In the aftermath of the 2012 elections, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) raised eyebrows when he said his party needs to “stop being the stupid party” and move away from “dumbed-down conservatism.” The GOP needed a sharper, smarter approach, Jindal said, and he’s just the kind of guy who can help lead the way.
With this in mind, I was eager to read Jindal’s latest Politico piece this morning on what the “GOP needs.” And what did we learn? That the Louisiana governor believes, “[E]xcessive navel gazing leads to paralysis…. No more self-analysis; we’ve had our catharsis. The season for navel gazing has passed.”
Um, OK, but what about substance? “Let’s stop defeating ourselves, get on offense, and go kick the other guys around,” Jindal writes, adding, “We are the conservative party in America — deal with it. We have a lot of dissenting voices. So what? Deal with it. The American public waxes and wanes. Fine. It will wax again soon enough. Deal with it.” How insightful.
Any thoughts on your rivals, governor?
[T]he left wants: The government to explode; to pay everyone; to hire everyone; they believe that money grows on trees; the earth is flat; the industrial age, factory-style government is a cool new thing; debts don’t have to be repaid; people of faith are ignorant and uneducated; unborn babies don’t matter; pornography is fine; traditional marriage is discriminatory; 32 oz. sodas are evil; red meat should be rationed; rich people are evil unless they are from Hollywood or are liberal Democrats; the Israelis are unreasonable; trans-fat must be stopped; kids trapped in failing schools should be patient; wild weather is a new thing; moral standards are passé; government run health care is high quality; the IRS should violate our constitutional rights; reporters should be spied on; Benghazi was handled well; the Second Amendment is outdated; and the First one has some problems too.
Remember, this is the guy who intends to put an end to “dumbed-down conservatism.” He’s the one to end the GOP’s reign as “the stupid party.”
Let’s make this plain: if Bobby Jindal and op-eds like these represent the intellectual backbone of Republican politics in 2013, the party’s future is dim, indeed.
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."