Tim Pawlenty joins the 2012 race

[Cold Highway]

In addition to a high-dollar gala launch for the PAC in Minneapolis in November, Pawlenty is planning a Washington fundraiser for late October designed to acquaint the governor with the Beltway’s most influential Republicans. Helping to coordinate the governor’s GOP outreach in the nation’s capital is Sam Geduldig, a well-connected lobbyist and former senior aide to Reps. John Boehner and Roy Blunt.

This will be interesting

Pawlenty preps 2012 campaign team - Jonathan Martin - POLITICO.com

 

[75Greeno]

any body else think it is way to early to start thinking about 2012 hey if that one inca calender is right the world will end soon any way (or was it a maya calender??)

 

[Cold Highway]

any body else think it is way to early to start thinking about 2012 hey if that one inca calender is right the world will end soon any way (or was it a maya calender??)

The Mayans

 

[Strucky]

any body else think it is way to early to start thinking about 2012 hey if that one inca calender is right the world will end soon any way (or was it a maya calender??)

Yes....WAY too early.

IMO Pawlenty will be at best VP,there is no way he will be the Republican nominee.

 

[danarhea]

Yes....WAY too early.

IMO Pawlenty will be at best VP,there is no way he will be the Republican nominee.

I strongly disagree. I believe that Pawlenty would be a great nominee, and I believe he can win. If the Republicans shoot themselves in the foot again, and choose Palin, they will be toast.

 

[Cold Highway]

I strongly disagree. I believe that Pawlenty would be a great nominee, and I believe he can win. If the Republicans shoot themselves in the foot again, and choose Palin, they will be toast.

Whats your opinion of Gary Johnson, Dana?

 

[Joe1991]

Until we move to publically financed elections, it's never to early for a politician to start raising money. Pawlenty is pretty smart, it also automatically puts him in the "frontrunner" category, also he can pick the best people for his campaign team.

The possible downsides are he can burn through money too soon, people grow tired of him, and of course the longer you're out on the campaign trail, the more chance you have of making a stupid, candidacy-killing mistake.


[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r90z0PMnKwI"]YouTube - George Allen introduces Macaca[/ame]

 

[danarhea]

Whats your opinion of Gary Johnson, Dana?

I like him. He is against the war on drugs, and he managed to create a surplus in his state through some very straightforward fiscal responsibility. I like his seven principles of good government. On the negative side, he has absolutely no name recognition, but hopefully that will change. He would be a good pick.

 

[Strucky]

I strongly disagree. I believe that Pawlenty would be a great nominee, and I believe he can win. If the Republicans shoot themselves in the foot again, and choose Palin, they will be toast.

Pawlenty is a dead end just like Palin...Only Pawlenty isnt yet the lightning rod that Palin is.

There is too much that can be used against Pawlenty....and this is coming from a guy that likes him.

 

[Don't Tase Me Bro]

There is too much that can be used against Pawlenty

Like what? I don't know that much about him, but he seems like a decent governor from what I have read.

 

[Fiddytree]

Depends whether or not this guy can move around the base. At the moment, all the base knows is it does not like moderates all that much (which for current intentions, the guy seems to be), but it has no idea how to voice a platform or who to pick to do so.

If the supposed base keeps strong, and maybe, just maybe develops a platform that rejects the moderation espoused by McCain and George W. Bush, then Pawlenty may just end up being on the losing end. Right now, all I am personally seeing is right wing populism with no real direction.

The other problem is the guy is not really well known yet (nor are his stances for that matter), though no one else is a clear runner for the party.

Lastly, this all depends on how Obama does in the next couple of years. Right now it is up in the air for his own performance, and until we get the healthcare effort through the motions, we will have no idea what the fallout will be. If polls shift the favor towards Obama after all of the healthcare fiasco is over with, the foreign relations tests, and so forth, then frankly, it might be counter productive to pull towards the complete opposite direction. But ideologues hate the idea of compromising principles for political expediency, whereas I see moderation in the face of excess. Unless you subscribe to the notion that people will pick what is familiar or perhaps more ideologically charged when given a choice between that and someone moderate (which is understandable), I'm not really much for thinking that the time is ripe for a whole new dialog of conversation for the Republican party.

 

[Strucky]

Like what? I don't know that much about him, but he seems like a decent governor from what I have read.

I too think he is a decent Governor....But the bridge collapse,appointing his Lt.Gov to MNDOT and his budget cuts will be a huge rally cry for Liberals.

I don't see him winning with that around his neck even if it is unfair to use any of that against him.

 

[Glinda]

If Pawlenty hopes to get votes from the middle class, he'd be well advised not to diss them too harshly...

If Pawlenty does decide to run, his advisers might have to address his sense of humor, which is always a little baffling. City Pages points out a YouTube video of Pawlenty being interviewed on Fox Thursday, in which the governor says, "There's a joke out now that says the main value of the Cash for Clunkers program may be that we'll get a lot of cars with Obama stickers off the road." Isn't the popular stereotype of liberals as out-of-touch latte-sipping New York millionaires? When did they start driving hoopties? --MinnPost.com

Apparently, Pawlenty thinks that only poor people with old cars voted for Obama. And here I thought it was only wealthy "elitists" who voted for him.

Keep hammering it home, Party Of The Rich. :2wave:

 

[Helte/2Skelter]

I too think he is a decent Governor....But the bridge collapse,appointing his Lt.Gov to MNDOT and his budget cuts will be a huge rally cry for Liberals.

I don't see him winning with that around his neck even if it is unfair to use any of that against him.

The problem with Pawlenty is his no new taxes pledge. Rather than raise taxes, as would be more equitable, he tends to favor fees to get around the pledge. Additionally, his tax cuts on the state level may be politically popular for him but cause local governments to raise property taxes which is much more regressive. He has been perpetuating a slow process of state conservatives that has ultimately destroyed the Minnesota miracle by placing the burden of inner-city schools on the property taxes of poor locales.

I also find the unallotments to be authoritarian.

It would be unfair to use the I-35W bridge against him though as there are 'Pawlenty' of other more legitimate things to use against him. Personally, I am glad he wasn't chosen as VP so we didn't have to have Molnau as governor.

 

[Dav]

If Pawlenty hopes to get votes from the middle class, he'd be well advised not to diss them too harshly...



Apparently, Pawlenty thinks that only poor people with old cars voted for Obama. And here I thought it was only wealthy "elitists" who voted for him.

Keep hammering it home, Party Of The Rich. :2wave:

He could have just meant that only an Obama fan would use cash for clunkers.

And if the GOP is the party of the rich, they must be the party of the educated too, since wealth usually correlates with education. Are you calling Democrats uneducated? :lol:

 

[Glinda]

He could have just meant that only an Obama fan would use cash for clunkers.

"It's a Ponzi scheme that would make Bernie Madoff blush," he said. --WaTimes

Yeah. I'm sure that's what he meant. :roll:

And if the GOP is the party of the rich, they must be the party of the educated too, since wealth usually correlates with education. Are you calling Democrats uneducated? :lol:

Are you calling yourself "an elitist?" :rofl

 

[Don't Tase Me Bro]

Keep hammering it home, Party Of The Rich. :2wave:

Which party is the "Party of the Rich?"

 

[Don't Tase Me Bro]

I too think he is a decent Governor....But the bridge collapse,appointing his Lt.Gov to MNDOT and his budget cuts will be a huge rally cry for Liberals.

I don't see him winning with that around his neck even if it is unfair to use any of that against him.

If that's the worst that could be used against him then I'd say his chances of winning are better than most of his competitors for the nomination.

It is intellectually dishonest to blame him for the bridge collapse, though you're right, they'll definitely try. I don't see the controversy over his Lt Governor unless that guy is a real bastard or something. As far as budget cuts, I think that will win him support, not detract from it. People think the government spends too much money. A lot of the backlash hitting Obama and the current Congress are due to out of control spending.

 

[Helte/2Skelter]

If that's the worst that could be used against him then I'd say his chances of winning are better than most of his competitors for the nomination.

It is intellectually dishonest to blame him for the bridge collapse, though you're right, they'll definitely try. I don't see the controversy over his Lt Governor unless that guy is a real bastard or something. As far as budget cuts, I think that will win him support, not detract from it. People think the government spends too much money. A lot of the backlash hitting Obama and the current Congress are due to out of control spending.

Minnesota politics are not exactly a mirror image of the national stage (chirality aside). The Lt. Governor is Carol Molnau. The criticism with respect to her was how she ran MnDoT. I also am not particularly fond of her lack of anything beyond a High School education, but I suppose Harry Truman never went to Uni either and turned out OK.