Kathleen Parker February 25, 2014

 This town can get pretty wound up when a politician misbehaves.

Given some of the reactions to Bobby Jindal’s off-script remarks Monday,you’d think he’d been caught with a mirror on his shoe in the ladies’restroom.

No, it was much worse than that.

Hide the children. He defied protocol!

In town for the National Governors Association winter meeting, Jindal joined other state chief executives in front of theWhite House after a meeting with the president. Taking the microphone, Jindal said among other things that “the Obama economy is now the minimum-wage economy,” and the president is “waving the white flag of surrender.”

It’s a wonder no one fainted.

According to those who follow closely every little thing, governors are in townto share blankies and not hurt feelings. They’re supposed to bebipartisan-ish and leave the spleen venting to Congress. Bobby didn’tget the memo.

His comments prompted a faux-angry rejoinder from Connecticut’s Democratic Gov. Dannel Malloy, who called Jindal’s remarks “the most partisan statement that we’ve had all weekend” — and Jindal’s white flag comment “the most insanestatement I’ve ever heard.” (Really? Even wackier thanyou-can-keep-your-insurance-if-you-like-it?)

A smiling Jindal took the microphone again, adding that if his earliercomments were the most partisan thing Malloy had heard, “I want to makesure that he hears a more partisan statement.”

And so it went.

It should be mentioned that there were plenty of smiles all around and noone seemed to be reaching for his Valium. But Jindal seemed to be having a really good time — comfortable in his bravura, not to mention beingin such close proximity to the White House, his hoped-for future home.

Of course he’s running for president in 2016. He hasn’t said so, but heclearly is. His actions speak far louder than his words. Given thisobvious fact, Jindal can’t start too soon demonstrating his older,wiser, more experienced persona. He has to be aggressive to convince the Republican base that he’s a stand-up guy willing to jump in the ringwith Apollo Creed. Okay, so maybe with Dannel Malloy.

This isn’t such an easy sell for the slightly built Rhodes scholar who became the nation’s youngest governor. And though Jindal is a Catholic convert — and he speaks with the natural lilt of his birth state of Louisiana —he is not visually “one of us” in the way some Republicans havedemonstrated they’re most comfortable. To the birther sensibility, ifPresident Obama was born in Kenya, then Jindal could be from Punjab. Infact, he was conceived there but born in Baton Rouge.

Birtherism is not unique to the fever swamps of Republican fringe dwellers, it isuseful to remember. When Jindal ran for governor in 2007, opponentsfrequently noted that his first name is Piyush. Democrats mentioned“Piyush Bobby Jindal” as often as Republicans brought up “Barack Hussein Obama” the following year. Of course, Vice President George H.W. Bushcouldn’t resist referring to his Republican presidential rival Pete du Pont as “Pierre.” And so it goes.

Whatever you call him, anyone who has met Jindal quickly realizes that heconsiders himself a good ol’ boy, born and bred. Bubba Bobby. Anadmitted policy nerd who probably would rather revamp health-care reform — overnight with no coffee — than attend a gator-wrestling match, he’sapparently ready to start flexing his muscles.

Though new to the broader public, this is a familiar Jindal to Louisianansduring the Katrina era. While then-Gov. Kathleen Blanco was clearlyoverwhelmed by events, Jindal became the Incredible Hulk. Then acongressman in Washington, you might say he was bustin’ his britches tosave the day, or at least as many fellow citizens as possible. He flewto Louisiana, presumably by his own powers, rolled up his sleeves andprocured caravans of trucks for relief efforts.

More recently, alas, Jindal is better known as the young man who delivered the GOP’s State of the Union response in 2009. A naturally fast talker, Jindal obviously had been coached to slowdown. This did not work well. Rather than coming across as deliberativeand thoughtful, Jindal seemed to be having an out-of-body experienceenhanced by special brownies.

No one is more aware of this than Jindal. Hence, what we saw Monday andlikely will see again and again. Whether he could land the Republicannomination seems iffy at best, but it won’t be for lack of intelligence. Smarts is something else.

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