Bobby Jindal: We Can Either Go Down the Government Path or the American Path
Tonight, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal spoke to the Republican National Committee. Prior to the speech, which was carried on C-SPAN (I'll link to it as soon as I can find it), he said he'd refute Barack Obama’s liberal vision for America and would outline a direction for the new Republican Party. I followed it on Twitter, where Jindal shared the core messages of the speech:
In America, government is one of those things you have to have, but you sure don’t want too much of it.
We have to accept that government number crunching – even conservative number crunching – is not the answer to our nation’s problems.
Instead of worrying about managing government, it’s time for us to address how we can lead America
Our objective is to grow the private sector. We need to focus our efforts on ideas to grow the American economy, not the govt economy.
We must not become the party of austerity. We must become the party of growth.
We do not need to change what we believe as conservatives – our principles are timeless.
We do need to re-orient our focus to the place where conservatism thrives – in the real world beyond the Washington Beltway.
We can either go down the Government path or the American path.
We must shift the eye line and the ambition of our conservative movement away from managing government and toward the mission of growth.
I've got to say I like it.
For good measure, here's how Byron York tweeted out Jindal's speech:
Jindal at RNC: 'We seem to have an obsession with government bookkeeping. This is a rigged game, and it is the wrong game for us to play.'
'Republicans have to accept that gov't number crunching – even conservative number crunching – is not the answer to our nation’s problems.'
More Jindal: 'We must not become the party of austerity. We must become the party of growth.'
Jindal: 'If our end goal is to simply better manage the disaster that is the federal gov't, count me out…It’s not a goal worth attaining.'
Jindal: 'Which of you wants to sign up to help manage the slow decline of the USA? I sure don’t. That’s what we have Democrats for.'
Jindal: 'I am not one of those [Republicans] who believe we should moderate, equivocate, or otherwise abandon our principles.'
Jindal: 'America already has one liberal party, she doesn’t need another one.'
Jindal: 'No, the Republican Party does not need to change our principles, but we might need to change just about everything else we do.'
Jindal: 'We must stop looking backward...Nostalgia about good old days is heart-warming, but battle of ideas must be waged in the future.'
Jindal: 'It's no secret we've had a number of Republicans damage the brand...with offensive and bizarre comments. We’ve had enough of that.'
Agree? Disagree? Favorite lines? I love that some folks are realizing that the playing field of government growth is a losing playing field. Fortunately for those of us who abhor big government, pretty much every other playing field is a good one.
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Comments:
Mar '11
Re: Bobby Jindal: We Can Either Go Down the Government Path or the American Path
I say we all get in line behind this guy and charge.
Nov '10
Re: Bobby Jindal: We Can Either Go Down the Government Path or the American Path
I'm in line right behind you.
Nov '10
Re: Bobby Jindal: We Can Either Go Down the Government Path or the American Path
As for favorite lines, I'll take all of these:
Jul '11
Re: Bobby Jindal: We Can Either Go Down the Government Path or the American Path
Jindal: 'America already has one liberal party, she doesn’t need another one.'
Christo likey!
Aug '12
Re: Bobby Jindal: We Can Either Go Down the Government Path or the American Path
I'll second one of the lines Lucy Pevensie picked: "Which of you wants to sign up to help manage the slow decline of the USA? I sure don’t. That’s what we have Democrats for.'"
And the Jindal/Rubio 2016 bumberstickers start printing....yesterday.
Mar '11
Re: Bobby Jindal: We Can Either Go Down the Government Path or the American Path
Make that Rubio/Jindal. Best haircut goes to the top of the ticket.
Nov '11
Re: Bobby Jindal: We Can Either Go Down the Government Path or the American Path
I think this sounds like a guy who's thinking about running for President. And like a guy who might make a good one.
Oct '10
Re: Bobby Jindal: We Can Either Go Down the Government Path or the American Path
Curious that his remarks go to the GOP and government. Not one assertion that individual liberty and dignity are the foundation of our Constitutional Republic. Bobby Jindal carries the same narrative as do the Democrats; 'It is the government that organizes America toward the future.
No thanks. This is just another campaign speech. The republicans will work on the problem of growth and do better than the Democrats. WOW!
Nice that he isn't parroting the usual statist c***, but it is still the same ol', same ol'.
And when the election is over, and Jundal and Rubio or, take-your-pick, prevail, it will be the same old party hackery that will give us, yet again, a slower race to the abyss.
Been there, Done that. Fed Up.
Re: Bobby Jindal: We Can Either Go Down the Government Path or the American Path
My impulse exactly!
Re: Bobby Jindal: We Can Either Go Down the Government Path or the American Path
I have to say,..he does make me feel much better about my home state.
Jul '10
Re: Bobby Jindal: We Can Either Go Down the Government Path or the American Path
I'd like some explication of this. Is he saying we should abandon the idea that government needs to be smaller? If he thinks we can maintain an inherently unsustainable social welfare model by simply growing our way out of structural budgetary imbalances, he's making the same mistake the GOP has been falling prey to for the last 25 years and couching it in new rhetoric.
Re: Bobby Jindal: We Can Either Go Down the Government Path or the American Path
Whiskey Sam
I'd like some explication of this. Is he saying we should abandon the idea that government needs to be smaller? If he thinks we can maintain an inherently unsustainable social welfare model by simply growing our way out of structural budgetary imbalances, he's making the same mistake the GOP has been falling prey to for the last 25 years and couching it in new rhetoric. · 15 minutes ago
No! He's saying that if you talk about government, you're talking about austerity. If you're talking about private enterprise, you're talking about growth. Do we want to talk about government ... and austerity? Or do we want to talk about human potential, economic growth, etc.? He's basically saying to pick better ways of talking about what we believe in. The gov't path is a loser .... the American path is a winner.
Jul '10
Re: Bobby Jindal: We Can Either Go Down the Government Path or the American Path
Mollie Hemingway, Ed.
Whiskey Sam
I'd like some explication of this. Is he saying we should abandon the idea that government needs to be smaller? If he thinks we can maintain an inherently unsustainable social welfare model by simply growing our way out of structural budgetary imbalances, he's making the same mistake the GOP has been falling prey to for the last 25 years and couching it in new rhetoric. · 15 minutes ago
No! He's saying that if you talk about government, you're talking about austerity. If you're talking about private enterprise, you're talking about growth. Do we want to talk about government ... and austerity? Or do we want to talk about human potential, economic growth, etc.? He's basically saying to pick better ways of talking about what we believe in. The gov't path is a loser .... the American path is a winner. · 10 minutes ago
Didn't Mitt Romney spend half his campaign talking about growth and helping the middle class and small businessmen?
Nov '11
Re: Bobby Jindal: We Can Either Go Down the Government Path or the American Path
Whiskey Sam
Mollie Hemingway, Ed.
No! He's saying that if you talk about government, you're talking about austerity. If you're talking about private enterprise, you're talking about growth. Do we want to talk about government ... and austerity? Or do we want to talk about human potential, economic growth, etc.? He's basically saying to pick better ways of talking about what we believe in. The gov't path is a loser .... the American path is a winner. · 10 minutes ago
Didn't Mitt Romney spend half his campaign talking about growth and helping the middle class and small businessmen? · 42 minutes ago
I think he's talking about changing the message more than changing the principle, and talking about not going the European way.
Maybe he's not criticizing Romney here, though Romney perhaps spent too much time talking about small business in particular.
Oct '10
Re: Bobby Jindal: We Can Either Go Down the Government Path or the American Path
It seems tough to hold his success against him, but what does Jindal know from the private sector? He sold candy in high school and spent 5 minutes at McKinsey. Not that there seems to be much choice among the GOP 'highflyers'.
Now we will watch as the left and the media (but I repeat myself) paint Jindal, Paul, Rubio et al as appalling monsters for the next four years. They did it to Romney, a genuinely fine human being, by all accounts, without raising a sweat. (The press's reward for this propaganda campaign will be moderator spots in the GOP primary debates...)
Dec '12
Re: Bobby Jindal: We Can Either Go Down the Government Path or the American Path
I like this one:
I believe this is what the RINO's are all about.
I would also add:
There is NO crying in governing.
What is the deal with this? Slick Willie cried, Boehner cries, Obama's had his choke or 2 and Hillary can't help but cry whenever she's in a tough spot. Good heavens! We're becoming a nation of blabbering babies. That is if we're not aborting them. A nod to the 40th anniversary. Now that's worth a cry.
May '10
Re: Bobby Jindal: We Can Either Go Down the Government Path or the American Path
How are we ever going to get through to the public when stories like Jindall's are reported in sheets like the San Francisco Chronicle like this:
Jindal: GOP must stop being 'stupid party'
STEVE PEOPLES, Associated Press, By STEVE PEOPLES and KEN THOMAS, Associated Press
Updated 7:28 pm, Thursday, January 24, 2013
See what I mean?
Apr '11
Re: Bobby Jindal: We Can Either Go Down the Government Path or the American Path
Whiskey Sam
Mollie Hemingway, Ed.
Whiskey Sam
I'd like some explication of this. Is he saying we should abandon the idea that government needs to be smaller?.....
No! He's saying that if you talk about government, you're talking about austerity. If you're talking about private enterprise, you're talking about growth. Do we want to talk about government ... and austerity? Or do we want to talk about human potential, economic growth, etc.? He's basically saying to pick better ways of talking about what we believe in. The gov't path is a loser .... the American path is a winner. · 10 minutes ago
Didn't Mitt Romney spend half his campaign talking about growth and helping the middle class and small businessmen? · 3 hours ago
Yeah, but he also focused heavily on austerity. I get the vibe from Jindal that he wants to talk about turning away from government the way that Reagan, Newt, first term Bush 43, 2008 Obama and Gary Johnson talked about it. Big spending small government advocacy is the most popular kind of small government advocacy.
Feb '11
Re: Bobby Jindal: We Can Either Go Down the Government Path or the American Path
Kervinlee:
See what I mean?
Well, yes. But I think the Chronicle is correct to note that the GOP must stop being the stupid party.
If the party wasn't, it wouldn't matter what leftist propaganda outfits like the Chronicle say about the GOP, because the public would know better.
Instead since Ronald Reagan the party seems to have been led by people who aren't conservatives and don't really think the left is wrong. So they aren't really willing to fight back against the endless lies and slurs, or even notice that they happen.
For example, I recall the infamous Sarah Palin interview with Katie Couric. I've read that Palin was asked the same questions over and over again, while Couric attempted to get answers to make her look stupid.
When it was all over, the McCain camp blamed Palin for this. They gave the opposition hours to engineer a bad interview, and then blamed the target.
This is stupidity personified. Don't blame the media for this idiocy. Blame the people who can't accept that the media is their enemy. Or don't care.
The GOP must do better, or it will disappear.
Dec '10
Re: Bobby Jindal: We Can Either Go Down the Government Path or the American Path
Favorite line?
Jindal: 'Which of you wants to sign up to help manage the slow decline of the USA? I sure don’t. That’s what we have Democrats for.'
#shotsfired