Wow – three straight days of reporting by The New York Times on Louisiana Governor-elect Bobby Jindal, with “In a Southern State, Immigrants’ Son Takes Over“:
“…Public high school in Baton Rouge was followed by Brown, where Mr. Jindal was Phi Beta Kappa, and a conversion to Roman Catholicism … After Oxford, a well-paid stint at the Washington consultants McKinsey and Company was followed by an interview for the job of secretary of the state Department of Health and Hospitals
with the newly elected Republican governor of Louisiana, Mike Foster, in 1995. Mr. Jindal was 24;…More high-level jobs followed in quick succession: chairman of a bipartisan Medicare reform commission in Washington, head of the statewide University of Louisiana system, assistant secretary in the Department of Health and Human Services under Mr. Bush. He and his wife, Supriya, returned to Louisiana to so he could run for governor in 2003… Mr. Jindal was elected to Congress from the New Orleans suburbs in 2004, and it was common knowledge that he was biding his time for another run at the governor’s mansion. His short time in Washington was unobtrusive, and he continued to campaign at home while others in the state’s Congressional delegation established a more forceful presence as hurricane recovery efforts unfolded.”
I guess Jindal comes across as a “Model Minority” with his credentials and quick rise up the ranks of Louisiana politics. And as noted in the article, many Indian-Americans may take pride in Jindal’s political success, but if they dig deeper, may not like his stances on the issues. But that is for the state of Louisiana to decide, and they have spoken. Whether or not Jindal can lead Louisiana out of its many challenges, time will only tell. As a fellow American, I wish him the best of luck.
governor Saturday…Mr. Jindal, 36, defeated three main challengers in an open primary, becoming this state’s first nonwhite governor since a Reconstruction-era figure briefly held the office 130 years ago. With more than 90 percent of the vote counted, Mr. Jindal received 53 percent, above the 50 percent-plus-one threshold needed to avoid a runoff in November. He will be the nation’s first Indian-American governor when he takes office in January.”
two-term Republican, the overwhelming favorite. Analysts predict Mr. Jindal, 36, could get more than 50 percent of the vote in the open primary, thus avoiding a November runoff and becoming the nation’s first Indian-American governor…For months, the congressman has cultivated the rural areas where he lost in 2003, “witnessing” in remote Pentecostal churches, neutralizing his image of being hyperqualified — head of the state health department at 24, head of the university system at 28 and under secretary for the Department of Health and Human Services at 30 under President Bush — that did not help him the last time…Insinuations about his excessive intellectual capacity are still being made. “
Everyone loves babies. Seriously, a near fight could break out over Iraq or health care or interracial relationships and the media perception of the Asian male, and then someone could bring a baby in the room and everyone would just all collectively “aww.” Which is why I draw attention to 
John Cho just did an 
All political inclinations aside, I thought this was interesting: 
Jennifer from Florida
Diane from Montreal
I can’t say that I often agree with George W. Bush, but I am glad to read in today’s New York Times that “
