Pawlenty On Palin: "Another Question Mark" For GOP

While not questioning the motives behind Sarah Palin's resignation, Gov. Tim Pawlenty, (R-Minn.), argued on Monday that the Alaska governor's decision to step down abruptly from her post was further evidence that the GOP needs a drastic makeover.

The Minnesota Republican even offered a sport analogy to counter Palin's bizarre metaphor that she was merely a political point guard, passing the ball of progress to the state's lieutenant governor in light of a full-court press by the media.

"I think Gov. Palin is going to continue to be a strong voice and a leader for the Republican Party," Pawlenty told Fox News. "She is very popular, not only in her home state, but in the party across the country. But it is another question mark for a party that is clearly in a rebuilding year. If we were a sports team, if I was the manager or the coach sitting here, we would say we got to get some new draft picks, we are going to have to make some trades, do some things differently, because we are clearly in a rebuilding process."

Coming from Pawlenty, the remarks, however tempered, are noteworthy. Like Palin, he is rumored to have his eye on the 2012 Republican presidential nomination. Pawlenty, however, has pledged to serve out the remainder of his term before stepping away from office -- a year-and-a-half of service that could become a point of differentiation between the two in a possible primary.

The Minnesota Republican could have taken sharper swipes at his potential opponent. Gov. Ed Rendell, D-Penn., accused Palin of abandoning her state. Pawlenty himself let loose on Gov. Mark Sanford, (R-S.C.), for his marital infidelities, calling the South Carolinian "troubling and hypocritical."

But to whack Palin from within the Republican Party is to risk offending her huge base of devotees. Instead, Pawlenty insisted that the public had to "take her at face value in terms of what she said," and respect her record, however brief.

"I think she has been a remarkable leader for Alaska," said Pawlenty. "I have a lot of respect for Gov. Palin. I think she has done a remarkable job for Alaska as governor. But I think that she feels she has done all the she can there and so it is time for her to turn the page in her particular circumstance. And so, we wish her well.

"I haven't spoken to her recently," he went on. "But I did watch her statement and her comments carefully. And I think we just take them at face value. She said these things, these distractions, are getting in the way of her ability to govern and make a difference in Alaska. And so she felt it was better to step aside. And we have to respect her decision in that regard."

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Comments

[policyhack]

Remember Joe the Plumber? On CNN’s State of the Union, Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty, perhaps preparing for a 2012 presidential bid, invoked John the Farmer as he recited familiar Republican criticisms of a public health care option.

http://axisofreason.com/2009/06/29/pawlenty-injects-“john-the-farmer”-into-health-care-debate/

[expired]

Shut up, Tim.

[DemsDeBreaks]

I'm a Minnesotan, and Tim Pawlenty does his job as well or better than most governors. He doesn't have that "ShamWOW" factor of Arnold, Obama, or Palin, but compared to the latter, no one has ever questioned his ethics, intelligence, or integrity. He's another plain Vanilla Republican in a Baskin Robbins' 52 Flavors world. Minnesotans will vote for him. I'm not sure how many other states will.

As for Palin, I'd say her chances are slim and none, but Michelle Bachmann was re-elected in my District, the same district that elected Al Franken and Jesse Ventura. Weird things happen at the polls. Don't underestimate the voters who don't pay attention to anything more than slick campaign commercials.

[JohnnieBravo]

If he's the new leader of the Repub Party and nominee in 2012, then he will be an old Repub in the likes of Bob Dole. He is hardly a dynamic leader. He got reelected only because of an untimely commnet from Dem nominee in 2006. It changed the polls by 3 %.

He has been an ineffective Gov for us in MN and teh voters overwhelmingly gave the House and Senate democratic veto proof majority.

[MikeLicht]

For Sarah Palin so loves Alaska that she's sacrificing her valuable TITLE.


See:


http://notionscapital.wordpress.com/2009/07/07/sarahs-sacrifice/

[abloke]

Plenty proved his inability to govern in Minnesota. He has been the worst governor the state has had. Now he he wants to be the new "draft pick" for the presidency. Daft pick is more descriptive. It saddens me to see the resulting decline in quality of life that this sycophant for the rich has done to the state of Minnesota. This republican who can't even negotiate with the state legislature now has aspirations to be the president of the United States. Just another unqualified republican hack.
Speaking of hacks, thanks for the laughs Sarah. Now say good night.
I don't agree with with all the things coming out of the Obama administration but when one considers the the consequences of a McCain/Palin administration it should make any sane person shudder.

[justobserve]

Palin doesn't want to be a lameduck for the rest of her term meaning anyone who won the governorship for the second time should resign right after they had won to avoid being a lame duck! Just a line in their CV that they had won a second term would be suffice. Palin had collect ed titled postions then quit to have superficialy good CV since she started her college education (5 colleges to get one degree). In fact, McCain chose her to be his VP because he just looked at her CV with all the right title without looking deeper into what were underneath. Fortunately the media digged deeper and exposed her. Now Alaskans know what really her promised "transparency" lis ike and left her in drove after Troopergate, perdiemgat­e,:travelg­ate,... were exposed. Her favorable rating, which McCain's team boasted during campaign, has halved. No wonder she quit! Why bother with unethical complaints when she can earn much more money with her speeches like the one featured in SNL by Tina?

[mychagal]

Is Pawlenty talking about the Sarah Palin we know? Her record is abysmal. This person who cannot speak, articulate, pontificate, debate or anything of that kind, is being touted as someone who will make lots of money at speaking engagements. What a joke!

[jjgg5]

How can anyone take Pawlenty seriously? He doesn't even support the election process in this country.

[harmonikasavingsbonds]

Pawlenty; keep setting yourself up for your own eventual downfall.

[PepperzMom]

Well, the GOP is playing whack a mole now, with the mole whatever GOP'er is in the hot seat.

[JumpDownTurnAround]

Whack-a-mole!!! LMAO!

[BUTCHER111]

But if she’s the nominee he’ll blindly support her.

[lynettema]

"Pawlenty insisted that the public had to "take her at face value in terms of what she said,"'

Easier said than done. If you could understand her ramblings, it might be easier to take what she said at face value. The woman talks in circles and when she isn't talking in circles, she's talking in riddles.

[mudkitten]

OK. Now tell me what she said. 'Cause all I understood is that the dead fish playing basketball was quitting.

[RogerHWerner]

If Pawlenty simply believes the GOP is in a 'rebuilding year' that he isn't anywhere near as smart as people claim he is. The Republican Party is out of ideas. As far as I can tell their sole agenda since November has been to oppose the Democrats. They have no national leaders and I Pawlenty is positioning himself to be one then he needs to distance himself from the party's base because if he embraces their ideas he won;t win a national election.

[myhomeo]

They have ideas. Taxcuts and torture.

[mudkitten]

And "NO." That counts as an idea, too.

[ignoranceequalsfear]

TP: "She said these things, these distractions, are getting in the way of her ability to govern and make a difference in Alaska. And so she felt it was better to step aside. And we have to respect her decision in that regard."

No we don't. Not at all.

TP is clueless and just got his mullet cut off in the last year as he was hoping for the VP nomination. He must really ha.te the train reck of a person that SP is!

Palin said she was like a "momma bear", protective of not just her children but of the people of AK.
Seems like momma bear left her people to go eat out of the garbage bins at the campground (i.e her monetary windfall from the book(s) and soon to be announced radio show and/or fox news job".