Bobby Jindal Thinks You're Stupid
In response to Mitt Romney's analysis of why he may have lost the election -- specifically, that the President was successful in promising to bestow financial gifts on various constituent groups -- the Governor of Louisiana has remarked on CBS (correction CNN) and on Fox News Sunday this morning that the Republican Party needs to stop talking down to voters and stop being ... wait for it ... the Stupid Party.
So, let me get this straight. It's not acceptable to call into question whether voters fully comprehended the consequences of their actions in their desire to hold onto or get more government handouts, further bankrupting the nation while ignoring the vast historical evidence about the failure of socialist policies and states that have brought rampant poverty, misery, and destitution to their people? But, for Governor Jindal, it is quite acceptable to call those who did comprehend that "stupid?" Gee, thanks for not talking down to us, Bobby.
Jindal went on to say that Republicans need to be more civil in the way they conduct their debate with the opposition. Hmm ... let's examine that, shall we? Was it Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan who were uncivil? Were their surrogates and supporters uncivil? Or was it Barack Obama, Joe Biden, the Obama campaign, their surrogates, and their supporters who accused the Republicans of being racist, homophobic, anti-women, murderers, and (in the case of Paul Ryan) gleefully pushing the elderly over a cliff in a wheelchair? Yes, by all means, let's be more civil.
Jindal further added that the Republican Party needs to be the pro-growth, pro-middle-class party and let the Democrats be the progressive, big government party. But what's missing from this equation? Would it be uncivil of Republicans to mention that an unrestrained and growing federal government has the unfortunate consequence of stifling, frustrating, and quashing the private sector and entrepreneurs? That espousing support for entrepreneurs and small business doesn't necessarily result in smaller government unless one is insistent that big government needs to severely downsized and confined only to its constitutionally-allowed mandates? Dare we mention that? Or would that be too condescending? Wouldn't want to be all uncivil. Of course, I'm not very smart ... but with the Governor's help I know I can work on that.
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Comments:
Jun '10
Re: Bobby Jindal Thinks You're Stupid
Mollie Hemingway, Ed.
!!! Come on! His full comment was something to the effect of how the GOP is the party that wants a lower, flatter, simpler tax code. You *can* maintain progressivity, he said, by limiting deductions for the wealthiest.
But, he said let Democrats be the party of government growth. The GOP is the party of economic growth.
You're holding him to a standard that (sadly or not) no GOP office holder maintains. Particularly -- particularly -- not the former GOP office holder Mitt Romney. · 5 minutes ago
His full comment also included a stroke of appeasement to 'progressives'. If flattening the tax meant creating a way for more revenue to come into the government to maintain progressive programs then what's the point? When given the opportunity to articulate what should be dismantled in the federal government or what the federal government has no business being involved in, Jindal like so many Republicans, cowers.
Jindal doesn't speak for me. So, I have no interest in holding him to anything. He is not the type of conservative I want representing me. He reminds me too much of the Bushes and I don't want to live through that again.
May '12
Re: Bobby Jindal Thinks You're Stupid
I couldn't agree more with Mollie. The GOP needs to be the part of free markets and free minds. And this brings us to the problem at hand: we have become neither the party of free markets nor free minds. The positive side is that this election cycle brought out the most pro-free market candidates the GOP has ever put forth (since Reagan and Goldwater). Unfortunately, it also put forth the most anti-market candidates. And what is more disturbing is that the self-styled "true conservatives" chose to support these anti-free market candidates.
These so-called "true conservatives" made it their choice to abandon free markets and make trivial issues such as immigration or sexuality their most important issue, and viciously attacked anyone who disagreed with them on the grounds of "principle"
The "free-market" candidates have their share of the blame too, by making some of the most astounding arguments yet in defense of big government by going after China, after immigration, after outsourcing etc.
Jindal is right in that we have become the party of "big business" instead of the party of free markets. To say nothing of free minds.
Jun '10
Re: Bobby Jindal Thinks You're Stupid
Here's what I find disheartening about Jindal's comments. You know and I know and I suspect even the Governor of Louisiana knows that what Mitt Romney articulated about Obama purchasing his victory by promising government financial gifts to be true (even though he says before the cameras that it's not). But God forbid we have the audacity to state it so openly and honestly, because that would be insulting to those Americans who voted precisely for those reasons...and a stupid thing to do. Better to cloak our real feelings and what we know to be true. That is a smarter strategy and more polite. Let's behave as dishonestly as the opposition does. The country is dying because of political correctness and the lack of honesty. Sorry, but I'm not buyin' it. Give me a leader with a backbone of steel whose willing to call something what it is and not an opportunist who fancies himself smarter than the rest of his party.
May '12
Re: Bobby Jindal Thinks You're Stupid
You may be right on that Brian, but that is only part of the problem. Romney is right and so is Jindal. The problem is that there is nothing to be gained by following a divisive policy just as the Dems. We are going towards identity politics just as they are (and I'm being generous here; we've gone as far as they have). And by doing so we don't end up forwarding the case for limited government and free markets. Quite the opposite.
Our opinions of "them" does nothing to change their opinions of themselves. But it may change their opinion of "us". The issue is how do we change their opinions.
Oct '12
Re: Bobby Jindal Thinks You're Stupid
Ross Douthat (I know, The Times and all) had a good analysis this weekend, if not from a post-mortem side but from a strategic side, on the need for Republicans to speak better on the underlying psychology of those voters who feel like they actually depend on the progressive safety net.
By talking about it as "they just accepted gifts for votes" or "they want free stuff," it tacitly accepts that Americans are no longer self-reliant and it belittles the legitimate fears of an economically destitute underclass. For Democrats to create a long-term strategy out of an ever-expanding safety net, they need more people on the tight-wire. Conservatives need to attack this not with a shrug of the arms and dismissal of "those people," but a stinging critique of the Democrats tenuous situation and a passionate appeal towards conservatism's policies of economic and social growth.
I agree Jindal's words aren't the best (which would be a rare feat for any conservative public figure these days), but at least there seems to be some movement towards recognizing the concerns, misunderstood or otherwise, of voters conservatives need to win national elections.
Sep '10
Re: Bobby Jindal Thinks You're Stupid
You should troll through the comments section. Assuming they're not astroturf, a few campaign works claimed to have success in "90% white, downwardly mobile" enclaves in swing states (which ones they didn't say) and found quite a few registered Republicans who were voting for Obama.
Jul '12
Re: Bobby Jindal Thinks You're Stupid
Jeez, upset-with-Jindal folks. If you get upset at somebody calling you stupid (if he gives you reasons why he's saying that), you probably are. But slightly less so than someone who's just written that. Affirm or refute the argument, not the "insult." Time to get right with Jack Kemp is all I hear in his comments.
Jun '10
Re: Bobby Jindal Thinks You're Stupid
Jeez - Why don't you respond to some of the more detailed comments offered up in the entire thread? I wouldn't say it would be stupid not to...but simply a wiser way to conduct a civil discussion here on Ricochet. It would even make Bobby Jindal happy.
Jan '12
Re: Bobby Jindal Thinks You're Stupid
This is buried 70 comments down, but I believe Jindal was just using William F. Buckley's tag for the Republican Party. It was Buckley, many years back who referred to his party as the Stupid Party. When Gov. Jindal said it, I assumed he was reaching back to our legacy of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.
Edited on November 19, 2012 at 8:21pmNov '10
Re: Bobby Jindal Thinks You're Stupid
It never occurred to me that Brian didn't understand that. Frankly, I (apparently like Mollie) still think Jindal's argument is entirely correct and laudable. I wish that his statement and the discussion had made it to the Main Feed without the negative overlay that this thread has.
Jan '11
Re: Bobby Jindal Thinks You're Stupid
Lucy, I think that's all what makes this thread's life and direction both so incredibly instructive.
Jun '10
Re: Bobby Jindal Thinks You're Stupid
Conservatives over time have often expressed frustration with the party. I don't think that's the issue. Paul Ryan was Jack Kemp's protege. That didn't impress the electorate. The are assumptions that Jindal makes that are not true. Specifically that the Romney campaign didn't act in a civil manner which it did...even though the opposition was openly hostile and deceitful. There are also comments from Jindal that smack of appeasement to the progressive status quo that I find disturbing. We are no longer living in the mid-60s. Since then we've seen 50 years of unrestrained government growth that conservatism was unable to thwart or slow down. Now we are at the brink of insolvency. We may have passed the Rubicon of playing nice in the sand box and walking on eggshells so as not to hurt the sensitive feelings of Americans willing to sacrifice their freedoms for more goodies. We will be facing extremely higher taxes, more job decline and possibly inflation run wild thanks to the outcome of this election. Getting along with progressives and progressivism won't turn this country around. If politeness trumps the truth, we are lost.
Nov '10
Re: Bobby Jindal Thinks You're Stupid
Could you please supply quotations? I've listened to the clips, and I don't hear him saying either of these things. I hear him say that we need to not insult the voters (not that we need to be more civil to our opponents) and I've heard absolutely nothing about the progressive status quo.
Jun '10
Re: Bobby Jindal Thinks You're Stupid
Lucy Pevensie
Could you please supply quotations? I've listened to the clips, and I don't hear him saying either of these things. I hear him say that we need to not insult the voters (not that we need to be more civil to our opponents) and I've heard absolutely nothing about the progressive status quo. · 1 minute ago
Jindal employs the phrase: "...maintain progressivity" in the FoxNews video. I referenced it comment #57. Please listen to video. I'm not sure what the time signature is. I am currently at work and not able to monitor this thread as diligently as I would like to. Cheers.
Nov '10
Re: Bobby Jindal Thinks You're Stupid
Brian, I've listened to it, and it's an aside, interposed between two statements to create a lower, flatter, simpler tax structure. Are you suggesting that the only way any Republican should ever talk about taxes is to propose an absolutely straight flat tax? Because I'd love that, but it is not going to happen any time soon, and if you aren't going to promise an absolutely flat tax, you are going to "maintain some progressivity."
As for the civility, he's clearly talking about being friendly and positive toward the voters, not at all about being more civil toward our political opponents. Do you disagree with that? How on earth do you think we can get people to vote for us if we are rude to them and insult them? And let's be honest, Romney's post-election rephrasing of the 47% statement was insulting and we need to distance the party from it if we ever want to win another election.
Edited on November 20, 2012 at 2:14amJul '10
Re: Bobby Jindal Thinks You're Stupid
Original L.A.Times piece:
Duh. This is controversial?
It's the heart of Obama's domestic agenda sans unions along with failed and failing eco-weenie rent seekers, which likely were included in the conversation and intentionally left out of the piece.
Jun '10
Re: Bobby Jindal Thinks You're Stupid
Lucy - The phrase used is "maintain progressivity" not "...maintain some progressivity". I'm all for a simpler, flatter tax. But frankly I'm exhausted with "compassionate conservatives" who embrace progressive policies and involve the federal government in programs that the Founders, in their wisdom, never intended and wanted to leave to the states. Jindal will have a few years to hone his message if he wants to be a contender. Thus far I'm not impressed.
Again, regarding civility, let's do be honest. Romney spoke the truth with his post election remarks. We live in a country where a permanent dependent class is being created and is expanding with fewer wage earners and business folks to pick up the tab to support them. Romney has called attention to it. Good for him. If the dependent class is insulted, so be it. I live in a state where more rights are conferred upon non-citizens than citizens. So, cry me a river about insulting freeloaders and people gaming the system.
Aug '12
Re: Bobby Jindal Thinks You're Stupid
Jindal's prescription is for the GOP to be the better, more efficient, STATIST party.
No thanks. I'll pass.
Jun '10
Re: Bobby Jindal Thinks You're Stupid
A few years ago, when my beautiful and pampered golden retriever was still alive, I took her for a walk on a trail not to far from our house. As we approached some shrubbery about 40 feet away, a rabbit darted out and soon disappeared down a slope into the arroyo. My dog was in perfect pointer stance, ears perked up, body motionless and rigid, looking like something on the carpet at Westminster. More alert than I had ever seen her. "Maintain progressivity" is my rabbit. Jindal has put me on alert and I'll be listening very closely to what he has to say in future. I'm not convinced to date that he's the kind of conservative I want as a standard bearer. At the moment, he sounds too much like Jeb Bush.
Jul '10
Re: Bobby Jindal Thinks You're Stupid
Mollie Hemingway, Ed.
!!! Come on! His full comment was something to the effect of how the GOP is the party that wants a lower, flatter, simpler tax code. You *can* maintain progressivity, he said, by limiting deductions for the wealthiest.
But, he said let Democrats be the party of government growth. The GOP is the party of economic growth.
You're holding him to a standard that (sadly or not) no GOP office holder maintains. Particularly -- particularly -- not the former GOP office holder Mitt Romney. · 21 hours ago
Gimme a break Mollie. Brian is merely holding Jindal to a standard similar to that which Ricochet contributors and editors have held Mitt for the last two years.
Jindal is clearly interested in running for the big job; that is the entire point of this phony disagreement.
Of course you can maintain progressivity and improve the tax code simultaneously. But the editors and contributors to Ricochet have routinely called that "conceding the premise" or the like.
Since when are you (of all people!) such a softie for a professional pol?