February 26, 2009 at 14:40:58

Yikes! GOP Foiled Again as Jindal's Speech Flops

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By Sitafa Harden (about the author) Page 1 of 1 page(s)

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For OpEdNews: Sitafa Harden - Writer

MSNBC reports that Jindal's comments were stale and quotes David Brooks, a conservative New York Times columnist who called the governor's arguments "insane" and "tone-deaf given the dire economic challenges the country faces".

Gov. Jindal's speech was a huge opportunity for the Republican Party to reinvent themselves to the American people.

Instead, the GOP chose to trot out yet another representative spouting empty rhetoric in a folksy tone-a dog and pony show disappointingly reminiscent of the introduction of Gov. Sarah Palin into Sen. John McCain's failed presidential campaign.

Perhaps even more disturbing is the fact that the manner of the speech's delivery appeared to many to have been deliberately staged. Some political pundits familiar with Jindal's usually bold and concise style of speaking feel that he seemed to intentionally par down his demeanor, maybe in an attempt to come across as more down-home and relatable.

Instead, the governor only succeeded in appearing insincere and comical.

As MSNBC reports, Fox News commentator Juan Williams said of Jindal's delivery.

"It came off as amateurish, and even the tempo in which he spoke was singsongy," Williams said, adding that the content of the speech was "very simplistic and almost childish."

Memo to the GOP: The American people already spoke loud and clear with their votes in the 2008 Presidential election-they're tired of the same old song of dance.

The time is over for those age-old political tricks that would rally up a party's base just long enough to push a vote through or get a candidate seated. Now is the time for a studied, authentic response to our nation's multitude of problems.

Maybe some Republicans believe that President Obama was elected simply because he was a relatively unknown candidate with a flair for speaking. Oh, and yes, also because he happens to be a member of a minority social group. Thus, they may feel using this faulty logic that by reproducing some semblance of this phenomena they can succeed in lifting the perceived spell they think President Obama has over the country.

However, in that case the GOP's failure would be in their premise. President Obama's approach has been successful not merely for the aforementioned reasons but mainly because in addition to being well qualified, he is also authentic and believable, and because he remains in touch on a grass-roots level with the issues facing voters everyday.

In turn, if Republicans really want to revive their party they need to first revise and refine their message, then produce a spokesman who genuinely believes in and embodies that message to put before the American people. Anything less is and will continue to be a lackluster and ineffective response to the country's urgent needs.

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Sitafa Harden is a writer in Atlanta, GA. She is a regular contributer to OpEdNews, NewsVine, and The Daily Voice. She is also a citizen journalist for Digital Journal.

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