Forget Sarah Palin: Tim Pawlenty is the GOP's secret weapon in 2012

DAILY BEAST ^ | 21 NOVEMBER 2009 | DAILY BEAST

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

As the Republican Governors Association gathers in Austin this week, there is a real sense among conservatives that the Obama Bubble is about to burst. And all eyes are on the assembled governors to see who might do the bursting in 2012. Ever since his 2002 election, I've kept close tabs on Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota. As governor, Pawlenty coined the phrase “Sam’s Club Republican,” which Ross Douthat and I later used to refer to a strain of Republicanism that aims to meet the needs of working and middle class voters. In an interview with the Ripon Society, a storied think tank for GOP moderates, Pawlenty described the essence of Sam's Club Republicanism. "People who are going to Sam’s Club don’t have more money," said Pawlenty, and so "they have to live on a budget, and they still have to meet needs."

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

ROFL

[Always Right]

Tim Pawlenty is a Sarah Palin wannabe.

[Virginia Ridgerunner]

This is a joke, right?

[cripplecreek]

Seems to me that it should be up to the voters. I realize the GOP is too busy trying to manipulate us but still....

[dirtboy]

The main difference between Pawlenty and Romeny is that Pawlenty does a better job at pretending to be a conservative.

[paul51]

Nobody from Minn will when the GOP nomination.

[Carl LaFong]

Pawlenty-palooza! It’s sweeping the nation!!

[machogirl]

I love how the dims love to tell us who should be our nominee.
Hint to writer: the obama “bubble” is blowing up big time.

[pollywog]

LOLOL!!! You are SO right! There isn’t a candidate around that can even come close!

[Sarah Barracuda]

LOL thanks for the laugh. After what is going on today in the Senate I needed a good chuckle

[McGruff]

Who wrote this? Meghan McCain.

[dirtboy]

OMG...

One wonders if Pawlenty is repeating the mistake Mitt Romney made in 2008 by trading in his hard-won reputation as a pragmatic problem-solver in exchange for tissue-thin conservative credibility.

Romneycare is problem-solving? More like problem-magnifying.

[Sybeck1]

Does he keep his own state from going for the dems? I guess we know the answer to that don’t we.

[Waryone]

RINOs running loose everywhere! If it’s not Pawlenty, it’s Romney or Huckabee. They think we don’t know who they are.

[Carl LaFong]

Man, am I disappointed. I thought the link was for “The Daily Breast”.

[bcsco]

Now that’s Pawlenty funny to me...

[mulligan]

But is just another zero RINO.

[bcsco]

Man, am I disappointed. I thought the link was for “The Daily Breast”.

No, that's at Democratic Underwear.com. (I think I got that right...).

[FrankR]

Well, bring him on, and let the people decide.

Pawlenty probably fits the good ol' boy image for the old school GOP, sparing their egos.

They want quit this charade until they've muddied the waters enough where NO conservative will win because of diluted loyalties.

They do this everytime, pumping up one wannabe after another, just so he has enough support to piss off his people when he doesn't get the nomination, and they stay home and don't vote at all.

Conservatives, if you stay home in 2010, you will be voting for obama/democrat...and if what we've endured in just eleven months isn't enough to make you get out the vote, then you deserve all you get of obama.

[IMissPresidentReagan]

The contempt Pawlenty had for conservatives on election night last year showed his true colors. I’ll stick with Sarah, thanks but no thanks Daily Beast.. :)