And speaking of Governor Booby: Having established that he's a boob, is he trying now to show that he's thuggier than Fox Noise?

Fox Noise has backed off the "no-go zones," but not our Booby.

by Ken

Boy, all of today's stories seem to just tie together! Earlier today we were talking about the, er, distinguished roster of orators who have made their name in the Village by delivering responses to the president's State of the Union address, especially in the Age of Obama -- a list that will now and forever be headed by the biggest boob of them all, Louisiana Gov. Booby Jindal. Who can forget the shock of discovery that night in 2009 when most of us got our first glimpse of this latest GOP rising star, the policy genius?

Well, for better or worse, Governor Booby hasn't gone away. And perhaps sensing that this moment on the calendar is "his" time, he's plunged himself into the news, telling Britain and Europe generally about their "no-go zones," where non-Muslims fear to tread and police stay away.

For a while after the Charlie Hebdo murders the "no-go zones" were apparently part of the Right-Wing Talking Points Packet, and got a lot of play on Fox Noise (where else?). But then a funny thing happened. Fox Noise not only backtracked but started apologizing. I'd still love to know why, of all the made-up stuff the Fox Noisemakers spew 24/7 into the mediasphere, this produced such a response chez Roger Ailes. I mean, if the Noisers actually cared about the factual record, they'd probably have to start a separate Fox Noise Apology channel.

But there we had it: the Noisers apologizing for stuff they said without factual basis. But there too was Governor Booby, standing by his story! Leaving us with another question: Just as puzzling as why Fox Noise backed off the "story" is why our Booby didn't.

Luckily, washingtonpost.com Fix-master Chris Cillizza is on the case. And when it comes to explicating life forms particular to the Village like right-wing oh-so-slowly-rising stars, Chris C is the man, am I right? The gist seems to be, if I may paraphrase, that Booby is now timing his rise to coincide with the 2016 GOP presidential nominating derby, and while he's amply demonstrated his credentials as a genuine right-wing boob (the "Rick Perry factor"), for harder-core right-wing constituencies he still needs to establish his thug potential -- i.e., can he show that he's as tough as, say, Willard Romney?

Take it away, Chris! (Links onsite.)

The Fix
Bobby Jindal won’t back down on ‘no go’ zones. Why?

By Chris Cillizza

In a speech Monday in London, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R), who is running for president in 2016 (this is a decidedly relevant piece of information) said there were places in Europe in which Islamic law was enforced and where non-Muslims were afraid to go. He called these places, appropriately, "no-go zones," and insisted that a willingness to allow communities like these to exist within countries was at part of the world's problem with Islamist extremists.

While Jindal's comments drew criticism, he was unbowed, insisting in an interview with CNN that he was speaking truth to power.

That interview shows what Jindal's underlying motives here may well be. In the space of 74 seconds, Jindal makes two references to "the left" -- despite the fact that the interviewer isn't asking questions about "no-go zones" in the context of politics. "The radical left wants to pretend like this problem isn't here," Jindal says at one point. "I know the left wants to make this an attack on religion ... and that's not what this is," he says at another.

Here's what Jindal is up to: He is struggling for political oxygen in a Republican field that includes (or might include) the likes of Mitt Romney and Jeb Bush. So, how do you solve that problem? Throw red meat to the Republican base while simultaneously trolling the left.

It worked.

Conservatives leaped to Jindal's defense. Erick Erickson at Red State pointed out that CNN had done a report on these so-called "no-go zones." And, when Arsalan Iftikhar said on MSNBC that Jindal's comments amounted to him "trying to rub some of the brown off his skin" (Jindal is Indian American), the right responded with fury. (MSNBC said it would not have Iftikhar on as a guest again.)

Disgusting --> MSNBC Guest: Bobby Jindal ‘Trying to Scrub Some of the Brown Off His Skin’ http://t.co/OKbcSlm6Y3 pic.twitter.com/sw5PaQ1RHT
— Free Beacon (@FreeBeacon) January 19, 2015

"It's embarrassing for MSNBC to give voice to such shallow foolishness," Jindal told the conservative Washington Examiner on Tuesday. "Much like Michael Moore denigrating our military servicemen, these comments deserve no comment." Curt Anderson, a consultant to Jindal, was more blunt in an e-mail to me: "Liberals hate to hear what Jindal is saying. They cannot in public argue the main points of what he is saying, so they are trying to make hay out of noting the obvious -- that 'no-go zones' are not official or part of the law. Duh."

Regardless of Jindal's motives, here's what he's accomplished: In the eyes of the random Republican activist, he's gone from the guy they vaguely remember giving a widely panned State of the Union response to the guy who is willing to stand up not only to radical Islam but also to the political left.

Thanks, Chris, and shesh! When the Right-Wing Bullies 'n' Noisemakers start slinging muck at one another, it's wisest to just jump back and try to stay out of the line of fire.


FURTHER NOTE: DID CNN "LIE"
ABOUT THE "NO-GO ZONES"?

Among the right-wing fans of European "no-go zones," there has been righteous indignation directed at CNN for hounding Governor Booby when, they say, a 2013 report on CNN itself established their existence. But washingtonpost.com's Erik Wemple Blog looked at the claim yesterday ("Bobby Jindal remarks: Does two-year-old CNN report prove existence of 'no-go zones'?") and came away, er, unpersuaded:

Commentators Erick Erickson on Red State and John Nolte on Breitbart cite a February 2013 report by CNN correspondent Dan Rivers as evidence that the network is questioning a phenomenon that it already knows to be true. “JINDAL NONTROVERSY: CNN CAUGHT LYING ABOUT MUSLIM ‘NO GO ZONES,” notes the headline on Notle’s piece.

The CNN report in question, by correspondent Dan Rivers, provides a profile of … well, here’s how it was described in a teaser: “Sharia law in the heart of London, details of Muslim vigilantes harassing women, gays, people just out for a drink.” Rivers walked the streets of Whitechapel with the so-called Muslim patrol — yes, vigilantes who were out to harass people and make them follow their rules. “You cannot dress like that in Muslim area,” said one of the patrolmen to a woman dressed in a skirt.

Evidence, indeed, of Jindal’s comment that there are some Muslims trying “to carry out as much of Sharia law as they can…”

Yet the 2013 CNN report also deflates this whole “no-go” thing. First of all, Rivers reports that “only a handful of men are involved in the self-styled patrols.” Second, Rivers reports that five people had been arrested “on suspicion of harassment.” Third, Rivers reports that the “vast majority of Muslim people living in this part of East London want nothing to do with vigilantes whatsoever.” Fourth, Rivers reports that “police patrols have been stepped up as the authorities take a tough line.” Arrests, heightened police presence — not exactly the hallmarks of what we’ve come to know in recent weeks as a “no-go zone.”

You have to especially love the Nolte "CNN CAUGHT LYING" headline. It's fun when people who wouldn't or maybe just couldn't tell the truth about anything if their lives depended on it call other people liars.

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