Bobby Jindal blames 'leaders across the board'

Louisiana's Indian American Republican Governor Bobby Jindal, a potential 2016 presidential contender, has blamed "leaders across the board" in general and President Barack Obama in particular for the government shutdown.

"I think the American people look at what's happening in DC and see that leaders across the board are not doing what they were elected to do," said Jindal, who also serves as the chairman of the Republican Governors Association (RGA).

National politicians - and, chiefly, Obama - were "not solving the big challenges, the structural challenges, facing our country," he lamented, according to Politico, an influential Washington news site.

Jindal also attacked Obama for trying to play the role of "victim-in-chief," blaming others instead of solving problems.

"He likes to play the role of victim. That's not very presidential," he said. "This president apparently has time to golf. I wish he'd find time to work with Congress."

Gandhi said that he shares the congressional Republicans' firm opposition to the Affordable Care Act, and that only "structural changes" to the legislative branch of government will produce better results for voters.

The sweeping changes he suggested included: a balanced budget amendment to the US Constitution, term limits for members of Congress, a part-time legislature and requiring a legislative super majority to either raise taxes or increase spending at a faster rate than population growth.

"All of Washington, DC, is dysfunctional," he was quoted as saying. "It's not just a matter of who's in leadership or personalities or who's in power."

"As governors, we're no longer content to outsource the definition of our brand, or what it means to be a Republican, to Washington DC," he added.

RGA would be launching digital ads Thursday touting the work of Republican governors in pioneering "conservative solutions" in the states - a sharp difference from the current gridlock in DC.

The RGA digital campaign dubbed the "American Comeback Campaign," will eventually include video appearances by all of the country's 30 Republican governors, Jindal said.

The first video features South Carolina's Indian-American Governor Nikki Haley, Ohio governor John Kasich, Wisconsin governor Scott Walker, New Mexico Governor. Susana Martinez and Jindal himself.

(Arun Kumar can be contacted at arun.kumar@ians.in)