The Party of Lincoln Redux

Rhonda Chriss Lokeman
Sat, 29 Nov 2008 21:00:00 -0800
Opinion

BATON ROUGE, La. — Greetings from the Bethlehem of what could be the new Republican Party messiah. I speak, of course, of Bobby Jindal, governor of Louisiana.

I know what you old-timers in the GOP must be thinking: There's no way in Hades you'll let a brown guy with one leg in New Delhi and the other in New Orleans represent the Republican resurrection.

But you forget that this is the state where an ex-Klansman, Republican David Duke, ran for governor against a crook, Democrat Edwin Edwards. Duke lost partly because of a campaign against bigotry best summarized by a popular bumper sticker: "Vote for the Crook. It's important."

Edwards won and went to prison for, shall we say, not spending his political capital wisely.

Over time, Louisiana Republicans found wisdom and good sense and made Jindal the governor. He succeeded a Democratic leader who was a chicken with her head cut off during Katrina.

Outside Louisiana, however, the Grand Old Paranoids don't give one crawfish that Jindal's speech is superior to that of congressional leader John Boehner, who just recently learned how to pronounce "LOSER" properly. Jindal is one of the best things to happen to the party since Chuck Hagel. Too bad some in the GOP still are focused on faith-based politics and color, not competence.

But the smart money is on Jindal, who lately seems to be familiarizing himself with Iowa for some strange reason.

Seeing as how the party is fond of its governors and their performance, you'd think that Jindal, who was said to have been on a shortlist, would have been the obvious choice as John McCain's '08 running mate.

After all, Jindal showed how you herd cats in a hurricane. During Gustav, he did what Dubya, Brownie and ex-Gov. Blanco did not do with Katrina: THOUGHT, LED, ORGANIZED, UNIFIED, SAVED LIVES.

Republicans should have looked south, not north, for their hero. Jindal may not be able to see Putin in Russia from his state, but he could keep an eye on Trent Lott in Mississippi. Same thing.

Instead, the national GOP maintained the old script of keeping the national leadership right, white, mediocre and slightly wacko.

Bet you thought you never would see the day when Louisiana Republicans actually were the progressive wing of their party. But that's how you explain Jindal's historic rise here.

Nationally, however, the GOP bypassed every smart woman and person of color in the party to select Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. If given a choice between a beauty queen and a CEO, you can bet the Republican leadership will pick the woman who wears the tightest sweater.

But now, as the GOP licks its wounds and seeks to reinvent, Jindal's name keeps popping up as the little engine that could. Despite the pity party Palin held for the press in Miami, Jindal was the darling at the Republican governors meeting.

One lesson from the November elections is that absent a successful coup by the GOP minority, the Republican Party is doomed to extinction. Some of you may find that a fine howdy-do, but I disagree.

It's tragic how the Republican Party let Bush-Cheney kill it and McCain-Palin nail the coffin lid shut. If any have suffered fools gladly, it's been Republicans. But there is hope, although the party had to dig deep to find it.

Republicans have embraced a leader whom most of them will agree on. So dust off those "Abe Lincoln for President" buttons, fellow Americans. Owing much to Democrat Obama's Lincoln fascination, Republicans across the country are repositioning themselves as belonging to the party of Lincoln.

It started this past Thanksgiving, when all were reminded that the national holiday was made possible by presidential proclamation in 1863. Vote for Abe, who freed the slaves, was a great speaker, and got you a day off work for Turkey Day!

Republicans aren't the only ones crushing for Lincoln, however. Nationwide — including in the South, where memories of "Northern aggression" remain fresh — state commissions are devoting time and money to celebrations of Lincoln's birthday, the big 2-0-0. Republicans want in on the nonpartisan fun.

What does it say about a party that used to laud Ronald Reagan and has brilliance incarnate yet feels compelled to pull leadership from Lincoln's cold, dead hands?

I love Lincoln, too! But now that Obama's claimed Lincoln for himself, what Republicans need is a living, breathing symbol to carry their banner nationally. Here's a 2012 bumper sticker for starters: "Vote for Jindal. It's important."

Rhonda Chriss Lokeman (RCLCreators@kc.rr.com) is a contributing editor to The Kansas City Star. To find out more about Rhonda Chriss Lokeman and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.

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