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"As CNN reported, thanks to Pawlentys refusal to even consider raising revenue, he left office with a $6 billion deficit and higher unemployment than when he became governor. In fact, Pawlentys deficit was one of the highest in the nation as a percentage of the states general fund, only slightly trailing Californias massive gap, the Los Angeles Times noted."
Tim Pawlenty is pretty boring. I don't care who the GOP runs, they will all turn out to be the same pliable, empty suit they always run.
Nobody over there is exciting or smart.
He was a decent governor. If I remember right he had DFL majorities in both chambers during his terms, so he's definitely familiar with having to compromise and cooperate--even though there was a government shutdown a few years ago.
He's got the resume for focusing strictly on the budget, for better or worse. Early on he was all about expanding Minnesotacare, but then later on in his final term his budget pretty much gorged public-funded health care and a bunch of free clinics had to shut down. Similar story for universities and tuition.
It's disappointing to see him back off from his previous environmental policies. He was a big supporter of ethanol (lots of corn here), and there's tons of state-funded wind farms in southern MN built in the past decade.
Following my gut I think it's going to be sad to watch him walk away from some of his positions and his history of being a relatively-rational center-right politician and become a fiery ideologue to farm votes from the GOP primary base. Hopefully I'm wrong on that.
May 05, 2011 06:49 PM
First Republican Presidential Debate:
The Republicans are holding their first presidential primary debate tonight in South Carolina and apparently a few of the participants didn't mind doubling down on the torture card. Chris Wallace asks for a show of hands and who would be willing to continue the Bush administration's use of waterboarding. Herman Cain, Tim Pawlenty and Rick Santorum all raised their hands.
First Republican Presidential Debate: Raise Your Hand if You Support Torture | Video Cafe
He was a decent governor. If I remember right he had DFL majorities in both chambers during his terms, so he's definitely familiar with having to compromise and cooperate--even though there was a government shutdown a few years ago.
He's got the resume for focusing strictly on the budget, for better or worse. Early on he was all about expanding Minnesotacare, but then later on in his final term his budget pretty much gorged public-funded health care and a bunch of free clinics had to shut down. Similar story for universities and tuition.
It's disappointing to see him back off from his previous environmental policies. He was a big supporter of ethanol (lots of corn here), and there's tons of state-funded wind farms in southern MN built in the past decade.
Following my gut I think it's going to be sad to watch him walk away from some of his positions and his history of being a relatively-rational center-right politician and become a fiery ideologue to farm votes from the GOP primary base. Hopefully I'm wrong on that.
He and Bobby Jindal were both hopefuls back in '08. Good to hear about his finer points from someone who knows. The GOP needs to allow their candidates to be themselves, there are a few who could be good at this.
He was a decent governor. If I remember right he had DFL majorities in both chambers during his terms, so he's definitely familiar with having to compromise and cooperate--even though there was a government shutdown a few years ago.
He's got the resume for focusing strictly on the budget, for better or worse. Early on he was all about expanding Minnesotacare, but then later on in his final term his budget pretty much gorged public-funded health care and a bunch of free clinics had to shut down. Similar story for universities and tuition.
It's disappointing to see him back off from his previous environmental policies. He was a big supporter of ethanol (lots of corn here), and there's tons of state-funded wind farms in southern MN built in the past decade.
Following my gut I think it's going to be sad to watch him walk away from some of his positions and his history of being a relatively-rational center-right politician and become a fiery ideologue to farm votes from the GOP primary base. Hopefully I'm wrong on that.
Tim Pawlenty is pretty boring. I don't care who the GOP runs, they will all turn out to be the same pliable, empty suit they always run.
Nobody over there is exciting or smart.
He's got the resume for focusing strictly on the budget, for better or worse. Early on he was all about expanding Minnesotacare, but then later on in his final term his budget pretty much gorged public-funded health care and a bunch of free clinics had to shut down. Similar story for universities and tuition.
Pawlenty's fiscal record:
* Pawlenty moved Minnesota govt spending from +20% every two years to +2%.
* Pawlenty vetoed every tax hike sent to him $7.5 billion in total, set record for one year. He forced Democrats to accept a three-year property tax cap, saving taxpayers $530 million.
* Pawlenty moved MN from #2 highest tax state down to 12th. Brian McClung: Pawlenty left the state a lot better off | StarTribune.com
* Cato Institute gave Pawlenty A grade for lowering taxes, balancing budget. Pawlenty gets high marks from libertarian group | StarTribune.com
* Rejected Obamacare Governor Tim Pawlenty Tells Minnesota Agencies to Reject ObamaCare Funds | LifeNews.com and advocated market reforms: Brian McClung: Pawlenty left the state a lot better off | StarTribune.com
* Grew a $2.2 billion surplus before the Democrats took over the legislature. Minnesota jobs grew during his first four years until Democrats won.
Weekly Standard: he has governed his left-leaning state as a fiscal conservative. Pawlenty was one of just four governors to earn an A on the libertarian Cato Institutes most recent biennial fiscal report card. A T-Paw Party? | The Weekly Standard
Chris Edwards of the Cato Institute: I actually went into doing this report card sort of thinking [Pawlenty] was mediocre on fiscal policy. I think hes been superb about the last five years or so. Hes been a veto king.
Minneapolis Star Tribune: During the four decades before he took office, Minnesota government spending had grown by an average of more than 20 percent every two years; on his watch it was less than 2 percent . When Pawlenty took office in 2003, census data ranked Minnesota second-highest in taxes per capita. Three years later, Minnesota moved out of the top 10 states in taxes a goal previous governors of both parties had failed to achieve and is now ranked 12th.
http://www.startribune.com/opinion/...sc8P:Pc:Ug8P:Pc:UiD3aPc:_Yyc:aULPQL7PQLanchO7
National Review: He resolved a $4.5 billion deficit in his first term, instituted performance pay for public-school teachers, cut billions from public-employee pensions, and issued 299 vetoes. For his efforts, the libertarian Cato Institute gave him an A rating on its biennial fiscal report card. The Quiet Contender - Robert Costa - National Review Online
Washington Post: The decades before he took office saw state budgets grow by an average of 21 percent every two years. He brought that to just under 2 percent, and in 2009, he cut real spending for the first time in 150 years. . Can Tim Pawlenty light a fire with Republicans?