Jindal calls Democrats debate about socialism ‘surreal’

CEDAR RAPIDS - President Barack Obama's announcement that he plans to leave troops in Afghanistan beyond 2016 is just one more example of 'reality intruding on his ideology,” GOP presidential hopeful Gov. Bobby Jindal said in Cedar Rapids Thursday.

The Louisiana Republican also called the Democratic presidential candidate debate earlier this week a 'surreal experience.”

'It's 2015 in America and they're debating whether socialism is a good idea for America,” Jindal said. 'Give Bernie Sanders credit. He calls himself a socialist. Hillary Clinton and Obama are no better.”

The democrats were 'competing to give away more free stuff … free college and free health care to people who are here illegally,” Jindal said. 'It was amazing. One of them actually said the greatest threat to national security - I thought it was going to be Iraq, Islamic terrorists, ISIS, al-Qaida, a nuclear-armed Iran - well no, it was global warming. Really?”

He called the Democrats' rhetoric 'more of the same old, same old,” Jindal told about 50 people at the Linn County Republican Eagles luncheon.

It did reinforced for him why the GOP must win the 2016 election.

'It's not optional,” Jindal said. 'Four more years under these policies and we won't recognize our country. It's not about the Republican Party. It's about saving our country. That's what this election is about.”

However, Jindal wasn't critical of everything Obama has done. Jindal welcomed the president's announcement that he will take the advice of military advisers and will leave troops in Afghanistan longer than he had planned.

He called it still another example of where 'the facts on the ground have proved his rhetoric, his ideology is basically delusional.”

Rather than retreat from a position of leadership in the world and hope 'somehow our enemies will leave us alone,” Jindal called for strengthening the military.

'It's time for him to admit peace through strength works,” Jindal said. 'It's time to admit what Ronald Reagan knew: To avoid wars, prepare for them.”