Who Is Tim Pawlenty?

[Vespasiano 0]

Politico is reporting today that Minnesota governor, Tim Pawlenty (an apparent favorite in many Republican Party circles), is expected shortly to announce his candidacy for the Presidential election of 2012. From the little I know of him (i.e., his reprehensible views on abortion and his grasping at the "states' rights" thesis to enact state-level legislation consistent with those views, etc.), Pawlenty's candidacy, if successful among Republican voters, would serve to further illustrate the Republican Party's tin-eared redundancy if not its outright rejection of the principle of individual rights. Which means: we would once again be treated to the usual electoral disputation over titles between two sides of the same statist coin with the continued banishment of the essential founding principles of the nation from the discussion.

Am I wrong?

I should like to learn more about Mr. Pawlenty if there are Forum members who are familiar with him.

[KurtColville 0]

I don't know much about Pawlenty, but he comes from the same school as governors Mike Huckabee (R-AR) and Rick Perry (R-TX). Both are dangerously religious and extremely popular among conservatives. They say all the right things, have a magnetic charisma, and whip up conservative fervor by trumpeting "states' rights" over Washington's control. All three will be leading candidates in 2012, but expect Rick Perry to make the biggest push.

When the Right recoils from the Left's statism, all they know to do is run to God. Just look at their rhetoric. It's an unending, worsening nightmare.

[Rose Lake 0]

I should like to learn more about Mr. Pawlenty if there are Forum members who are familiar with him.

As far as I know (which isn't very - sorry) he's the usual idiot, though I don't think nearly as bad as Huckabee. But if the Republican party can't come up with anyone better, it deserves seven + more years of Obama (even though we don't).

[Gweg 0]

I am tentatively optimistic about the who the republican nominee will be. The ability of the tea party movement and republican bandwagoneers to get the public to focus on debt and spending and taxes was what lead to their huge gains by through convincing the moderates that the republicans are the lesser of two evils. I think the republican party will hopefully be smart enough to pick the candidate with the best chance of winning which fortunately would be one who emphasizes religion less and fiscal and freedom issues more.