Common Core foe Gov. Bobby Jindal, R-La., announced on Monday that he is exploring running for the Republican presidential nomination and he will be heading to Florida in the coming weeks as he weighs his options for 2016.
Jindal said on Monday that he would make a decision on 2016 next month after the Louisiana legislative session comes to a close, but he offered an outline of what he would focus on if he joins the increasingly crowded Republican field.
If I run, my candidacy will be based on the idea that the American people are ready to try a dramatically different direction. Not a course correction, but a dramatically different path, Jindal said on Monday before turning his fire toward President Barack Obama.
President Obama has started to redefine the American dream, turning it into the European nightmare, Jindal insisted. Because of this, I believe our country is in serious trouble and that the hour is late for America. Economic collapse is much closer to the door than people realize, our culture is decaying at a rapid rate, and our standing in a dangerous world is at an all-time low.
However, the problems caused by seven years of weak leadership and mistakes in the Obama administration can be corrected, Jindal added. But they wont be fixed by just sending Republicans to Congress. It will only be fixed by a president who is willing to make hard decisions and who has the ideas to change our countrys future.
Jindal also attempted to contrast himself with some of the other potential Republican candidates.
While other Republican leaders are talking about change, Ive published detailed plans to repeal and replace Obamacare, rebuild Americas defenses, make America energy independent, and reform education for our nations children, Jindal said. So today Im announcing the launch of an exploratory committee, which will help me to decide whether to seek our partys nomination.
This is not Jindals first time on the national stage. While there was speculation that hel would be U.S. Sen. John McCains, R-Ariz., running mate in 2008, his first real national exposure came the following year when he offered the Republican response to Obamas first State of the Union address. Jindals speech earned him harsh reviews from pundits across the political spectrum but he would go on to win a second gubernatorial term in 2011. Jindal was also considered a potential vice presidential candidate in 2012 but lost out to U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis.
The son of immigrants from India, Jindal headed up the state Department of Health and Hospitals in Louisiana during the 1990s and helped turn the Pelican States Medicaid program around, pulling it out of a $400 million deficit in three years. He also tackled Medicare, leading a bipartisan national commission studying ways to ensure that the federal program could remain solvent in the future. Jindal served two years in President George W. Bushs administration as an assistant secretary of Health and Human Services for planning and evaluation, a post he resigned to run for governor in 2003.
While Jindal lost the gubernatorial election, he bounced back the next year to win a congressional seat. During his tenure in Congress, Jindal moved up to the leadership, serving as an assistant whip and serving as vice chairman of the House Subcommittee on the Prevention of Nuclear and Biological Attacks. Jindal also served on the Homeland Security and the Education and the Workforce committees. After winning re-election to Congress in 2006, Jindal would run for the governorship in 2007 and this time would walk away with the prize.
Jindal has been active in Florida in recent years, speaking at an Americans for Prosperity (AFP) event in Orlando back in 2013. In the final days of the 2014 election cycle, Jindal helped campaign for Gov. Rick Scott, R-Fla., across the Sunshine State.
On June 2, Jindal is scheduled to speak at an Economic Growth Summit in Orlando that Scott is organizing. Jindal is scheduled to be joined by former Gov. Mike Huckabee, R-Ark., and U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., who are running for the Republican presidential nomination and potential candidates former Gov. Jeb Bush, R-Fla., Gov. Chris Christie, R-N.J., former Gov. Rick Perry, R-Texas, and Gov. Scott Walker, R-Wis.
Earlier this year, Jindal called for the Republican presidential candidates to discuss Common Core and the Louisiana governor is a foe of those education standards.
"When it comes to moving power away from federal government, that's obviously the debate today about Common Core," Jindal said back in February. "I think this is a good debate and a good discussion within the Republican primary and the general election: What is the proper role of the federal government?"
Jindal framed the issue as a contest between Americans and the federal government in Washington.
Do we trust the bureaucrats in D.C., or do we trust parents and local officials to make these decisions? Jindal asked. I come down on the side of trusting local parents, local teachers and local officials, trusting competition, not thinking it is better to have an unelected elite, a group of bureaucrats in D.C., making these decision for us.
Clearly on Jindals mind was Bush who has supported Common Core and No Child Left Behind during his time in public life. Bush is one of the leading Republican candidates in most national polls and surveys of key states while Jindal is almost always found at the back of the pack. In December, Bush announced he was exploring running for the presidency.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
