Jindal's reponse to Obama is as a __ to a ___

Christian Science Monitor on the unfortunate reality (ea):

Despite the presence of a Republican response, Barack Obama has a big advantage.

More people pay attention to the president’s address. After all, he gets to speak in front of the entire Congress. He’ll have all of the orchestrated standing ovations.... The Republican response will be the equivalent of holing up in a closet with a webcam.