Pawlenty: Real change is about telling hard truths

Pawlenty: Real change is about telling hard truths

Excerpt:

As a candidate for president, it would be easy for me to just tell the American people we can solve our debt crisis and fix our economy without making any tough choices. But we have now seen where that type of leadership gets us.

Leadership isn't about fancy speeches and empty promises. It's not about telling people just what they want to hear. It's about telling the truth. Like too many Washington politicians, President Obama governs with an eye toward the next election, at the expense of the next generation. He would rather pretend there is no crisis and attack those who are willing to stand up and try to solve it rather than risk doing anything about it himself.

Comment: I'm impressed with Pawlenty!

Pawlenty on Obamacare and Free Markets

Pawlenty: Obamacare repeal major part of presidential bid

Excerpt:

Gov. Tim Pawlenty, appearing on CNN's State of the Union with Candy Crowley Sunday morning, said repealing President Obama's health care overhaul would be a major part of his platform if he runs for president in 2012.

“I think Obamacare is one of the worst pieces of legislation passed in the modern history of the country,” said the outgoing GOP governor. “I'm doing everything I can in Minnesota to stop, delay or avoid implementation in my state, including signing an executive order saying we're not going to participate unless required by law or approved by me.”

Asked if repealing the health care overhaul would be a major part of his platform in a run for president, Pawlenty answered, “Yes.”

He then launched verbatim into phraseology he has been repeating recently on the subject: “I think having health solutions dragged into Washington, D.C., top down, command-and-control, bureaucratically run entitlement programs they can't afford are a bad idea. I like markets. I like people being in charge of decisions, not the Federal bureaucracy."

Comment: I see Pawlenty as more of a 2nd tier Republican candidate. Could be Mitt Romney's VP running mate. Should have been McCain's!

Tim Pawlenty: "A" grade in fiscal responsibility

A blue-state governor with red-state qualities

Excerpt:

In the four decades before Pawlenty was elected governor in 2002, the average two-year increase in state spending was 21 percent. During his tenure, the average annual increase has been 2 percent. He says that the current two-year budget cycle will be the first in 150 years in which spending will be cut in real, constant dollars.

It took, he said, "World War III" with the teachers unions to make Minnesota the first state to offer performance pay for teachers statewide. The state is second in the nation in health savings accounts: Approximately 10 percent of privately insured Minnesotans have these tax-preferred savings accounts that enable them to shop for routine health needs not covered by high-deductible insurance plans.

Pawlenty has benefited from an affliction -- Minnesota's Legislature. Currently, Republicans are outnumbered 47 to 87 in the House and 21 to 46 in the Senate. As a result, he has had, and has seized, ample opportunities to veto things, including increases in taxes on incomes, gasoline, beer and wine. He holds the Minnesota record for most vetoes cast in a single legislative session. The Cato Institute murmurs, "Be still my heart!"

A libertarian think tank ardent for government both limited and frugal, Cato gives A grades for fiscal responsibility to only four governors -- Mark Sanford (R-S.C.), Bobby Jindal (R-La.), Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), and Pawlenty, the only one governing a blue state.

Comment: I don't know why governments need to grow at greater the rate of inflation! Pawlenty get's an A in my book too.

T-Paw Welcomes Obama to Minnesota

Comment: www.timpawlenty.com

Today's Democratic Party default is always higher taxes

The Minnesota Prelude - Land of 10,000 tax increases

Excerpt:

Earlier this week Democrats who control both legislative houses passed a three-year $1 billion income tax increase. This would raise the top tax rate to 9.1% from 7.85%, taking the rate even higher than that in New Jersey and New York (outside of Manhattan).

Yesterday Mr. Pawlenty vetoed this tax foolishness, as he has three previous tax hikes as Governor. The tax increase was targeted at the rich, but it applied to individuals with an income of $113,100 for singles and $200,000 for joint filers. Note how the definition of "rich" keeps becoming more expansive.

An analysis by the state department of revenue found that nearly six in 10 filers hit by the higher rates would be farmers or small business owners—i.e., the people who write paychecks. The higher rates would go away in 2013 if the state has a $500 million surplus, though the spenders would make sure that day never arrived.

This budget brawl was precipitated by a 4-3 Minnesota Supreme Court decision to invalidate $2.7 billion in emergency budget cuts, technically called "un-allotments." Mr. Pawlenty made those line-item cuts earlier this year to close a $3 billion budget deficit. One reason for the budget gap is that Democrats in St. Paul, much like Democrats in Washington, D.C., approved nearly $1 billion in new health-care entitlements. The practical solution here would be for the legislature to approve the Governor's cuts, which won't put the fragile economy at risk.

This Minnesota drama is typical of the fiscal battle taking place in at least a dozen state capitals, and soon to occur in Washington. Today's Democratic Party default is always higher taxes. Dominated by government-employee unions, they refuse to rethink government spending despite the steep recession. Last year six states raised income tax rates, and this year another five are attempting to do so.

That didn't work so well in 2008 or 2009 in Hawaii, Maryland, New Jersey or Wisconsin—states that still have budget holes even after trying to soak the rich. Maryland lost revenue from millionaire tax filers after it raised rates.

Mr. Pawlenty's veto sets the stage for an extended budget showdown that should help him politically. Higher tax rates don't produce prosperity or balanced budgets—as we can see in New Jersey and New York, or Greece and Portugal.

Comment: I really appreciate how Pawlenty has held the line against tax increases!

MN DFL: Republicans perennial push back

Pawlenty, DFL square off on taxes

Excerpt:

With the House and the Senate on the verge of passing $1.5 billion and $2.2 billion tax bills, respectively, Gov. Tim Pawlenty went on the offensive Thursday, calling the DFL's budget proposals "bad," "horrifically bad," "laughable," and "almost bizarre."

Proposals to raise taxes while cutting education and, in the House, eliminating a host of targeted deductions for homes and child care, shows "in rather dramatic fashion, just how out of touch they are," he said.

Comment: We've lived in Minnesota for 13 years and this happens almost every year. The DFL (Democrats) propose higher taxes and the Republican Governor pushes back. Imagine what it will be like with a DFL Governor.

Tim Pawlenty: "We cannot be free if we are a debtor nation"

Tim Pawlenty: A Modern, Not a Moderate, Party

Excerpt:

... when we talk about the national debt, it is not freedom and we are not protecting and advancing freedom when we handcuff our children and our grandchildren to wagon loads full of debt - $35,000 for every man, woman, and child in the United States of America. We are choking in debt. We are swimming in debt. That's $10 trillion in debt, not including the entitlement programs. We cannot be free if we are a debtor nation. We cannot be free if our federal officials are worried about what the Chinese might do in terms of withholding and enabling our debt, if we don't bail out the banks.

And that's part of what's going on. Part of the reason that the federal government is so scared about the financial systems collapsing is because they're worried that the Chinese and others are going to stop investing and buying our debt, and if they do that, things will collapse. How did we get to this point in this country where we have the Chinese financial investments dictating or influencing our federal policy? That is not freedom. We are not free if we are in debt. The average American is $20,000 in debt in credit cards. We are not free if people who are disadvantaged cannot grab the keys to opportunity, because their school system is so bad that they don't graduate from high school, and even if they do they need remedial education and they don't have the education or the skills to access the economy of today and tomorrow, and they get marginalized into society as a ward of the state.

That is not freedom for them, and it's awful for us. It's bad economically. It's bad morally. It's bad socially. Freedom is about school choice. Freedom is about improving performance pay in schools. Freedom is about having the school system look more like an iPod than a 1940s industrial one-size-fits-all assembly line. Freedom isn't having the government take over the healthcare system, so your decisions are made by bureaucrats instead of between patients and doctors; freedom isn't having lunatics threaten the state of Israel and say they're going to wipe it out and tolerate that as some sort of a need to accommodate lunatics in foreign policy. We have lost our way.

Freedom starts with ending the culture of debt. This has been erased from our memory, but I think one of the things we should do is demand a constitutional requirement to balance the federal budget.

Comment: HT: Pawlenty Speech at Horowitz Freedom Center. A stand on fiscal responsibility is essential to the future of conservatism.

George Will weighs GOP VP options

The running mate McCain needs

Excerpt:

Finally, Minnesota's Tim Pawlenty, 47, is national co-chairman of McCain's campaign. His is the only state (10 electoral votes) to go Democratic in the past eight presidential elections. The candidate who wins a majority of the electoral votes in the Mississippi Valley usually wins the White House. Pawlenty is a center-right politician in a center-right country, and the Minnesota Twins will open a new ballpark in 2010 because he helped to provide public funds, a practice that red-blooded Americans deplore in principle but enjoy in practice.

Pawlenty: "a rising star" in GOP

Steadfast McCain ally sparks veep talk

Excerpt:

“First of all, his age is attractive,” Weber says, hinting at the nearly quarter-century difference between his fellow Minnesotan and the 71-year-old McCain. “Second, he’s from outside Washington. Third, he represents a battleground part of the country. And he has a nice balance of, on one hand being totally acceptable to the conservative wing of the party, especially to social conservatives, but at the same time sharing a couple of key maverick strains of thought with McCain.”

Comments:

HT: Race 4 2008
More VP speculation: Former Oklahoma Gov. Frank Keating

GOP VP watch

Running mate guessing game begins

Excerpt:

First, Mr. McCain likely will go for someone from outside Washington — most probably a governor. For the four-term Arizona senator, that would offset his 25 years in Congress, muting a target for Democrats — his Washington-insider status.

"John McCain certainly isn't a creature of the Beltway in most respects, but he has been in Congress awhile, so having someone on the ticket who can talk about change will help," said Dan Schnur, who was communications director for McCain's 2000 presidential campaign.

Mr. Schnur said the "two most likely plausible ones that I hear bandied about" are South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford and Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty. Another outsider is newly elected Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, a rising star in the Republican Party.

The man or woman whom Mr. McCain selects will almost definitely be more conservative than the moderate maverick senator and likely will be popular among evangelicals, such as former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, or race dropout Mitt Romney, a former Massachusetts governor.

Comment: I'm starting to think Huckabee based upon his ability to generate turnout among Evangelicals. I'm still pulling for Tim Pawlenty!

Tim Pawlenty again mentioned

A Look at Some potential VP’s

Excerpt:

Tim Pawlenty: He’s been mentioned repeatedly and for good reason. For those who aren’t familiar with him, here’s the audio of a recent speech he delivered to a Young Conservatives conference: Governor Tim Pawlenty – What Makes America Great

Ideologically, Pawlenty is more conservative then McCain, but less conservative then some other potential choices. On fiscal matters, he’s solid if not spectacular, earning the same exact rating as Mitt Romney on the CATO Institutes Fiscal Report Card. On social issues, he checks all the right boxes (pro-life, pro-marriage, pro-gun, anti-illegal immigration) and has even gone to bat controversially on a few of these issues.

And culturally, he quickly brings to mind the word “wholesome”. He’s no Mike Huckabee, but I have absolute confidence that this “soccer dad” and consummate nice guy can help Mac hold the values voters in the tent. Anyone who’s now using Romney as an acceptable proxy for defeating McCain, will find Pawlenty a compelling heir apparent; and he has the virtue of having a longer record supporting conservative causes and principles.

He’s young at 47, which I think will be a huge factor in McCain’s ultimate decision- the fevered hopes some have entertained for a McCain/Giuliani ticket fail for this reason. The American people aren’t going to elect a ticket that has a seen a combined 135 years. I think he has to be considered the front-runner for the VP spot.

Signs that T-Paw may be the guy: Listen to the above speech from Pawlenty. It was given just 2 days ago. Notice he mentions having visited the Middle East multiple times, and Iraq recently. It’s quite interesting when an obscure Minnesota Governor, who happens to be McCain’s co-chair, starts routinely visiting the Middle East and Iraq in particular. Could he be trying to add foreign policy experience in preparation for the VP spot? Also, the convention is being held in Minnesota and the Upper-midwest is a likely area of strength for McCain in a general election.



Comment: See Pawlenty of speculation from 5/27/07

Huckabee's gambit

Huckabee criticizes Romney's change of heart on issues dear to conservatives

My view: Mike Huckabee is playing McCain's "wing man" to angle for the VP! But it won't be him. It will be Pawlenty!

T-Paw for # 2

Veep Watch: Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s Approval Rating Soars

Excerpt:

Since Gov. Pawlenty is one of the most likely candidates to fill the #2 slot on the 2008 GOP ticket, I thought I’d bring to your attention this story which illustrates the transcendent popularity of the Governor known simply as “T-Paw”.

Comment: A McCain - Pawlenty ticket? I think so!