Norquist: Jindal Should Be Romney's Running Mate

Anti-tax crusader Grover Norquist is recommmending that  Mitt Romney chooses Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal as his running mate.

Norquist, the president of Americans for Tax Reform (ATR)  cites Jindal’s strong policies on education, energy, and taxes.

“Romney would do well to have a wingman who can astutely explain the flaws in President Barack Obama’s policies and lay out the GOP’s innovative, pro-growth alternatives,” Norquist and Patrick Gleason, ATR’s director of state affairs, write on Politico.

“There are many attractive prospects out there, but Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal can do not just all that, he has already implemented the sort of bold reforms at the state level that are now desperately needed at the federal level.”

On education, Obama is beholden to teachers unions, the duo write. “Jindal, in stark contrast, last month signed one of the most significant school choice bills in U.S. history. It allows 380,000 students from low- and middle-income households across Louisiana to escape sub-standard schools.”

As for energy, Obama’s Gulf drilling moratorium in 2010 and the de facto moratorium that has continued since then have caused grave harm to Jindal’s constituents, Norquist and Gleason say. Thanks to Obama, 50 percent of Louisiana offshore supply and service industry companies have been forced to lay off workers, they say.

Obama likes to go after Big Oil, but 98 percent of Louisiana companies, including many energy firms, are small businesses, the duo write. “Jindal can attest based on firsthand knowledge that it is small businesses that are being hit hardest by the White House’s anti-energy agenda.”

On the tax front, “If Romney wanted to provide voters with a clear choice on tax policy, he would be hard-pressed to do better than add Jindal, one of 13 governors committed to not raising taxes, to his ticket,” Norquist and Gleason argue. “Jindal has balanced a budget every year as governor and never resorted to higher taxes.”