Republican Bobby Jindal, the nation's first Indian-American governor

[almaty 19]

BATON ROUGE, La. - Republican Bobby Jindal, the nation's first Indian-American governor, was sworn in Monday in Louisiana and moved quickly to make good on a campaign promise to clean up the corrupt image of this hurricane-battered state.

"We have the opportunity — born of tragedy but embraced still the same — to make right decades of failure in government," Jindal said in his inaugural speech, referring to hurricanes Katrina and Rita of 2005.

Jindal, a former congressman, became Louisiana's first nonwhite governor since Reconstruction. He took the oath from the state Supreme Court's chief justice, Pascal Calogero. Jindal's wife Supriya held the Bible.

He said he will call a special legislative session Feb. 10 to address the state's image as a haven for cronyism and self-serving politicians. In his speech, he made numerous references to a "new Louisiana" and a "new beginning" for the state.

"We can build a Louisiana where our leaders and our people set the highest standards and hold every member of our government accountable, a Louisiana where incompetence is not a synonym for government, a Louisiana where corruption does not hold us back," he said without providing specifics.

Jindal, 36, a conservative Republican, won more than 50 percent of the vote in October's primary election. He takes over from Democrat Kathleen Blanco, who had defeated him four years earlier. Blanco chose not to run after heavy criticism of her performance after Katrina.

While Jindal has focused on fixing the state's shady reputation and overhauling ethics laws, he inherits an array of problems that have dogged his predecessors. Louisiana is among the nation's most unhealthy and poorest states, its students still perform below average on national educational tests and its population is dwindling.

Worsening the state's long-term history of problems, back-to-back blows from hurricanes Katrina and Rita devastated much of south Louisiana and left New Orleans struggling to recover. The pace of hurricane rebuilding has been sluggish, with thousands of homes left abandoned, thousands of residents displaced and basic government services destroyed.

The boyish-looking Jindal will be the youngest U.S. governor in office, but he's used to being among the youngest people in the room in his previous posts.

By the time he first ran for governor at age 32, Jindal already had served as Louisiana's health care secretary, president of one of its university systems and an assistant secretary in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under President Bush. Republican former Gov. Mike Foster tapped Jindal to be the state's health secretary in 1996, when Jindal was only 24.

Earlier Monday, newly elected legislators unanimously backed two of Jindal's choices for leadership posts. Republican state Rep. Jim Tucker was elected Speaker of the House, while Democratic state Sen. Joel Chaisson was elected president of the Senate. Both were elected without opposition.

On Sunday, Jindal attended a prayer service where churchmen from around the state read scripture and offered support. Jindal, a Roman Catholic who converted from Hinduism as a teenager, sat in a front pew next to wife and other family members at St. Joseph Cathedral in downtown Baton Rouge.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

Here in little India, people are very proud of him. No one realizes he's Republican though. When pointed out, blank stares and shrugs.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Here in little India, people are very proud of him. No one realizes he's Republican though. When pointed out, blank stares and shrugs.

I wonder if his conversion to Catholicism effected his political leanings?

[Nizzy 1]

I saw him for the first time today speaking on some channel. Ari bhai I had no clue he was republican.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

Here in little India, people are very proud of him. No one realizes he's Republican though. When pointed out, blank stares and shrugs.

I wonder if his conversion to Catholicism effected his political leanings?

Maybe.

Oddly enough, even locally here in my county, most Indians who are doing 'well' politically are GOP. The Dem party in Jersey claims to be liberal but is really just a patronage scheme for ethnic Italians and Jews. They will come to our Diwali celebration and par-tay with us and eat our samosas, but let one of us take a job only a good ol goombah could do? Never!

The GOP, OTOH, is a dinosaur in these parts. Anyone can rise in the NJ GOP. They have no real power.

[almaty 19]

well, i am glad he is bringing pride and great joy to the Indian community///...seems like a likeable chap

[AnewKINDofFEELIN 0]

Yesterday was a holiday for state employees in Baton Rouge. I guess the inauguration is big stuff to some people.

I'm happy for Jindal. A friend of mine worked on his transitional team. She actually pushes governmental ethics reform, which is a big part of his campaign. Anyway, several veteran Louisiana politicians, including the guy who ran against him, have all "retired" quite abruptly after he won. The belief is that if they quit before the ethics reform laws go into play, they won't have to worry about losing their pension.

It seems like the state finally made a realization that the status quo rapes us. When Jindal was elected, the incumbent agricultural commissioner, who has been indicted several times but never tried, was handily defeated. Yay for Louisiana.

[almaty 19]

I saw the new governor pix..he looks like a youngster

[AnewKINDofFEELIN 0]

I saw the new governor pix..he looks like a youngster

Yeah, he's only 36 years old.

On the topic of young politicians, the mayor of Pittsburgh is only like 26 or 27.

[MissStacey 1]

Mel went to go talk to him when he was a Congressman to see if there was anything he could do to help in our immigration case. He couldn't help- Mel made a contribution to his campaign anyway.

[almaty 19]

Mel went to go talk to him when he was a Congressman to see if there was anything he could do to help in our immigration case. He couldn't help- Mel made a contribution to his campaign anyway.

[MissStacey 1]

Mel went to go talk to him when he was a Congressman to see if there was anything he could do to help in our immigration case. He couldn't help- Mel made a contribution to his campaign anyway.

I got mad at him and told him to cancel the cheque

[simple_male 1]

I saw the new governor pix..he looks like a youngster

Yeah, he's only 36 years old.

On the topic of young politicians, the mayor of Pittsburgh is only like 26 or 27.

He is the youngest governor in US history.

Congressman office usually writes USCIS/NVC/Embassy no matter what, if a constituent brings up a legitimate issue. I wonder, why he couldn't help.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

I saw the new governor pix..he looks like a youngster

Yeah, he's only 36 years old.

On the topic of young politicians, the mayor of Pittsburgh is only like 26 or 27.

He is the youngest governor in US history.

Congressman office usually writes USCIS/NVC/Embassy no matter what, if a constituent brings up a legitimate issue. I wonder, why he couldn't help.

Even in Jersey, Lautenberg's office doesn't help much. Menendez, OTOH, does. Lautenberg will take your case tho, but they'll straight up tell you there's nothing the can do.

[AnewKINDofFEELIN 0]

I saw the new governor pix..he looks like a youngster

Yeah, he's only 36 years old.

On the topic of young politicians, the mayor of Pittsburgh is only like 26 or 27.

He is the youngest governor in US history.

Congressman office usually writes USCIS/NVC/Embassy no matter what, if a constituent brings up a legitimate issue. I wonder, why he couldn't help.

Even in Jersey, Lautenberg's office doesn't help much. Menendez, OTOH, does. Lautenberg will take your case tho, but they'll straight up tell you there's nothing the can do.

Yeah, I tried to call Senator Landrieu one time and basically learned that she doesn't care to help her consituents. Seriously, I was disgusted when I hung up the phone.