Covering Iowa Politics, Statewide News
Pawlenty: Conservatives have opportunity to rally
Posted on Nov 07, 2009 by charlotteeby.
By Charlotte Eby
Des Moines Bureau
DES MOINES – Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty delivered a tough critique of the Obama administration and a Congress he said is dramatically off course in the keynote speech at an Iowa GOP fundraiser Saturday night.
As speculation builds that he will make a presidential bid in 2012, Pawlenty sought to highlight his conservative credentials before a crowd of roughly 700
Iowa Republicans who gathered to hear him and the party’s six gubernatorial candidates.
With unemployment over 10 percent, Democrats in Congress around are messing around with a “miserable” health care bill and a cap and trade bill, Pawlenty said.
“They should be focused like a laser on jobs, not acting like a manure spreader in a windstorm,” Pawlenty said.
As the GOP comes off wins in governors’ races in Virginia and New Jersey Tuesday, Pawlenty urged Republicans in the audience to do more than just be critics.
“We have a tremendous opportunity as the country sees now that what Barack Obama, President Obama, promised is not being delivered, and they see the dangerous leftward tilt that he’s trying to take the country, there’s an opportunity for conservatives to rally and show the country a better way,” Pawlenty said.
Pawlenty has recently formed a political action committee and said he’ll make a decision about his future after finishing out his current term as governor.
Former state Republican chairman Chuck Larson, who was a senior adviser to Sen. John McCain’s presidential campaign, said no potential 2012 candidate has an edge with Iowa Republicans.
“At this point in time, Iowans are going to begin the slow process of getting to know all of the candidates and their accomplishments,” Larson said.
What stands out about Pawlenty, Larson said, is that he won re-election in 2006 when other Republicans around the country lost.
“That was like the one bright spot in our country from a GOP perspective was his victory,” Larson said.
U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley said one thing that might give Pawlenty an advantage is that he is a fellow Midwesterner, as well as a fiscal and social conservative.
Grassley had this advice for Pawlenty if he chooses to compete in the Iowa caucuses: “He needs to be ready to put as much work into Iowa, because it’s early and because it’s retail politics, as he might put in ten other states,” Grassley said.
State Sen. David Johnson, R-Ocheyedan, said he is impressed with Pawlenty, but hasn’t started looking at whether he is the right candidate for the top of the party’s ticket.
Johnson caucused for Mitt Romney in 2008, but thinks he may avoid competing in Iowa in the future. Johnson said he’s wide open to in deciding who he will support in 2012.
“It’s still early, but we’re going to need a very strong candidate in 2012, there’s no question about that,” Johnson said.
Andrew Phillips, a Des Moines Republican and Drake University law student, said although it’s still early, he’s beginning to look at candidates for 2012. Phillips, 24, thinks Pawlenty’s position as governor of a Midwestern state will play well in Iowa.
“One of the reasons I like him, he’s fiscally conservative obviously compared to the current administration,” Phillips said.
Iowa Democratic Party Chairman Michael Kiernan sent out a statement in the hours before Pawlenty’s speech slamming him as an insider who has embraced the comforts of Washington.
“Pawlenty’s top advisors are the same Bush/McCain/Swift Boat characters voters have rejected,” Kiernan said.
If Pawlenty were to seek the GOP nomination for president, a poll released in recent days shows he could face a difficult time against some other well-known Republicans.
A USA Today/Gallup poll found 71 percent of Republicans would seriously consider voting for Mike Huckabee, compared to 65 percent who say they would seriously consider Mitt Romney or 65 percent for Sarah Palin. Another 60 percent said they would seriously consider voting for Newt Gingrich.
In comparison, just 32 percent of Republicans said they would seriously consider voting for Pawlenty.
cc1091
08. Nov, 2009
Pawlenty. The Governor whose tax cuts allowed se xual predators loose in Minnesota. The same governor who vetoed spending on highway maintenance that allowed a bridge to collapse.
Pawlenty-O-Nuthin'
shotfeel
09. Nov, 2009
For anyone interested in facts, the bridge collapsed due to a design flaw, not lack of maintenance. But then we wouldn't want facts to get in the way of a good rant…
OwenHarper
08. Nov, 2009
"A USA Today/Gallup poll found 71 percent of Republicans would seriously consider voting for Mike Huckabee, compared to 65 percent who say they would seriously consider Mitt Romney or 65 percent for Sarah Palin. Another 60 percent said they would seriously consider voting for Newt Gingrich."
All I can say is, wow.
38lasalle
08. Nov, 2009
71 percent of nothing is still nothing.
ctiger
08. Nov, 2009
Pawlenty conveniently forgets who brought the joblessness on in the first place. He also forgets that without health care reform, this nation will be bankrupt in ten years.
Or could he be deliberately lying?.
shotfeel
09. Nov, 2009
The unemployment tumble certainly started under Bush, but Obama has done nothing but make it worse. According to Obama's own projections, unemployment is now much higher than if he had done nothing. He said without his stimulus, unemployment would hit 9%, but with his stimulus it would be kept to 8%. For the sad numbers, take a look at the linked graph
http://michaelscomments.wordpress.com/2009/11/06/...
Note the graph is the White House's projections with the actual numbers plotted.
JohnNone
09. Nov, 2009
And this is supposed to prove…what?
What it seems to show is that the Wingnut Depression is actually much worse than anyone thought it was a year ago, and that it will likely take longer to recover than anyone predicted.
It would be interesting to know just how much higher unemployment figures would be if there were NO government attempts to address the problem.
Mr. Bush's answer was to GIVE (rather than lend) money to banks. That sure didn't work. And we're not far enough into Mr. Obama's program of loans and directed grants to know whether it will work or not.
I know it's frustrating, but only time will tell.
shotfeel
09. Nov, 2009
It proves that Obama's team couldn't predict their way out of a wet paper bag. Their projections have been completely off the mark, and continue to be off the mark. They've demonstrated an inability to understand the economy, but insist they know how to fix it. Does that make sense? It looks like they're just shooting in the dark, hoping eventually the economy will recover, and they can take the credit. In the mean time, they're doing more harm than good.
JohnNone
09. Nov, 2009
I see. Thanks for the insight. I could, of course, rehearse all of the failed projections of other administrations, but that would be pointless, if fun. However, it appears that the immediately previous administration so purposely obfuscated the data, particularly those data reported publicly, that accurate projections were impossible.
Actually, George H. W. Bush was correct years ago when he talked about "vodoo economics." Sorting out all of the mistakes of several decades takes time.
What DOES make sense is this: 1. Previous economic policy was a complete disaster, and led to collapse. 2. Application of the theories and methods that CAUSED the problem will not solve it–as history has demonstrated. 3. Application of a different approach has at least a chance of addressing the issues; even Mr. Greenspan admits that. 4. Taking action, according to a cogent plan (as is happening) is better than wallowing in despair and wringing one's hands–which is the Dubya approach.
38lasalle
08. Nov, 2009
A politician would lie to advance his political ambitions? And people would be guileless enough to believe him? Not in America.
Ann_Onamouse
08. Nov, 2009
I think we've already seen what the "conservitives" think is a "better way". More of the same?
No thanks, I know for me, I've seen enough.