Coffee with Karim
I’ve been told it’s time to take the Romney sticker off my laptop and face reality. Looking back at this election season, I’m still unsure exactly when things went wrong. It seemed so certain: we had a President with over eight percent unemployment competing against a candidate with a clear plan to produce jobs. Despite this fact, over sixty-two million people chose to reelect President Obama.
In losing, we have been given an opportunity to learn, and now have four years to produce a candidate who is able to attract a wide range of voters. For some, considering who will run in 2016 is a conversation for a future date. But for me, the future is all that we have to look forward to.
There is one Republican, in my mind, who would be an exceptional Presidential candidate: Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal. Though he has not formally announced his candidacy, Governor Jindal recently obtained national coverage by criticizing Governor Romney’s “gift” comments and argued that Republicans must fight for each vote and must stop saying stupid things.
To some, the 2012 election was proof that Republican ideals are no longer desired in this country. Governor Jindal, on the other hand, is arguing that success for Republicans will come not from a change in ideology, but a change in rhetoric. From statements about the forty-seven percent of Americans to assertions of “legitimate” rape, conservatives this election season have found various ways to alienate voters who may have ultimately agreed with their core beliefs. Instead of using offensive slogans, Jindal believes that conservatives must develop detailed policy initiatives and trust the intelligence of voters to make the right decision.
Further, Jindal is an individual that can inspire two groups that the Republicans failed to attract during the 2012 election: the youth and minorities. A minority who is the son of Indian American immigrants, Jindal’s early success, from his Rhodes Scholarship to his two-term governorship, has given him an inspiring background that, coupled with his views, can attract minorities, college students, and also the more typical conservatives.
As an Asian-American, I am personally inspired by Governor Jindal’s brilliance, success, and steadfast belief in his ideals. Though I don’t agree with all of his views, he has proven to be an effective leader in the State of Louisiana, improving the health care system there while cutting its costs. Additionally, he understands that the rhetoric of the Republican Party must return to its core value of inspiring Americans towards the American Dream.
So, before I can take off my Romney sticker and face reality, I want to be assured that my laptop can soon advertise the name of a capable Republican candidate like Bobby Jindal.
Karim Lakhani is a junior in the School of Hotel Administration. He can be reached at kml248@cornell.edu