All indicators show that Jindal will be in Louisiana for 4 more years, so any talk about him ending up on a 2012 ticket is moot. But since this is being discussed anyway, I will add my 2 cents. He might add some Asian vote, but the fact of the matter is that the Asian demographic is small in respect to the Latino/black populations, and Asians lean Democrat about as much as Latino group does, but less than black. Mind you, the Asian demographic is relatively well off, so Frum’s analysis that Latinos don’t vote Republican simply because conservative policy doesn’t embrace the poor is misguided. Look at how Asians vote Democrat despite having success anyway(the last time Republicans won an Asian majority was in 1996). I’m going to be really blunt here. Republicans have trouble getting non-white votes. That’s the only conclusion I can come up with, based on numbers and logic. The media could be to blame here, and the party simply putting a minority on the ticket will be another failed attempt, kinda like Palin was in ’08.

However Pete, one thing you touched upon was that Jindal has a solid resume. (On a side note, it is a great distraction in politics, when personal abilities are taking backseat to ethnicity- when it should be the other way around). This means that even if he doesn’t miraculously turn over Asian voters, he’d still be a good VP pick regardless. This is also the problem- it’s the cursed VP spot. Jindal, like Christie, has an insatiable appetite for power. If he ends up on the ticket, it would jeopardize his shot at actually running for presidency in ’16 or ’20, clearly not a gamble he’s willing to take. This goes back to the statement I prefaced my comment with. He will cling on to Louisiana, simply for the sake of not having to say “I will not take a VP spot under any circumstance”. I agree that military experience could have made Jindal a more attractive candidate- but keep in mind he’s only 40, and he’s already squeezed in an entire lifetime’s worth of leadership experience.

I wish Jindal had more private sector and/or military experience. That is one reason why I’m leaning at least equally in the direction of say Bob McDonnell. But Jindal has more (and better) experience as a political executive than Romney and more experience as a federal legislator than Rubio and quite extensive experience in public administration before he ever ran for office.