Bobby Jindal? Is this a joke?

Anybody who stuck around last night after President Obama's address to Congress got a real surprise...a somewhat unpleasant surprise.

I was sitting in my living room reading the newspaper and I had the T.V. on. I heard the newscasters on MSNBC say, "And now for the GOP response to Obama's speech, we turn to Bobby Jindal, governor of Louisiana..."

The next thing I was a gaunt figure walking out of a shadowy foyer, and approaching the microphone as if he were accepting an award. This, apparently, was Bobby Jindal, governor of Louisiana, about whom I've heard almost nothing up until this point. Before Jindal was even finished with his first sentence, my stomach was queasy.

My first thought was that someone was playing a collosal joke on the network, and had switched the videotapes, or hijacked the live-feed. I expected someone to yell "Cut to commercial!!!" any second, and pull the plug on the eerily comical figure speaking into the camera. But, no one did. Apparently, it was planned this way.

Jindal's opening lines of his "rebutall" sounded like the worst pre-canned horse-sh*t I have ever heard. I don't even want to repeat it, or attempt to paraphrase it. He then followed with a brief story about his family and his upbringing, which, in my opinion, had absolutely NO place in the GOP Rebutall. He was obviously using his time in front of the camera to sell himself and his humble beginnings to the American audience. It was shameless, and I think he did a horrible job.

He sounded saccharine, un-sincere, and down-right fake. I was embarassed to even be watching it. It was so bad, I turned the TV off several times because it was just uncomfortable to look at, and there didn't seem to be any substance related to Obama's speech! After about five minutes, I could bear it no longer, and just turned off the T.V.

I understand the GOP has positioned Jindal as their "answer" to Barack Obama....what a joke. First off, if last night is any indication, this guy's got nothing on President Obama. Secondly, why is it the Republicans feel they have to all-of-a-sudden start putting the spotlight on members of their party who aren't white? It's like, "See? See?! We've got brown people, too!" It's just a sad, sad, display.

I don't know what Jindal's full record is. I'm sure he's a very smart guy, and he must be a good politician if he's served in the U.S. congress and is now a governor...but he sure as hell dealt himself a blow last night. I know for a fact that other people feel the same. He is a pro, and last night's display was bush-league infomercial stuff.