Amid a US government shutdown, Louisiana's Indian American governor Bobby Jindal would like Republican governors to take back the party's messaging from Washington, saying the states are where the real action is.
State governors are making progress that citizens can actually see, and that's why Republican governors are doing well even in Democratic states, the Republican Governors' Association chairman and a potential 2016 presidential contender, told MSNBC Tuesday.
"We've got 30 Republican governors," Jindal was quoted as saying. "We said we're going to stop outsourcing our brand to Washington, DC, because if you want to see conservative ideas being applied, it's not happening in DC, it is happening in our state capitals."
"Top 10 states, according to The CEO Magazine are led by Republican governors, so absolutely, it's important for us to say, 'For too long we've let DC define our brand. We're going to stop doing that," he said.
Continuing his criticism of the Republican party in another interview with CNN, Jindal described the current infighting between moderates and tea party conservatives in his party in Washington as "fratricide" - brother killing brother.
Jindal, who last year said Republicans have to "stop being the stupid party," said "I don't even want to engage in Republican fratricide. There are more than enough Republicans fighting each other, going after each other."
The governor said it makes sense to repeal and replace Obamacare, but maybe it should be left to Republicans outside the capital. Jindal, who has declined federal funds under the president's health care law also acknowledged some of its positive aspects.
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"The president was right. There are real problems in health care. I think if you've got a preexisting condition, if you're trying to buy an individual policy outside the group market, it can be too expensive and may not be available to you," he said.
(Arun Kumar can be contacted at arun.kumar@ians.in)