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J. Scott Applewhite / AP
Gov. Bobby Jindal of Louisiana addresses activists from America's political right at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington on Saturday.
WASHINGTON – Speaking before an audience of Republican activists Saturday, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal blasted the Obama administration over its response to the 2010 BP oil spill in the gulf, saying Obama officials “wasted precious time while that oil was coming in to our coast.”
The remarks came at the conclusion of his speech at CPAC, the annual gathering of Republican activists held here in Washington.
“They wasted precious time while that oil was coming in to our coast,” Jindal said. “They refused to listen to the people who lived along the coast that knew better than all the experts.”
Jindal – whose state was hit hardest by the spill – was a central figure in the recovery effort. His criticism, first expressed in his book, "Leadership and Crisis," represents a stinging rebuke of a Democratic administration with which he was partnered throughout the recovery effort.
“You’ve had a lot of speakers come up here and talk to you about the importance of this year’s election,” Jindal said, before adding that he wanted to offer “one more reason” why the election is important.
“What I saw and what I heard were people that were maybe very, very book smart, but had never run anything in the private sector,” Jindal continued.
“During our regular meetings and calls, the president would talk regularly about his “Nobel Prize-winning energy secretary.’ I’d begin to think that was part of his title,” Jindal said, refering to Energy Secretary Steven Chu. “I didn’t understand what that had to do with stopping the oil from coming to our coast.”
(Chu won a Nobel Prize in 1997, for physics; Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2009.)
Jindal’s attack represents another expression of a complaint about an elite or out-of-touch White House that has marked many of the CPAC speeches throughout the three days here.
Much of Jindal’s speech prior to the remarks concerned privatizing and reforming public education in Louisiana, an effort which he said would involve expanding charter schools and scholarships, and cracking down on underperforming teachers.
“For the ineffective teachers that refuse to get better, maybe they should look into another profession. Maybe they don’t belong in the classroom anyway,” Jindal said.
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I don't get it. The GOP and conservative right want little or no Government involvement in their lives. Then they criticize the present administration for not being more involved!! The GOP and conservative right want to drill and pump from wherever they may find oil, but don't want to consider the environmental impacts their actions may have. If I remember correctly, the deregulation of the industry happened during a GOP administration and the companies responsible for the disaster were lobbying hard for those changes for energy independence, jobs, etc. This is the party that wants it their way until something goes wrong and then it's the Democrats and Pres. Obama's fault!!
that about says it well
Jindal is pointing out one of the really weak aspects of the Obama administration. They are both stupid, and arrogant. A horrible combination that can only lead to failure after failure, followed by blaming others. This is typical Obama.
The Obama oil spill disaster, the Obama downgrade, the Obama fast and furious scandal, the Obama attack on the Holy Roman Catholic Church, The Great Obama Depression, the huge Obama National debt, Obama unemployment, Over-the-top Obama luxury vacations.
I think, as a country, America has had about as much Obama-ology as we can stomach.
You're so out of touch with reality it's scary.
Joseph- the rest of the country doesn't rewrite history as easily as the Texas School Boards. Take some responsibility for your mistakes. Our memories go back more than 8 years and we aren't brain damaged.
NEW ORLEANS -- Federal regulators on Wednesday cited oil company BP PLC and two other companies – Transocean Ltd. and Halliburton – for alleged safety and environmental violations stemming from last year's rig explosion and massive Gulf oil spill.
I don't see Obamas name anywhere in this citation.
Go spew your Jindal Poison somewhere else, everyone has the Internets today and fact checking is only a couple of keystrokes away.
Who was it that jumped up and down screaming, "Drill, baby,drill"?
Sorry, Jindal. We aren't that hypocritical and we aren't that stupid.
Yes, you are that stupid.
Wow, Mr Hose-- that was clever!
Hey, Hoser;
NEW ORLEANS -- Federal regulators on Wednesday cited oil company BP PLC and two other companies – Transocean Ltd. and Halliburton – for alleged safety and environmental violations stemming from last year's rig explosion and massive Gulf oil spill.
Excuse me but it doesn't say Obama anywhere in there.
What is this but a convention of what is the worst about our political parties in the US. This is the party of blame Obama for sun spots, the economy and every other little malady that befalls us. This, The GOP has degenerated into the laughable "party of NO" No solutions other than do what you can for the very rich as they are the salvation for the country. They will crash in a ball of flames in the next general election when they find out that the US is not a right wing, Christian conservative country. They never seem to get that and they never will. Sure all the women of the US will support a ban on birth control because Santorum wants it that way.
Agreed. Moderate conservatives-- take your party back from the bozos.
William - I was a registered Republican until 2009 [now Independent], the party is totally hijacked by these extremist; no compromise, no motion forward, no sense no nothing bunch.
It amazes me that since Reagan every Republican administration has increased the National Debt and as a result left Mr. Obama saddled with trying to keep us out of a depression.
Since WWII the Republicans have increased the debt by an average of 38% and democrats have decreased the debt by 69%. Had Reagan, Bush 1 & 2 balanced the budget we would only have about a 15% Gross Nation Debt as a % of GDP now. Trickle down has not worked.
What amazes me is that people can say with a straight face this is the party to fix our problems....frequing amazing.
Oh no I know what you mean
I used to be a democrat until they nominated obama.
I knew nothing but lies and debt were around the corner.
And know it seems they are really racist to boot
Keep seeing it RP, maybe someday someone will even think it's true.
I would be willing to bet Mr. President Obama (Nobel Peace Prize Winner) would not have gotten the Nobel Peace Prize now.
I'm pretty sure the CPAC-ers would prefer a government (for and by the Corporations, which are, after all, People) run entirely by 'non-elitists' - no one with an education past 10th grade, not tainted by even the simplest basic knowledge of history, science, finance and the like. Then, the Corporate 'people' (mostly all college educated and in full control of the 'truth' spin) could fully control and run the country without all this troublesome feedback from the pesky elitist non-God fearing left wing devils. What a perfect Stepford World it could be!
it is called a plutocracy .... we are very much there.
In pa. theres a teacher that comes to school in her pajamas and bath robe.
Arrogance to the limit! And she sucks at teaching.
not sure I get your point.
No one's mentioned the fact that Jindal insisted on building a sand bar to stop the oil...at a cost of hundreds of millions...that didn't work. Guess he didn't know what he was doing, either.
What these people believe in is "propaganda politics:" state lies repeatedly and frequently...and eventually the ignorant amongst us will believe those lies. The plot to "dumb down" the electorate over time hasn't worked; and what is revealed is that THERE IS NOT ONE CONCRETE, CREATIVE IDEA COMING FROM THE REPUBLICAN PARTY!!! The one "adult in the room," Jon Huntsman, walked out of said "room" sometime ago. These people do themselves in on a daily basis! Does a clown like Jindal even realize that the person who spoke a couple of doors down, Peter Brimelow, wouldn't even allow him in the country, much less be a governor of a state in this country?
And Sarah Palin is giving the "keynote speech???" The only place that could POSSIBLY make sense (I love that phrase above, "word salad"--LOL!!!) is Fox News. In fact, the ONLY place that ANY OF CPAC could make sense is Fox News.
These people deserve each other.
When Pinnochio, er' Jindal grows up, he's hoping to become a real boy! He'll still have the moral compass of a wooden puppet, but perhaps his voice will change.
Jindal is a dumb a-s Republican who will say anything in trying to put down the Obama Administration.
I remember his response to Obama's speech, Jindal was a total embarassment to himself and all of his Republican Party.
The mantra of the Republican Party is to distort the truth to the point it is no longer recognizable, in other words a consciece lie!
Do I remember correctly..wasn't the cricket opposed to taking Gov't. money during the bailout???? Or was it some other GOPer???
Think he's politicking for the VP job...'it's a small world afterall..
Jindal still received money from the government in 2009, after he claimed he would accept it just to avoid laying off hundreds of teachers. However, Jindal accepted the money and laid off more than the expected amount of teachers. Jindal is the biggest liar!
It always amazes me that RED states want fed help when a disaster happens in their states. The rest of the time they hate the federal government. When the oil spill happened in LA many fisherman were very upset because they weren't being compensated. However, they hadn't filed tax returns and had no proof of income. Working under the table and not contributing isn't very patriotic in my book.
OK...first, you have to understand that CPAC is the Annual TeaPublican Whine Festival. Given that, who's surprised to see Gov. Bobbysox getting another opportunity to sound off, blaming the Obama Administration for not getting response to the BP Oil Spill exactly correct. I seem to remember that Gov. Bobbysox just LOVED BP until the spill happened; that he, at first, wanted to make sure nobody made BP mad or blamed them inappropriately. Also....this is the first time anybody in the TPParty has let Gov Bobbysox off his leash so he could speak in front of a media-covered event--since he made a fool of himself and his party being the Designated Responder to Obama's first SOTU Report. Whine, whine, whine.....
Aren't these the same guys that want less regulations on energy companies???
The spill happened because of short cuts and and the GOP wants to give them more leeway???
Hypocrites one and all.
Oh..I see.. the Federal government didn't do enough
Another crackpot in the clown party! Are they really expecting to be put in charge when first of all they seem all not very bright: Palin, Kane and Perry and are so extreme that they have no creditbility. Is he not the one that showed off following the State of the Union as if he had to tell the nation something? But then this party he belongs to has shown nothing but contempt for the People, the Workers and the Voters in this country, protecting the banks that robbed the nation, protect big oil that is robbing us of taxes they never paid and polluting the environments for decades to come. Please no more of these clowns, get some serious politicians that have skill and are able to negotiate. Only the fringe likes extremes thats why Santorum may run but will never win.
Talking about the oil spill?? Obama did a great job! These blithering idiot repugs are so empty on ammo as far as talking trash about Obama that they talk about his "wins". They really are sooooo stupid!
He's a self described Republican Governor with a Republican controlled State Legislature. If Louisiana has problems with Education and Oil disasters he need look no further than his own political party.
Jindal - Except for over-sized floppy shoes, baggy pants, and the red ball nose,
another clown out of the barrel, and on the attack!
This whole Republican primary business only begins to make sense when you see it as a venting session for whiners. Many of the GOP speakers are so over the top they need therapy. Obama and the surging economy have left them with no alternative but to concoct ever more flagrant lies and hyperbole. They seem to understand these conventions are their last chance to speak to a sympathetic audience and they milk it for all it's worth. If only they had even a clue about how it all sounds to the rest of us.
I would have thought the GOP would have learned its lesson when they let Jindal give the Republican response to Obama's SOTU address a year or two ago.
Guess they didn't.
Being stupid is a trait we can tolerate in Obama. Not listening to his advisers, AND being stupid amounts to arrogance. That is a fatal flaw in anybody. In some empty suit trying to act like a President, it is disastrous.
Obama shelved in 2012.
NEW ORLEANS -- Federal regulators on Wednesday cited oil company BP PLC and two other companies – Transocean Ltd. and Halliburton – for alleged safety and environmental violations stemming from last year's rig explosion and massive Gulf oil spill.
Excuse me but I don't see President Obamas name anywhere on this citation...
right - The old man and the ding bat was exactly what this country needed in 2008.
I actually liked the guy, at one time. But I would challenge anyone to say that this is anything but pure, adulturated politics at work here. Jindal is a reactionary. I know that the people of Louisiana are a little skeptical of him now. I hope they take that skepticism to the polls when Jindal is running for relection. The guy has turned out to be a lacky (sic) for the Republican party...as if they needed more!
Big Oil told him what to say, and he said it. He had little say about BP--because Big Oil told him what not to say, and he didn't. What a guy, what a leader. I respect his candor, though, when he said: "The Truth shall set you back."