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Thursday, August 23

Smear the sincere

A Democratic smear ad running on Louisiana TV right now accuses Rep. Bobby Jindal (R-LA) of being anti-Protestant. A Catholic convert, Jindal wrote an article 11 years ago implying that his is the one true religion. Jindal is the front-runner in the Oct. governor’s race (via liberal blog Daily Kos):

Jindal is far and away the leading contender for Louisiana governor, with over four times the support of the next closest candidate. Ironically, he benefits from incumbent governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco’s incompetence during Hurricane Katrina, even though the President was a fellow Republican. He’s the Giuliani of Louisiana — right time, right place:

Jindal leads with 63%, followed by state Sen. Walter Boasso (D) with 14.3%… If [former Louisiana mayor] Nagin, who has not announced his candidacy, is included, Jindal is ahead with 60.3%, followed by Nagin at 10.5%… [Link]

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Most of the quotes in the ad, which is running in mostly Protestant areas, are highly distorted. The ‘depraved’ phrase is actually a line from Calvin about non-organized religion:

The same Catholic Church which infallibly determined the canon of the Bible must be trusted to interpret her handiwork; the alternative is to trust individual Christians, burdened with, as Calvin termed it, their “utterly depraved” minds, to overcome their tendency to rationalize, their selfish desires, and other effects of original sin. [Link]

The ‘dishonest’ phrase in the ad is another outright lie:

I trust I have provided enough evidence to indicate that the Catholic Church deserves a careful examination by non-Catholics. It is not intellectually honest to ignore an institution with such a long and distinguished history and with such an impressively global reach. [Link]

Jindal’s use of ’scandalous’ does not specifically refer to Protestants:

Post-Reformation history does not reflect the unity and harmony of the “one flock” instituted by Christ… but rather a scandalous series of divisions and new denominations, including some that can hardly be called Christian… [Link]

His use of ‘heresy’ is unclear. It could apply to non-Catholics as the ad claims, or it could apply to splinter groups:

The choice is between Catholicism’s authoritative Magisterium and subjective interpretation which leads to anarchy and heresy. [Link]

· · · · ·

Other parts of the essay do indeed claim the supremacy of Catholicism…

There is no basis outside Church authority for accepting certain books as canonical… The Church predates Scripture and has historically provided the necessary context for orthodox understanding… Christ founded the Church and vested her with unique authority… The hierarchy of the Catholic Church traces its lineage directly to the apostles… [Link]

… but the tone is hardly strident:

I am not asking non-Catholics to investigate the claims of my neighborhood minister, but rather am presenting a 2,000-year-old tradition, encompassing giants like Aquinas and Newman, with almost a billion living members… I do not want our Evangelical friends to overlook those beliefs that make Catholicism unique. [Link]

I’m no fan of Jindal’s politics, but this attack ad is rife with lies. The essay they’re targeting is far less bizarre than Jindal’s piece on participating in an exorcism. Yet they soft-pedal that one, calling it ‘assisting an “intimate friend” with her battles with illness.’ Why? So they don’t offend evangelical Protestants who believe in demonic possession. It’s far less respectful and more cynical than what they claim of Jindal.

· · · · ·

The Goode Representative has also written about the religion he left, saying Hinduism’s collectivism and tolerance attracts fuzzy-minded New Agers:

… many who oppose organized religion reserve their indifference… for Western, rather than Eastern, spirituality. Thus, my decision to convert from Hinduism to Catholicism astounds and confuses many…

While Buddhists recognize no identity, Hindus recognize only one collective identity; both are in contrast with the Christian perspective which invests each human with a unique identity. [Link]

Pitaji was my idol, a successful banker who had it all, and I almost could not believe that his wealth could not save him from his mortality… I had no assurance that he, or I, deserved entrance into heaven… I imagined Pitaji bargaining with God, trying to offer a part of his fortune for eternal life. [Link]

Related posts: Katrina castaway, Masters of disaster, Bobby Jindal: ustad of Indian culture

manish vij on Thursday, August 23rd, 2007, 4:23 am in Politics, Religion, Video clips › Email this Email this › Facebook this › Reddit this › Link › Reader links


13 comments

  1. 1Al_Chutiya_for_debauchery on August 23rd, 2007, 8:33 am › Link

    People who are not political might also infer that Jindal is a Hindoo or worse a Muslim.

  2. 2manish on August 23rd, 2007, 10:27 am › Link

    Good point, though he has high name recognition in his state, and he ran on his religion last time I believe.

  3. 3louiecypher on August 23rd, 2007, 2:14 pm › Link

    I loathe Jindal and am happy to see that he has seriously hurt his ability to go beyond a Louisiana constituency

  4. 4louiecypher on August 23rd, 2007, 2:19 pm › Link

    His depiction of his grandfather trying to buy his way into heaven plays on the worst stereotypes of Hindus. What a hateful man

  5. 5VV Varaiya on August 23rd, 2007, 3:16 pm › Link

    Jindal is indeed loathesome… he’s a politician motivated solely by acquiring power. His name, religion and cultural affiliations are reflective of truly an ABCD (with stress on the confused). He is intelligent, but with no real soul. Louisiana will be electing a bureaucrat with no vision, and who lacks the capacity to inspire the machinery to make real change.

    Does anyone recall the incisive question in previous gubernatorial cycle that was asked, “What devastating loss have you experienced in life?” It showed his shallowness as a human being…. At best Jindal is a parvenu.

  6. 6manish on August 23rd, 2007, 10:39 pm › Link

    Regardless of how you feel about Jindal, outright lying is dirty politics.

    His depiction of his grandfather trying to buy his way into heaven plays on the worst stereotypes of Hindus.

    What stereotype is that? It’s a nonsensical scenario in the Hindu framework, only makes sense if you assume the Christian model of heaven.

    Does anyone recall the incisive question in previous gubernatorial cycle that was asked, “What devastating loss have you experienced in life?”

    Missed that, what was his reply?

  7. 7louiecypher on August 23rd, 2007, 10:43 pm › Link

    What stereotype is that? It’s a nonsensical scenario in the Hindu framework, only makes sense if you assume the Christian model of heaven.

    Of us being greedy, trying to subvert rules using $$$.

  8. 8JayV on August 24th, 2007, 5:37 am › Link

    Why is it outright lying if it is what he believes? I am unwilling to ive the flexibility to parse his way out this essay.
    Ask the protestants what they think of catholics. They have equally low opinions.

    Does Jindal not believe what he wrote? He obviously picked catholicism over southern baptism for some reason.

    This is like the pope saying he did not say the muslims had brought nothing good to this world. He was quoting an obscure catholic from along time ago (maybe another pope but still…).

    Of course I think everything he stands for, is a big stinking POS, so that may affect my judgment.

  9. 9JayV on August 24th, 2007, 5:39 am › Link

    I am unwilling to ive the flexibility to parse his way out this essay.

    The line is supposed to read “I am unwilling to give him the flexibility to parse his way out of this essay”.

  10. 10VV Varaiya on August 24th, 2007, 8:38 am › Link

    Does anyone recall the incisive question in previous gubernatorial cycle that was asked, “What loss have you experienced in life?”

    Missed that, what was his reply?

    This occurred in a televised debate. Blanco spoke of her child’s death and its repercussions in her life. Jindal stuttered and stammered and proceeded to describe the pain he felt laying off the workers while he was President of Louisiana University System. He came across as a calculated policy wonk…

    There’s a lot to be said be said for his policy wonk preparedness… I would like to see a debate between Elliot Spitzer and Jindal.

  11. 11Pradeep on August 29th, 2007, 10:53 am › Link

    I do not like Jindal. The guy is full of self hatred. While I will not apply that label broadly to anyone who converts to christianity, with him, I see a pattern. He changes his name at 4. He changes his religion in his early teen years. Both coincidentally to fit into the mainstream. And when he talks about diversity, he doesn’t mention his Hindu parents as an example. This from a guy who is in party that talks about family at every opportunity. But he had no problem collecting money from Indian donors.

    Having said that
    1) Don’t religious protestants think the same about Catholics and other religions? Jindal just happened to write this down.
    2) He wrote it 11 years ago, and he didn’t write it as a politician. I find the beliefs of many ploticians to be ridiculous. Look at Hillary’s religious pandering.
    3) So fucking what? As much as I despise the republican party, Jindal will be an improvement over that idiot Blanco. Blanco is such an incompetent, nagin had to endorse Jindal the last time. Blanco gave the ridiculous Bush, Chertoff, Brown and other idiots a way out in the blame game for the Katrina mess. While the Federal Government bears the most responsibility, Blanco sure made it easier for them to muddy the waters on who is responsbile. I can’t wait for her to be gone. Now’s the time for competence over ideology in LA. I will take a bible thumping jerk who is smart and driven over a fool like Blanco.

  12. 12Pradeep on August 29th, 2007, 10:55 am › Link

    When I mean self hatred, i do not mean it that way, actually. Just a rejection of his family’s background. He is certainly not insecure or has doubts about his own individuality.

  13. 13Pradeep on August 29th, 2007, 11:56 am › Link

    OK i read the links. I think I am not has hard on him as I was before. He seems to have at least made some attempt at thinking out his conversion process and has at least analyzed both religions. I just do not agree with his religious conclusions. Then again, I like to make fun of religion. I don’t know if I want my anti religious thoughts interfering with my political life.


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