PHOTO BY CHERYL GERBER
Gambit > bestofneworleans.com > december 4 > 2012
tough times, specifically relating to Jindal’s rejection of Medicaid funding — which comes on top of prior cuts in federal funding. Those prior cuts caused the administration to shutter Southeast Louisiana Hospital near the GOP stronghold of Mandeville, a move that drew sharp protest from some of his strongest allies. “We’ve all been patient, letting the election go by. We understand the politics of it,” Alario said. Now, though, he adds, “I think we want to have a frank discussion, why would we go one direction or another. We trust his knowledge on this. … I think everyone wants to make sure there are services for people in need.” Things aren’t likely to get any easier in 2013. The budget picture grows gloomier by the week, and potential successors to the term-limited Jindal — Vitter and Kennedy among them — are beginning to maneuver for position in advance of the 2015 statewide elections. One thing that will be interesting to watch is what happens when Jindal’s two worlds collide. Will his problems (and his record) in Baton Rouge pierce the national portrait that Jindal has so diligently painted? Will they even become part of the narrative? Jindal has found himself an enviable perch, chairmanship of the Republican Governors Association (RGA), from which to stay in the spotlight. Yet how will he line up with the many fellow governors who share his ambitions? One potential rival, the much-higher-profile Chris Christie of New Jersey, is scheduled to take over the RGA chairmanship after his own re-election campaign next year. How will the fact that Jindal hails from quirky, corruption-riddled Louisiana — despite his claims that he has cleaned things up — affect the nation’s perception of him? And when (if?) his profile rises to a level that warrants a closer examination of his record as governor by the national media, will that record stand up to rigorous scrutiny? Then there’s the fundamental question of whether Jindal is even ready for prime time. He clearly wasn’t the last time he tried to launch himself as a national opposition leader, when his response to Obama’s first congressional address inspired mockery even among GOP-friendly pundits. The biggest uncertainty, though, is whether Jindal can remain master of the moment in the long term. A lot can happen over the next few years. Times in Baton Rouge could get even tougher, the national mood on policies like Obamacare could soften, his party could reject his prescription to stay the course and start to rethink its platform, and world events can always cause seismic shifts in the political landscape. For the foreseeable future, though, this much seems certain: When Bobby Jindal talks, people are going to be listening.
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