The 2012 Palin/Jindal Battle Erupts Over Volcanoes

Last updated on August 10th, 2014 at 05:49 pm

It seems that Gov. Bobby Jindal raised the ire of many Alaskans when he called $140 million in federal spending for volcano monitoring wasteful spending. However, Jindal’s 2012 GOP rival Sarah Palin has sent out signals that she disagrees.

Here is what Jindal said in his Tuesday night GOP response to Obama’s speech, “$140 million for something called ‘volcano monitoring.’ Instead of monitoring volcanoes, what Congress should be monitoring is the eruption of spending in Washington, DC.” This comment royally ticked off many Alaskans, who are currently looking at the possible eruption of Mt. Redoubt.

The Anchorage Daily News has a great story today about just how angry Alaska residents are over Jindal’s comments. Of course, the Alaskan in chief is one Sarah Palin who is almost certainly a presidential candidate in 2012. According to ADN, Palin’s press secretary said about Jindal’s remarks, “Of course Alaskans want to know if a volcano is going to blow.”

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Some are wondering why Jindal singled out volcano monitoring, but I think the answer is fairly simple, Jindal was taking a veiled shot at Palin’s conservative credentials. If there would not have been this outcry over his remarks, I could see Jindal campaigning on the fact that Palin, “aided in the waste of federal dollars.” I suspect that Palin is going to publicly hold her fire for a little while, but I would expect her to say something refuting Jindal’s remarks soon.
What people need to understand is that Bobby Jindal’s remarks on Tuesday night were all about positioning himself for 2012.

The God &Country blog has a post up comparing Palin’s heart versus Jindal’s intellect. Jindal was trying to get a little too cute by taking an indirect shot at Palin and her state. He is an intelligent man, who is up on his current events. He knew what he was doing. What he didn’t foresee was the backlash from this.

The base of the GOP tends to vote with their heart during the primary season. The reason why 2008 was so tough for them was because there wasn’t a candidate that they felt emotionally attached to. Like her or not, a segment of the Republican Party loves Sarah Palin, and I think she could very well win the Republican nomination in 2012 based on personality and charisma. Bobby Jindal is going after the heads of Republicans, while Palin is pulling at their heart strings. This dynamic could make for a very interesting Republican primary.

Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

Awards and  Professional Memberships

Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association