a tad, they stole his spark." The lesson to take away? "Governor, fire your staff and retool," Parker advises. "A majority of Americans have demonstrated that they'll vote for the smart guy, even if he talks too fast."

[Images (5)]

[Videos (2)]

[Quotes (5)]

Gov. Bobby Jindal chats with staff members while working on the Republican Party response to Pres. Barack Obama's speech Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2009, in Baton Rouge, La. (AP Photo/Bill Feig)

In his office at the Louisiana Governors Mansion, Gov. Bobby Jindal works on the Republican Party response to Pres. Barack Obama's speech. The Louisiana governor's speech was nationally televised. (AP Photo/Bill Feig)

President-elect Barack Obama greets Gov. of Louisiana Bobby Jindal at the Bipartisan meeting of the National Governor's Association. According to Parker, the two politicians share similarities. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

Jindal said he's not interested in a 2012 Republican presidential bid and will seek a second term as governor in 2011. Parker speculates he is gearing up for a 2016 bid. (AP Photo/Bill Haber)

In this image made from video, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal delivers from Baton Rouge, La. the Republican Party's official response to President Barack Obama's address to a joint session of Congress. (AP Photo/APTN Pool)

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Bobby Jindal delivers the Republican rebuttal to President Obama's congressional address. (CNN Video)

Bobby Jindal delivers the Republican response to President Obama's congressional address. (CNN Video)

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Dumbing down doesn't come naturally to wunderkinder such as Jindal. In trying to sound human, he sounds fake. In attempting to convey everydayness, he comes across as an extraterrestrial. - Kathleen Parker

Tuesday's speech was a setback, much like Bill Clinton's droning 1988 Democratic convention speech, but hardly a career-ender. - Kathleen Parker

He dropped his "I'm-just-a-regular-guy" shtick and managed to articulate his conservative principles without putting the audience in mind of cookies and milk.
- Kathleen Parker, on Jindal's "Today" show appearance

It's also a shame that he and Obama aren't on the same team. Although they differ strenuously on social issues and the role government should play in problem-solving, they are temperamentally similar.
- Kathleen Parker

I know Bobby Jindal, and that guy wasn't Bobby Jindal... The real Jindal is the sort of politician who promises ethics and education reform, and actually delivers. - Kathleen Parker

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This Guy Wasn't the Real Jindal