With A Dash Of GOP Contrition, Jindal Stresses Small Government
(CBS)
Responding to President Obama's prime-time speech to Congress on the economy, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal stressed smaller government, tax cuts, and help for small business—decades-old mainstays of the Republican platform that he said his party has lost sight of in recent years.
"The strength of America is not found in our government. It is found in the compassionate hearts and enterprising spirit of our citizens," said Jindal, telling a story about a Louisiana bureaucrat thwarting citizens' rescue efforts after Hurricane Katrina.
Republicans want to "create jobs by lowering income tax rates for working families, cutting taxes for small businesses, [and] strengthening incentives for businesses to invest in new equipment and hire new workers," Jindal said, lamenting that "Democratic leaders in Congress rejected this approach," opting instead to spend more than $1 trillion with interest mainly on infrastructure projects.
As Jindal criticized Democratic plans that he said would "grow the government, increase our taxes down the line, and saddle future generations with debt," it wasn't difficult to feel that the Republican Party had suddenly found religion on fiscal restraint after what many see as the profligacy of the Bush years.
Apparently, this was not lost on Jindal, and though he did not mention President Bush, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan or any of the policy initiatives of the last eight years, he did offer a kind of apology:
Our party got away from its principles. You elected Republicans to champion limited government, fiscal discipline, and personal responsibility. Instead, Republicans went along with earmarks and big government spending in Washington. Republicans lost your trust - and rightly so.With GOP approval flagging, Jindal seemed to harkening back to the vital, small-government party of Ronald Reagan, or at least Newt Gingrich, rather than the one that suffered major losses in the last two elections.
Tonight, on behalf of our leaders in Congress and my fellow Republican governors, I say: Our party is determined to regain your trust.
Jindal did not limit his speech to Mr. Obama's plans for the economy. He gave what almost amounted to a campaign speech, speaking in a jocular, "aw shucks" style but beating the GOP drum on healthcare ("Health care decisions should be made by doctors and patients - not by government bureaucrats") and defense ("Now is no time to dismantle the defenses that have protected this country for hundreds of years, or make deep cuts in funding for our troops").
Jindal began his speech by saluting Mr. Obama's ascent to the presidency and the historic occasion of his first address to Congress. Jindal linked his own life story to Mr. Obama's—both the sons of immigrant fathers; both unlikely politicians who benefited from the hard and thankless work of their parents.
He began and ended the speech with invoking of his father, who told him, "Americans can do anything."
The complete text of Jindal's speech, as prepared for delivery, is provided below:
Good evening. I'm Bobby Jindal, Governor of Louisiana.
Tonight, we witnessed a great moment in the history of our Republic. In the very chamber where Congress once voted to abolish slavery, our first African-American President stepped forward to address the state of our union. With his speech tonight, the President completed a redemptive journey that took our nation from Independence Hall … to Gettysburg … to the lunch counter … and now, finally, the Oval Office.
Regardless of party, all Americans are moved by the President's personal story - the son of an American mother and a Kenyan father, who grew up to become leader of the free world. Like the President's father, my parents came to this country from a distant land. When they arrived in Baton Rouge, my mother was already 4 ? months pregnant. I was what folks in the insurance industry now call a 'pre-existing condition.' To find work, my dad picked up the yellow pages and started calling local businesses. Even after landing a job, he could still not afford to pay for my delivery - so he worked out an installment plan with the doctor. Fortunately for me, he never missed a payment.
As I grew up, my mom and dad taught me the values that attracted them to this country - and they instilled in me an immigrant's wonder at the greatness of America. As a child, I remember going to the grocery store with my dad. Growing up in India, he had seen extreme poverty. And as we walked through the aisles, looking at the endless variety on the shelves, he would tell me: 'Bobby, Americans can do anything.' I still believe that to this day. Americans can do anything. When we pull together, there is no challenge we cannot overcome.
As the President made clear this evening, we are now in a time of challenge. Many of you listening tonight have lost jobs. Others have seen your college and retirement savings dwindle. Many of you are worried about losing your health care and your homes. And you are looking to your elected leaders in Washington for solutions.
Republicans are ready to work with the new President to provide those solutions. Here in my state of Louisiana, we don't care what party you belong to if you have good ideas to make life better for our people. We need more of that attitude from both Democrats and Republicans in our nation's capital. All of us want our economy to recover and our nation to prosper. So where we agree, Republicans must be the President's strongest partners. And where we disagree, Republicans have a responsibility to be candid and offer better ideas for a path forward.
Today in Washington, some are promising that government will rescue us from the economic storms raging all around us.
Those of us who lived through Hurricane Katrina, we have our doubts.
Let me tell you a story.
During Katrina, I visited Sheriff Harry Lee, a Democrat and a good friend of mine. When I walked into his makeshift office I'd never seen him so angry. He was yelling into the phone: 'Well, I'm the Sheriff and if you don't like it you can come and arrest me!' I asked him: 'Sheriff, what's got you so mad?' He told me that he had put out a call for volunteers to come with their boats to rescue people who were trapped on their rooftops by the floodwaters. The boats were all lined up ready to go - when some bureaucrat showed up and told them they couldn't go out on the water unless they had proof of insurance and registration. I told him, 'Sheriff, that's ridiculous.' And before I knew it, he was yelling into the phone: 'Congressman Jindal is here, and he says you can come and arrest him too!' Harry just told the boaters to ignore the bureaucrats and start rescuing people.
There is a lesson in this experience: The strength of America is not found in our government. It is found in the compassionate hearts and enterprising spirit of our citizens. We are grateful for the support we have received from across the nation for the ongoing recovery efforts. This spirit got Louisiana through the hurricanes - and this spirit will get our nation through the storms we face today.
To solve our current problems, Washington must lead. But the way to lead is not to raise taxes and put more money and power in hands of Washington politicians. The way to lead is by empowering you - the American people. Because we believe that Americans can do anything.
That is why Republicans put forward plans to create jobs by lowering income tax rates for working families … cutting taxes for small businesses … strengthening incentives for businesses to invest in new equipment and hire new workers … and stabilizing home values by creating a new tax credit for home-buyers. These plans would cost less and create more jobs.
But Democratic leaders in Congress rejected this approach. Instead of trusting us to make wise decisions with our own money, they passed the largest government spending bill in history - with a price tag of more than $1 trillion with interest. While some of the projects in the bill make sense, their legislation is larded with wasteful spending. It includes $300 million to buy new cars for the government, $8 billion for high-speed rail projects, such as a 'magnetic levitation' line from Las Vegas to Disneyland, and $140 million for something called 'volcano monitoring.' Instead of monitoring volcanoes, what Congress should be monitoring is the eruption of spending in Washington, DC.
Democratic leaders say their legislation will grow the economy. What it will do is grow the government, increase our taxes down the line, and saddle future generations with debt. Who among us would ask our children for a loan, so we could spend money we do not have, on things we do not need? That is precisely what the Democrats in Congress just did. It's irresponsible. And it's no way to strengthen our economy, create jobs, or build a prosperous future for our children.
In Louisiana, we took a different approach. Since I became governor, we cut more than 250 earmarks from our state budget. And to create jobs for our citizens, we cut taxes six times - including the largest income tax cut in the history of our state. We passed those tax cuts with bipartisan majorities. Republicans and Democrats put aside their differences, and worked together to make sure our people could keep more of what they earn. If it can be done in Baton Rouge, surely it can be done in Washington, DC.
To strengthen our economy, we need urgent action to keep energy prices down. All of us remember what it felt like to pay $4 at the pump - and unless we act now, those prices will return. To stop that from happening, we need to increase conservation … increase energy efficiency … increase the use of alternative and renewable fuels … increase our use of nuclear power - and increase drilling for oil and gas here at home. We believe that Americans can do anything - and if we unleash the innovative spirit of our citizens, we can achieve energy independence.
To strengthen our economy, we also need to address the crisis in health care. Republicans believe in a simple principle: No American should have to worry about losing their health coverage - period. We stand for universal access to affordable health care coverage. We oppose universal government-run health care. Health care decisions should be made by doctors and patients - not by government bureaucrats. We believe Americans can do anything - and if we put aside partisan politics and work together, we can make our system of private medicine affordable and accessible for every one of our citizens.
To strengthen our economy, we also need to make sure every child in America gets the best possible education. After Katrina, we reinvented the New Orleans school system - opening dozens of new charter schools, and creating a new scholarship program that is giving parents the chance to send their children to private or parochial schools of their choice. We believe that, with the proper education, the children of America can do anything. And it should not take a devastating storm to bring this kind of innovation to education in our country.
To strengthen our economy, we must promote confidence in America by ensuring ours is the most ethical and transparent system in the world. In my home state, there used to be saying: At any given time, half of Louisiana is under water - and the other half is under indictment. No one says that anymore. Last year, we passed some of the strongest ethics laws in the nation - and today, Louisiana has turned her back on the corruption of the past. We need to bring transparency to Washington, DC - so we can rid our Capitol of corruption … and ensure we never see the passage of another trillion dollar spending bill that Congress has not even read and the American people haven't even seen.
As we take these steps, we must remember for all our troubles at home, dangerous enemies still seek our destruction. Now is no time to dismantle the defenses that have protected this country for hundreds of years, or make deep cuts in funding for our troops. America's fighting men and women can do anything. And if we give them the resources they need, they will stay on the offensive … defeat our enemies … and protect us from harm.
In all these areas, Republicans want to work with President Obama. We appreciate his message of hope - but sometimes it seems we look for hope in different places. Democratic leaders in Washington place their hope in the federal government. We place our hope in you - the American people. In the end, it comes down to an honest and fundamental disagreement about the proper role of government. We oppose the National Democrats' view that says -- the way to strengthen our country is to increase dependence on government. We believe the way to strengthen our country is to restrain spending in Washington, and empower individuals and small businesses to grow our economy and create jobs.
In recent years, these distinctions in philosophy became less clear - because our party got away from its principles. You elected Republicans to champion limited government, fiscal discipline, and personal responsibility. Instead, Republicans went along with earmarks and big government spending in Washington. Republicans lost your trust - and rightly so.
Tonight, on behalf of our leaders in Congress and my fellow Republican governors, I say: Our party is determined to regain your trust. We will do so by standing up for the principles that we share … the principles you elected us to fight for … the principles that built this into the greatest, most prosperous country on earth.
A few weeks ago, the President warned that our nation is facing a crisis that he said 'we may not be able to reverse.' Our troubles are real, to be sure. But don't let anyone tell you that we cannot recover - or that America's best days are behind her. This is the nation that cast off the scourge of slavery … overcame the Great Depression … prevailed in two World Wars … won the struggle for civil rights … defeated the Soviet menace … and responded with determined courage to the attacks of September 11, 2001. The American spirit has triumphed over almost every form of adversity known to man - and the American spirit will triumph again.
We can have confidence in our future - because, amid today's challenges, we also count many blessings: We have the most innovative citizens …the most abundant resources … the most resilient economy … the most powerful military … and the freest political system in the history of the world. My fellow citizens, never forget: We are Americans. And like my dad said years ago, Americans can do anything.
Thank you for listening. God bless you. And God bless America.
More CBSNews.com Coverage Of President Obama's Address To Congress:
- Obama: The "Day Of Reckoning Has Arrived"
- Full Text Of Obama's Speech |
- By Topic: Economy | Bank Bailout | Energy | Health Care
Education | Budget And Taxes | Foreign Policy - Analysis: Obama Miniseries Enters Part Two
- Poll: Positive Reception For Obama Address
- GOP Response: Jindal Stresses Small Government
- Video: Katie Couric's Web-Only Special
- McCain: Obama Speech Lacked Detail
- Gibbs Praises Boss' Speech
- Holder Is "Odd Man Out"
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Having seen a picture of Bobby Jingal and President Barack Obama shaking hands, the President expressly reached out. Jingal's gratitude did show as have seen in the faces and eyes of all other governors and people alike who gladly sought to get to work for America. When was the last time, Bobby, did you actually visit the people on their level with out expecting something in return and to feel the effects and actually witness to the reality of livlihood. Small businesses will surface and if that is a concern, sound possitive about that concern and not like a Republican trying to gain common grounds of popularity. This is a period of transparency, everyone is watching.
"LEE: I fully believe that when then matter is looked into, we tried to get some boats in the water early on. When I realized that we had a problem, I was the one that made the call in WWO (UNINTELLIGIBLE) radio if there was anybody with a boat to come to a place so that we can get the boats in the water because I was around when -- the other big hurricanes, and most of the rescue done early on were individual fisherman, recreational fisherman that had boats that went in the water. Those boats where not allowed to get into the water when they were needed and I just found out about seven days later one of the reason boats couldn't get in was they didn't have enough life preservers and some of them didn't have proof of insurance. And I'm sure that there's a FEMA regulation that says that. But when a storm of this magnitude hits, you through those regulations out the window and you do what you have to do and start saving lives."
He just found out seven days later ... Jindal's Katrina story is a fake.
Yea you're right, but it was the Republican Government who was slow to act. Have you asked yourself why the Fed's were slow to help and respond. It was because the governor was a Democrat. And that is the Republican way, ideology before country and the people. And it was Bush who went there and congratulated the head of FEMA, who was one of his appointments. The guy ran a horse farm before that, for Gods sake.
If what you say is true than how come LA has such a high unemployement rate.
Remember the figures are public. Only farming states with no population have low unemployment rates and when I say low I don't mean low where they should be like 3 and 4 percent I mean like 6 and 7 percent.
Stow it.
You are so convince that no one who criticized Jindal's speech paid attention to what he said with your message "But I bet none of you listened to a word he said. Not one of you." plastered after half of the posts here. Personally, I listened to every single word.. twice.. and I'm still appalled with this "response" to Obama's speech (which it seems he didn't even read before writing his own).
After picking Palin and Steele as leaders... I'd say three strikes and the GOP is out with Jindal. He rambled, made things up, looked like a goof ball and someone on a high school debating team could have written and delivered a better speech.
He confirmed the fact that the GOP has no interest in "Change" despite the fact that this is what the people want and the country needs. They had their chance for 8 years and screwed it up... royally. Perfect example of the Republican party not giving a damn what the country wants or needs.
He'll be lucky if he makes it to 2012 as governor... much less runs for President. Even Republicans criticized his speech. I hope he does run. Easy out!
I still give him an F for content and an F- for delivery.