Republican presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty brags that as governor he stared down Democrats on taxes and spending, but can he sell it to conservative voters?
By KIMBERLEY A. STRASSEL
Ask Mitt Romney to opine about his time managing a blue state, and the former Massachusetts governor will mostly take a pass. Ask Tim Pawlenty about his recent tenure governing liberal Minnesota, and you could be listening for hours.
If Mr. Pawlenty sees a path to the Republican presidential nomination, it’s increasingly through the Land of 10,000 Lakes. Running in a highly conservative primary as the former head of a proudly liberal state—one perpetually beset by economic woes—certainly holds its downsides. But Mr. Pawlenty isn’t shying away from that past. He’s intent on turning his own feisty leadership of Minnesota into his main selling point for the nomination.
Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty
This has become all the more clear this past week, as the Minnesota government shut down over a budget impasse. The focus instantly turned to Mr. Pawlenty, highlighting the risks his time as governor (which ended earlier this year) holds for his run. (more…)
High unemployment, anemic growth, defections in key groups such as independents and Hispanics, and unpopular policies are among the reasons President Obama is unlikely to win re-election. But likely to lose is far from certain to lose. If Republicans make enough unforced errors, Mr. Obama could win.
The first such mistake would be forgetting that the target voters are those ready to swing away from Mr. Obama (independents, Hispanics, college educated and young voters) and those whose opposition to Mr. Obama has deepened since 2008 (seniors and working-class voters).
Republican presidential candidates at the Republican presidential debate earlier this month.
These voters gave the GOP a big win in the 2010 midterm. They are deeply concerned about the economy, jobs, spending, deficits and health care. Many still like Mr. Obama personally but disapprove of his handling of the issues. They are not GOP primary voters, but they are watching the contest. The Republican Party will find it more difficult to gain their support if its nominee adopts a tone that’s harshly negative and personally anti-Obama. (more…)
LOS ANGELES, June 14, 2011 — Republicans never learn. Putting lipstick on a pig does not make it gorgeous. All the ketchup in the world will not make a veggie burger taste anywhere near as good as beef.
One can take MSNBC, hose it off, dress it up in moderate looking clothing and call it CNN. It is still a liberal network with an agenda that includes ridiculing Republicans and ensuring that their deity Barack Obama is reelected.
From left, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty and businessman Herman Cain are seen on stage during the first New Hampshire Republican presidential debate at St. Anselm College in Manchester, N.H., Monday, June 13, 2011. (Image: Associated Press)
John King is more dangerous than Chris Matthews because at least with Matthews the screaming leftist lunacy is laid bare for all to see. Short of Bernard Shaw returning to the network, there is no hope for Republicans to get a fair shake from the network created by Jane Fonda’s ex-husband Ted Turner.(more…)
By John DickersonPosted Tuesday, June 7, 2011, at 7:44 PM ET
DES MOINES—Iowans think of themselves as particularly discerning voters. They like to tell reporters how they like to meet candidates a few times before coming to an opinion—on this trip I hadn’t even gotten to my rental car before someone made this point—and candidates tell this story back to voters at nearly every stop as a way of buttering them up. But Iowa also has another political truth that is supposed to be equally iron-clad: Voters are so wedded to ethanol subsidies that if you oppose them, it won’t matter how many times you shake a voter’s hand and look him in the eye—he won’t support you.
The first truth may be overblown, and the second one is wrong, or at least more complicated than portrayed. The politics of ethanol have changed in Iowa from the days when ethanol was regarded as some kind of newfangled invention. Unwavering support for ethanol tax credit is no longer the secret password required for success in Republican politics.
You wouldn’t know this from the Republican candidates running for president. Two weeks ago, Tim Pawlenty came to Iowa to announce his candidacy and call for the phasing out of ethanol subsidies. He said it was a sign of the hard truths he was willing to tell the voters. Ambassador Jon Huntsman said it wasn’t even worth campaigning in Iowa because he opposes the subsidy, and as a result voters won’t even consider him. “I understand how the politics work there,” he said. Mitt Romney said he supported the subsidies and was quickly denounced by former Sen. John Sununu of New Hampshire for “pandering” to voters. (more…)
For the uninitiated, T-Paw is Tim Pawlenty, recently departed governor of Minnesota and one Republican who is neither coy nor reticent about running for president. He formally launched his candidacy in Iowa Monday.
Tim Pawlenty, recently departed governor of Minnesota, formally launched his candidacy for president today. Jerry Seib looks at why few candidates have had as many things break right for them as has Mr. Pawlenty in the last three months.
Some cynics—citing his relative anonymity and his, well, nonelectric personal style—will scoff. They shouldn’t.
Few candidates have had as many things break right for them as has Mr. Pawlenty in the past three months. The shape of the Republican field, the departure of some potential rivals, the pace of the campaign and the emerging issue mix all have broken about as well for the 50-year-old Minnesotan as he could have hoped. (more…)
HANOVER, N.H. – Republicans looking to unseat President Barack Obama charged Thursday that he undermined the sensitive and delicate negotiations for Middle East peace with his outline for resumed talks between Israelis and Palestinians.
Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman said Obama, whom he served as U.S. ambassador to China until last month, undercut an opportunity for Israelis and Palestinians to build trust. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney said Obama “threw Israel under the bus” and handed the Palestinians a victory even before negotiations between the parties could resume. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich called it “the most dangerous speech ever made by an American president for the survival of Israel.”
Foreign policy has hardly been the center of the debate among the still-forming GOP presidential field. Instead, the candidates and potential candidates have kept their focus — like the country’s — on domestic issues that are weighing on voters and their pocketbooks. Obama’s speech provided one of the first opportunities for Republicans to assert their foreign policy differences with Obama and his Democratic administration.
Obama endorsed Palestinians’ demands for the borders of its future state based on 1967 borders — before the Six Day War in which Israel occupied East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza. That was a significant shift in U.S. foreign policy. (more…)