Barry-Bobby Comparison

Even if Bobby Jindal's campaign tries to steer away from this as much as possible, it is simply inevitable that their candidate will be compared to President Barack Obama. How this comparison will be handled, however, is still to be determined. One thing that will not work for the Republican campaign for Jindal's 2012 presidency is if he is portrayed as "Obama Jr." or "trying to fill Barack's shoes" (the latter of which will be difficult considering Obama wears a size 12). The media and voters will need to get a sense of Bobby's identity, and the constant comparison between these two historic political figures may present a struggle for Jindal to portray the "real" Bobby--or will it be Piyush? One thing the media will certainly pick up on is the double name trend in Jindal's family, and this can either work for him or against him. Personally, to the majority of American voters, I think Jindal stands a better chance if he presents himself as Piyush and Supriya, with their three children Selia, Shaan and Slade. However, the Grand Old Party will most likely favor Bobby and Sue, with their kids Elizabeth, Robert and Ryan (the children's second names).

Whatever he decides to call himself, his appearance, demeanor and ideals will be on trial against Barack's, and not simply because they are both minorities, but also because they are both family men with young children, politically inexperienced (according to some) and both represent an kind of "change" for America (even if Jindal doesn't run on that motto, it will be prevalent).

As a sort of first-look comparison of the two politicians, I found each of their appearances on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno (it's important to compare them in the same atmosphere). Below are Bobby's and Barack's clips, respectively.

Click Here for Bobby Jindal on the Tonight Show (embedding was disabled)

Barack on the Tonight Show

Notice the different in their comfort levels? Leno introduces Barack as a rock star, and in many ways, he portrays that on the scree. From his swagger walking on stage to his unbuttoned jacket and leaned back posture to his jokes about family, he seems 20 times more confident and comfortable than Bobby. While these videos were taken sometime in 2007, I think Jindal still has some sorting out to do when it comes to his on-stage presence. Bobby needs to decide who he's going to be and own it!