Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) said Thursday evening that the Republican Party’s obsession with “government bookkeeping” is misplaced.
“Today’s conservatism is completely wrapped up in solving the hideous mess that is the federal budget, the burgeoning deficits, the mammoth federal debt, the shortfall in our entitlement programs…even as we invent new entitlement programs,” Jindal told the Republican National Committee’s winter meeting in Charlotte, N.C., according to his prepared remarks. “We seem to have an obsession with government bookkeeping. This is a rigged game, and it is the wrong game for us to play.”
Jindal’s speech was a rebuttal to President Obama’s second inaugural address. He laid out how Republicans can move forward from the 2012 election. The Republican party “must not become the party of austerity,” Jindal said. “We must become the party of growth. Of course we know that government is out of control. The public knows that too. And yet we just lost an election.”
Jindal added: “If this election taught us anything, it is that we will not win elections by simply pointing out the failures of the other side. We must boldly paint the picture of what America can be, of just how incredibly bright America’s future can be.”
