It looks as though the Republicans have decided that one “take-away” from the 2008 election is that we didn’t start campaigning early enough. Within days of Barack Obama’s election, the soft campaigning had begun. A book release full of choice quotes from one candidate, open letters to Congress and Detroit from others, high profile touring from another. We’re already being polled on who our favorites are for the nomination.
Today’s Washington Post carries an article entitled GOP Looks to Louisiana’s Governor, Jindal May Prove To be Republicans’ Version of Obama. They tell us about all the excitement that Jindal is creating among GOP heavyweights:
…No less an aspiring kingmaker than Steve Schmidt, the chief strategist of McCain’s failed presidential bid, sees Jindal as the Republican Party’s destiny. “The question is not whether he’ll be president, but when he’ll be president, because he will be elected someday.” The anti-tax crusader Grover Norquist believes, too, that Jindal is a certainty to occupy the White House, and conservative talk-radio host Rush Limbaugh has described him as “the next Ronald Reagan.”
I hope the pre-game show doesn’t wear us all out before the game. The public may become weary of our candidates if the media is oversaturated with them for the next 48 months. Also at issue: how long can a politician be scrutinized by the media before he or she stumbles and commits a gaffe that makes him or her unelectable?
