Jindal Excerpts: Obama Too Pessimistic

When Bobby Jindal gives his response to the president's speech tonight, Ben Smith of Politico notes that he will sound a little like Bill Clinton: In prepared excerpts, Jindal concludes that Barack Obama is being too pessimistic. “A few weeks ago, the president warned that our nation is facing a crisis that he said ‘we may not be able to reverse.’ Our troubles are real, to be sure. But don’t let anyone tell you that we cannot recover—or that America’s best days are behind her.”

The Louisiana governor also blasts the stimulus bill as "irresponsible" and criticizes his fellow Republicans. The "party got away from its principles" in recent years, he says. "You elected Republicans to champion limited government, fiscal discipline, and personal responsibility. Instead, Republicans went along with earmarks and big government spending in Washington. Republicans lost your trust—and rightly so." (More Bobby Jindal stories.)