Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal is calling on Republicans to “recalibrate the compass of conservatism” following a crushing blow to the GOP on Election Day.
Mr. Jindal is scheduled to deliver the keynote address at the Republican National Committee’s winter meeting Thursday night in Charlotte, N.C.
Speech excerpts released early Thursday indicate Jindal will be the latest of conservatives to urge a change within the GOP, the Associated Press reports.
“We do not need to change what we believe as conservatives — our principles are timeless,” Jindal says. “But we do need to re-orient our focus to the place where conservatism thrives: in the real world beyond the Washington Beltway.
“[We] might need to change just about everything else we do,” he says.
Distancing himself from Washington politics — another indicator that the governor could be positioning himself for a 2016 presidential run — is a smart move for Mr. Jindal, as favorability of Congress is near an all-time low.
The governor says the GOP’s Washington-centric obsession on government bookkeeping is a “rigged game” and that the GOP focuses too much time on the budget, deficits, debt and entitlement programs.
“The Republican Party must become the party of growth, the party of a prosperous future that is based in our economic growth and opportunity that is based in every community in this great country and that is not based in Washington, D.C.,” Mr. Jindal says.
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, Georgia Republican, told reporters at the meeting Thursday that House Republicans could use hearings to expose waste and promote better ideas.
• Jessica Chasmar can be reached at jchasmar@washingtontimes.com.
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