Serious question: Has Tim Pawlenty ever done anything hard in his life?
Jump with me for complete analysis....
Pawlenty says:
If prosperity was easy, everybody around the world would be prosperous.
If freedom were easy, everybody around the world would be free.
If security were easy, everybody around the world would be secure.
They are not.
None of this is gonna be easy.
But this is the United States of America.
It takes extraordinary effort. It takes extraordinary commitment. It takes extraordinary strength.
Valley Forge wasn't easy. Going to the moon wasn't easy. Settling the West wasn't easy.
We are the American people. And we have seen difficulties before. And we always overcome it.
This is about rolling up our sleeves. Me and you are gonna have some differences. But as Americans, putting our heads down and getting it done.
(Oh, and by the way, I have a book! And I'm former governor of Minnesota! And I have a PAC!)
Now, in the interest of full disclosure: I'm originally from Minnesota. I'll have you know that I was actually the state spelling bee champion in 1988. I'm proud of my Minnesota roots.
But other than scraping his windshield, has Tim Pawlenty done anything hard? Other than getting elected, what has Pawlenty accomplished?
Maybe I'm just cynical. But I have a pretty hard time tolerating Pawlenty's version of American exceptionalism, especially since he has done so little to help pull the economy out of the ditch created by Bushonomics and Reaganomics. As far as I can tell, Pawlenty has been hanging out with the other Slurpee-drinkers while America recovers from the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.
Pawlenty is supposed to be a serious presidential candidate - one of the few Republicans who has actually announced his candidacy. But as TPM notes, this movie trailer bears an awful lot of resemblance to the movie trailer from Armageddon.
Gawker's review:
It's shot in ultra-widescreen and feels like one of those summer blockbusters where movie stars fight aliens. It's hilarious.
The Minneapolis City Paper has this take on its erstwhile hometown hero:
The clips are coming faster and more furiously: Pawlenty striding purposefully through a West-Wing like hallway; Pawlenty on TV giving a speech; reporters and schoolkids paying rapt attention to what Pawlenty has to say. Old glory! Fighter planes! A bunch of wholesome and optimistic-looking white people!
As the video builds to a deafening orgasm of momentousness, Pawlenty says, "This is about rolling up our sleeves. Me and you are gonna have some differences, but as Americans putting our head down and getting it done."
If Pawlenty can run the rest of his campaign in full Dolby Surround Sound, he's got a solid shot at breaking into double-digits by election day.
In related news, Pawlenty notably said that states should be allowed to declare bankruptcy in order to deal with their fiscal crises. MoJo notes that Pawlenty's idea of tough leadership is being willing to shut down the federal government (during a time of 9.5% unemployment) in order to make a point about the debt ceiling.
In fairness to Pawlenty, I have to say that he seems to be a decent, Christian man with a deep love for our country. He's got a compelling personal narrative - his dad was a truck driver, and his mom died when he was in high school. He worked to hold the line on spending and avoid tax hikes during his time as governor. But it seems as if most of the decisions he's made while in office have been hard for others, not for him. Cutting spending is a lot less painful when you are the one holding the blade and others are losing their jobs, pensions, and health benefits. Raising tuition by double-digits might be a way to avoid raising taxes, but it's not a good way to help future generations or prepare tomorrow's workforce for a competitive 21st-century economy.
If Pawlenty has the guts to hold the line on military and defense spending, I might be interested in what he has to say. But until then, it's just more of the same.
Polenta 2012!!!!