Pawlenty Endorses Romney!
Richard Young ·
Sep 12, 2011 at 7:00am
Tim Pawlenty has just endorsed Mitt Romney for President.
"Abroad, the standing of the United States appears uncertain and adrift under the failed leadership of a president who prefers chastising allies to condemning foes.Fortunately, America may get a second chance. Mitt Romney is running for president, and I am proud to endorse him."
Question for Peter Robinson: You were a Pawlenty fan. Does this change your feelings about Romney?
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Comments :
May '10
Re: Pawlenty Endorses Romney!
I think Pawlenty really wants that VP slot. But I'm betting it'll go to Marco Rubio.
A discussion with Paul-supporting friends this weekend confirmed me in my preference for Romney over the rest of the present field.
I'm not yet ruling out Palin, however.
Oct '10
Re: Pawlenty Endorses Romney!
Perry must have really made a bad 1st impression on Pawlenty in the debates.
Both Perry and Romney are capable men. This comes down to who has a better chance of beating Obama in the general elections. One is safe and "boring", the other is "exciting" but risky and "undisciplined." I feel Romney has the upper hand vs Obama, even with Romneycare and the eventual whisper campaign about his Mormon religion once Mitt secures the nomination.
Edited on Sep 12, 2011 at 8:35pmJul '11
Re: Pawlenty Endorses Romney!
Wow ... interesting. I didn't see this coming. If he truly wanted to be VP, anyone's VP, he would have held back since it's in no way clear Romney will get the nomination. By picking sides, he's given up on being Perry's pick. Does he have reason to think that would have been a non-starter for Perry? That's the only way this endorsement makes sense from the VP-angling angle.
Of course, he could see weaknesses in Perry and is trying to save the Party from making a mistake. As a fellow governor, he may be privy to information that he knows will be damaging. Hmmm...
Dec '10
Re: Pawlenty Endorses Romney!
This doesn't change my mind about Romney any, but sure lowers my respect for Pawlenty.
T-Paw cites Romney's business experience as a primary qualifier for the position, but this argument just doesn't carry water for me, in part because he only held public office for a single 4-year term. This simply makes him the antithesis of Obama along the continuum of experience. Obama had no experience as an executive and no record to run on, which has become problematic, since you can't vote present when you're president. On the other end of the spectrum, even the most challenging set of circumstances facing a CEOs does not fully prepare them for public office, where the principles behind your decision matter, not just company profits. Results in and of themselves won't justify the action to the public. A prime example of this was the absence of a terror attack on U.S. soil following 9/11 under GWB. That monumental achievement did not spare him from an ounce of the media's ire or scrutiny on the topic of the war on terror. Bottom line - I don't think Mitt has the principles.
Edited on Sep 12, 2011 at 7:02amDec '10
Re: Pawlenty Endorses Romney!
Guy who couldn't make it to Autumn endorses 1st loser from last time. I fail to see the importance.
May '10
Re: Pawlenty Endorses Romney!
Richard Young
Question for Peter Robinson: You were a Pawlenty fan. Does this change your feelings about Romney? ·
I won't speak for Peter Robinson, but as for myself, this does not change my feelings about Romney one bit.
It does, however, change my feelings about Pawlenty. My opinion of him just got lower.
If Romney gets the nomination and Pawlenty the VP slot, we'll have the most boring ticket we've had in years.
Edited on Sep 12, 2011 at 7:09amRe: Pawlenty Endorses Romney!
I found Pawlenty disappointing before. I find him even more disappointing now. If we nominate yet another managerial progressive again -- a man who cannot see anything wrong with Romneycare if it is done on the state level -- it will signal our surrender to soft despotism's despotic drift.
It is not enough that the Republicans win the Presidency. If we do not roll back the administrative state and the entitlements regime, we are doomed.
Richard and Katievs, I know that you admire Romney. As a family man and a Mormon, as a businessman, he may well be worthy of admiration. Are you persuaded that he will radically change our path? If so, what persuades you of this? If not, why would you be satisfied with another Nixon?
May '10
Re: Pawlenty Endorses Romney!
Chris Deleon
If Romney gets the nomination and Pawlenty the VP slot, we'll have the most boring ticket we've had in years.
He won't get the VP slot. That will go to Rubio. Or someone similarly beloved by the Tea Party. I think Romney knows what parts of his platform need shoring up.
Yes, that's what I'm thinking too. I don't think Pawlenty wants any VP slot. He wants Romney's. I do believe he wants good for the country and he thinks Romney has the best shot at delivering it.
May '11
Re: Pawlenty Endorses Romney!
He brings Romney at least 2 or 3 dozen voters. People who like watching paint dry will now vote for Romney.
Mar '11
Re: Pawlenty Endorses Romney!
Paul A. Rahe:
Richard and Katievs, I know that you admire Romney. As a family man and a Mormon, as a businessman, he may well be worthy of admiration. Are you persuaded that he will radically change our path? If so, what persuades you of this? If not, why would you be satisfied with another Nixon? · Sep 12 at 7:14am
He's made pretty specific promises that he'd have a difficult time backing away from. Despite some of the comments made above I do think Romney will keep his word. I suspect, from my experience with most Mormons, that the conservative Romney is the more authentic Romney than the one he presented running in Massachusetts. Could be wrong of course but I'm willing to bet my vote on it. He's also shown himself capable of dealing with the Democrats which, despite our best wishes to the contrary, will be necessary to actually get anything worth while done. I'm also tired of the destructive polarization of our political climate and think he'd be a much better salve for that than Perry would. If the left hated Bush they will be apoplectic about Perry.
May '10
Re: Pawlenty Endorses Romney!
No, I'm not persuaded. My best hope for Romney (and it's only a hope--I am not at all confident that he won't disappoint) is that the conservative resurgence will carry him further right than he might otherwise have gone; that he will undo Obamacare; that he will begin the massive task of de-regulation; that he will put us on track to fiscal sanity and economic growth; and that he will stave off disaster long enough for a more committed reformer to get in office and do the work that really needs doing.
I am with you entirely in believing that we stand in urgent need of drastic reform. My worry is that none of those who are capable of bringing it about (McDonnell, Walker, Ryan, etc.) is ready for the office. I do not trust Perry. I suspect him of being a shyster. And I worry that if he is a shyster, the unmasking of him will demoralize and drastically set back the Tea Party.
Edited on Sep 12, 2011 at 7:34amDec '10
Re: Pawlenty Endorses Romney!
What a campaign slogan, Katie, Romney: the best placeholder available.
Mar '11
Re: Pawlenty Endorses Romney!
I thought Romney did pretty well in the last debate, but I am not happy with his Social Security scare tactics. Why do we need a Republican candidate doing that? It's what God invented Democrats for.
May '10
Re: Pawlenty Endorses Romney!
Suppose, everyone--just consider for a moment--Rubio is Romney's VP. Will he not push Romney is the right direction? And will not Romney have set him up to be the next Republican nominee?
Is it not possible--likely even--that Romney could do enough good to keep the worst from happening, while Rubio lays all the rhetorical groundwork for the next phase of our renewal?
Consider how unprepared the public at large is for what's coming.
May '10
Re: Pawlenty Endorses Romney!
I am thinking often and often these days of Mark Steyn's admonition, borrowed from Milton Friedman. We shouldn't be looking for the right man. We should be establishing the conditions whereby even the wrong man is pressed to do right things.
May '10
Re: Pawlenty Endorses Romney!
How about this: Let's right the ship of state: Romney/Rubio 2012
Re: Pawlenty Endorses Romney!
For what it is worth, Richard and Katievs, I have my own misgivings about Perry. I lived most of my life in Oklahoma, and I have seen the like. He could be just another hot dog from Texas, and I do agree that the left will be apoplectic if he becomes President. But my instinct is that he is deadly serious about decentralization.
Nearly everything being said against him was said against Reagan, and he was generally thought to be unelectable. His election and his accomplishments are an admonishment to us. We tend to underestimate what we can accomplish.
My view, Richard, is that Romney is a believer in the power of management and that he has very little understanding of political principles. How do you explain the fact that he still defends Romneycare?
Jun '10
Re: Pawlenty Endorses Romney!
The "Mitt-Paw" signs will make people think of baseball and puppies. It's brilliant.
Dec '10
Re: Pawlenty Endorses Romney!
Then why does it matter whether it's Mitt or Rick? Shouldn't we care about exciting the base a little bit too?
May '10
Re: Pawlenty Endorses Romney!
Paul A. Rahe:
Nearly everything being said against him was said against Reagan, and he was generally thought to be unelectable. His election and his accomplishments are an admonishment to us. We tend to underestimate what we can accomplish.
Did anyone ever suspect Reagan of being a shyster?
My concern isn't that Perry is unelectable--though, like Richard and Jonah, I dread the ugliness his nomination would bring out in the open--it's that he might 1) be unmasked as a fraud at a devastating moment, and 2) exacerbate the pay-to-play cronyism that is among the most destructive forces in the body politic today.