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The Spectacle Blog
Mike Huckabee may have won the straw poll at the Family Research Council’s Values Voter Summit, but Tim Pawlenty may have done himself the most good. I saw the major contenders give their speeches and thought, like Mark Hemingway of NRO, that Pawlenty showed he had the goods.
Pawlenty’s presentation of his own record as a budget-balancer in MN was impressive and he sounded like the kind of conservative candidate who knows how to handle himself in a debate. The Minnesota governor came off as smart, tough, and ready for prime time. If he keeps making the rounds speaking the way he did Friday night, he is going to gain supporters in every part of the Republican coalition.
I’m tempted to include some excerpts from the remarks, but I don’t think it will do him justice. What impressed me more than any particular phrase was the way he carried himself. His countenance exuded challenge to the left. There was, to employ an overused sporting phrase, a notable swagger in the way Pawlenty looked and talked. This is a guy who wouldn’t make you afraid to tune in to debates or press conferences. Instead, you’d relish the chance to see him in action. Tim Pawlenty is ready for a fight.
View all comments (33) | Leave a comment
More Blog Posts by Hunter Baker
http://spectator.org/blog/2009/09/19/tim-pawlenty-gets-best-of-clas
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Pingback| 9.19.09 @ 9:29PM
Twitter Trackbacks for The American Spectator : AmSpecBlog : Tim Pawlenty Gets Best links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
ConservativeWanderer | 9.19.09 @ 11:30PM
I've said it before, I'll say it again:
Speculating on 2012 candidates this far in advance is an exercise in futility.
Skip MacLure| 9.20.09 @ 1:41AM
Agreed. It is WAY too early. Huckabee is far too soft for my liking and definitely not a street fighter.
Tim Pawlenty MAY have the right stuff but it is not at all certain. It's going to take someone who will take the on the rats on both sides of the isle....You no speekee constitution...we no speekee suportee. And I'm not talking about Ron Paul either. The era of Ivy League Republicans has to end if we are to regain the house much less the presidency....some of the snakes are trying to shed their skin as we speak...witness Olympia Snowe....'Why I've always been a conservative with solid Republican values'........(sound of maggot retching).
We have to start with a thorough house cleaning.
Lead, follow or get the hell out of our way!
Semper Vigilans, Semper Fidelis
martin j smith| 9.20.09 @ 8:16AM
The lessons of the 2008 presidential campaign must be learned. Anyone like Macaine will lose.
Lesson one: the candidate must be carefully vetted free of any serious political weak spots.
Lesson two: The candidate must be articulate and consistent.
Lesson three: the candidate must be unafraid of confronting Obama's policies and ideology as well as his associations.
Lesson four: the candidate must be able to handle the media and know when to confront them .
lesson five: agressively set the agenda do not let the media or the opponents do it.
Learn these lessons and there will be a chance. Who will be the right candidate ? I do not have a clue.
Pingback| 9.20.09 @ 8:34AM
The B&R Sunday Edition | Black & Right links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
Richard Baker| 9.20.09 @ 9:16AM
Watched Pawlenty speak and he reminded me of an articulate Elmer Fudd in his vocal talents. Sleep-inducing, to say the least.
Victor K| 9.20.09 @ 9:54AM
Before I get excited about any candidate, I want to know where they stand on the pivotal issues:
1. Illegal immigration 2. global warming
3. domestic energy exploration 4. reciprocity on trade policy
Rolfe| 9.20.09 @ 10:31AM
Poor, sad Tim Pawlenty.
Pandering to the madness that is now rife on the right. This moment too shall pass and Tim Pawlenty will be be remebered as one of its most notorious hypocrites. Poor, sad Tim Pawlenty.
Hunter Baker| 9.20.09 @ 10:54AM
Richard Baker, I can't imagine you were in the crowd. Pawlenty forged an almost electric connection with them.
And Rolfe, I have no idea what you are talking about.
Yosemeti Sam| 9.20.09 @ 11:02AM
Huckabee is from - Arkansas!
Enough, to rule him out from legit politics.
Pawlenty allowed Frankenstein to 'take' a
senate seat away from a legit Republican
winner.
Two losers. Look elsewhere!
mngirl| 9.20.09 @ 11:36AM
Mr. Baker, come on do your basic homework. Pawlenty's first 6 years in office as Governor he had strong surpluses in the state budget, he did NOTHING to cut taxes and bring spending in line. He let spending grow to eat up the surplus, so when the deficit came this year he had no choice but to cut. But during the years when the strong economy generated surpluses he did nothing for business and he did nothing conservative. He is a McCain acolyte, and no conservative. I voted for him as Governor, in blue state MN, what choice do we have? But he's too wishy-washy, plays both sides for me for him to be my conservative candidate for President in '12.
denwood| 9.20.09 @ 11:52AM
Pawlenty was complicit in the criminal activity known as the recount, recount, recount until Stuart Smalley wins the senate race in Minnesota. He defended the corrupt democratic machine all the way through that debacle. We should have no part of a Pawlenty candidacy!
Skip MacLure| 9.20.09 @ 12:13PM
'Nuther thought about 2012. We desperately need to close our primaries. Cross-over voting by masses of LIBREDCOMS is what gave us John McCain. I supported him as there was no where else to go without flushing my vote down the toilet. Every conservative out here had that sinking feeling knowing how lame, vacillating and weak he was on key conservative values and how wrong headed he could be. Like I said the time is not yet to judge these guys..But I don't see The flame out there that's going to unite the movement to the degree it's going to take to depose the Maobama regime.
Semper Vigilans, Semper Fidelis
Richard Baker| 9.20.09 @ 12:48PM
Hunter & mngirl:
I said I saw Pawlenty speak on TV and his voice was not the most scintillating. He needs to show more enthusiasm. I found his speaking voice stultifying. His ideas may be fine to some but not his voice, thus my comparison to an articulate Elmer Fudd.
mngirl| 9.20.09 @ 12:57PM
my comments to "Mr. Baker" were directed at the writer of the article, who has clearly not examined Governor Pawlenty's 2 terms as Governor. Falling for a guy who gives a good speech is how we got our current President. Pawlenty is no conservative, his 2 terms as Governor prove that. The last 6 mos he's attempted a makeover, good journalism would require an examination of 2 terms. Speeches are "just words" -- gee where have we heard that before?
Pingback| 9.20.09 @ 2:24PM
The American Spectator : AmSpecBlog : Tim Pawlenty Gets Best of Class | Class update links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
Richard Baker| 9.20.09 @ 4:37PM
mngirl:
Now I understand your comments. Pawlenty is another of those bland politicians who speaks one way and acts another until it's time for election.
Jocon307| 9.21.09 @ 12:47AM
"We desperately need to close our primaries. "
Agreed! I don't at all understand the idea of an open primary. Hey, the Dems should close theirs too. What is the point of a primary if anyone can vote in it? Is it reasonable to think Democrats would go to a Republican primary and vote for the best republican, rather than the worst or weakest republican?
rt| 9.21.09 @ 2:04PM
Another RINO! Please Tim go hide under a rock somewhere. Your support for the global warming nonsense makes me puke!
David| 9.21.09 @ 4:58PM
I like Pawlenty....if for no other reason than that he is not Mitt Romney, he is solidly pro-life, and is about as conservative as you can get for a politician from minnesota.
I think the reality is, that anyone that has the ability to win, is not a real conservative at this point. Not because they couldn't win, but because of how the field is lining up. With Mitt as the presumptive front runner, and the possibility of palin and huck running...scaring off candidates who are cultural conservatives as well as being conservative acrossed the board, i feel like we are being set up again. We need Mitt, Huck and Palin to all NOT run. If that were to happen, we could have a real primary and some actual conservatives could get into it.
Roger Fossum| 9.21.09 @ 5:35PM
I am a lifelong MN and I can testify to Tim Pawlenty's intelligence and wit. I can remember hearing reports of back when he was in the state House of Representatives. The political reporters loved to follow him because he was so darn funny on the floor. He's ready for prime time, America.
Mark Main | 9.21.09 @ 8:36PM
I've lived in Minnesota most of my life. This is a deep purple state that has slightly more blue the red. A Republican Governor here has to do it better than the rest because they won't get a pass for any mistakes. He's navigated our Democratic lead n congress very well. He is well liked in the State by most people in this State, which is nearly impossible to accomplish these days. He's intellectual, articulate, a true conservative, and very personable. He manages by principals and values, not by polls and focus groups.
But most importantly, he is a man of integrity (not ‘he has integrity’), Governor Tim Pawlenty IS integrity…you can trust the words that fall out of his mouth, unlike what we hear from Washington these days. Unlike this administration where I’m fact checking everything, a Pawlenty administration would be honest and truthful. Remember at the beginning of the year when Obama talked about transparency and truth. Where is it? All I see and hear are lies. If I envision a President Pawlenty administration, I’m certain that it would be a well run administration that would actually truthfully do what they said they were going to do, not lie and tell half truths.
richard norman| 9.22.09 @ 4:15PM
Pawlenty needs to make clear his stance on "global warming", "climate change" or whatever they call it now that the temperatures are plummeting. Last time I heard he had consumed the Kool-Aid big-time. To me this is an IQ test and he failed.
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