Posts on Bobby Jindal

Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council and Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal have a long history dating back to Perkins' days in the state legislature that continues to this day, with Perkins working closely with the Governor during the Hurricane Gustav recovery efforts earlier this year:

Governor Jindal is a friend of mine with whom I worked closely during my time in the legislature when he was the Secretary of the Department of Health and Hospitals. Having the opportunity to work alongside him and his staff in the last several days from sun-up to past sundown, I am greatly encouraged and impressed with his leadership and the dedication of his staff to getting essential relief to the citizens of the state and restoring critical infrastructure.

On Friday, Jindal announced his appointments to the Louisiana Commission on Marriage and Family, and guess who was among those he chose?

Tony Perkins, of Baton Rouge, is the president of Family Research Council, a family advocacy organization.. Perkins will serve as an individual with expertise in community programs and assistance, as required by statute.

As Bayou Buzz put it, "Jindal ran and was elected as a social conservative and a number of his appointments appear to reflect that political agenda" and that includes not only Perkins but also Mike Johnson, senior legal counsel for Alliance Defense Fund.

If Jindal is planning his own presidential run in 2012 should McCain-Palin lose, it is probably safe to assume that he'll have Perkins and the extremely influential Family Research Council in his corner from the get-go.   

I guess that if Bobby Jindal is going to start positioning himself to run in 2012, we had better start collecting articles about him that might cause him problems down the line when the media finally gets around to taking a look at him, less they disappear down the memory hole – things like this article flagged by AU from the Baton Rouge Advocate about his use of police helicopters and taxpayer money to make campaign stops attend church services around the state:

From the time of taking office in January until Hurricane Gustav hit on Sept. 1, Gov. Bobby Jindal has spent nearly $180,000 in taxpayer money to travel in State Police helicopters.

…

Since his January inauguration, Jindal has used the helicopters 12 times to go to northern Louisiana to attend church services.

Jindal, a Catholic, combines the church attendance with a visit with local officials. But the governor does not broadcast that he is praying outside his home parish.

On March 30, Jindal traveled to Winnfield for Sunday morning services at First Baptist Church followed by lunch with local officials at a shooting range. State Sen. Gerald Long and two Jindal staffers flew with the governor from Baton Rouge.

According to the Baptist Message Online, Jindal opened his speech at the church with a story from the campaign trail before talking about his journey in accepting Christ as his savior.

“It’s very nonpolitical,” said the Rev. Jerold McBride, who was the church’s interim pastor at the time. “In fact, he said, ‘I do not want you to run billboards … about this.’ ”

Asked about the visits to churches, Jindal would only say that he is “honored to worship with people across the state.”

Jindal already is raising money for his next campaign. He visited churches when he ran for governor a year ago.

But Jindal said his recent attendance at church services should not be considered a campaign stop.

“Even before I was a candidate for office, I’ve enjoyed worshipping in other churches,” he said.

Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal was always near the top of the Right’s wish list when it came to potential running mates for John McCain. That “honor” went to Sarah Palin and now that Palin and McCain seem headed for defeat, it looks like Jindal is preparing for his own run in 2012:  

Jindal, the Louisiana governor widely seen as a Republican rising star, will keynote a high-profile Christian conservative fundraising dinner next month in Iowa, his office confirms.

Jindal will speak at the Iowa Family Policy Center's “Celebrating the Family” banquet in suburban Des Moines on November 22nd, according to his spokeswoman, Melissa Sellers.  While in the state, he also may to go to Cedar Rapids to see some of those areas impacted by the summer floods.   Jindal, of course, has led his state's recovery from Katrina since being elected in 2007.

It will be Jindal's first visit to Iowa, Sellers said.

The trip is a reminder that, even with a presidential election looming, caucus politics is never far away in the Hawkeye State.

The Christian conservative organization is led by Chuck Hurley, a well-known activist who first backed Sam Brownback before switching over to Mike Huckabee in this year's GOP nomination battle. 

Their flyer touting Jindal's speech features quotes from conservative luminaries.  "The next Ronald Reagan," says Rush Limbaugh.

Of course, Mike Huckabee has also hinted that he plans to run again, so it looks like next time around the Right will have a couple of true believers to pick from.  Frankly, I think that is a battle that Jindal wins especially in light of the fact that, as Kevin Drum says, Sarah Palin is nothing but a one-hit wonder.

The New York Times tells how Gov. Bobby Jindal has made Louisiana a hospitable place for school vouchers, tax cuts, creationism and the Louisiana Family Forum, a Christian conservative group with ties to James Dobson of Focus on the Family and Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council. Rev. Gene Mills, director of the Forum, explains the close relationship: “I believe there are some philosophical principles we share, that naturally put us closer. There are a lot of shared values. We value human life and limited government. There’s a lot of common ground.”

Fidelis calls on Sen. Mary Landrieu to denounce the "anti-Catholic smear ad produced by the Democratic Party of Louisiana" against Bobby Jindal saying it "insinuates that Bobby Jindal, a Catholic Republican candidate for Governor, is somehow prejudiced against Protestants" and employs "baseless attacks pitting Catholics against Protestants recalls a dark chapter in our nation’s history when such bigotry was considered acceptable.” See the ad here.