Republican Rep. Bobby Jindal’s Louisiana gubernatorial campaign keeps cruising along, much to the consternation of his foes who continue to shut their eyes to reality when they are not trying to convince him to help them defeat him.
Longshot hope Republican businessman John Georges got more confirmation of his status with his own poll showing that Jindal essentially has locked up 38 percent of the intended vote. Interestingly, his campaign stressed that aspect of the survey, not his own standing likely because it is still in the low single digits.
Georges’ whistling in the dark in response to the numbers was along the lines that Jindal only had 38 percent “before our campaign,” simultaneously embracing the fictions that his campaign hadn’t already started and was doing poorly and that somehow Jindal wouldn’t get much else support beyond that level. To put it in perspective, in the 2003 primary, Jindal’s actual vote was only 33 percent; chances are better than even at this level he’ll pick up at least another 12 percent regardless of what Georges or anybody else does, absent a David Vitter-like skeleton in the closet.
Meanwhile, another Jindal opponent Democrat Public Service Commissioner Foster Campbell is annoyed that Jindal won’t “debate” him (although three are planned on public television a month before the primary election). This is because Jindal wisely is following the time-old strategy of when you are a giant in a contest of dwarves, behave as if the dwarves don’t exist. Their position only can get better while yours only can get worse if you treat them as equals. So, Jindal is not about to give Campbell or anybody else any extra opportunities to try to make themselves look bigger by being given a spot next to him.
As if another example needed to appear to confirm the relative statuses of Jindal and Campbell, a presentation arranged by the Shreveport Chamber of Commerce had to be rearranged when Campbell, realizing that Jindal was a replacement speaker after local Congressman Jim McCrery had to withdraw, asked to appear with Jindal. Rather than have Campbell aboard, the Chamber dropped the idea, but immediately local Republicans picked it back up sponsoring Jindal.
No doubt the dwarves in the race are exasperated, but the fact is Jindal has the message and the money to promote it that likely a healthy majority in the state support and there’s little they can do about it. Again, at this point it’s Jindal’s race to lose.
Sadow is a God!!!
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