Jindal: Romney wrong about Obama 'gifts'

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LAS VEGAS, Nov. 15 (UPI) -- Mitt Romney was "absolutely wrong" in his assessment that he lost because of "gifts" to various groups by President Obama, a leading Republican governor says.

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal made the comments Wednesday at a gathering of the Republican Governors Association in Las Vegas, the Los Angeles Times reported.

"We have got to stop dividing the American voters," Jindal, the incoming chairman of the RGA, said hours after Romney's comments.

If the GOP was going to be competitive, Jindal said, "we need two messages to get out loudly and clearly. One, we are fighting for 100 percent of the votes. And second, our policies benefit every American who wants to pursue the American dream, period."

Others said the party was beaten not by its policies, but by strategy and tactics.

Haley Barbour, a former governor of Mississippi, said Obama's re-election showed that "negative campaigns still work."

He said while Republicans "have historically tried to appeal to all the people," they should learn from Democrats about how to build coalitions.