2009 address to joint session of Congress: on Principles & Values


Bobby Jindal: Mother was pregnant with him when parents arrived from India

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 own 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 & 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, my dad would tell me: "Bobby, Americans can do anything." I still believe that to this day: When we pull together, there is no challenge we can't overcome.

Source: GOP response to the 2009 State of the Union address Feb 24, 2009

  • The above quotations are from 2009 address to a joint session of Congress, plus the Republican Response: Feb. 24, 2009.
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Page last updated: Feb 24, 2019