I’m not a fan of Louisiana’s Republican Gov. Bobby Jindal (see here, here and here), but he has said some remarkably perceptive things since the reelection of President Obama.
He edged dangerously close to what many of his fellow Republicans would call class warfare if a Democrat said it.
“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 told POLITICO in a 45-minute telephone interview. “We cannot be, we must not be, the party that simply protects the rich so they get to keep their toys.”
He was just as blunt on how the GOP should speak to voters, criticizing his party for offending and speaking down to much of the electorate.
“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.”
Then he responded angrily to the assertion by Mitt Romney (last seen limping off into the sunset) that he lost the election because of Obama’s offer of “free stuff” for Democratic voters.
“This is not where the Republican party needs to go,” he said. “Look, If you want voters to like you, the first thing you’ve got to do is to like them first. And it’s certainly not helpful to tell voters that you think their votes were bought.”
If you want voters to like you, the first thing you’ve got to do is to like them first.
Good advice for politicians of all stripes.
