Author: Rory B. Bellows
I guess this is the time of year when everyone who won’t be asked to be Vice President says they are not interested in the job. Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal has taken himself out of the running to be John McCain’s running mate.
Jindal is a rising star in the conservative movement. He can establish his own brand name in the party without being the number 2 man on a ticket Republicans are not fired up about. Instead of being seen as a John McCain Republican, something that would not be attractive to the base of the party, he can become his own man as the party seeks new, conservative leadership.
Jindal has a few rough spots to iron out. His support of the Real ID Act and a constitutional amendment to ban flag burning are out of step with conservative thought. The Real ID Act takes away from the ability of states to set their own standards for Drivers ID’s and a ban on flag burning takes away the freedom to express one’s self politically. Restrictions on free speech in the form of McCain-Feingold have the conservative base rightly suspicious about Senator McCain and his governing philosophy so anything Jindal can do to separate himself from this position will be a good thing. Jindal has time on his side. He is only 37 years old and is in the first year of his term as Louisiana’s Governor. He will have a platform to articulate and enact his own conservative agenda so there really is no need to for him to be McCain’s running mate in 2008.
