Beyond some friends who know Louisiana politics intimately, a year ago not many people I came across knew much about the man from Baton Rouge.  Today his name seems to be on the tongue of every young conservative I meet.  It’s been a fascinating phenomenon to watch unfold.

He represents a new breed of conservative.  A new commitment to the values we envision when we hope for America’s future, and the personal qualities to reassure a weary public about the ability to deliver.

Jindall represents the beating heart of a movement quieted by 2 decades of being buried in its own success.  The need for reform, a hunger for free markets across the spectrum of american society, the desire to shine a light on the inner workings of government, to rebuild in the image of transparent self-government a system that so many feel has abandoned them.

Many will jump to the conclusion that I am shilling for Jindall as a VP pick for Sen. McCain.  I am not.  While I certainly consider Gov. Jindall capable and qualified, I do not pretend to know what Sen. McCain needs in a running mate, but I have every confidence that he does.  I know that the person he picks will represent our party well, and will fight diligently beside the Senator to protect us from all enemies, foreign and domestic. 

I write about Gov. Jindall because many within the party and pundits from all corners talk about us being lost, about “the fall of conservatism”.  If conservatism has faltered it is only because at our core we are a movement of change, and we have become entrenched.  We are guarding the castle, not storming it.  Over the past decade we have not been as introspective as we should have, we have not been as active in creating new solutions as we were in the early ’90s.  Today, we have a unique opportunity to renew that search within ourselves, and recommit to the perpetual challenge of making America better, stronger, freer and more prosperous.  It is an opportunity we should not neglect.

When I look for conservatives moving down that path, seizing this opportunity I see Bobby Jindall.  And every day I find more people my age who seem to be looking that direction.

Not really sure what to call them, but I’m referring to the swath of voters (GOP, Dem, and Indies) who pulled the lever for our team in 2004, switched to the Dems in 2006, and are again free-agents in the constantly evolving draft of voters that is American politics.

The bottom line is that these folks are coming back in droves to John McCain because they recognize his strong integrity and tremendous leadership skills are what our country needs during a time of war and economic uncertainty. So says the AP, who has been tracking the opinions of 2,000 of these voters for quite some time now.

Soren Dayton over at RedState.com has a great wrap-up of the progress.

Had some really fantastic conversations come out of the RNC meeting.  Great to catch up with old campaign hands and get a sense of where everyone is these days.  

It will be really exciting to watch the evolution of the ‘08 Victory program, I think there has been a lot of intelligent growth since the last iteration.  There are some extremely smart folks working Victory this cycle and they are doing some very smart, very innovative things.  It’s going to be an interesting season!

Charlie and I are in Albuquerque this week as guests with the RNC Chairmans Meeting. Up for discussion are potential plans to change the primary calendar schedule, as well as some presentations and speeches on the coming election.

The mood here is very positive. Party chairman and staff from all over the country are excited about Sen. McCain’s message. Enthusiasm about the campaign is palpable all over the hotel.

I am currently waiting for the start of the GACR Convention this evening (where yours truly will say a few words about the fine state of Georgia College Republicans and discuss some CRNC programs).

After meeting with some folks this morning I have made my way to National Treasurer Esther Clarks couch to drop a few lines about this weekends events. GACR is expecting 80 people for tonights dinner and 100 for tomorrows business meeting.  Speakers include State Party Chairman Sue Everhart, Lt Governer Casey Cagle, Ralph Reed (a CRNC Alum) and several others.

Esther is unopposed in her second term as State Chairman.  Her ticket includes Jesse Tyler (Vice-Chairman),  and Michelle Timmins (Financial Secretary).  Interestingly GACR  has only 3 elected offices.

The other day we highlighted a great video from Jim Ogonowski who is running for John Kerry’s US Senate seat and an alert reader mentioned that we should also point out Jeff Beatty is another Republican gunning for the spot.

Of course we don’t endorse Republicans in a primary here at the CR Voice but we certainly can point out that there are two stellar candidates running for this spot that has been filled for quite a while by the far-left Washington insider John Kerry.

Jeff’s website is here and I might mention that I have seen him speak and he was great! Here’s his YouTube channel as well.

An exert from his bio:

Jeff is a former Army Delta Force Officer (wounded in the first Blackhawk shot down) who earned a Purple Heart and a Combat Infantry Badge helping to rescue hundreds of Americans. He is a former FBI Agent advising the National Hostage Rescue Team and a former CIA Counter-terrorism Officer with service in Europe and the Middle East. Jeff Beatty’s government service is second to none.

Since then he went into business providing security operations for many high-profile venues around the country.

Good luck to both candidates! It really is time to get some fresh faces representing Mass.