[speedgibson] Speed Gibson: RE: The Party of Pawlenty (Part 4 of 4)

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Posted by Speed Gibson:
RE: The Party of Pawlenty (Part 4 of 4)
http://speedgibson.powerblogs.com/posts/1185665713.shtml


   This will be the last installment, after parts [1]one, [2]two, and
   [3]three here. As you can tell, I am not Pawlenty's biggest fan.
   Overall, he's been a good governor as in he's not a Democrat. But his
   inconsistencies are maddening, doubly so when people who should know
   better shrug them off. To suggest as the new [4]Party of Pawlenty site
   does that he is The Great Right Hope is short term thinking with
   serious long term consequences.
   I've discussed the inconsistencies, like the Twins stadium and smoking
   ban bills. His (new) position on light rail and seeming signature
   issue of renewable energy will also fail to stand much scrutiny.
   But let's consider the biggest inconsistency of all, assuming it is
   one, his utter collapse in the 2005 Legislative session, the year of
   the shutdown. One quick point, though. Former Senator Dean Johnson
   took total responsibility for that shutdown by adjourning the Senate
   hours early. Everyone else was doing their job, perhaps too well to
   suit Johnson.
   The 2004 elections had reduced the GOP counts in the House, almost
   losing control in fact. Pawlenty hinted more than once that he had
   "heard the message" and began talking up spending now that the tax
   forecasts were looking better. All that talk of restraint and
   discipline was gone, to the point where he openly criticized his
   friends who helped elect him and supported him in 2003. What I assess
   as panic soon had him raising taxes, and openly lying about it. It
   clearly violated the spirit of the tobacco settlement, even if the
   courts lacked the courage to say it didn't violate the letter. It was
   also a rather cruel tax, it terms of who pays and that it was
   retroactively assessed.
   Yes, Pawlenty panicked, his actions all tuned to satisfying the
   political needs of himself, not his party. Besides, it didn't work.
   Granted, Iraq, and some clever campaigning by the DFL were significant
   factors, but his own poor strategy didn't excite the base, either,
   leading to a primary challenge. Truth be told, it was a political
   fluke, the "E85" flap, that cost Mike Hatch a narrow win in 2006. How
   could "the best governor in America" as Bill Bennett recently
   described him, have lost?
   Pawlenty got lucky again this cycle, when the DFL foolishly put
   Senator Larry Pogemiller in charge of their agenda. Pogemiller
   overplayed his hand by doing the one thing you don't want to do to Tim
   Pawlenty: corner him. The DFL agenda was so extreme that they couldn't
   even peel off a few GOP votes to override Pawlenty's veto of the
   Transporation Bill.
   My view is that Tim Pawlenty will say and do what he thinks is best
   for Tim Pawlenty. He has flip-flopped (Twins stadium, light rail). He
   has lied (health impact "fee"), then criticized his fellow Republicans
   who called him on it. On energy, I can only assume he's making it up
   as he goes along. That's what's been happening all along, isn't it,
   starting with the 2002 GOP convention when he got the nomination away
   from Brian Sullivan, a real conservative.
   Again, I don't see the future in this. The GOP already has all the
   mavericks it needs and more than the base wants. Look at his national
   couterpart, U.S. Senator John McCain. His best days are behind him,
   his "straight talk" popularity with the press largely gone as are his
   remaining Presidential aspirations. For in being that maverick, he has
   slowly but surely annoyed the base, one issue at at time.
   Pawlenty is on the same course, and the Minnesota GOP will be the
   worse for it in the long run. The "E" (electability) factor is a
   powerful persueder but don't forget: if it weren't for Judi Dutcher's
   slip, he wouldn't be Governor now.

References

   1. http://speedgibson.powerblogs.com/posts/1185074256.shtml
   2. http://speedgibson.powerblogs.com/posts/1185115059.shtml
   3. http://speedgibson.powerblogs.com/posts/1185076037.shtml
   4. http://www.partyofpawlenty.blogspot.com/