Friends -

It is time to give President Obama credit for keeping a commitment.

This is, for this President, a pretty remarkable achievement.  I am not blaming him for the fact that the rise of the oceans has not slowed or that the planet has not begun to heal; only his true believers, i.e., the mainstream media, believed all that campaign rhetoric anyway.  On a more mundane level, President Obama promised to reduce the deficit in half by the end of this term; instead he has added more than $1 trillion to the nation’s debt each year he has been in office.  His Administration projected passing his $800 billion plus stimulus plan would keep unemployment below 8 percent; unemployment went above 8 percent in February of his first year and has yet to return.  The President promised repeatedly to change the tone in Washington and to unite Democrats and Republicans; he did succeed in convincing the House recently to unanimously reject his budget, but I don’t think that is what he meant.  The President campaigned against Hillary Clinton’s individual mandate and John McCain’s tax increases on certain health plans, and included both in Obamacare.  That would be the same Obamacare he promised would result in our premiums being reduced by $2,500.  He has promised every year in office to offer his own plan to reform entitlement programs, but a curious nation still waits.

Perhaps we should only give the President partial credit, since the commitment he has kept was not one he personally made.  His Energy Secretary, Steven Chu, infamously said even before the election in 2008, “Somehow we have to figure out how to boost the price of gasoline to the levels in Europe.”  I should mention, since the President never fails to, that Secretary Chu is a Nobel Prize winner.  Sounds like Chu is getting advice from Al Gore, yet another Nobel Prize winner.  The President, who also has his own Nobel Prize, and Secretary Chu have done a remarkable job.  National average gasoline prices doubled since he took office, and, even more impressively, in 2011, the average annual prices of a barrel of oil and a gallon of gas were higher than at any time in the last 150 years.  As President Bush might say, “heck of a job.”

Even though then-Senator Obama was quick to blame President Bush for rising gasoline prices, he now complains current prices are not his fault.  For once, I think the President is being too modest, for clearly his actions have contributed to rising prices, reduced availability of domestically produced energy, and continued dependence on foreign countries.  I truly believe in an all of the above strategy, including oil and gas, nuclear power, wind and solar power, conservation, biofuels, other renewables, and clean coal, that leads to more affordable energy, an expanding manufacturing base, and an improved standard of living, whereas the President’s strategy seems to be based on a more European worldview of less consumption, higher energy prices, and more government regulation of our lives.  Trade in your SUV’s and suburban homes, and prepare to bathe less frequently!

The President has clearly been reading the polls and has promised in an election year to focus on the economy, make the creation of jobs his top priority, and work to reduce energy prices.  What can President Obama do to show this is not mere campaign rhetoric that will be quickly forgotten after the election?

First, the President should show through his actions that he understands the law of supply and demand.  While President Obama likes to take credit for higher domestic oil production, he fails to disclose these levels are based on decisions made before he took office and that much of this activity is taking place on private lands.  To put it simply, he was against domestic production before he was for it.  Despite a recent boost in activity, the average number of deep-water drilling permits approved monthly is down nearly 30% from the historical norm before the BP spill.  In 2011, lease sales for onshore drilling on federal lands reached an all-time low, since 1984, when discounting for leases sold in previous years.  Opening new fields means increased supply which means lower prices.  Certainly, our Ivy League educated President understands the importance of opening new fields, e.g., ANWR, and increasing supply; if not, he should demand a refund from Columbia for any tuition he paid towards economics courses.

Second, the Administration should stop sending a muddled message on fracking and instead provide predictability to companies making expensive multi-year investments that are opening up shale plays across the country and transforming the marketplace for natural gas.  This industry already supports more than 600,000 jobs, has helped reduce domestic natural gas prices by more than 75%, and caused companies to start the process of building multi-billion dollar terminals to export and not just import liquefied natural gas.  Falling natural gas prices mean more than a cheaper and cleaner heating and transportation fuel; natural gas is an important feedstock, and lower prices have already helped convince companies to invest billions of dollars and to create thousands of manufacturing jobs in America.

Third, President Obama should instruct his Cabinet to cease and desist all regulatory actions undermining safe, affordable domestic energy production.  For example, clearly suspending Tier 3 gasoline standards that are expected to increase gasoline prices by as much as 25 cents a gallon.

Fourth, President Obama should end the EPA’s hostile stance on domestically abundant clean coal energy.  Then-Senator Obama described flawed cap and trade proposals that would “bankrupt” anyone wanting to open a coal plant.  China now produces more than three times as much coal as we do, and is the world’s largest importer.  Shutting down coal plants in America, while China continues to burn every pound of coal it can get its hands on, does not reduce global emissions; it simply makes our electricity more expensive.

Fifth, the President should reverse his decision on the Keystone XL pipeline, linking our Gulf Coast refineries to production facilities in Canada and the booming Bakken oil fields of Montana and North Dakota.  This decision would create 20,000 construction jobs and 100,000 indirect jobs, and reassure our friends to the north that their future lies with us and not China.  After facing intense criticism, the President did relent and approve the portion of the pipeline from Cushing, Oklahoma to Texas.  He was against the pipeline, before he was for it.  This is certainly a step in the right direction, but someone needs to buy the President a map to show him how far Oklahoma is from Canada.  Perhaps he should request Columbia also refund his tuition paid towards any geography courses.

Sixth, President Obama should stop singling out one industry for tax increases in favor of crony capitalism that rewards countless Solyndras, and should instead advocate for a flatter tax code with lower rates and no loopholes.  Let the different energy companies compete in the marketplace.  He must understand higher taxes mean higher prices for American consumers.

Many Republicans criticize the President for his incompetence on rising energy prices, but I believe this to be unfair.  I think the President’s radical environmental ideology, not his Administration’s incompetence, is to blame for his failure to adopt a comprehensive energy policy that makes the rational choices that would lower energy prices.

-Bobby

Respectful columnist George Will has also made a strong case for Jindal:

Here are two excellent choices:

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Louisiana’s Gov. Bobby Jindal, 40, was a 20-year-old congressional staffer when he authored a substantial report on reforming Medicare financing. At 24, he became head of Louisiana’s Department of Health and Hospitals, with 12,000 employees and 40 percent of the state budget. Back in Washington at 26, he was executive director of the National Bipartisan Commission on the Future of Medicare. In 1999, he became president of Louisiana’s state university system, which has 80,000 students. In 2001, he served as an assistant secretary of health and human services. He became governor after three years in Congress.

Even 2008 standard bearer Sen. John McCain agrees that Jindal is an excellent choice!  And he may be on the verge of a huge educational reform that in effect establishes a limited state-wide voucher system:

Gov. Bobby Jindal’s education reform agenda could be coming to a head in the Louisiana State Senate this week where the vote is expected to be close on some key bills. Jindal has proposed converting the New Orleans voucher program into a statewide option, expand the number of charter schools, and interlink tenure with student and teacher performance. The governor has encountered stiff opposition from the state’s two teachers unions—the Louisiana Association of Educators and the Louisiana Federation of Teachers. Jindal is also now the target of a recall effort initiated by individual teachers whom the unions have not yet formally embraced.

Here are some details of the Orleans Parish voucher plan passed in 2008:

Under the legislation enacted in 2008, the Student Scholarships for Educational Excellence (SSEE) program provides low-income families in Orleans Parish with the option to select a public or private school. Over 1,800 students in grades K-6 have received scholarships in the current 2011-2012 school year.

To be eligible, household income cannot exceed 250 percent of the federal poverty guidelines, which would be $55,875 for a family of four in 2011. Moreover, the student must have attended an “F” rated public school the previous year, or be entering kindergarten. The Louisiana Department of Education has published a list of the schools participating in the Orleans Parish program.

This article from the Alexandria Town Talk is breath-taking.

Gov. Bobby Jindal triumphed Thursday in his bid to embark on a historic overhaul of public education in Louisiana, receiving final House passage of his centerpiece proposals.

In a state where student performance lags that of the nation, the complex bills will make it harder for teachers to gain tenure while establishing a statewide voucher program for private school tuition and multiplying the ways to establish charter schools. The bills also lessen local school board authority in hiring and firing decisions, expand online schools and restructure public financing of education.

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Vouchers will be available to at most an estimated 2,000 new students to attend private schools with public tax dollars in the fall. New charter schools will take at least a year to get through the application and approval process. And the earliest a teacher can lose tenure under the new evaluation system is spring 2014.

Of course, the usual stuff from the other side:

“I have no doubt that there’s going to be a courtroom in the future for both bills,” Louisiana Federation of Teachers President Steve Monaghan said in an interview Thursday.

***

Opponents say the governor’s initiatives will siphon dollars from public schools and leave some of the neediest students in schools with fewer dollars to educate them. They complain private and parochial schools won’t be held to the same accountability standards as public schools even though they’ll get public funding. They criticized the record speed at which the bills were pushed through a session that doesn’t end until June. And they accused Jindal of advancing the ideas to boost his conservative credentials nationally.

***

Rep. Patricia Smith, D-Baton Rouge, said the voucher proposal and “pop-up” charter schools will take enough dollars away from traditional public schools that they will bankrupt school systems.

“This is a national agenda to do away with public education,” said Rep. Rogers Pope, R-Denham Springs, a retired school superintendent from Livingston Parish.

Let me say this as kindly as I can:  We’ve tried it your way for many years.  We have declining test scores, metal detectors, and psychobabble for history.  School choice is the wave of the future.  Bobby Jindal ought to be Vice President Biden’s worst nightmare.  He might even let Hillary have the job to avoid debating Gov. Jindal.  That debate will be like one of those one-sided boxing matches called for mercy!  Bobby Jindal should be the Vice President of whoever is nominated.

The title is the nod to the extremely worldly (but alas extremely popular) movie, “Revenge of the Nerds”, but this may be the year of the nerd, dork, wonk, etc.  A friend advised me that DC is “Hollywood for ugly people” (a nod to yet another movie:  Because Washington is Hollywood for Ugly People) but regardless, The thing that Jindal, Ryan and Daniels bring to the table is an intense intellectual curiosity and a desire to solve problems. 

Cong. Ryan has a plan to get the nation out of debt and protect Medicare and Social Security.  Shawn Tully at Fortune has a useful synopsis of the plan and the man.  It’s not without some loss of benefits but that is part of the necessary sacrifice.  He wants to reform the tax system to have a choice – the regular tax return or a simplified tax return at either 10 or 25% with no deductions.  Even the CBO admits the Ryan plan will work.  But, Speaker Pelosi criticized it (Yes, that’s may be best evidence Ryan’s on the right track) as hurting the elderly:

Obama noted that Ryan had “made a serious proposal” to rein in the deficit and then praised him for at least addressing entitlement spending. Following those apparently peaceful words, Democrats launched a withering assault over the next three days as budget director Peter Orszag, Democratic Congressional Campaign chairman Chris Van Hollen, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi all pummeled Ryan for threatening the safety net for the elderly and providing tax breaks for the rich.

Ryan elected to take on the President at the Health Care Summit:

Ryan got his chance to confront the President at the health-care summit Feb. 25. Seated across from Obama, Ryan addressed him directly with a six-minute, numbers-laden, wonkish analysis of the Senate bill that contradicted the administration’s pledge that the plan wouldn’t add to the mountainous deficit.

Ryan correctly stated that the bill projects that Medicare will lower reimbursements to doctors by $371 billion over the next 10 years, yet Congress would cancel those cuts in a separate bill, all part of an attempt to mask the true size of future deficits through “gimmicks and smoke and mirrors.” Obama steered the discussion away from Ryan’s numbers, and the White House hasn’t challenged his analysis.

The nerdy fun seems to be spreading to candidates.  Rick Snyder is a GOP candidate for Governor of Michigan.  His “One Tough Nerd” ad drew chuckles but also increased his polling numbers from less than 1 percent to 12 percent.  RCP explains this in the nerds article:

Snyder has gone from political zero (polling at 3 percent) to a potential-nerd hero. The ad is one big reason. And this story gets nerdier.

The Michigan firm EPIC-MRA recently polled likely primary voters. Only the contenders’ names were first read. Snyder placed third among the GOP candidates, at 12 percent. Then pollsters read candidates brief biography. The Gateway geek rose 10 points and took second place. Among “strong Republicans,” Snyder’s biography moved him from third to first place.

Here’s the ad.  Judge for yourself.  I like Snyder (I also like Michigan, too) and think maybe the issue is we need competence not flashiness.

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.

Stephen Gordon in his blog on the Next Right  site has a fascinating article on how the GOP can reach the tea partiers.  A few observations:

Gordon suggests that many of the tea partiers are influenced by Cong. Paul and his movement:

Considering that a considerable portion of Tea Party organizers have ties to the Ron Paul movement, this should come as no surprise.

The tea party movement may have had its origin in the Paul 2008 campaign.  The second Trevor Lyman “money bomb” was scheduled for December 16, 2007 – the 234th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party.   It raised over $6,000,000!

But, Gordon observes that there is another group in the GOP tent, what he calls the “Whole Foods, South Park and Starbucks” Republican.  They are fiscally conservative but not necessarily in favor of the agenda of the social conservatives:

Although the GOP ignored them (to their misfortune) in 2006 and 2008, there is a large and growing bloc of voters who are fiscally conservative but are turned off by some of the more extreme social conservatism (Internet gambling bans, Terri Schiavo case, etc.) associated with the Republican Party.

I do agree that the Terri Schiavo case was a PR disaster for the GOP leaders.  They came off as interfering in a personal decision.  While the specific facts might have been an injustice and I have grave concerns about starving a living human being by court order, I also see the personal, family, privacy side of this.  I suggest suburban women fled the GOP in droves in large part due to this.  Besides, the federal government should not be passing special laws to benefit one person.  Paul voted no on the Schiavo bill. 

Back to Gordon:  So who are they, according to Gordon?  A surprising answer:

Like the Tea Party movement, there are a lot of Ron Paul supporters in this demographic group.

So, a libertarian message for 2012?  Perhaps so according to Gordon:

A candidate who can appeal to more traditional Republicans, the Tea Party crowd and Whole Foods Republicans could create a mandate not seen since 2004 or the Reagan years.

Perhaps, we need a candidate who can appeal to both the tea parties and the Whole Foods Republicans.  You have to be sincere and have real answers.  Maybe here (cited by Gordon) is an idea for a proposed (I suspect Sen. DeMint is not nominating himself) candidate: 

Freedom will mean different things to different Republicans, but it can tether a diverse coalition to inalienable principles. Republicans can welcome a vigorous debate about legalized abortion or same-sex marriage; but we should be able to agree that social policies should be set through a democratic process, not by unelected judges. Our party benefits from national-security debates; but Republicans can start from the premise that the U.S. is an exceptional nation and force for good in history. We can argue about how to rein in the federal Leviathan; but we should agree that centralized government infringes on individual liberty and that problems are best solved by the people or the government closest to them.

We’ll just wait and see.  I suggest that if Governor Jindal could find a principled way to shift his direction just a bit toward the Ron Paul side, he’d be a serious contender for that proposed candidacy Sen. DeMint suggests.

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. 

I’ll never forget the day – about 2002 or so when I first found Cong. Paul.  He was against the war in Kosovo and I soon read about his pro-financial privacy and anti Patriot Act and money laundering laws.  I could hardly believe it.  I knew he was right; I figured Cong. Paul would always be one of those men or women in politics who was right but seldom effective. 

I had just offered to help out for the 2008 Presidential campaign of Jim Gilmore (All right, stop laughing!  Governor Gilmore is a very intelligent politician who knows about the three T’s important to governing:  Technology, Taxes, and Terrorism.  He just had utterly insufficient national name recognition and no way to get it.) in early 2007 when I read the bottom of one of the cable news networks that Cong. Ron Paul was setting up an exploratory committee to run for President.  I said – if Gilmore says no, I’m going for Paul!  I did not get an answer from Governor Gilmore so I switched to Paul. 

Now I admire Governor Jindal for very different reasons than I admire Cong. Paul.  Gov. Jindal has a tremendous record of achievement and is a clear intellectual who wants to solve political problems.  He is willing to look outside the box.  He is a staunch conservative and open believer in Christ.  Jindal is a leader of strong integrity.  Cong. Paul appeals to the libertarian side of me.  He also is a staunch conservative and Christian, too.  He is also not going to change position for political gain.  It’s a hard choice.  Maybe the answer is:  Paul/Jindal 2012!

Here is the article from Channel 9 WAFB.  A highlight:

“He and the president have gotten along well when they have encountered each other,” Engster said. “It was President Obama who said he was going to be a bi-partisan president. He’s (Jindal) a likeable person and someone I think the president is comfortable having in his presence.”

This is a video from the same station. 

Here’s the NOLA coverage.  

Here’s a great article from CNN International. 

No word on any special moments for the Governor.  Many prominent Indian-Americans were invited.

“This is a first-of-its-kind project here in Louisiana, and it ties together two critical areas for our state—economic development and energy exploration,” says Gov. Bobby Jindal, who touted the project in late May along with U.S. Rep. Bill Cassidy and Denbury [Resources] officials.

I am sure that Governor Jindal’s part was more cheerleader than participant; however, the new sense that Louisiana is in the business game to play – ethics laws and more business-friendly taxes surely all helped out.  The post-Gustav effort also counts, too.  Governor Jindal is a leader our nation needs desperately.

Now the loyal supporters of Governor Jindal can join me in whatever the year brings! 

NOLA.com reports that the Saints defense has not been able to pick off Drew Brees yet.  This may be good news in that Brees is pretty good on offense – OR it may be bad news that the defense needs work still.  The Saints did beef up the defense with Darren Sharper at safety and defensive coordinator Gregg Williams.  Sharper was quoted like this:

“He’s tough to get. He’s tough to get,” said Sharper, the NFL’s active leader in career interceptions with 54. “He’s a quarterback that’s not going to throw the ball up and just give you a chance too many times by making a mistake. So the first guy that gets him, he’ll definitely be able to say he has a little one-up on the rest of us guys.”

Now did I also tell you I like Popeye’s too?  There’s a new Popeye’s down the street – the Louisiana tenders are great with the special sweet and sour cajin flavorings.  Special comment for the first wiseacre who quips that if I like Governor Jindal, the Saints and Popeye’s so much I should move to Louisiana!  I also like Dixieland jazz, too.

Most of my readers know that Cao is the unlikely winner over indicted Democrat William Jefferson for the overwhelmingly Democratic district in the election in December.   Cao is a very interesting person.  A lot like Governor Jindal:  Both Catholic, Cao studied to be a Jesuit priest, but decided to pursue the law instead.  His bachelor’s degree is in physics and his master’s in philosophy.  He is the first Vietnamese-American to be elected to Congress. 

Governor Jindal placed some political capital on the line in endorsing Cao.  Scorecard reported:

Popular Gov. Bobby Jindal endorsed Cao on Thursday, just two days before the election.  He wouldn’t have put his political credibility on the line if he thought Cao had no chance of winning.

Cao may actually be fairly conservative:  He voted against the stimulus, is reported to be anti-abortion and said to have voted against the Lilly Ledbetter Act (that makes it easier to sue employers by restarting the statute of limitations with every pay check for equal pay claims) but the original source is not clear. 

The reason I write about Cao is that National Journal reported that Cao is the most endangered incumbent in Congress.  (I read this on the Real Clear Politics blog.)  That is probably right but perhaps the Governor could come to the rescue again.  Find out how much help Cao needs – both financially and politically – and help him in 2010.  There are two persons who argue that Cao is winnable. 

This will give the Governor some political capital and bolster his reform credentials.  It will help any future national campaign without committing him to actually run in 2012.  If it is finally determined Cao is unwinnable, Jindal can bow out gracefully.