Bobby Jindal

Wall Street Journal: Bayou Bobby, A new governor offers hope for disaffected Louisiana expats

…Here’s the thing about Bobby Jindal: He didn’t leave for good. He came home. With his Ivy League and Oxbridge education and his startling smarts, he could have gone anywhere and nobody back home would have blamed him. In fact, he is the epitome of the kind of Louisianian who emigrates to Dallas, Atlanta and points beyond–driving around with an LSU sticker on his bumper.

But he didn’t. The guy actually seemed to think he could make a difference in Louisiana. He got involved in government at age 24 and stuck with it. He ran for governor in 2003 and lost to Democrat Kathleen Blanco. When the Katrina hurricane aftermath destroyed Ms. Blanco’s career, Mr. Jindal’s loss came to look like a blessing in disguise. Anyway, after what Katrina revealed about the chron ic dysfunction of the state, how crazy would a politician have to be to think he could straighten out a place like that?

…That night, my father woke me up phoning from St. Francisville, La.. “Jindal won tonight!” he said, tickled to death. So did the Tigers, but I don’t think he even mentioned football.

I haven’t lived in Louisiana in a long time, but this election makes me proud and hopeful–two emotions unfamiliar to exiled Bayou Staters. And the promise of Mr. Jindal’s leadership makes me wonder, for the first time since I packed up the U-Haul and drove off, if maybe I–and now, my children–have a future in Louisiana.

http://www.opinionjournal.com/taste/?id=110010785

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