In a Southern State, Immigrants’ Son Takes Over

Wow – three straight days of reporting by The New York Times on Louisiana Governor-elect Bobby Jindal, with “In a Southern State, Immigrants’ Son Takes Over“:

“…Public high school in Baton Rouge was followed by Brown, where Mr. Jindal was Phi Beta Kappa, and a conversion to Roman Catholicism … After Oxford, a well-paid stint at the Washington consultants McKinsey and Company was followed by an interview for the job of secretary of the state Department of Health and Hospitals with the newly elected Republican governor of Louisiana, Mike Foster, in 1995. Mr. Jindal was 24;…More high-level jobs followed in quick succession: chairman of a bipartisan Medicare reform commission in Washington, head of the statewide University of Louisiana system, assistant secretary in the Department of Health and Human Services under Mr. Bush. He and his wife, Supriya, returned to Louisiana to so he could run for governor in 2003… Mr. Jindal was elected to Congress from the New Orleans suburbs in 2004, and it was common knowledge that he was biding his time for another run at the governor’s mansion. His short time in Washington was unobtrusive, and he continued to campaign at home while others in the state’s Congressional delegation established a more forceful presence as hurricane recovery efforts unfolded.”

I guess Jindal comes across as a “Model Minority” with his credentials and quick rise up the ranks of Louisiana politics. And as noted in the article, many Indian-Americans may take pride in Jindal’s political success, but if they dig deeper, may not like his stances on the issues. But that is for the state of Louisiana to decide, and they have spoken. Whether or not Jindal can lead Louisiana out of its many challenges, time will only tell. As a fellow American, I wish him the best of luck.