In FD, Pawlenty says the way to ‘goof’ is to ‘nominate wrong candidate’
July 22, 2011
, Messenger News
In 2008, a win in the Iowa caucuses helped propel Barack Obama to the U.S. presidency.
Thus, thanks in large part to Iowa, America is saddled with a "fancy-talking entertainer," rather than a competent leader, at the helm, said GOP presidential hopeful Tim Pawlenty.
But 2012 could pave the road to redemption if Iowa Republicans back the right candidate, Pawlenty said.
Pawlenty touted his own competent leadership credentials Thursday at the Fort Dodge Public Library, where he spoke to a crowd of about 50.
According to Pawlenty, the 2012 election is the GOP's to lose, given Obama's increasing unpopularity.
"The main way we're going to goof this up is to nominate the wrong candidate," he said.
If Iowa's first-in-the-nation caucus slingshots an unelectable Republican candidate to the forefront, the end result could be four more years of Obama, Pawlenty said.
"You don't just want to be first," he said. "You want to be right."
And electability, thy name is Pawlenty, according to the former Minnesota governor.
"We need a candidate who will authentically and genuinely unite the party and the conservative movement," Pawlenty said.
Pawlenty took a swipe at two "leading candidates" in Iowa - though he declined to name names.
"One leading candidate is running away from his record," Pawlenty said. "One leading candidate has no record."
Several polls have shown former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann, Pawlenty's fellow Minnesotan, leading the pack in Iowa. Pawlenty has previously commented on Bachmann's thin administrative resume.
Repeating the mantra of "results, not rhetoric," Pawlenty highlighted his accomplishments as Minnesota's governor from 2002 to 2010.
"I was elected and re-elected in one of the most challenging environments for a conservative in the country," said Pawlenty, referring to Minnesota's status as a liberal "blue state."
As governor, Pawlenty said he oversaw spending reductions that led to budget surpluses and appointed "strict constructionists" to the Minnesota Supreme Court.
As president, Pawlenty would work to affect similar change on the national level, he said.
The Pawlenty Administration would set a 5 percent growth goal for the U.S. economy.
To aid this accomplishment, Pawlenty said he would work to reform the "moronic" nature of the federal tax system, which is needlessly complex and takes too much money out of the pockets of Americans.
A constitutional amendment requiring a balanced budget should be ratified, Pawlenty said.
He also spoke in favor of term limits for elected officials.
But first and foremost, President Pawlenty would repeal so-called "Obamacare" in its entirety, he said, drawing applause from the crowd.
"We need to get spending under control," he said.
This, said Pawlenty, will require difficult and unpopular actions, including the phasing out of most federal subsidies, including those for ethanol.
Other means, including a gradual increase in the age of eligibility for Social Security, will also likely be necessary, he said.
"We've had enough of politicians who just flap their jaws," Pawlenty said. "We need a leader who will face hard truths and identify real challenges."
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