The Future Of The Republican Party
by Cal Thomas - Shreveport Times (excerpt)

Editor's note: Cal Thomas conducted an interview with Gov. Bobby Jindal on Jan. 7 at the Governor's Mansion. They discussed the future of the party, the economy and faith.

Q: You say your latest budget will save taxpayers $341 million. You've cut spending. You won't raise taxes. How are you able to weed out what you call nonessential spending and not take a political hit?

A: We've done at least three things. You'll find wasteful spending at all levels of government. This isn't the biggest example, but we were paying for on-hold music in state offices. Taxpayers look at that and say it is ridiculous. We have government programs that were serving so few clients it made no sense to continue. ... The second level of savings, you have to go through every agency and ask where can we be more efficient. We had a prison in northeast Louisiana that was costing us more to operate than a private firm said it would cost them. Now ... the state earns tax dollars from their operation.

The third set of budget cuts and savings: you have to set priorities. We can't be all things to all people. We didn't cut the community and technical colleges. We've got some of the fastest growing technical colleges in the nation. We've got a shortage of skilled workers in our economy. So we were thoughtful in the way we reduced services. ... There will never be enough money for some groups and individuals, but if we're conservative and stand for anything as a party, we have to say we're not raising taxes.

Q: Some moderate Republicans like Colin Powell suggest Republicans need to abandon social issues like abortion and same-sex marriage because it's hurting the party. What do you think?

A: Two things. The country didn't stop being conservative; the Republican Party stopped being conservative. It's a mistake to say being conservative causes you to lose elections. We haven't tried that recently. We need to go back to our roots. American voters reward authenticity. They're not going to agree 100 percent with every candidate. What voters are looking for are candidates who are honest and tell them what they truly believe, stick to those beliefs. On the core conservative issues — I don't think a majority of those who voted for Obama necessarily agreed with him on abortion or marriage.

... We've got to stand for something. I'm pro-life and fiscally conservative. You look at how Reagan got conservative Democrats. I'm sure there were people who voted for Reagan who didn't necessarily agree with everything he espoused, but they respected him for being principled and not having to read a poll to learn what he believed.