Jindal takes swing at mainstream media and political establishment in Waverly stop

By Christina Crippes, Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier

WAVERLY - Alternatively blaming the mainstream media and the Republican National Committee, Republican presidential hopeful Bobby Jindal said the three GOP debates have seemed designed to select the establishment candidate.

'It's time to take these debates back away from the mainstream media and instead, why are we afraid to let people debate? … Why are we afraid to let the voters decide?” Jindal asked a crowd of more than 50 gathered at a Waverly home Sunday night.

Jindal said there has been 'a backlash” to the perception that the stage is being set for an establishment candidate. He criticized debate moderators who 'don't seem to understand that we have cut spending and cut taxes on purpose.”

But Jindal also said the RNC seems to be trying to refight the 2012 presidential election rather than encouraging more debates that will be good for whoever ends up being the nominee.

'The reality is all these candidates are auditioning to be president of the United States; they should be able to answer tough questions, whether it's from a Republican, Democrat, independent, liberal, conservative,” Jindal said after his speech. 'Let's take a free market approach to the debates. Let's stop trying to limit the opportunities for the candidates to debate and for the voters to see that.” Jindal spoke Sunday at a fundraiser for state Rep. Sandy Salmon, R-Janesville, that also featured comments from Iowa Senate Minority Leader Bill Dix, R-Shell Rock, and Republican state Senate candidate Craig Johnson.

Both Salmon and Dix talked about the importance of electing at least two more Republicans to the Iowa Senate so that Republicans can enact their agenda.

Jindal, Louisiana's governor, said he faced the same hurdles with a Democratic Legislature in his first term and contrasted it with his second term when Republicans had the majority and he was able to see his conservative agenda become a reality, including spending cuts, tax cuts and anti-abortion policies.

Jindal also contrasted his conservative accomplishment with that of a large Republican field that he says is more talk than action.

'I think that voters, they like that authenticity; they like that proven record, because they've heard enough great speakers before who've failed to deliver,” Jindal said.

Jindal also took aim at some of those Republican presidential candidates in particular.

He said the White House's current occupant Democrat President Barack Obama was a first-term senator, and the country can't afford another four years like the last eight. Three Republican presidential hopefuls - Ted Cruz, Rand Paul and Marco Rubio - are first-term senators.

Jindal also criticized those senators and another GOP presidential hopeful Lindsey Graham for backing the legislation that allowed the Iran nuclear deal to go through unless two-thirds objected rather than with two-thirds support.

'Look, I don't have a famous last name. My daddy wasn't president. I don't have a reality TV show,” Jindal said, offering more thinly veiled criticism of other GOP presidential candidates. 'What I do have is this: I've got the backbone, the bandwidth and the experience to get us through this.”

Jindal, who made his Waverly stop his seventh in t he region, has visited 53 of the state's 99 counties and made over 100 stops in the state but still is polling in the single digits in Iowa.

He said during the next three months until the Iowa caucuses, he will continue to make more stops in the state, take on the establishment and share his record to sway caucus-goers to support him Feb. 1.