“Kenneth The Page” Responds To Governor Bobby Jindal Comparison & Jindal’s 60 Minutes Profile

By John | Tuesday, March 3, 2009 | 2 Comments

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Last week, President Obama delivered his first address to a joint session of Congress, declaring that “‘We Will Rebuild’ and ‘Recover’.” Traditionally, the opposition party in power is given the opportunity to respond to the President’s speech, and the Republican Party chose rising star Governor of Louisiana Bobby Jindal, the nation’s fist Indian American governor. Jindal’s speech and his delivery were almost universally panned by both the left and the right, including quite a few commentators and guests on Fox News. But what has the blogosphere on fire has been the comparison of Jindal to Kenneth The Page on NBC’s comedy show, 30 Rock.

Mind you, if Jindal had an Indian rather than a Southern accent, would there be comparisons to Apu on the Simpsons, and there would be outrage.

Jindal’s first opportunity to introduce himself directly to the nation was an epic fail. He’s considered a potential presidential candidate for 2012 — while I doubt this speech alone will derail any potential runs for higher office, it was certainly considered a setback by many. Jindal’s PR machine conveniently timed his first 60 Minutes interview as Governor for this past Sunday to coincide with his response speech as well. I thought it was a great overview of Jindal that showcased a Indian American family’s immigrant story, though the profile seemed to reveal Jindal making a conscious effort to “whitewash” his Indian roots — and even in a direct question about keeping any Indian traditions with his wife and kids, flat-out denied; after all, he’s a born-and-bred Louisianian. Take a look and decide for yourself:

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