Bobby Jindal in Speech at 2013 CPAC conference
On Budget & Economy:
Replace "obsession with zeroes" with growth strategy
Jindal presented a bit different approach from that taken by many other CPAC speakers. Jindal is a great believer in the strategy of growing our way out of fiscal crisis, rather than imposing severe spending cuts. "Today's conservatism is too wrapped up
in solving the hideous mess that is the federal government," the Governor judged. "Our objective is to grow the private sector. We must not become the party of austerity, we must become the party of growth."The debate between controlling government to
rein it in, or make it even larger, is a debate Jindal sees Republicans trying to fight on the Democrats' terms. It is a "very small and short-sighted debate," he said. "If our vision isn't greater than that, we don't deserve to win."
Jindal cited the
"fiscal cliff" as an example of conservatives falling into a "sideshow trap" & allowing Washington to take center stage over the rest of America. He doesn't see this "obsession with zeroes" and focus on spreadsheet politics as a winner for Republicans.
Source: 2013 Conservative Political Action Conf. in "Human Events"
Mar 16, 2013
On Government Reform:
If it's worth doing, then block-grant it to the states
Jindal hinted that his growth strategy might involve shifting Republican political efforts back to state governments instead of Washington, to build the prosperity he spoke of one community at a time.
This would build the political capital and general popularity necessary to take another shot at winning Washington, coupled with a realistic chance of building a sustainable federal government after electoral victory.
He spoke strongly in favor of returning power and money from D.C. to state capitals. "If it's worth doing, then block-grant it to the states," said
Jindal. "And if the states can't be trusted to do it, then, well, maybe Washington shouldn't be doing it at all."
Source: 2013 Conservative Political Action Conf. in "Human Events"
Mar 16, 2013
On Principles & Values:
Dems are for government expansion & economic contraction
Jindal encouraged Republicans to focus their efforts on ensuring America could once again become a land of opportunity, while seeming to advise that efforts at fiscal restraint should be directed at the most egregious examples of government waste, noting
that Obama would never be able to give enough tax money to his green-energy cronies to create prosperity. "As conservatives, we must dedicate our energies and efforts to growing America," Jindal said.He portrayed this goal as more realistic than a
bitter struggle for control of Washington, given the results of recent elections, and the booby prize awarded to the victors of such a struggle. "If our end goal is to simply better manage the disaster that is the federal government, you can count me
out. I'm not signing up for that. Who here wants to sign up for managing the decline of America?"
He said he was content to allow the Democrats to remain the party of government expansion and economic contraction.
Source: 2013 Conservative Political Action Conf. in "Human Events"
Mar 16, 2013
On Tax Reform:
Simplify our complicated tax code by blowing it up
Jindal wants to radically simplify our complicated tax code, going so far as to suggest "blowing it up," although he didn't specify what he would replace it with, beyond promising that it would contain fewer weird exemptions and deductions arranged by
lobbyists. It would require us to "recalibrate the compass of conservatism." Jindal was relatively unique among CPAC speakers in saying this re-calibration would come in economic, rather than social areas. Most others have been suggesting conservatives
move to the left on some social topics, but Jindal would have none of that, because "America already has one liberal party.""I'm not calling for a period of introspection and navel-gazing," the Governor promised. "Far from it. I'm calling for us to
get busy winning the argument. There is much work to be done. Then, after that, we must go out and win the next election, so that we can preserve for our children and grandchildren all that makes us the greatest country in the history of the world."
Source: 2013 Conservative Political Action Conf. in "Human Events"
Mar 16, 2013
Page last updated: Dec 05, 2018