Poll: Most Minnesota Voters Don't Want to See Pawlenty as President

[240 is Back]

And?   We are broke moron.   We cant afford to pay for all your leftist welfare scams anymore.   

look here homie, I want obama out of the white house too.  Which is why i'd prefer we vote for a republican canidate WITHOUT a history of pardoning child rapists who do it again, or making statements that kids aren't his problem.

You don't think this quote or pardon will come up during the 2008 fall race?  Of course it will!  But Bachmann or Cain won't have this issue - TPaw will

[Soul Crusher]

look here homie, I want obama out of the white house too.  Which is why i'd prefer we vote for a republican canidate WITHOUT a history of pardoning child rapists who do it again, or making statements that kids aren't his problem.

You don't think this quote or pardon will come up during the 2008 fall race?  Of course it will!  But Bachmann or Cain won't have this issue - TPaw will

You voted for Bob "amnesty for illegals" Barr.  I think this should register smll in comparison.     

[240 is Back]

You voted for Bob "amnesty for illegals" Barr.  I think this should register smll in comparison.     

attacking me won't change the fact that TPaw looks like shit on this one.

IMO, it's a pretty bad thing.  Something the dems will use against him.  You disagree?


See, I think the prob is, you think i'm pro-obama by pointing out Tpaw's weakness.  rather, I'm concerned the repubs will lose by running an inferior candidate.

[Dos Equis]

Bush praises 2012 candidate
By: CNN Associate Producer Gabriella Schwarz

(CNN) – Just because he's not running for president doesn't mean former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush can't wade into the presidential waters.

Bush lent support to Republican presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty Tuesday via Twitter.

"I admire truth telling and t-paw sure did it to open his campaign," Bush wrote in a Tweet before linking to an opinion piece in The Wall Street Journal.

In his presidential announcement Monday in Iowa, Pawlenty called for means testing for Social Security beneficiaries and reduced ethanol subsidies, an unpopular position among conservatives in the Hawkeye State.

"The truth about federal energy subsidies, including federal subsidies for ethanol, is that they have to be phased out. We need to do it gradually. We need to do it fairly. But we need to do it," the former two-term Minnesota governor said. "Conventional wisdom says you can't talk about ethanol in Iowa or Social Security in Florida or financial reform on Wall Street. But someone has to say it."

Tuesday's piece in The Wall Street Journal praised Pawlenty for "refusing to stick to the script for candidates looking to harvest votes in February's Iowa caucuses."

"Mr. Pawlenty has passed an early test of fortitude," the piece reads.

Persistent rumors that Bush may seek the Republican presidential nomination in 2012 prompted him to release a statement Sunday, again saying he will not run.

"While I am flattered by everyone's encouragement, my decision has not changed," Bush said in the statement. "I will not be a candidate for president in 2012."

His decision leaves many in the Bush clan in search of a candidate to support in the next election. Some had hoped to back Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, who announced Sunday he would not run for the 2012 GOP presidential nomination.

Former U.S. ambassador to China Jon Huntsman, who is considering a run for president, visited former President George H.W. Bush and first lady Barbara Bush at their compound in Kennebunkport, Maine Monday. Pawlenty met with the former president at his office in Houston, Texas a few weeks ago.

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2011/05/24/bush-praises-2012-candidate/#more-160725

[Dos Equis]

Pawlenty: I Balanced Every One of My Budgets
Wednesday, 25 May 2011

Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty is defending his budget approach and says that he balanced every one of his budgets.

The Republican presidential contender on Wednesday pitched himself as an economic pro and says his approach in Minnesota could help change Washington. He says he would cut the federal workforce and end "crony capitalism."

When asked about his handling of the state budget, he told reporters the budgets always were in the black. He isn't eager to bring up the mammoth deficit that was forecast for his successor's first budget.

Pawlenty spoke to a conservative think tank in Washington as part of a week-long rollout of his White House run. His remarks were on the economy, a top concern of voters.

http://www.newsmax.com/InsideCover/Pawlenty-EconomicRecord/2011/05/25/id/397746

[Straw Man]

I always get a laugh when governors brag about balancing their budget when they all have some form of balanced budget amendment

[240 is Back]

He isn't eager to bring up the mammoth deficit that was forecast for his successor's first budget.



LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[chadstallion]

The board voted unanimously to pardon the guy, so to say Pawlenty pardoned him is misleading.  I don't care about this.  I doubt most of the voters will care either. 

Pawlenty's biggest problems are name recognition and his lack of charisma.   

George W. while in TEXAS, never pardoned anyone.  He has the highest kill rate of all other governors.

[240 is Back]

Tim Pawlenty: If I Were President, I’d Sign The Ryan Plan Into Law



Well, this quote may come back to haunt him in a major way.  He didn't have a choice - they'd "newt" his ass otherwise.

Now he's tied to that medicare position forever - or be known as a flipflopper.

[chadstallion]

Tim Pawlenty: If I Were President, I’d Sign The Ryan Plan Into Law



Well, this quote may come back to haunt him in a major way.  He didn't have a choice - they'd "newt" his ass otherwise.

Now he's tied to that medicare position forever - or be known as a flipflopper.

....and another bites the dust....

[Dos Equis]

A bit of an overstatement, but I like his thinking. 

Pawlenty: If you can Google it, cut it
By Charles Riley @CNNMoney June 7, 2011

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Republican presidential hopeful Tim Pawlenty laid out an economic vision for America on Tuesday that would cut taxes and dramatically reduce the size and scope of government operations.

Among his more novel ideas: If you can find it on Google, the government shouldn't be doing it.

"We can start by applying what I call 'The Google Test.' If you can find a good or service on the Internet, then the federal government probably doesn't need to be doing it," Pawlenty said.

Among the services he would cut: Amtrak, the U.S. Postal Service, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and the Government Printing Office.

Pawlenty said those organizations "were all built for a time in our country when the private sector did not adequately provide those products. That's no longer the case."

Interpreted broadly, the test could spell the end of federal involvement in the storage of nuclear waste, environmental clean-up efforts and disaster relief -- all services that a Google search reveals are offered by private sector firms.

"I guess it's an interesting strategy," said Craig Jennings, director of federal fiscal policy at OMB Watch, a budget watchdog group. "You could probably find private investigators, so let's get rid of the FBI, and there are labs that do food inspections, so let's eliminate federal food inspectors."

In addition, the Minnesota Republican has broader plans for curtailing government spending. As president, he would ask Congress to grant him emergency authority to freeze spending at current levels, and then impound up to 5% of federal spending until the budget is balanced.

"The implausible thing is cutting spending that dramatically from today's levels," said Rudolph Penner, a former Congressional Budget Office director who is now a fellow at the Urban Institute. And Pawlenty would be hard pressed to carry through, Penner said, because his pledge would require drastic cuts to health care and Social Security.

. . .

http://money.cnn.com/2011/06/07/news/economy/pawlenty_economic_plan/index.htm?hpt=hp_t1

[Straw Man]

A neocon on this board used to always bring up the point that Gore couldn't win his own state as having some significance

I wonder if that applies when the politician is a Repub

[Soul Crusher]

A neocon on this board used to always bring up the point that Gore couldn't win his own state as having some significance

I wonder if that applies when the politician is a Repub

By next year the way things are going I'm not even sure the dems will allow Obama to run. 

[Dos Equis]

Pawlenty: Bachmann's Congressional Record 'Nonexistent'
Published July 10, 2011
FoxNews.com

In this July 7 photo, Republican presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty speaks in Urbandale, Iowa.

Presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty, taking the gloves off, said Sunday that fellow Minnesotan Michele Bachmann's record is "nonexistent."

Pawlenty's tough comments come as he faces mounting questions about the viability of his campaign. The former Minnesota governor is trailing far behind his competitors in the polls, with former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney typically leading and Michele Bachmann, a Minnesota congresswoman, catching up to him.

Bachmann is touting her Iowa roots as she makes a big play for voters ahead of the leadoff Iowa caucuses and, before that, a key straw poll. With Pawlenty likewise staking much of his success on Iowa, the ex-governor argued that voters should square his record against Bachmann's.

"I like Congresswoman Bachmann. I've campaigned for her, I respect her. But her record of accomplishment in Congress is nonexistent," he told NBC's "Meet the Press." "We're not looking for folks who just have speech capabilities. We're looking for people who can lead a large enterprise in a public setting. ... I've done that, she hasn't."

Bachmann, a former state legislator and tax attorney, is serving her third term in Congress. The Tea Party-aligned lawmaker has surged since entering the race for president last month.

FoxNews.com is seeking a response from the Bachmann campaign to Pawlenty's comments.

Pawlenty acknowledged he wants to see "significant progress" in his own numbers in the upcoming Iowa Straw Poll next month. But he expressed confidence in his ability to recover and downplayed his standing in recent polls.

"Rudy Giuliani would be president or Hillary Clinton would be president or Howard Dean would be president if these early polls meant anything," Pawlenty said.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/07/10/pawlenty-bachmanns-congressional-record-non-existent/

[240 is Back]

Pawlenty: Bachmann's Congressional Record 'Nonexistent'
"I like Congresswoman Bachmann. I've campaigned for her, I respect her. But her record of accomplishment in Congress is nonexistent," he told NBC's "Meet the Press." "We're not looking for folks who just have speech capabilities. We're looking for people who can lead a large enterprise in a public setting. ... I've done that, she hasn't."

he's not wrong here.  She voted present plenty of times and has never had a bill passed in all that time.

[Dos Equis]

Pawlenty punts on homosexuality
By: CNN Associate Producer Gabriella Schwarz

(CNN) – Republican presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty said Sunday he remained uncertain over whether homosexuality is biological or a choice.

“As I understand the science, there’s no current conclusion that it’s genetic,” Pawlenty said Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

Saying he preferred to “defer to the scientists” about the issue, the former Minnesota governor said it was unclear if being gay or lesbian was a lifestyle choice.

“There’s no scientific conclusion that it's genetic. We don't know that. So, we don't know to what extent it's behavioral,” Pawlenty said. “That's something that has been debated by scientists for a long time.”

He used the questioning as an opportunity to again describe his views opposing the legalization of gay marriage.

“I'm a supporter of traditional marriage between a man and a woman,” Pawlenty said. “I have not supported the issues of allowing gay couples to have the same benefits in public employment as traditional couples.”

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2011/07/10/pawlenty-punts-on-homosexuality/#more-166801

[Soul Crusher]

Going nowhere. 

[Dos Equis]

Getting called out by the wife?   

Pawlenty's wife: He must show 'significant progress'
By: CNN Political Producer Rachel Streitfeld

Nashua, New Hampshire (CNN) - Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty must do well in an upcoming Iowa straw poll, his wife said Tuesday, telling CNN she is "cautiously optimistic" about his prospects in that contest.

"He needs to move from where he's been and show significant progress, but I'm reasonably confident we're going to see that good progress," said Mary Pawlenty of her husband's chances in the Ames straw poll August 13th.

For weeks the Republican candidate has spent precious time and campaign dollars shoring up support in Iowa in advance of the straw poll, an event which draws heavy media attention and could be a game changer in the former governor's efforts to secure the GOP nomination.
Meanwhile Mrs. Pawlenty, a former Minnesota district judge whose role on the bench kept her from campaigning in her husband's gubernatorial campaigns, took on the role of political spouse in New Hampshire this week at events with voters.

At a tour of a new YMCA facility in Nashua, Pawlenty raved about the giant swimming pool and a locker room designed for parents with small children. Watching a row of joggers sweating on treadmills, the lithe former judge said ruefully that she needed to spend more time at the gym.
Mrs. Pawlenty also spent time meeting with local GOP heavy hitters about her husband's 2012 effort.

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2011/08/02/pawlentys-wife-he-must-show-significant-progress/#more-169863

[Dos Equis]

He should quit. 

Mike Huckabee Encourages Tim Pawlenty To Stay In Race No Matter What
Posted: 8/13/11

AMES, IOWA -- Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee handicapped the Ames Straw Poll before the results were announced on Saturday.

The Huffington Post asked what it would mean for Tim Pawlenty if he doesn't do well in the event.

"Whoever of the two Minnesotans comes out on top," he said, referring to Pawlenty and Michele Bachmann, "they come out of here on the shoulders of their teammates. The other one may go out on a gurney."

"It may be that some people are a little more positioned and are going to stay in and some who decide that their donor base is going to dry up," he said.

But, he advised Pawlenty to stay in the race.

"A lot of things can happen. A person can go out and say one thing that gets blown up. So part of it is just staying on your feet. It's going the distance," Huckabee said. "And so even if Pawlenty doesn't do well here today, the question is does he have enough support, and has he streamlined his operation to the level that no matter what the results are he can stay on his feet and keep fighting, because it could be that a couple of the candidates in front of him stumble, fall and have to be hauled off. And if that happens, the only way you can lose at that point is not be on the track."

As for Rick Perry, Huckabee said that he is about to come under much harsher scrutiny than he has so far received.

"Candidates don't get the hard questions prior to getting in. They get them the day after. I've always said the best day of your life is the day before you announce. God help you after that," Huckabee said.

But, Huckabee said, those who think Perry will come into the race and be able to knock Romney off his game easily are mistaken.

"The question may be what will Romney do to Perry. The one thing Romney's got going for him is it's not his first rodeo," Huckabee said.

Notice that Huckabee, who does not like Romney, said "the one thing." He continued, and said of Romney, "He's been on the back of the bull before and it's a bruising experience, and he has the advantage of having ridden it for a while."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/13/mike-huckabee-tim-pawlenty_n_926283.html

[Dos Equis]

I guess most Minnesota voters were right. 

Pawlenty drops out of presidential race
From Peter Hamby, CNN
August 14, 2011

Ames, Iowa (CNN) -- Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty abandoned his bid for the GOP presidential nomination on Sunday after a disappointing finish in the Ames Straw Poll in Iowa.

"We needed a boost from Ames that didn't happen," Pawlenty told staff on a conference call Sunday morning, CNN learned.
Speaking to ABC's "This Week," Pawlenty said his campaign needed a lift in the straw poll.

"The pathway forward for me doesn't really exist and so we're going to end the campaign," he said.

Pawlenty finished a distant third in the poll, behind Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann and Texas Rep. Ron Paul.

Pawlenty's message Sunday was the opposite of the one he offered after the results of the straw poll came out Saturday.
"Congrats to Rep. Bachmann on her win. Our campaign needed to show progress and we did. I'm eager for the campaign ahead," he tweeted Saturday evening.

Asked by "This Week" whether he would be interested in being a vice presidential contender, Pawlenty responded, "That's not something I'm even going to consider."

Pawlenty said he might endorse a candidate down the road.

Bachmann told ABC, "I wish him well. I have great respect for the governor. We've known each other for a long, long time. And he brought a really important voice into this race. And I'm grateful that he was in. He was a -- really a very good competitor."

Six Republican presidential hopefuls on Saturday personally appealed for votes in the poll in Iowa, the first state to hold a presidential nominating contest. Results in the Iowa caucuses set a tone for the national race.

Bachmann secured 4,823 votes, narrowly besting Paul, who had 4,671 votes. Pawlenty was chosen on 2,293 ballots.
The next closest contenders were: former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum with 1,657 votes, businessman Herman Cain with 1,456 votes, and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney with 567 votes. That was slightly less than the 718 who wrote in the name of Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who declared his candidacy Saturday and wasn't even on the ballot.

Nine announced candidates were on the Iowa ballot, although two of them -- Romney and former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman -- skipped the contest. Huntsman is avoiding the Iowa caucuses completely, while Romney's advisers are carefully watching the state and could pounce in the coming months if they see an opening.

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich was on the ballot, but his cash-strapped campaign did not have a formal presence at the straw poll and he only got 385 votes.

Casualties of the straw poll are nothing new to presidential politics.

In 2007, Former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson dropped out the day after placing sixty in the poll.

In 1999, former Tennessee Gov. Lamar Alexander dropped out two days after his sixth place showing, and Vice President Dan Quayle dropped out 13 days after his eight place showing.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/POLITICS/08/14/pawlenty/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

[chadstallion]

Newt and Rick 'wash-your-hands-if-you-get' Santorum will be the next two.