Tim Pawlenty Gets It
The GOP presidential field is wide open in 2012. Anybody who gets on a hot streak can run away with the nomination. But I like what I'm hearing from Tim Pawlenty in this interview with Bill O'Reilly.
The guy is likable. Here he delivered the right message against big spending (and we know he's against Obamacare). He zinged Obama a few times. He is even running on the "American exceptionalism" theme.
UPDATE: Jennifer Rubin and John Bolton get it too
First, there is, in fact, a rationale for a run by former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton. The other CPAC speeches were sorely short on foreign policy. It is jarring that those who want to be president have so little to say about transformative events. However, should he not run, it is interesting to note that Bolton sees promise in another candidate. Chris Cillizza reports:
- Asked after his speech whether he felt there had been enough discussion of Egypt at CPAC, Bolton demurred. "I don't want to comment on the other speakers," he said. "I saw Governor Pawlenty last night and I thought the points he made were right on target." However, he reiterated his call for more national security debate. "I think all of the Republican candidates basically share the same broad principles and it's a very well-qualified field," he said. "What I want do is have a more intense national debate to flesh their positions out."
More from Rubin:
-Pawlenty and Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) exceeded expectations and suggested that there are plenty of "not Romney" candidates who can combine a genial personality with solid conservative positions.
-Fourth, Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels gave a wonkish speech, but sure didn't seem like he understood the requirements of a presidential run (e.g., appealing to social conservatives).
-And finally, Romney showed himself to be the weakest frontrunner since, well, maybe Rudy Giuliani in 2008... there is no sign that he understands the enormity of his RomneyCare problem or has come up with a credible response.
Jennifer is right. I was a Mitch Daniels fan at the beginning, and thought that a technocrat, even a "boring" one, can defeat the ideologically extreme leftwinger occupant in the white house. I thought Obama was okay with being a one-term president as long as he gets his agenda done. But Obama wants to get re-elected after all (to prevent an Obamacare repeal), and is changing his tactics by moving to the center (after getting a lot done in his first 2 years in office eg stimulus, obamacare, financial reform).
Mitch Daniels may be right on the issues, but it is not enough to run on "spending cuts" or "The New Red Menace" as your primary message to the voters. It's not enough to beat someone who is determined to run as a "Centrist" like Obama. Even David Cameron did not campaign on big spending cuts. He needed to get elected first, then he reformed big government.
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May '10
Re: Tim Pawlenty Gets It
He wears well; I'll say that. He's also casually articulate, which makes him relaxing to watch--he doesn't induce gaffe-anticipation nervousness (what a relief!). And he's got a strong record to stand on.
I could get on board with a President Pawlenty.
May '10
Re: Tim Pawlenty Gets It
He's certainly good in conversation. O'Reilly is proud and thinks of himself as a tough guy, so playing to that with the bully remark was perfect. I'm impressed.
Oct '10
Re: Tim Pawlenty Gets It
the candidate who can beat obama and shows that he gets it needs to be
1) Likable
2) smart enough to run on "American Exceptionalism"
3) for the repeal of Obamacare
tim pawlenty gets it. jeb bush too if he decides to run. marco rubio has tim pawlenty's qualities, but is too young. same with gov. jindal (is he likable enough?) Rudy Giuliani has it too.
mitch daniels doesnt have a clue. mitt romney isnt likable and romneycare is going to doom his campaign. sarah palin may believe in "american exceptionalism" but isnt a credible messenger and is very unpopular.
Oct '10
Re: Tim Pawlenty Gets It
Donald Trump has 1) and 2) but i dont know if he is for the obamacare repeal.
Oct '10
Re: Tim Pawlenty Gets It
NPR is freaking out.
Last year, Powerline did not like Pawlenty's speech at CPAC. This year, Hindraker declared that Pawlenty "delivered the best speech" he has ever seen him give.
Edited on February 14, 2011 at 1:19pmNov '10
Re: Tim Pawlenty Gets It
OK, you convinced me. I've been waiting to find a candidate to like, and he'll do just fine. NPR's reaction is encouraging indeed.
Edited on February 14, 2011 at 7:09pmRe: Tim Pawlenty Gets It
Hmmmm. I'd better brush up on this Pawlenty character. (Of course, we've had him on a podcast. Smart guy...)
Mitch may not be an outspoken social conservative, but he's a practical advocate of things social conservatives care about.
From the great Andy Ferguson piece in the Weekly Standard:
[At McDonald's there] were roofers stoking themselves with five or six Sausage McMuffins before getting to the job. The governor asked whether the building trades were picking up. They were extremely genial and had no more than a dozen teeth between them.
“You all got families?” Daniels asked.
The roofers looked at each other.
“I got kids, yeah,” the first one said. “They’re with their mama. I just got single again.”
“Why’s that?” Daniels asked.
“Well, governor, me and my kids’ mama, we were together for like five years . . I do take care of them, I go without so I make sure they got everything they need.”
“Well, that’s good,” Daniels said. “I guess. But what they really need is you.”
The man dropped his head and swung it back and forth.
“I know this, governor, I know this."
Jun '10
Re: Tim Pawlenty Gets It
Great anecdote, Rob. If I had to pull the lever today, I'd go with Mitch.
I heard Pawlenty interviewed before and he was snoozy. Sounds like somebody told him that he's got to show some spunk. He had a conversational way of saying what's wrong. But, the interview revealed the tall grass of the deficit and debt; he's smart to keep it on inflation but the whole coming implosion still needs to be more ... urgent? Relevant? It's too far off in people's heads, there's too much "sky is falling". With no apologies to Stalin, our dialogues need to make this personal: one person's inability to pay their bills is a tragedy, a trillion is statistic.
The Old Testament prophets tried to wake folks up by painting graphic pictures of what the Babylonians would do when they arrived. They would be "dragged off with hooks"; Jeremiah "weeps for the virgin daughter of my people" (i.e. raping & pillaging is coming). Perhaps the GOP could take a page & paint grim, banana republic pictures? Something of the drama is being missed, methinks. Then again, the prophets words weren't heeded, were they?
Aug '10
Re: Tim Pawlenty Gets It
Aug '10
Re: Tim Pawlenty Gets It
Then I hear the radio ad for his book, and feel like he's the last person on the planet I'd ever vote for. Only a politician could be so puffed up with self-regard as is apparent in the title, "Courage to Stand", or in the fawning descriptions of it and him from the anonymous voice-over. Well, thanks, guv, for writing an entire book informing us of your total wonderfulness, but most of us leave it to other people to do that, if we so deserve. As they used to say in the Valley, gag me with a spoon.
Dec '10
Re: Tim Pawlenty Gets It
Gov. Daniels's CPAC speech was great. But it said nothing at all about foreign policy.
Dec '10
Re: Tim Pawlenty Gets It
The public loves disaster movies and post-Apocalyptic movies. The challenge is to present the fiscal Apocalypse in a way that makes it dramatically real to a movie audience... and then make the movie.
Oct '10
Re: Tim Pawlenty Gets It
Daniels and Bolton—mark my words. Daniels has no foreign policy credentials, but Bolton has them in container ship quantity. After two more years of what is coming (and you're not going to like it), voters will thirst for competence and confidence that you can ignore the news for a couple of days without something dismaying issuing from Washington.
Maybe Daniels and a woman or minority as Veep, with Bolton as SecState designate in the acceptance speech, but I'll still wager the boring competent guys win the nomination and election.
Dec '10
Re: Tim Pawlenty Gets It
I don't think Pawlenty will have to worry about matching Obama on the pomposity front.
His real problem is that he's an AGW true believer.
Re: Tim Pawlenty Gets It
I agree. In 2012, boring may be the new interesting.
Jul '10
Re: Tim Pawlenty Gets It
I never, ever let NPR lead me in a decisions, for or against. They play the game deep and know from experience that delivering a vicious scolding to a political hopeful on the right can revive the fortunes of a mediocre candidate.
Jul '10
Re: Tim Pawlenty Gets It
AmishDude
I don't think Pawlenty will have to worry about matching Obama on the pomposity front.
His real problem is that he's an AGW true believer. · Feb 14 at 3:12pm
AGW is just one more clue that a candidate lacks the discerning nature to avoid hoaxes and scams. Newt is on this list, too. His intellectual vanity could not withstand the withering criticisms of the IPCC fraudsters.
Nov '10
Re: Tim Pawlenty Gets It
Sisyphus
AmishDude
His real problem is that he's an AGW true believer. · Feb 14 at 3:12pm
AGW is just one more clue that a candidate lacks the discerning nature to avoid hoaxes and scams. Newt is on this list, too. His intellectual vanity could not withstand the withering criticisms of the IPCC fraudsters. · Feb 14 at 3:38pm
Dang...the fatal blemish. Oh well...he was a fun thought for a few minutes. Sayonara Mr. Pawlenty. Too bad, so sad. It was a nice interview, though.
Aug '10
Re: Tim Pawlenty Gets It
Pawlenty was a fine governor here in Minnesota and kept the tax-raising barbarians at the gate for 8 years. If he gets the nomination I would have no problem pulling the trigger - whoops! - voting for him.
I do have some reservations about Tim, though, despite his awesome first name.
- No private sector experience to speak of. Sorry, practicing law doesn't count.
- Fell for the whole global warming scam. Mandated windmills as far as the eye could see here in MN.
- Finally, no one outside of MN has heard of Tim. His name recognition is single digits. That's a lot to overcome in less than 2 years...
Oct '10
Re: Tim Pawlenty Gets It
Rob Long
I agree. In 2012, boring may be the new interesting. · Feb 14 at 3:30pm
Obama plans to run as a "Centrist", which means he'll be "boring" too on domestic issues for the next 2 years (unless the entire middle east screws up his elections strategy).