Jindal Goes Down in Flames . . . Along with GOP Hopes for Getting Young Voters

I don't have too much to add to the conversation about Obama's Not State of the Union Address last night, or the hilarity that was Kenneth the page Bobby Jindal's response. I think Greg Sargent gets it right:

The President’s speech was, at bottom, a call for radical change. He outlined an extraordinarily ambitious governmental agenda, vowing aggressive governmental action to rescue the economy and the banking system, find alternative energy sources, and overhaul the country’s health care system — all at once. As The Times’s Peter Baker put it, Obama proposed a “more activist government than any other since Lyndon B. Johnson.”

And Obama was able to do this while coming across as moderate and reasonable and garnering the support of huge majorities, if last night’s snap polls are any indication.

How? Politico’s John Harris and Jonathan Martin argue that Obama was able to do this with words and mood “intended to convey caution, moderation, sobriety.” That may be part of it, but I think something bigger is happening here.

Obama may be well on his way to breaking the “big government versus small government” rhetorical frame that has had a stranglehold on our political discourse for well-on decades now.

This seems right to me. Beyond that, though, last night was a disaster for the GOP, and any hopes they had of appealing to young voters in the near term. During his address, President Obama spoke of making an investment in the future of our country. He spoke of a call to arms - for government and for the American people - to recall some of the greatest achievements in our country's history and to replicate those feats in tackling the crises we face today.

The recovery plan and the financial stability plan are the immediate steps we’re taking to revive our economy in the short-term. But the only way to fully restore America’s economic strength is to make the long-term investments that will lead to new jobs, new industries, and a renewed ability to compete with the rest of the world. The only way this century will be another American century is if we confront at last the price of our dependence on oil and the high cost of health care; the schools that aren’t preparing our children and the mountain of debt they stand to inherit. That is our responsibility.

[...]

History reminds us that at every moment of economic upheaval and transformation, this nation has responded with bold action and big ideas. In the midst of civil war, we laid railroad tracks from one coast to another that spurred commerce and industry. From the turmoil of the Industrial Revolution came a system of public high schools that prepared our citizens for a new age. In the wake of war and depression, the GI Bill sent a generation to college and created the largest middle-class in history. And a twilight struggle for freedom led to a nation of highways, an American on the moon, and an explosion of technology that still shapes our world.

In each case, government didn’t supplant private enterprise; it catalyzed private enterprise. It created the conditions for thousands of entrepreneurs and new businesses to adapt and to thrive.

We are a nation that has seen promise amid peril, and claimed opportunity from ordeal. Now we must be that nation again. That is why, even as it cuts back on the programs we don’t need, the budget I submit will invest in the three areas that are absolutely critical to our economic future: energy, health care, and education.

This is very much in line with how Obama campaigned and it is going to play very well with young people in America, most of whom - more so than previous generations - view government and large institutions as potential partners in solving the long-term problems our country faces, and a vast majority of whom view Obama's three main policy proposals - on energy, health care and education - as vital to their own, and the country's, long-term health.

Governor Jindal's response offered a completely opposing view, and one that is out of step with the current mood of the country and the beliefs of young voters. At a time when they need to be appealing to independents and young people, the GOP seems to have missed the fact that Obama just crushed them in an election in which the role of government was a major issue, and in which young voters selected Obama's policy prescriptions over those of the GOP at a rate of 2 - 1. :

But Democratic leaders in Congress -- they rejected this approach. Instead of trusting us to make wise decisions with our own money, they passed the largest government spending bill in history, with a price tag of more than $1 trillion with interest. While some of the projects in the bill make sense, their legislation is larded with wasteful spending. It includes $300 million to buy new cars for the government, $8 billion for high-speed rail projects, such as a "magnetic levitation" line from Las Vegas to Disneyland, and $140 million for something called "volcano monitoring." Instead of monitoring volcanoes, what Congress should be monitoring is the eruption of spending in Washington, D.C.

Democratic leaders say their legislation will grow the economy. What it will do is grow the government, increase our taxes down the line, and saddle future generations with debt. Who among us would ask our children for a loan, so we could spend money we do not have, on things we do not need? That is precisely what the Democrats in Congress just did. It's irresponsible. And it's no way to strengthen our economy, create jobs, or build a prosperous future for our children.

It's the same, tired "government bad, tax cuts good" argument that the GOP has spouted through the last three decades - no matter what the current economic climate. Reactions to last night's speeches pretty much speak for themselves. Focus groups by Democracy Corps show Obama making huge gains among Republicans and Independents. Meanwhile, Jindal's response was universally panned by Democrats and Republicans alike - not only for delivery, but for content as well. Here's a review from conservative columnists David Brooks:

Yesterday, Bobby Jindal was the fresh-faced savior of the GOP; their great hope for capturing back the youth vote and overcoming their image as a party of white southern males. Looks like that dream is toast.