Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) is a two-term governor hoping you'll pick him out of a field of 16 other Republicans in the race for the White House. Get to know your candidate here.
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HOMETOWN:
I was born in Baton Rouge, LA.
FUN FACT:
Our third child was actually born at home....it was literally just my wife and me together on our bathroom floor next to our bedroom. By the time the ambulance got there, he was already born.
TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF.
I was born in Baton Rouge, LA. My parents came there [from India] over 40 years ago. To me, they lived the American dream...the first time they ever got on a plane, they were coming halfway across the world to come to Baton Rouge.
SO WHY SHOULD AMERICA HIRE YOU?
I think America is ready to hire a doer, not a talker. We've got a lot of people that are "talking" who are running for president. We've got a talker in the White House today. I'm the only candidate that has offered detailed plans on health care, on energy, on education, on our foreign policy....Secondly, I've got a track record of proven results. [Louisiana's] actually already cut the size of our budget [by] 26%. ...We've got a top ten state for private sector job creation. Look, if folks are looking for a candidate who's just going to manage the slow decline of our country, I'm not that candidate. If they're looking for somebody who will go to DC and make big changes, I'm the guy to do that. I've already done it in Louisiana, I'll do it in DC.
WHO SHOULD WE CALL FOR A REFERENCE?
I'd call my wife, Supriya. She's my best friend. She's a straight shooter. She'll be honest, but she's also my best friend.
WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST STRENGTH?
I'm not afraid of taking on big, complex programs. When I was elected governor, we were coming out of Katrina. We had had 25 years in a row of out-migration. We've now had seven years in a row of in-migration. We've got more people working there and earning a higher income than we have ever had before. So, I'm not afraid to take on the big complex problems, and I think that's what we need in DC right now...We'll be the next Greece if we don't grow the private sector economy.
WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST WEAKNESS?
I'm impatient. I've been told my entire life I need to slow down, I speak too quickly.
WHERE DO YOU STAND ON THE FOLLOWING...
THE ECONOMY.
I think that we have to accept the truth that you can either grow the private sector economy, or grow the government economy. You can't grow both. We've got to...shrink the federal government so we can grow the private sector economy. Today we are celebrating the fact that we've got a record-low participation rate in the workforce, we've got record high dependence on food stamps. That's backwards!
HEALTHCARE.
I think Obamacare was a mistake. It has made healthcare less affordable, not more affordable. We've created a new entitlement program, and we can't afford the ones we've got. It involves less freedom for patients and their doctors. I've actually outlined a plan...it does three things: one, it makes healthcare more affordable. So it gives a standard tax reduction, and allows people to buy health insurance across state lines. For accidental frivolous lawsuits, it creates voluntary purchasing programs, expands access to health savings, medical savings, and wellness accounts....Secondly, [the plan helps] the vulnerable. [It] gives $10 billion dollars a year to the states to help those with pre-existing conditions. And third, [the plan] puts patients and their doctors in control, not the bureaucrats.
THE IRAN NUCLEAR DEAL.
I think it's a very bad deal for America, for Israel, for our allies. Just to start with, when the deal was announced, Syria and Assad -- our enemies -- rejoiced and celebrated. Israel and Netanyahu -- our allies -- rejected, criticized, condemned the deal. Initially [the president said] we're going to get rid of their enrichment capacities, and we're going to have anytime, anywhere inspections. Turns out, neither is true. I think a good deal would've said [Iran has] to get rid of all their centrifuges. They have to get rid of all their enriched uranium. [It would allow for] anytime, anywhere inspections [and] no pathway to a plutonium device...[It would also say] they have to release all of their American prisoners, and cut off all their connections to Hamas, Hezbollah, or any other terrorists groups. And then finally, they need to recognize the right of Israel to exist. We're in a position to actually be able to get a good deal. This is a bad deal, and I think Congress should vote it down.
GUN CONTROL.
I'm for our Second Amendment rights...At the same time, we've also passed laws in Louisiana, since I've been governor, to strengthen the reporting of mental health cases into the national background check system. So, I fully support that, I think every state should do that...but at the same time I'm not for restricting our second amendment rights for law-abiding citizens.
WOULD YOU CHANGE ANYTHING ABOUT HOW THE US IS HANDLING THIS WHOLE ISIS THING?
First, we need to be working with our Kurdish allies, directly arming and training them....Secondly, we need to encourage our Sunni allies. They will do more, their challenge is right now that they don't know that America is committed for the long run....Third, the president submitted an authorization for the use of military force to Congress -- he needs to change two things about it: one, he needs to take out the ban on ground troops, and second, he needs take out the three-year deadline. There's no reason any commander-in-chief should ever tell the enemy what we will or won't do...I don't think that we should ever take an option off the table. We've gotta do what it takes to win...We've gotta have a president who actually, first off can identify the enemy and say our enemy is radical Islamic terrorism. We've got a president who's too politically correct to say that.
CLIMATE CHANGE.
In terms of whether human activity impacts the climate, I'm sure it does. In terms of how much or what should be done or the consequence, I'll leave that to the scientists. I'd say a couple of other things, though. One, if we can have affordable energy, we can have a clean environment and we can have a strong economy. They're not mutually exclusive....the second thing I'd say, is it makes no sense for us to take unilateral actions that will hurt our economy, if we're not going to insist that other countries do the same. Especially countries we compete with and trade with.
IMMIGRATION REFORM.
I think our immigration policy right now is backwards. The first thing we need to do is secure our border, period. We don't need amnesty. We need to secure the border -- we don't need a 1,000 page bill, we don't need a comprehensive bill. We've got a low wall and a narrow gate -- by a low wall, it's too easy to come to the country illegally and by a narrow gate, it's too hard to come to the country legally. I think one of the dumbest things we do today is educate people and then kick them out of the country to compete against us. I do think that something that gets missed in the immigration debate is assimilation...My parents came to raise their kids here as Americans, they came to be Americans. If they didn't want that, they would've stayed in India. Now, they love India and they're proud of their heritage. So, I've said we need to get away from this African-American, Indian-American...you know, we're all Americans.
RIGHT TO CHOOSE. YES OR NO?
I am pro-life.
THE SUPREME COURT'S RULING ON GAY MARRIAGE. YES OR NO?
I disagree with the ruling. I believe that marriage continues to be between a man and a woman.
WHAT WOULD YOU ASK THE WHITE HOUSE CHEF TO MAKE FOR YOUR FIRST MEAL AT 1600 PENNSYLVANIA AVE?
Nachos and chocolate chip cookies. I'm a bit of a gym rat, and there are some people that love to work out and then they tell you well if you work out, then you gotta eat healthy. I'm a little bit of the opposite.
HOW MANY TIMES DO YOU HIT SNOOZE IN THE AM?
I actually don't, and after 18 years of marriage my wife and I have figured this out, because we are very different when it comes to this. I'm one of those people that gets up before the alarm goes off, no matter what time it's set. And my wife, not only does she like to hit snooze, she likes to set the clocks ahead of time.
HOW DO YOU TAKE YOUR COFFEE?
I'm not a coffee drinker, it's more Diet Coke.
theSKIMM
Gov. Jindal has a deep resume that includes a past House GOP leadership role, and experience in the private sector as a McKinsey consultant. He's got a rep for being a by-the-numbers guy who gets things done. He's also got sinking approval ratings with people at home in Louisiana, many who think he's really just been waiting to run for president for years.
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