He’s a member of the U.S. Congress with the belief that he can bring hope and stability to the place where he lives. His leadership maybe needed now more than ever, although his party ran The White House when poor planning exacerbated the disaster that nearly destroyed and divided his home state. To take it a step further, he’s young, inspiring a new generation, and Bobby isn’t even the name printed on his birth certificate.

This may sound like a retrospective view of Bobby Kennedy, but it’s really the life and times of Louisiana Republican Gubernatorial Candidate Bobby Jindal. At the ripe old age of 32, Piyush Darbash "Bobby" Jindal is taking on the issues of rights protection, expanding economic opportunities, and ensuring safety in Louisiana communities following the destruction of Hurricane Katrina. Jindal wants to apply “common sense”

to the rebuilding effort in Katrina. “I successfully attached a provision to the Gulf Coast Hurricane Housing Recovery Act that makes common sense reforms to the overall bill by giving priority to law-abiding residents returning to our state and making public housing safer for everyone,” said Jindal. 

Jindal goes on, “I am a firm believer that we cannot simply rebuild Louisiana and the problems of the past--we must go further and make crucial changes to ensure that we are rebuilding the state of our dreams.”

 The 2007 gubernatorial candidate’s common sense translates into using traditional means that hark at a ‘back to the basics’ strategy to achieve improvement.

“We have to keep drugs and violence out of our public housing system, and ensure that the residents of our public housing are put in a position to succeed. To repeat the same mistakes that led to the problems of the past would be irresponsible and unacceptable.”  With incumbent Governor Kathleen Blanco dropping out of the race for re-election in March of this year, Jindal has an even greater chance to let his message create more notoriety for his campaign.

Usually incumbents have an automatic first mover advantage in re-election races, as they come in already strapped with party support, an established base, and a name that constituents recognize. With one of only three states holding elections in 2007 (Mississippi and Kentucky being the other two), Jindal has the chance to bring the Republicans in power in a southern state that has had a political endangered species the last four years; a Democratic governor.  With Blanco out, that leaves the Democrats with the task of finding suitable competition that is most likely to come from former U.S. Senator John Breaux.          

In the rebuilding effort, many large corporations are ready to descend upon Louisiana like bees to honey, therefore, Jindal claims that he is going to provide opportunities for small businesses. “Thus far, the recovery effort has been plagued by wasteful spending with millions of dollars going to out-of-state companies while Louisiana businesses are left in the cold. Giving people jobs is always better than giving people handouts, and I will continue to work to ensure that Louisiana small businesses have a chance to compete,” said Jindal.