Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) offered a frank asssessment of what he believes cost the Republican Party at the ballot box this year in an interview with Politico that ran Tuesday, suggesting that the GOP has come to be seen as too cozy with the wealthiest segment of the country.
“We’ve got to make sure that we are not the party of big business, big banks, big Wall Street bailouts, big corporate loopholes, big anything,” Jindal said. “We cannot be, we must not be, the party that simply protects the rich so they get to keep their toys.”
Ostensibly referring to the likes of Rep. Todd Akin (R-MO) and Richard Mourdock, Jindal also noted that some Republican candidates inflicted harm on the party’s image this year.
“It is no secret we had a number of Republicans damage our brand this year with offensive, bizarre comments — enough of that,” Jindal said. “It’s not going to be the last time anyone says something stupid within our party, but it can’t be tolerated within our party. We’ve also had enough of this dumbed-down conservatism. We need to stop being simplistic, we need to trust the intelligence of the American people and we need to stop insulting the intelligence of the voters.”
