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.

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.

“The US should mind its own business internationally and let other countries get along as best they can on their own.”

I do not contend this is isolationism; this is non-interventionism.  What has interventionism gotten us generally?  Bad feelings at best and some contend much worse.  Cong. Paul was criticized by Mayor Giuliani for allegedly “inviting” 9/11.  Here’s the video:  judge for yourself. 

This may be more fertile ground than 2008 for Cong. Paul’s non-interventionism.  President Obama’s Afghanistan policy timetable may also play into the hands of a Pauline candidate.  I would urge Governor Jindal to find as many areas of agreement with this policy.

UPDATE:  This article in the Washington Times shows the harm in international institutions being used against the United States of America.  I believe what must be done immediately in Afghanistan what we did with Romania and other countries:  Have the Afghan government opt-out of the International Criminal Court.  This type of international do-gooding is part of the result when we meddle around the world.  This last citation is not a favorable article but it is useful.

Ron Paul is not against free trade.  Rather he is against the kind of intervention that he criticized before a somewhat hostile audience at the Values Voters Debate in 2007 (This is from the official Value Voters Transcript):

Phyllis Schlafly: AT PRESIDENT BUSH’S PRESS CONFERENCE IN CANADA LAST MONTH, FOX NEWS
ASKED HIM THIS QUESTION. “CAN YOU SAY TODAY THAT THE SECURITY AND PROSPERITY
PARTNERSHIP IS NOT A PRELUDE TO A NORTH AMERICAN UNION, SIMILAR TO A EUROPEAN UNION?”
GEORGE BUSH DID NOT DENY THAT GOAL. HE JUST RIDICULED THE QUESTION.
WILL YOU ASSURE US THAT YOU WILL ABOLISH ALL PLANS TO THE PROMOTE THE ECONOMIC
INTEGRATION OF NORTH AMERICA, WHICH CONSISTS OF OPEN BORDERS AMONG THE
UNITED STATES, CANADA AND MEXICO? [APPLAUSE]

Paul: THIS IS AN EASY ONE FOR ME. NOT ONLY DO I NOT WANT A NORTH AMERICAN UNION, I WANT US OUT OF THE U.N., THE IMF, THE WORLD BANK, THE WTO, NAFTA, AND CAFTA.

I think Cong. Paul made his position clear.  (I actually oppose leaving the UN because it is now strong enough to be used against us and our veto prevents that now.  But Cong. Paul’s sentiment is admirable.)

Governor Jindal came on after the Great American Panel about 9:45PM EDT.  A few notes:

Bobby Jindal is in NYC after campaigning for Chris Christie in NJ!  (He has already TWICE campaigned for Bob McDonnell!)  Jindal suggests that there is a mirror to 1993 – VA and NJ went for the GOP and this led to taking over the House in ’94.

“We can’t just print the money” Jindal says.  Cong. Ron Paul could not have said it better!  Jindal says the GOP has great candidates and in 1994 some of those candidates came about after the 1993 elections.  Hannity asked about if the Republicans have repented of their big spending ways.  Jindal suggests they have.  I am not sure I am persuaded.  Jindal asserts that the highest tax rates in some states will be higher than France if Obamacare passes! 

The governor thanked President Obama for keeping his word and coming to New Orleans.  Hannity immediately  asked Governor Jindal about Louisiana.  The governor quickly cited several statistics in a row about the Pelican State that I could not keep up with.  (A recent blog entry spoke to that!)  Ethics reform, best government in the South, etc.  The Wonk is in the house!

This is an excellent presentation!  Much better than a certain speech made earlier this year.  My only criticism is Governor Jindal talks fast and is hard to live blog!  But the meat of his message is clear even if he speaks fast. 

We ‘ll try to get a video of this interview.

The Advocate reports that other agencies such as Moody’s and Fitch’s have raised their ratings for the Pelican State.  The State Treasurer, John Kennedy, was quoted that this will save $2,700,000 in interest for twenty years.  Kennedy also told the Advocate that Louisiana is in better financial condition than other states in a bad economy.

Thanks for this tip to GOP 12 again!  Go read it daily!  GOP 12 is great!

I would add this:  Moody’s has warned the Federal Government that the deficit must be cut or the United States might lose its Aaa credit rating.  This should warn all of us and the Obama adminstration that we must abandon health care reform and other new projects and programs other than what is absolutely necessary.  We must also consider what Cong. Ron Paul says and find ways to cut back our foreign troop involvements as well.  The GOP must rally behind the slogan, “No new programs until we cut the deficit!” 

Perhaps it will take a President that has improved his state’s credit rating and brought necessary reforms to step up to leadership.  Someone like Governor Bobby Jindal.

Here’s the video: 

I am pleased and surprised about the positive comments.  The mostly partisan crowd applauded at the reference to the Governor but some booed at the President’s first compliment (Jindal’s doing a fine job) but recovered a bit when President Obama said that Jindal has sincere concern and is working hard for the state. 

Wouldn’t it be great to see a debate between President Obama and Governor Jindal?  In 2012 it can happen.  We’ll see…

Some highlights are:

• Enabling small businesses to pool together to buy insurance
• Making health insurance truly portable
• Tort reform
• Insurers would be required to cover pre-exisitng conditions
• Health carriers would have to give consumers more information and prices would be more fair and uniform
• Electronic medical records to protect privacy
• Health Savings Accounts with tax benefits
• Insurance premium discounts for good health
• Cover young adults for a longer period of time on their parent’s coverage
• Tax credits to help consumers buy insurance. 

Jindal’s plan drew some fire from libertarians and conservatives.  Scott A. Robinson contended at www.politicalderby.com there are too many mandates.  The Cato Institute was severe in its criticism. 

It is simply a lie of those favoring the Obama plan that the GOP has not offered a constructive alternative.  Senator Coburn of Oklahoma and Representative Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, among others, have proposed the Patient’s Choice Act in May 2009.  It’s major provisions are similar to the Jindal plan.

Jindal has been interested in health care, Medicare and related issues since college.  He wrote a paper as an intern on reforming Medicare for his first congressional boss, Jim McCrery (Louisiana Republican) and was at 24 the youngest Secretary of the Louisiana Health and Hospital system:

One summer, Jindal worked on Capitol Hill as an intern. About a week into his job with Rep. Jim McCrery, Jindal asked for more substantive work. “I thought, ‘Oh boy, an eager-beaver college student,’” says McCrery, a Louisiana Republican. “I told him to write a paper on how to improve Medicare. I figured that would keep him busy and I wouldn’t see him again.” Just before the internship ended, however, Jindal dropped a thick manuscript on McCrery’s desk. “It was an excellent piece of work,” says McCrery. “It identified problems, discussed budgetary implications, and suggested reforms.”

That contact helped Jindal land his first big job in government. In 1995, Jindal was working as a management consultant in Washington, and voters in Louisiana were getting ready to elect a governor. The young man phoned his old boss. Would McCrery help him become Louisiana’s next health secretary? The congressman asked his 24-year-old caller whether he would consider something a little more junior, such as assistant secretary. No thanks, said Jindal. McCrery promised to make an inquiry or two. To the amazement of everybody except perhaps Jindal, Gov. Mike Foster hired the wunderkind. Jindal was put in charge of an agency that consumed about 40 percent of the state’s budget. In two years, he wiped out a $400 million deficit.

Thanks to National Review, John J. Miller, May 14, 2007. 

The GOP cannot get its health care passed without those who bravely went out and faced hostile representatives and some fierce opposition to insist this plan be debated.  If Cong. Paul’s Audit the Fed Act can be cosponsored by nearly 300 in the House and get hearings, based largely on grassroots agitation by his followers and others, this can get traction.  I also urge the reader to ponder the confidence of a young man who at 24 became a state cabinet secretary.

Everyone should be required to purchase a minimal level of health care insurance. Twenty somethings don’t want to pay for health insurance that they may not use, but if they have an accident they want society to pay their medical bills.

The only way to pay for this coverage is through a general tax. It’s a scary thought but a minimum VAT tax to cover this minimum coverage is the best of all bad choices. The downside is its WAY too easy for additional VAT taxes to be raises to cover other nonsense items. Remember what happened to Lottery proceeds? Actuarial analysis will determine the VAT rate. All funds must stay in the pool and are invested like any other health insurance company premiums. Stopping Benefit Creep which killed Social Security must be vigorously defended.

I would like this minimal health care coverage which has a payment co-pay and a small deductible to be run by an insurance company. I don’t care which one. The insurance company would do a better job of administering such a program than any government agency.

The coverage would include preventative health care and the genetic lottery diseases which a person has no control over. Life style tax credits and penalties would be instituted.

A REASONABLE payment schedule which compensates doctors and treatment centers for services provided is necessary. The rate schedule needs to be published. In addition, a cap on “pain and suffering” malpractice judgments is needed.

Like Medicare, a person can buy additional coverage beyond the basic coverage.

Insurance companies must live up to the spirit of reimburse medical expenses & can’t drop a person because the person finds out they now have cancer.

The simpler the program guidelines, the better chance the program will succeed. Simple programs reduce the social engineering.

What are your thoughts? Share them in this open forum…

He spoke about inflation in health care and also how the Republicans can fight the Obama care plan.  Governor Jindal is encouraged by the potential defections of conservative Democrats.

But the Governor warned Republicans they must have their own plan – a portable health care plan that can be bought across state lines.  Hold the Dems to their promises!  This bill breaks their word.  The Obama plan also hurts the doctor-patient relationship, too.

It is interesting that the pro-abortion people think that the relationship between the woman and her doctor is sacred and constitutional but there is not a similar general right between the doctor and patient when it is socialized health care on the table.  Governor Jindal recognizes how crucial that doctor-patient relationship is. 

Catch it three hours from now!  Great interview!  Sean Hannity calls Jindal a passionate and articulate spokesman.

We’re just one day away from President Obama’s planned address to Congress. Governor Bobby Jindal will have the opportunity to give the GOP response to Obama’s message. This will be Gov Jindal’s first opportunity to show the Nation what he and the future of the GOP are all about.

To get advanced excerpts from his response, visit http:bobbyjindal.com/sotu/ and sign up, OR simply use the form below. The updates should come over email prior to his response tomorrow.