Buzz has surrounded Louisiana
Governor Bobby Jindal (R-LA)
since his rise to power in 2007, but recent speculation as a Romney running
mate have propelled the Louisiana governor back into the spotlight.
According to OhMyGov Analytics, over 1,298 references to
Jindal were recorded on Twitter between June 6 and June 12--a see-saw of chatter where the governor's
possible vice-presidential aspirations appeared, then disappeared on the Web as quickly
as it began.
As Wednesday began, the tenor of the conversation was
uniformly positive as conservatives celebrated their recent success in
Wisconsin.
"@BobbyJindal--NEXT
VEEP!" @Mrfisher81
tweeted.
"Bobby Jindal
Rising as Romney's VP Choice" @mrbenz7
wrote, citing a Newsmax story promoting the governor as a possible VP pick.
The support wasn't just from rank and file
conservatives. Cancer patients
also rallied around the governor, following signage of a bill making oral chemo
more available for those seeking treatment for various types of cancers. H.B.
693 passed with unanimous support of the state legislature, 93-0--earning
yet another feather in Jindal's cap.
"Thank you, Bobby
Jindal, for signing HB693 into law making oral chemo more available for cancer
patients in Louisiana!" @ChemoParity
said.
Yet not everyone was on the Jindal bandwagon.
"Perhaps he'll
turn Wisconsin into the Louisiana of the North," @sqeptiq compared Scott Walker to the
Louisiana governor, "by paying teachers less."
"Dear Wisconsin
Democrats," @searingblue
appealed to Badger State progressives. "please move to Louisiana and
recall Bobby Jindal."
Women were also in arms
over a bill Jindal signed banning abortion for women who are five months
pregnant. Senate
Bill 766 arrived on the governor's desk Monday following a unanimous vote
of 96-0
in favor. Under the terms of the bill, physicians who perform abortions on
women could face fines and imprisonment. Women would also have to wait two to
twenty four hours before having an abortion, during which they would be
subjected to audio recordings of the fetus' heartbeat as well as psychological
counseling.
"Bobby Jindal is
Satan's stepson," @allaboutmyGUALA
tweeted.
"I think Mitt
Romney just crossed you off his short list" @weatheradman needled the
governor following signage of the bill.
Jindal--who once compared
women who get abortions to 'criminals'--has never been a favorite of Louisiana
women. But if the governor seems
concerned, he isn't showing it.
"Talking with @gretawire on Fox News in a few minutes,"
The governor tweeted .
"Check it out."
The governor has been mum since. But as one Twitter user cautions, members of the media may
want to keep an eye on the first Indian-American governor.
"gonna announce a
bombshell in a few weeks," @pamnsc
wrote. "watch and see."