Bobby Jindal's Legacy

He paid a political price to shrink the government—and improve Louisiana.

- Dan Mclaughlin

DOES small government work at the state level?

Bobby Jindal stepped down as Louisiana’s governor in January, and local and national coverage of his eight-year tenure would make you think that he had wrecked the state, leaving its finances in shambles and its public services reduced to Somalia-like levels. At first glance, Jindal’s low approval ratings and the desperate wails of his Democratic successor over the condition of the state’s budget seem to support this view. Closer examination, however, reveals a very different picture: Jindal took on the enormous challenge of cutting government in a state that is culturally deep-red but economically populist, and he paid a great political cost for his efforts. The lessons for conservatives are sobering: Reform is hard to pursue, easy to resist, and frequently thankless. The path to smaller government requires persistence, backbone, and a willingness to accept compromises and a lot of defeats.