But Kwarteng is a Conservative.  His story shadows a son of immigrants who became Governor of Louisiana.  Kwasi’s parents were born in Ghana.  They immigrated to the UK and shortly after that, Kwasi was born.  Both his parents went to college and his mother is a barrister.  She qualified just after Kwasi was born but stayed home with him until he was seven.  Kwasi went to Cambridge on a scholarship he won at 13 and ultimately earned a Ph.D in British History. 

He was a “company analyst” (Chairman of the Bow Group, a respected UK conservative think tank) and a journalist; he is now working on a book about what Kwasi calls the “global legacy of the British Empire.”  (I quote his website that was apparently plagarized by the Ghana site).  His favourite politician is Winston Churchill and he is as he put it “still single, I’m afraid.”  My advice to the new MP is:  Don’t worry.  I had more dates when I ran for delegate than ever before!  And I lost!  He won!  (Of course praying about it and trusting in Christ is the best way to find the right mate!)

Here’s what Kwasi did when he won:  He praised his predecessor:

Before the Liberal Democrat outburst, [where their campaign workers called Kwarteng a "scumbag"], Mr Kwarteng had been praising and defending Mr Wilshire over his expenses scandal.

He said: “He was a very loyal and hard working MP for Spelthorne and nothing has been proven against him. He leaves with no smear or smirch against him.”

That’s what I would call gracious.  Some powerful names like and admire Kwarteng.  One is the shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer (shadow means he’s the Tory counterpart for the real Chancellor, similar to the Secretary of the Treasury and may well be the real one in a few days), George Osborne, said this about Kwarteng:

“Kwasi is a great asset to the party. He has a lively mind, lots of energy and would make a fine MP!”

Kwasi Kwarteng said this about why he is conservative:

I believe that people should be allowed to work hard and save their money. I think in modern Britain, too many people expect something for nothing.

He wrote an article with this title:  Rap Music, Goat Curry, and Why Crying Racism Won’t Help Beat Black Crime.  Kwarteng’s thesis is that family breakdown, limited educational chances and welfare programs have been factors in the increase of black-on-black crime in the UK.  It’s amazing.  Try this:

Through flawed ideology and a failure to promote traditional values, the Left made the situation for all those at the bottom of the heap far worse – whatever the colour of their skin.

Wow.  Might Kwasi Kwarteng come here and train our politicians?  I’d love to meet him!  I promise I’ll take him personally to Williamsburg but he might debate what would have happened if we had lost the Revolution!  And I might lose!  He may someday come visit President Bobby Jindal as the Prime Minister of Great Britain!

His first was about Ron Paul:

Still, the presidential race is eons in the distance, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a wide-open contest at the start. That is good news for libertarian Ron Paul, who, startlingly, finished just one vote behind Romney. His organizers are the most intense of all.

This may well be great news.  If Paul and former NM Governor Gary Johnson can make the deal and run together as a libertarian ticket, they may have a force to reckon with. 

Fineman’s OTHER observation concerns my other political hero:  Bobby Jindal.

Other than former Oklahoma congressman J. C. Watts and RNC Chairman Michael Steele, who spoke to the gathering, I don’t think I saw a single African-American at the event. I’m not sure I saw a Latino or Asian person there, either—except for Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal. I shouldn’t have expected anything else, of course: “Southern, white, Republican, conservative” is a quadruple redundancy. They have as much right to hold a meeting as any other group. But I couldn’t escape the feeling that, as amped up and potent as this crowd felt inside the ballroom, there is another, larger world—and another generation—rising elsewhere.

See what I mean about tone?  I would think there were many African-American, Latino and Asian attendees at the SRLC.  If you were one, write to Fineman.  But Fineman makes a point that if someone like Romney were to be nominated, he may well seek out Jindal and persuade him to be his running mate for demographic reasons.   There are better reasons.  I think the nation might be in for a surprise.

“On Solid Ground: Returning to America’s Core Values,” to be written by Jindal and Hoover Institution research fellow Peter Schweizer, is scheduled for release on July 12 but can be pre-ordered through a variety of book outlets such as Amazon.com, Borders.com, Booktopia.com and Booksamillion.com.

This book should highlight the accomplishments of Jindal.  It might do more:

“In his new book, Jindal tells his own inspiring story and reveals his plan for putting conservatives and America back on solid ground,” the promotional capsule states. “From health care and national debt to how we can fundamentally transform Washington, Jindal tackles controversial issues and offers fresh solutions. … ‘On Solid Ground’ provides the leadership voice Republicans seek and the guidance America needs.”

Mark Ambinder of Atlantic Magazine (cited by NOLA) speculatesthat Jindal may be interested in the White House.  Ambinder asserts that Jindal was a frontrunner until the imfamous speech of 2009 (I think Jindal was badly advised as to the delivery and audience; compared it with Governor Bob McDonnell’s speech this year) but he is still a respected policy voice:

Since his national political star rose, and fell, Jindal has been considered a policy whiz in the GOP, rising through Louisiana’s state government at an impressively young age. Writing a book seems to be the mark of presidential ambitions–Romney, Palin, and Mike Huckabee have all published and toured to promote books in the last year–and it will be interesting to see just how much policy is included in this book, and whether or not his publicity rollout constitutes an aggressive move back onto the national political scene.

My admiration for Jindal is based on a combination of immense accomplishments and social conservatism packaged in a diversity-friendly package.  He is also an evangelical who is not shy
about his faith.  I will always be conflicted about Jindal versus Paul. 

But the CPAC straw poll is out and there are two surprises:  In a solid second place, just six points behind former Governor Mitt Romney is Bobby Jindal.  That’s right.  Governor Jindal had 14 percent.  This is more surprising when you consider that Romney is unofficially campaigning for President and Jindal has disavowed any interest in the White House. 

The other surprise is that Cong. Ron Paul came in fourth, right behind former Gov. Sarah Palin.  He had 13% of the straw poll votes.  This shows that Paul has made inroads into the conservative activists who frequent CPAC and related events. 

Next year’s straw poll will be critical:  I have indicated my interest in being a credentialed blogger for CPAC and if selected, I’ll live blog from there.  Can I cast half a vote for Jindal and half for Paul?  In the meantime, read my friend Tom White’s blog!

Some highlights:

Some political observers said Jindal is succeeding in improving the state’s image and promoting economic development.

Jindal said his greatest accomplishment in office is that Louisiana’s economy is performing better than most of the rest of the country. He said that is because of his economic development policies.

The state Legislature made significant cuts in taxes, which Jindal eventually backed after his aides initially opposed the move.

Jindal has helped lead the state in poor economic times:

He [Jindal] said Louisiana’s economy is outperforming the nation and the South during the recession.

 His ethics reforms drew support even from at least one Democratic lawmaker:

Jindal began his term by calling legislators into a special session to change the state’s ethics laws.

Those changes were problematic.

Ethics Board members resigned, shutting down the board for months.

However, many believe that Jindal strengthened the state’s ethics laws and improved Louisiana’s image.

State Sen. John Alario, D-Westwego, gives the governor an “A plus” for the ethics legislation, calling the changes a giant step.

Alario also credits the governor for not sitting at his desk 24 hours a day.

The governor often is on the road, whether to meet with residents or to raise campaign funds.

“I think it’s good that he does mix with people across the country,” Alario said.

Another more prominent Democrat, James Carville, adviser to former President Bill Clinton, praises Jindal and predicts he’ll run for President in the future:

“I would be surprised if at some point in his life Bobby Jindal doesn’t not run for president,” Carville said.

He said Jindal should not fret about the state’s budget crisis negatively impacting his future aspirations.

He noted that the recession is having a widespread effect.

“Every governor’s having budget problems,” Carville said. “Who’s not?”

This is one of the few times I agree with James Carvile!  It may not happen in 2012: 

Jindal said he intends to serve two full terms, dismissing speculation that he will win re-election and resign for a national office.

But we cannot yet rule out the VP nod for 2012.  It seems to me that if a nominee says to the Governor that he’s the best choice for party and country, it would be difficult for Governor Jindal (or anyone else) to say no without a compelling reason (some skeleton that Jindal does not have in his closet) to do so.

PS:  I recommend the chart for your reading.

The Times-Picayune reports that Jindal and two of his cabinet officials (The Secretary of the Department of Human Resources and the Secretary of Louisiana Economic Development) have filed comments opposing the EPA finding. 

A highlight from the T-P article:

In his letter, Jindal said the proposed rules “will have a dramatic, chilling effect on the refining and production capability of our state” and that cost of increased regulation will reduce the chances that companies will create jobs. Jindal said the EPA’s proposed rule could force manufacturers to move operations overseas, harming the national economy, and might ultimately harm the environment if those destinations have less stringent environmental regulations.

I am pleased to see this sort of stand.  This is good news.

As the holiest day of the year for Christians fast approaches, I wish each of you a very Merry Christmas. In today’s politically correct society, many people and businesses refrain from wishing each other “Merry Christmas” instead preferring the more generic “Happy Holidays.” I believe that each of us should remember the true meaning of December 25. It is the day of the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and Christians everywhere celebrate the day according to their own traditions.

Our world faces many problems. As we in America deal with some of the most important issues of our lifetime, such as a struggling economy, health care reform, rising taxes and an expansion of the federal government, As Americans, even with all of our problems, we have much to celebrate. We live in the greatest country the world has ever known.

I hope that each of us will take the time to contemplate and celebrate the true meaning of Christmas. On this day, our Savior was born. Because of his birth, mankind has received the promise of eternal life.

My family and I wish each of you a very Merry Christmas. To our non-Christian friends we say Happy Holidays. Please remember to pray for our troops, as they serve thousands of miles away from home. May they be safe and return to their families soon.

And from the email card I got from Governor Jindal’s office (along with millions of others!)

As we gather to celebrate the holidays, this time of year brings so many wonderful memories, such as mom’s Christmas ham or a child’s first Christmas morning.  In our house, we celebrate with a birthday cake for Jesus. This is indeed a special time of year and I hope everyone has an opportunity to sit down with family and friends to truly grasp the meaning of the holiday season. I want to wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas, and hope that you have a safe and happy holiday weekend.

Again, have a BLESSED Christmas.  No blogs until after Christmas unless something exciting happens like Heath Shuler switches parties!

3. Bobby Jindal: Yes, he had a bad response to Obama’s State of the Union, but the Rhodes Scholar is just 38 years old. Chalk it up as a MINOR setback for his national ambitions. He has a reputation for being a good executive, has lots of money in the bank, and represents something that’s currently lacking in the Republican Party — diversity.

This is a very balanced view of Jindal, including the so-called disastrous speech.  I thank also GOP 12 for this lead.

LOUISIANA IS ON the right fiscal track, according to an independent, non-partisan foundation that lobbies for good, small government in New Mexico. In a commentary for the Sun-News newspaper in Las Cruces, Paul J. Gessing, president of the Rio Grande Foundation, urged Gov. Bill Richardson to stay away from tax increases. Instead, he writes, go after “the bloated government workforce” and similar expenses. “Ironically,” he writes, “the state leading the way in these reforms is another state that has a long history of political corruption, Louisiana. Rather than simply raising taxes on struggling families, Pelican State policymakers, led by Gov. Bobby Jindal, have embarked on a wide-ranging set of government reforms designed to reduce the size and cost of government.”
WE THINK: Thanks for the optimistic assessment, Mr. Gessing, and for suggesting that Louisiana is “blazing a trail out of the budgetary wilderness.” We’ll let you know where we end up.

Here is the Post’s analysis on Jindal:

If Barbour and Daniels form the ranks of old pros, there are young pros rising within the ranks. The youngest is Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, who has been on a fast track all his adult life. He had a terrible introduction to the nation this year when he was picked to give the GOP response to Obama’s first speech as president to a joint session of Congress.

But appearances can be deceiving. Jindal has a considerable intellect and a command of many of the policy issues that will be front and center in the next few years, including health care and energy. Whether he can prove himself on a national stage still isn’t known, but he could give Republicans fresh ideas and a platform from which to test them.

Although the Speech was mentioned (Boo!), it was admitted that Gov. Jindal is smart and has some experience/training in hot-button political issues such as health care and energy.  I think Jindal’s personal energy and accomplishments in Louisiana will help him. 

Another pro-Jindal item is his “fast-track” resume.  This is the main reason I am fascinated with Governor Jindal.  Remember that list of potential 2012 GOP Presidential candidates several months ago?  the one with the best resume (state cabinet official, university system president, federal sub-cabinet, Congress and governor) is the youngest one:  Bobby Jindal.