Pawlenty Rocks National Press Club

Governor Pawlenty spoke earlier today at the National Press Club, and clearly displayed for the nation why he is the future (and in many ways the here and now) of the Republican Party.

Pawlenty, seen by many as one of the top contenders to be Sen. John McCain’s (R-Ariz.) presidential running mate, said the Sam’s Club Republican represents a present-day analogue to the Reagan Democrat.

“Sam’s Club Republicans feel like they’ve been disenfranchised,” he said.

When asked what the Bush administration had done wrong, Pawlenty stressed that the party had gotten away from a focus on ideas, like the Contract with America.

“ 'Compassionate conservatism’ has to be about more than a label,” he said. “The idea factory has been less robust than it should have been.”

Specifically, Pawlenty emphasized a new approach to education. He said it is a “near-scandal” that higher education isn’t properly preparing students to be teachers, and he advocated online courses as the cost- and time-efficient education of the future. (Excerpt from article)

The biggest criticism of Governor Pawlenty's speech has been that Governor Pawlenty was complimentary about Obama's optimistic tone.


Which goes to the very point of this whole discussion about Governor Pawlenty, his vision, demeanor and leadership style, and exactly why the Grand Old Party has morphed so dramatically into the Party of Pawlenty.

Governor Pawlenty frequently talks about the "Sam's Club Republicans;" those disaffected blue collar, working class voters who share the values of the Republican Party (faith, family, freedom and the like) but have seen a GOP painted as the "Country Club Party."

I won't dwell on the glaringly obvious (that the Liberal Elite who make up the brunt of the Democratic Party are exactly who one would expect to see at the stereotypical Country Club, and exactly the type who wouldn't dare show themselves at a Sam's Club).

In a high-energy performance before the National Press Club in Washington today (Aug. 6), Gov. Tim Pawlenty humorously ducked The Question — his vice presidential ambitions — but otherwise spoke on Sam’s Club Republicans, a perceived thinness in Barack Obama, and numerous national issues.

----

Republicans needed to do better in appealing to the young voters— the party needs a message and messengers, he said.

He spoke of a belated party focus on the environment, conservation and energy but one that’s emerging.

Republican leaders also need to show interest in international compassion — another focus of the young, Pawlenty opined.

But Pawlenty warned that the evangelical vote is one that Republicans should continue to seek. “It’s not a vote to be taken for granted,” he said.

Although the Associated Press in a story indicted that Pawlenty had offered positive comments about Obama — that people gravitate toward positive leaders — before the press club Pawlenty said he had mentioned McCain in the same sentence.

Pawlenty contrasted McCain and Obama by saying the former had a real life story while the latter had oratory.

“Not even a close call in my book,” Pawlenty said of the perceived difference. (Excerpted from article, click here to read article in its entirety)

If this was an audition, a call back is inevitable.

I think this was more likely the show, and we'll see encore after encore after encore from Governor Pawlenty.

Huckabee for Pawlenty

Former Governor of Arkansas and recent Presidential Candidate Mike Huckabee declared on Fox News Channel's Hannity and Colmes last night that if he had to pick Senator McCain's running make, "I'd go Pawlenty"

For someone who himself has consistently been rumored to be on the short list to say he thinks McCain should pick Governor Pawlenty is pretty incredible.

National Review: McCain to Pick Pawlenty

"A source tells me that Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty is John McCain's choice, and that the announcement is coming very soon. But I checked with the American Legislative Exchange Council, who Pawlenty is scheduled to address Wednesday at 11:30. As far as they know, his speech is still on." Source: National Review Online, July 28, 2008

Click here for the complete post.

New Quinnipiac Poll, Enhancing Pawlenty VP Buzz?

Is a new Quinnipiac Poll an indication of all of the Pawlenty VP Buzz?

If you live in Minnesota, you can't pick up a paper or turn on the radio and not hear about Governor Pawlenty being at the top of the top of Senator McCain's short list for VP.

A few weeks back we posted on some polling showing that Governor Pawlenty was best positioned to help McCain pick up Minnesota, a feat that hasn't been accomplished by a GOP Presidential Candidate since 1972.

Indulge me for a moment.

Let's set aside the following as givens:

• Governor Pawlenty is a young, vibrant new voice for the GOP
• Governor Pawlenty will excite and energize the Christian Conservative base.
• Governor Pawlenty has reshaped Minnesota with fiscal restraint and the most taxpayer friendly administration in the history of Minnesota.
• Governor Pawlenty with his "Sam's Club Republican" vision and his deep blue collar roots has an uncanny ability to talk to disaffected voters.
• Governor Pawlenty has been a loyal McCain supporter during the most difficult times of the campaign.
• Governor Pawlenty is an Outside-the-Beltway Reform minded Governor who would compliment Sen. McCain's "stand strong against the beltway, reform minded" senate Record.
• Mary Pawlenty is awesome!
  

Let's set those aside as given, because they are.

With all of the growing buzz surrounding Governor Pawlenty, let's take a look at raw numbers.

Today, a Quinnipiac Poll was released that shows a dramatic closing of the gap between Obama and McCain. In fact, McCain is only down two points in Minnesota, and the polling continues to move in the right direction here and in surrounding states.

Everyone knows that Governor Pawlenty will be able to walk into states like Michigan, Pennsylvania and Ohio and look voters in the eye to talk about economics, jobs, health care and all of the pocket book issues that the GOP needs to win back in order to be successful this election.

Adding that to the increasing evidence that Senator McCain will have a legitimate shot at Minnesota (probably more likely than not now) with Pawlenty on the ticket, and it is no wonder Governor Pawlenty is the likely choice.

If Governor Pawlenty can bring to McCain more electoral votes, and a more personal story to disaffected blue collar voters and Christian Conservatives, the fact that he has been a loyal McCain supporter throughout will just be icing on the cake.

Pawlenty's "Very Big Place"

Senator John McCain said the other day, "I believe that Governor Pawlenty is the next and new generation of leadership in Republican Party and America. . . "

We happen to agree. We even created a blog, this blog, to that effect to track the successes of our Great Governor, and his vision for the future of not just the GOP, but the State of Minnesota, and ultimately the future of the country.

And the more we read, the more we watch and monitor, the more clear it becomes just how instrumental Governor Pawlenty will be in in this future, and just how clearly he fits as the brand of the 21st Century Republican Party.

It is human nature to ask what this means for the "here and now" during the heat of a presidential race, and what it means for the "here and now" is clear:

Governor Pawlenty is the obvious and clear best choice to be the next Vice- President of the United States should Senator John McCain win this November.

Up From His Bootstraps

In a party long seen as controlled by affluent elites, Pawlenty's decidedly blue collar background puts an entirely different face on what it means to be a Republican.

McCain, left, on stage in Mankato, Minn., with Tim Pawlenty, center, during the latter's 2006 campaign for reelection. (AP File Photo)

Pawlenty grew up in the working class environs of South St. Paul. He was a teenager when he lost his mother. His father was a truck driver. He was the first member of his family to graduate from college. He still plays ice hockey whenever he can. He caught a 17" walleye on opening day of fishing season this spring. His most oft-quoted line by the national press is his vow to make the GOP the party of "Sam's Club not just the country club."

That "regular guy" profile appeals to a party that finds itself increasingly ceding the middle class vote to Democrats -- an untenable position if Republicans hope to retain the White House this year or take back control of the House and Senate anytime soon.

"To me, he epitomizes where the party needs to go in terms of its communication," said former White House political director Sara Taylor. "He is focused on how these Washington policies effect real people."

. . . . .

Bridging the Evangelical Gap

Play Video

VIDEO | PostTalk's Feb. interview with Minn. Gov. Tim Pawlenty. Watch Now.

It's no secret that evangelical Christian voters never really came around to McCain during the primary season. Any number of candidates made a pitch for their support, but it eventually coalesced behind former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee -- an evangelical in his own right. Even after it was abundantly clear that McCain would be the GOP nominee, evangelical voters stuck by Huckabee -- pushing him into the teens and even 20s in some states where he wasn't even running an active political operation.

The lack of intensity among one of the pillars of the Republican base should be concerning to all GOPers heading into the fall, especially given the huge amount of excitement Obama is generating among the Democratic base.

Pawlenty could well provide a solution to the gap between McCain and evangelical voters without alienating moderates and independents. (Huckabee would almost surely help McCain bridge the evangelical gap too but lacks the appeal to the ideological middle.) Vin Weber, a former Republican member of Congress from Minnesota and now a major player in Washington GOP politics, explains that while Pawlenty has close ties to the evangelical community in his state and nationally but is "not a guy who wears [religion] on his sleeve."

The connection to evangelicals is largely through Pawlenty's wife, Mary. She is a graduate of Bethel University in Minnesota, which describes itself as teaching a "distinctly evangelical Christian philosophy of education." Mary Pawlenty is also a longtime member of the Wooddale Church and is a close friend of the church's pastorLeith Anderson. (Make sure to check out this profile of Mary Pawlenty from Bethel's alumni magazine that was written in 2000.)

Anderson is a powerful force in the evangelical community, having served as the past and current president of the National Association of Evangelicals.

"If [Pawlenty] were chosen it would reverberate with the 30 million members of those churches almost instantaneously and very publicly," said Weber. (click here to read the article in its entirety)

And "The Fix" goes on to discuss his Boy Scout reputation, and the fact that he is decidedly "NOT WASHINGTON" at a time when virtually everyone, across the political spectrum is crying out for "not Washington."

But Governor Pawlenty's future as the face and leader of the Republican Party goes far beyond the here and now. Should Governor Pawlenty not be chosen as Senator McCain's running mate, his position as the new GOP wouldn't change at all.

As we've reported, Governor Pawlenty has set a record in Minnesota for his vetoes of pork barrel spending, and onerous tax hike schemes.

The GOP has, in many respect, lost its brand on the issue of spending leading up to, and during the exact time that Governor Pawlenty was balancing a record budget deficit in Minnesota without raising taxes, and while he was vetoing spending bills and tax increases to keep Minnesota and Minnesota's business climate competitive.

But he has maintained a strong, fiscally conservative, free-market record while still speaking through the prism of his deep blue collar roots. Lower taxes, less regulation, limited government and the like are necessarily, in my opinion, blue-collar, working class values. Yet the media tends to portray those values as the values of the rich (you know, the rich, like those "conservatives" George Soros, and the entirety of Hollywood.)

Governor Pawlenty's vision and the policies he has pushed have a populist appeal, but not the kind of faux-populism that comes from the pseudo-compassionate on the Left. He has lead with a real populism that comes with creating an environment where people from his neighborhood (and mine) really can succeed because of the liberties we enjoy.

And at the same time, Governor Pawlenty is able to lead as perhaps the "Perfect Evangelical" Republican Leader of our day.

In 2003, Pawlenty and Wooddale hosted about 1,600 evangelical leaders from around the country for a two-day convention of the National Association of Evangelicals. Pawlenty praised the work of President Bush and his faith-based initiatives, a program that funnels federal funds to religious charities. "If you're going to change destructive behavior, you've got to change hearts," said Pawlenty, according to the Star Tribune. "Governors can't do that. We hope you can do that in a God-honoring manner that meets the challenges of our day."

In 2004, the evangelical Twin Cities Festival drew around 80,000 people to the Minnesota Capitol grounds for a two-day faith event. Pawlenty offered a warm reception, and even held event-organizing meetings with Luis Palau, according to the Pioneer Press. Of the festival, Pawlenty said, "I'm proud to be associated with such an important faith event. Faith is an important glue that holds our state together." He added that he prayed "that God will bless this weekend and continue to bless this great state." Mary Pawlenty was a featured speaker at the festival.

Pawlenty has quietly but firmly put his evangelical beliefs to work in his political life as governor. In 2003, an inauguration ceremony was held at Wooddale just before his swearing in with Anderson saying a few words: "I believe the God of government has brought Tim Pawlenty to the governor's office in St. Paul for peace and good in the lives of all Minnesotans." He had a similar ceremony at Wooddale in January 2007 after winning reelection in 2006. (Click here to read article in its entirety)

So when Senator McCain tells audiences that Governor Pawlenty has a "very big place" in the future of the GOP and of the country (click here for audio) we know that the "very big place" he has is as one of, if not THE, key leaders, faces, and visionaries of our party for years to come.

Whether one is talking about faith, freedom, liberty, fiscal responsibility, blue-collar roots, loyalty, ethics or even raw electoral vote analysis, Governor Pawlenty, the package, is the best choice for Senator McCain leading into the remainder of this campaign cycle.

But without regard to his spot on this ticket, we are seeing more and more that there is agreement we have become the "Party of Pawlenty."

RIP Tim Russert

One of the few truly excellent journalists, "Meet the Press" host Tim Russert has passed away from an apparent heart attack.

He will be sorely missed.

Does VP T-Paw Put McCain Over the Top?

Minnesota, along with the Electoral Vote-rich MinneWisowa upper Midwest region, remain a key battle ground this presidential election cycle.

New polls just released indicate that Governor Pawlenty is best positioned, among the most often mentioned on the short list, to put McCain over the top in Minnesota. (Click here to read poll results)

And he is the ONLY potential VP tested who gets McCain outside of the margin of error in our state which has not gone Republican since 1972. This should raise eyebrows and get people excited throughout the McCain campaign structure. The election map this cycle is turning conventional wisdom on its head, and the prospect of McCain winning this region changes the dynamic even further.


There are a variety of reasons Pawlenty would make such a strong Vice-Presidential nominee aside from his ability to deliver this block of electoral votes. Many of these reasons shined through during the Governor's speech to the State Republican Convention last weekend in Rochester Minnesota.

Wearing his freshly risen national profile lightly, Gov. Tim Pawlenty strode onto the stage of the GOP state convention like the old friend you know who has suddenly become a superstar. In marked contrast to Friday's friction at the convention, Pawlenty offered weary delegates a message of hope and optimism on Saturday that carried echoes of a reverse-field Barack Obama.

"People need something future-leaning, forward, positive and hopeful," Pawlenty said. "That needs to be the tone and tenor of our party. ... People want to be part of something exciting, positive, meaningful."

The challenge, he said, will be in besting a party that can base its appeal on something for nothing.

"We have a higher burden because we're running against people giving away free stuff. You got a problem, we got a program. It's hard to compete against a competitor that gives away free stuff. You and I know it's not free." (Excerpted From Article)

Aside from being absolutely right on taxes, spending, communisms destructive nature, the size of government and a whole host of other reasons, Ronald Reagan was successful because people believed in him. He was an optimistic voice who articulated difficult issues in a positive, visionary tone. When Liberals offered "free stuff," Reagan reminded people that the "free stuff" is expensive, and more often than not makes the recipients of the "free stuff" un-free.

Governor Pawlenty has that quality, and his background and blue-collar roots give him a level of credibility on issues of the pocketbook and issues of the heart that the media tries to take away from most Conservatives.

We are in a place in history not all that unfamiliar. The Left in this country searches night and day to find a cloud in every silver lining. This is true whether we are discussing national security, the economy, or virtually any other important public policy issue of the day.

It is this eternal pessimism among the Left that allows Conservatives like Governor Pawlenty to break through the clutter and help ensure that the message of "free stuff" doesn't win the day.

So back to the polling.

Where people know Governor Pawlenty, they like him. Automatically.

It just so happens that one of the states in one of the regions that Senator McCain desperately needs to win, is a state in a region that already knows Governor Pawlenty.

And now the numbers show definitively that the electoral map shifts with Governor Pawlenty on the team.

Makes you wonder where else our Sam's Club Republican Governor might help McCain this November (Michigan? Ohio? Pennsylvania?). . .