Jindal criticizes debates and RNC, defends immigration stance

DES MOINES - Bobby Jindal feels much the same as the many Republicans who are upset with how this week's presidential debate was moderated by cable news network CNBC.

But Jindal does not agree with action taken Friday morning by the national Republican Party to sever ties with NBC, the parent network of CNBC, over a future GOP debate.

Fewer debates is not the solution, Jindal said Friday in Iowa.

'I don't think limiting the debates further is the right answer. I think more debates is better than fewer debates,” Jindal said to reporters Friday after speaking at a candidate forum hosted by the Iowa Caucus Consortium, a coalition of central Iowa business, tourism and media groups.

Jindal's campaign is among those that plans to meet this weekend to discuss the remaining debates and air their grievances to the Republican National Committee, according to a Politico report. Jindal said he thinks the debates should be handled in 'free market” fashion, allowing for any number of debates and for the candidates to choose whether to participate.

'I think the message is the RNC and the networks should stop trying to control this democratic process. I know democracy is messy, but it's better than the alternative,” Jindal said. 'So I know they want to clear the field. I know they want to try to help the establishment. They don't like the give and take of the debates. (But) that's the process, and that's a good thing.”

The Louisiana governor continues to poll in the low single digits in Iowa despite maintaining one of the busiest campaign schedules here among candidates of either party. Only fellow Republican Rick Santorum, who is in a similar spot in the polls, has held more campaign events in Iowa, according to The Des Moines Register.

Jindal gave his stump speech to the consortium, stressing the need for immigration reform that focuses entirely on securing the nation's borders, imposing term limits on members of Congress and lobbying bans on former members and reducing both the size and spending of federal government.

During a question-and-answer period with the audience, Luis Arredondo of Des Moines asked how Jindal's faith, which Jindal talks about frequently on the campaign trail, guides his immigration policy and how Jindal as president would handle the estimated 11 million immigrants living in the country illegally.

Arredondo was disappointed when Jindal said the country must first secure its borders before even talking about how to address immigrants living here illegally.

'I like listening to (Jindal) because he talks about the word of God, but I was hoping that he would be driven more by the word of God,” Arredondo said. 'He seems to be driven more by what people think and say, because he didn't actually give a response.”

Jindal said he disagrees with Arredondo's premise.

'I respect him. I disagree with him,” Jindal said. 'I understand that there are some people that try to argue, and I think this is what he was trying to say in his question, that if you're not for amnesty, that is somehow contradictory to Christian faith or the Bible.

'I disagree with that. I think you can be compassionate, and I think you can believe that everybody's created in God's image and still want us to be a nation of laws, still say that we need to secure our border and still say that America can and should choose who we let into our country. … I believe in treating people compassionately and pragmatically, but as a matter of national security and as a matter of law, we have to secure our border.”