Bobby Jindal - what happened?

[Redban]

In 2012, Bobby Jindal was considered a fairly big name among the GOP rising stars, alongside Chris Christie and Nikki Haley. I remember hearing rumblings about him as a possible VP for Romney in 2012; Jindal even had to say outright that "I won't be Romney's VP" because he kept getting asked the question. He was also given a key spot on national TV to deliver the GOP's rebuttal to ObamaCare

But then in 2016 ... Jindal's campaign went nowhere? Infact, I often forget that he even had a campaign in 2016.

So what happened ?

Did he have low approvals in Louisiana, ala Christie in NJ? Was there a scandal like Bridgegate?

[Holmes]

He just got unlucky. The stars didn't align for him. That's what happens when pols are hyped up as the "next big thing". It rarely materializes.

For example,

[Хahar 🤔]

no swag

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

He just got unlucky. The stars didn't align for him. That's what happens when pols are hyped up as the "next big thing". It rarely materializes.

For example,

I can't with K-Mac's gray hair right over the title "Young Guns".

[AltWorlder]

What a horrendous cover picture. Paul Ryan's smile might be dorky but at least it's affable. The other two both look like irate cavemen.

[TheElectoralBoobyPrize]

He was unpopular in Louisiana at the time, I believe (budget issues). And he's just not a good speaker....remember his rebuttal to Obama's SOTU?

[Stranger in a strange land]

Being anointed as a rising star of your party 1-2 years before an election is a sure kiss of death.

[Lumine]

Charisma-void, if I recall correctly. And like most of the overinflated GOP 2016 field, said virtually the same things as most of the others - in a predictable dull manner - and swiftly faded into the background without anything to truly differentiate himself.

If he ever had anything resembling a "shot" it was 2012 as part of the endless cycle of "Not Romney" candidates, and even then he wasn't exactly polling much differently than in 2016.

So yeah. Stars never aligned, and he wasn't offering anything (personality or otherwise) to change the odds in his favor.

[oldtimer]

"What happened?"

[SWE]

He was given a chance to govern and he was so bad at it it directly led to 8 years of Democratic governorship in a deep red state. It's hard to build a national profile when even your home state loathes you

[TheTide]

My favourite thing about that SOTU response is C-SPAN anchor Peter Slen (normally very composed, like all C-SPAN anchors) clearly on the brink of laughter - see the end of this video:

[President Punxsutawney Phil]

Remember the whole "no go zones" comment from him?

[TheElectoralBoobyPrize]

He was given a chance to govern and he was so bad at it it directly led to 8 years of Democratic governorship in a deep red state. It's hard to build a national profile when even your home state loathes you

Obviously, he was popular in his first term as his reelection was a formality. Actually, only one other Republican governor, Mike Foster, has won reelection in Louisiana. He, too, had a Democrat replace him. If I remember correctly, he was unpopular at the end of his second term, though not on Jindal's level at the end of his. Plus, Louisiana wasn't quite deep red at that point.

[Sir Mohamed]

It's again of these instances in which a candidate is great on paper but in reality more of a paper tiger.

[Blair]

He spoke.

[AltWorlder]

He just got unlucky. The stars didn't align for him. That's what happens when pols are hyped up as the "next big thing". It rarely materializes.

For example,

lmao again

[Samof94]

His own daughters didn't seem to care about him running.

[John Forbes Kerrygold 🧈]

"What happened?"

Nosferatu-walkin ass

[Skill and Chance]

He just got unlucky. The stars didn't align for him. That's what happens when pols are hyped up as the "next big thing". It rarely materializes.

For example,

That's a picture of 2 former House Speakers and a former House majority leader, they did quite well in politics.  Does one of them have to become president to live up to the hype?

[xavier110]

He was tokenized by Republican donors who wanted a non-white/male leader to fill the Obama era GOP void. That’s what happened. The usual donor-created thing that has no substance. He also checked the elite qualification boxes: Ivy degree, Rhodes Scholar, McKinsey consultant (I don’t get why these consultants ever try politics… it never works, since they almost always lack empathy/any humanity… stick to the corporate world).

[Pres Mike]

The Republican party was never going to nominate a brown man to be their nominee. Jindal and Haley were basically placed as governors by the national GOP to be token brown people.

Ivy degree, Rhodes Scholar, McKinsey consultant (I don’t get why these consultants ever try politics… it never works, since they almost always lack empathy/any humanity… stick to the corporate world).

I will never understand why consultants hype up being a "Rhodes Scholar". Most Americans don't even know what that is. Much less will vote on someone based off that. The media tried to hype up Pete Buttigieg because he was a Rhodes scholar and spoke multiple languages like wtf cares

[Del Tachi]

He just got unlucky. The stars didn't align for him. That's what happens when pols are hyped up as the "next big thing". It rarely materializes.

For example,

I can't with K-Mac's gray hair right over the title "Young Guns".

McCarthy was only 42 when this picture was taken.  About 10-20% of men will be completely grey by age 40.

[Schiff for Senate]

My favourite thing about that SOTU response is C-SPAN anchor Peter Slen (normally very composed, like all C-SPAN anchors) clearly on the brink of laughter - see the end of this video:

Jindal himself sounds like a C-SPAN anchor