Jindal Campaign Press Release - Jindal: Time for Republican Party to Man-Up

Today, Governor Jindal will address the Defending the American Dream Summit hosted by Americans for Prosperity. He will say it is time for the Republican Party to man-up and embrace it's own conservative principles, instead of caving to the demands of the left. He will specifically call out Governor Scott Walker for proposing a new health care entitlement program that provides universal coverage.

Below the excerpts is a graphic that illustrates the similarities between Obamacare and Governor Walker's new entitlement program. The graphic also shows how Governor Jindal's plan to repeal and replace Obamacare is different — it focuses on using the free market to lower health costs rather than provide universal coverage, and it lays out how the plan will be paid for (unlike Governor Walker's new entitlement program).

EXCERPTS FROM JINDAL AFP SPEECH

I'm going to switch gears now and speak very frankly about what it means to stand up for conservative ideals.

I introduced a replacement plan for Obamacare last year...and I've been calling on other candidates to write their own plans and release them...finally...Governor Walker did that this week. Every person running for President should tell the voters what his or her plan to replace Obamacare is.

I want to see if we can establish some common ground here today, so let me take an informal poll of the audience on some big picture principles regarding health care and Obamacare.

How many of you agree that we should NOT create a new federal entitlement program, when we can't pay for the ones we already have?

· Looks like an overwhelming majority.

· How many disagree? Not many, as long as the reporters here don't get a vote.

How many of you agree that the federal government should NOT pay for Universal Coverage for every person in America?

· Looks like a big majority.

· How many disagree and believe that the government should pay for Universal Coverage for every person in America? Not many, I don't know where the Democrat Party trackers are, but I assume they raised their hands.

Well folks, I have good news and I have bad news.

The good news is that my health care plan does NOT create a new federal entitlement program, and my plan does NOT try to mimic Obamacare's pledge of government spending to give universal coverage for all. In fact, my plan attacks the real problem with American health care – which is not access, it is cost.

And now the bad news....Scott Walker's plan does create a new federal entitlement, and it does provide universal coverage with a guarantee of government coverage for everyone. His plan would likely cost over 1 Trillion dollars, and he does not indicate how he would pay for it, which of course is the Washington way.

But I'm going to stop picking on Walker and make a much bigger point to you all here today. We have to stand up for our principles, we have to stop being intimidated and bullied by the left. You've heard Jeb Bush say that we have to be willing to lose the primary in order to win the general election.

Let me translate that into English for you – that is the establishment in Washington telling us we have to hide our conservative views in order to try to get the left and the media to like us, so we can win the election. That is nonsense and it won't work.

If we try that again, we will lose again, and we will deserve to lose.

When did we decide to quite fighting for our conservative ideals? When did we throw in the towel? I didn't get the memo on that. Conservative ideals haven't' died out here in America...but they are dead in Washington.

The so called conservatives in Washington are too scared to get rid of this entitlement program

They were relieved when we lost the Supreme Court case against Obamacare

They are too scared to oppose universal coverage

They are too scared to believe in the free market

They are too scared to stand up for freedom

They are too scared to break the yoke of government dependence.

Here's the sad truth — The so-called conservatives in DC aren't very conservatives any more.

There's a better way – we can endorse our own principles for a change. We can win this election and win this century by embracing freedom, embracing economic growth. Obama and Clinton want to turn the American Dream into the European Nightmare. Government dependence is not the American Dream. That's not what my parents came to America for.

The American Dream is Independence and freedom and growth and opportunity for all. That's the American Dream and it's time for the Republican Party to man-up and boldly claim it.