Nightcap

By Jennifer J. Foster

Published: February 24, 2009

OK, so President Barack Obama and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal have both delivered their speeches.

There will be plenty of time for further analysis tomorrow, but let’s just get this out there so there isn’t any confusion:

Obama: A-.

Jindal: D-.

It was no contest, people. If Bobby Jindal is the Republicans’ answer to Barack Obama, then they’d better start aiming at the 2016 presidential race.

Obama was everything he was during the campaign—confident, charismatic and—yes, hopeful. Jindal was nervous and awkward. Never mind that the message from the “new” Republican party was completely AWOL; at some points during Jindal’s speech, even the messenger’s words were garbled and nearly unintelligible.

When it comes to policy, we have a lot to talk about (at least on the president’s side). We’ll do that tomorrow, when the transcript of the speech is available.

Just know this: If Republicans were relying on Bobby Jindal to emerge as the mano a mano match for Barack Obama, tonight was a brutal and very high-profile disappointment.