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Mitt Romney, his family, staff and supporters donated a combined $66,000 to help Tim Pawlenty retire the debt left over from his presidential campaign. Romney, his wife, five sons and brother, as well as his associates from Bain Capital were among those cutting maximum checks to Pawlenty, according to a POLITICO analysis of campaign filings released Tuesday. Pawlenty, the former Minnesota governor, dropped out of the race last summer after a disappointing showing in the Ames straw poll, and quickly endorsed Romney. At the time, there was talk that Romney’s campaign would help Pawlenty’s retire its debt, then in the...

Mitt Romney, his family, staff and supporters donated a combined $66,000 to help Tim Pawlenty retire the debt left over from his presidential campaign. Romney, his wife, five sons and brother, as well as his associates from Bain Capital were among those cutting maximum checks to Pawlenty, according to a POLITICO analysis of campaign filings released Tuesday.

Mitt Romney, his family, staff and supporters donated a combined $66,000 to help Tim Pawlenty retire the debt left over from his presidential campaign. Romney, his wife, five sons and brother, as well as his associates from Bain Capital were among those cutting maximum checks to Pawlenty, according to a POLITICO analysis of campaign filings released Tuesday. Pawlenty, the former Minnesota governor, dropped out of the race last summer after a disappointing showing in the Ames straw poll, and quickly endorsed Romney. At the time, there was talk that Romney’s campaign would help Pawlenty’s retire its debt, then in the...

Many of you have seen the new bumper stickers from various conservative groups that goes something like this: OBAMA = One Big A$$ Mistake, America! That definition has now been added to UrbanDictionary.com, and with your help, it can be "thumbed-up" to the top-ranking position. Left-wingers succeeded in labeling Bush as a "failure." But we can turn the tables and get America to realize that Obama really is one big mistake! Click here to give this new definition the "thumbs-up." Thanks!

As the team on Gov. Pawlenty’s now concluded presidential campaign works to recoup a campaign debt of some half-million dollars, their fingers have begun pointing toward the campaign’s manager, Nick Ayers, as the person to blame for the decisions that put the campaign into debt — and, by many accounts, as simply an unpleasant human being to work with. “I would blame him 100 percent for racking up the debt,” said one senior staff member of the Pawlenty campaign. Ayers declined to weigh in on that statement, or any of the others made in this story. “I believe a campaign...

Big name support came Monday for the two men at the top of the GOP race. Rick Perry picks up the endorsement of Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal and Mitt Romney gets a new national co-chair in a former rival. "There are many reasons I'm endorsing Mitt Romney for president," said Tim Pawlenty in remarks delivered in South Carolina. Pawlenty left his mark on the 2012 race with the phrase Obamneycare but said Monday Romney is the candidate who can turn the economy around. Pawlenty ended his bid last month, out of money and in third place in the Iowa Straw...

Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R) endorsed former Massachussetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R) on Monday. Pawlenty, who dropped out of the presidential race after a disappointing showing in the influential Iowa Straw Poll, called Romney "the complete package" and said that Romney's economic experience was a deciding factor in winning his endorsement. "I believe he is going to be our party's nominee," Pawlenty said on Fox News's "Fox and Friends." "I think he's going to be a transformational and great president for this country," Pawlenty added. Pawlenty also said he would not consider being the Republican vice presidential nominee. In...

He may have dropped out of the running for the presidency, but Tim Pawlenty isn't sitting on the sidelines - the former presidential candidate has endorsed Mitt Romney for president... "There's one candidate in this race who's unmatched in his skills and experience and talent when it comes to turning around this economy and growing jobs, and that's Mitt Romney," Pawlenty said. "I believe he's going to be our party's nominee, and I think he's going to be a transformational and great president for this country." Romney's private sector experience, Pawlenty said, was a deciding factor in his endorsement, along...

Presidential hopeful Tim Pawlenty, also known as "T-Paw", has confessed to a dazzling love affair with the gay activist and pop artist Lady Gaga - with her music that is. In a video interview with the entertainment website Glittarazzi, he said: “Well you know, in terms of the beat, I like ‘Bad Romance. I gotta say, even though she’s a little unusual, ‘Born this Way’ has some appeal. She’s actually very talented. Now if you go to the end of the HBO special, the Lady Gaga HBO special, and you watch her sing a cappella “Born This Way,” she can...

Since Tim Pawlenty ended his bid for the presidency last Sunday, his former staffers and key fundraisers have held off from endorsing another candidate or moving to another campaign. There’s a reason. Team Pawlenty is waiting on New Jersey Governor Chris Christie to make a decision about entering the field as a presidential candidate, The Daily Caller learned Friday. Key staffers who formerly made up the Pawlenty campaign have been in discussions with Christie all week and the talks are still ongoing, sources told TheDC. They are reportedly very anxious to have Christie officially place his hat in the ring....

Since Tim Pawlenty ended his bid for the presidency last Sunday, his former staffers and key fundraisers have held off from endorsing another candidate or moving to another campaign. There’s a reason. Team Pawlenty is waiting on New Jersey Governor Chris Christie to make a decision about entering the field as a presidential candidate, The Daily Caller learned Friday. Key staffers who formerly made up the Pawlenty campaign have been in discussions with Christie all week and the talks are still ongoing, sources told TheDC. They are reportedly very anxious to have Christie officially place his hat in the ring....

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty on Wednesday definitively ruled out a 2012 campaign for the U.S. Senate after ending his Republican bid for the White House a few days ago. Some Republicans, including state GOP chairman Tony Sutton, were hoping Pawlenty would get right back into the ring and take on freshman Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar next year. "I don't know what I will be doing next," Pawlenty said in an email to The Associated Press. "However, I will not be running against Amy in 2012."

Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who dropped out of the race for the GOP presidential nomination this week, will not take on Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) in 2012. Pawlenty told the Associated Press on Wednesday that he did not know what his future plans would be, but he would “not be running against Amy in 2012.” Pawlenty told ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday that he was ending his presidential campaign after placing third in the Ames straw poll in Iowa the day before. “I wish it would have been different. But, obviously, the pathway forward for me doesn’t really exist....

Bachmann wins, Pawlenty is out. What do learn from the Iowa straw poll? Whatever political moderation existed in the Republican Party, it rapidly disappearing as the GOP is being remade in the image of Palin and Bachmann. Bachmann The headline clearly is that Bachmann received nearly 29% of the vote. No surprise there. Bachmann has narrative that clearly appeals to a demographic of social conservatives and Tea Party members. For months I argued that mobilizing this vocal and active segment of the part would make Bachmann a major force in Iowa. With a divided field she had captured a large...

Tim Pawlenty is exiting the race for the White House the same way he came in — on a tidal wave of conventional wisdom. He was too even-tempered, they say, to catch on with a white-hot electorate. He was too level-headed, they say, to connect with a grassroots that’s gone to extremes. He was a nice guy — “boring,” in the parlance of our times — so he finished last. Breaking news: The conventional wisdom is wrong. Pawlenty’s personality problem wasn’t a charisma deficit — it was a wimpiness surplus. But the wimp factor is meaningless relative to the flaw...

Somewhere between 6 p.m. Saturday and his morning announcement of the end of his presidential campaign, former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty must have had a very sobering conversation. Pawlenty had been trying to find a silver lining in his third-place finish, far behind Michele Bachmann and Ron Paul, in Saturday's Iowa straw poll. His first comment — a very brief congratulatory tweet: "Congrats to Rep. Bachmann on win. Our campaign needed to show progress and we did. I'm eager for the campaign ahead." That was followed by an e-mail message to his supporters. "As I said all along we needed...

Story to Follow Breaking News Alert Only from Fox at 850h on TeeVee...

Bachman bests Paul. Pawlenty third. Romney fourth. Works for me!

With Michele Bachmann and Ron Paul leading the Ames Straw Poll and Tim Pawlenty, Rick Santorum and Herman Cain next -- ahead of Rick Perry and Mitt Romney -- only the local buttermilk cows should be holding their heads high. Sometimes Iowa picks 'em -- and some times not. Today NOT. In the GOP-sort out straw poll held in Ames, Iowa, Tea Party diva Michele Bachmann bested libertarian favorite Ron Paul as the winner. But more importantly, no one in the top 5 had any real chance of leading a 2012 GOP ticket. Iowa is making itself irrelevant in the...

So much for "Minnesota Nice".

AMES, Iowa (AP) - Fellow Minnesotans Tim Pawlenty and Michele Bachmann directly challenged each other at the GOP debate in Iowa, with Pawlenty calling her a failure and Bachmann likening her Republican competitor to President Barack Obama. The two sparred face-to-face during Thursday's debate, just two days before the crucial early test vote in Ames. The exchange began with a question whether the two have pushed the limit of civility, known as "Minnesota nice."

Broadcast on: FOXNews Broadcast time: 9pm EDT/6pm PDT The Candidates: Michele Bachmann Bachmann is serving her 3rd full term in the U.S. House. Founder of the House Tea Party Caucus, she earned a Master of Laws degree, worked as a tax attorney, and was a foster mother for 23 teenagers. She is a member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. Herman Cain Cain is the former chief executive of Godfather's Pizza and former chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City. He lost the Georgia Republican primary for a U.S. Senate seat in 2004. He was recently...

… Participants: Mitt Romney, Michele Bachmann, Tim Pawlenty, Ron Paul, Herman Cain, Jon Huntsman, Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich Date/Time: Thursday, August 11th – 9pm EST / 8pm CST on the Fox News Channel ...

MIAMI, Aug. 4 (UPI) -- GOP presidential hopeful and ex-Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty said he would tell young workers they'd have to work to an older age to collect Social Security. People born after 1959 now have to wait till age 67 to collect full benefits. "If you're on the program now or anywhere near eligibility, you shouldn't have your benefits impacted," Pawlenty told The Miami Herald during a campaign stop. "But if you're in the next generation, we're telling you now, with several decades of warning, we're going to gradually raise the retirement age over time. If you're lower...

How much does the business community want New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie to be the next president of the United States? So much so that a major financier has vowed to raise more than $200 million to help him win the Republican nomination and then unseat President Obama in the 2012 elections, the FOX Business Network has learned. Financier Kenneth Langone has been telling people that he had commitments from as many as 15 people to raise as much as $15 million each for a 'Christie for President' effort, the FOX Business Network has learned. Christie’s answer? Depending on who...

In my ridiculously early handicapping of the 2012 Electoral College, among my caveats was “Presuming that the Republicans nominate a plausible candidate (Romney, Perry, Huntsman, or Pawlenty would all qualify).” Let’s revisit that in light of some other pieces going around. Public Policy Polling’s Tom Jensen uses state-by-state surveys to proclaim “if the Republicans nominate Mitt Romney it’s a toss up. And if they nominate anyone else it’s 2008 all over again.” Obama’s holding his ground against everyone but Romney in Nevada because voters there find the whole GOP field even more unpalatable than him. Romney comes close to breaking...

With potential to unite tea partiers and mainstream Republicans, party insiders say the Texas governor is a leading 2012 contender. Republican political operatives continue to see former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney as the frontrunner for their party's 2012 presidential nomination, but Texas Gov. Rick Perry has become his primary challenger according the this week's National Journal Political Insiders Poll. At the same time, some of the biggest names in the GOP have now become afterthoughts to lead the party in 2012: former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who remains a popular figure among conservative Republicans, has tumbled to eighth spot in...

... Why these people? Their appearance here is based on the interest they have shown in potentially running for President, and in the interest that the news media has in them, plus their standing in preference polling. We will be adding other people to – and removing people from – the grid as these levels of interest shift. Why these categories? The 12 categories on this grid deal with the vast majority of problems with current immigration policies that grant more than 1 million permanent work visas to immigrants each YEAR, and which allow an estimated 7 million jobs in...

Link only due to copyright issues: http://caucuses.desmoinesregister.com/2011/07/27/pawlenty-says-wealthy-must-pay-more-into-social-security/?odyssey=obinsite

It's funny how liberals claim they're feminists, yet when a powerful, conservative female comes along they jump at the opportunity to smear her as incompetent. The most recent attack is on Michele Bachmann, whom liberals have declared a sickly woman incapable of being president because she gets migraines. Several news outlets questioned her ability to be president because of the headaches, like the Los Angeles Times column titled "Bachmann's migraines matter." Similarly, The New York Times ran a column last week warning us to pay attention to the way Bachmann deals with her migraines, because it would "speak volumes about...

Tim Pawlenty thought he’d go after Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.), thereby showing he really isn’t a wimp. The objective was to dent Bachmann’s image; instead Pawlenty has been mowed down by some of the most effective-counterpunching we have seen in recent memory. Pawlenty went on CNN’s “State of the Union” to repeat his dig on Bachmann’s experience. Bachmann’s campaign leveled the boom on the former Minnesota governor in a written statement: These are serious times that require serious solutions — not more of the same. Being right on the issues is critical — it is what the American people demand....

Tim Pawlenty’s campaign manager yesterday sent out an e-mail outlining Pawlenty’s accomplishments and assuring supporters that the former Minnesota governor’s fan club will continue to grow, while enthusiasm for other candidates — most implicitly, Michele Bachmann — will fade.“In 2008, voters elected a member of Congress with no executive experience. We can’t afford the cost of inexperience any longer, and Iowans are getting that,� Ayers wrote. “[A]s more Republican primary voters start to tune in to the race, they are finding out that the governor’s record and message will stand the test [of] a brutal campaign. Other candidates’ records (or...

Former Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty continued his focus on reports that Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann suffers from serious migraines, saying Friday that his campaign is not “pushing” the story. “I checked with our staff,” Mr. Pawlenty said Friday. “They said they did not push the Bachmann story. In fact they reminded me that the sources for the story were her, apparently, her former staff.” Mr. Pawlenty’s comment comes just days after The Daily Caller reported the story, citing sources close to Ms. Bachmann. “All of the candidates I think are going to have to be able to demonstrate they can...

Tim Pawlenty manager Nick Ayers sent a blast email today to supporters making the case why Iowans will rally to the former Minnesota governor and Michele Bachmann will fade. After reiterating Pawlenty's accomplishments in St. Paul, Ayers wrote: "This doesn't make great fodder for cable news but as more Republican primary voters start to tune in to the race, they are finding out that the Governor’s record and message will stand the test a brutal campaign. Other candidates’ records (or lack thereof), and plans for the future (or lack thereof) won't." The manager also claimed they "had a record week...

GOP presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty says President Barack Obama is showing no courage in the debt showdown. "If you're the leader of the free world, would you please come to microphone and quit hiding in the basement about your proposals, and come on up and address the American people?

Mitt Romney remains the frontrunner in two new polls, but Rick Perry is a close second in both polls. Results from the Fox News poll of GOP primary voters: Romney (17 percent), Perry (14 percent), Michele Bachmann (10 percent), Rudy Giuliani (9 percent), Sarah Palin (9 percent), Ron Paul (9 percent), Herman Cain (5 percent), Newt Gingrich (4 percent), Tim Pawlenty (2 percent), and Rick Santorum (2 percent). Romney has lost six percentage points since an early June Fox poll, while Bachmann has gained six points. Perry did not appear on the early June poll. If options are limited to...

Former Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s new “Miracle on Ice” ad is reportedly being hit with a cease and desist letter for using footage from the 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey team. The Des Moines Register is reporting that ABC Sports is preparing a cease and desist letter for improperly using the hockey footage in its political ad. "It's a violation of our copyright and exclusive proprietary rights," said Louise Argianas, director of rights and clearances for ABC Sports, told the Iowa paper. She said ABC Sports retains exclusive rights in the U.S. for the footage. Pawlenty spokesman Alex Conant responded that the...

Dodge City, Iowa (CNN) – On Thursday, Republican presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty put a fresh twist on his recent tactic of calling out his GOP opponents — in this case lumping Mitt Romney and Michele Bachmann together in a single slam. [......] “We got one leading candidate in this race who’s running away from his record. We got another leading candidate in this race who has no record. I’m running on my record. That’s a big difference,” Pawlenty said. He continued: “Well I think when you want to think about making somebody president you want to know some things. You...

Link only due to copyright issues: http://caucuses.desmoinesregister.com/2011/07/21/scheffler-include-palin-perry-in-straw-poll/

Pawlenty Lowers Expectations, So He Can Beat Them By MICHAEL D. SHEAR July 21, 2011, 7:19 am There was a time not too long ago when Tim Pawlenty was actively positioning himself as the No. 2 heavyweight in the Republican presidential race of 2012 and the obvious alternative to the front-runner, Mitt Romney. Not so much anymore. Now, with national polls showing him stalled at the bottom of the pack, Mr. Pawlenty and his staff are busy trying to lower expectations for the former Minnesota governor. The new Tim Pawlenty has his sights set on placing “sixth or seventh” in...

Can Tim Pawlenty never answer a frickin' question in an interview without giving a 30 second stump speech that we've all heard a hundred times? Just Damn!!! Every question he's asked he has to say: "Well, I'm the only candidate in this race who has______________. When I was Governor of Minnesota I __________________ . I was so hoping that Greta would say: "O.K. Governor, enough for the stump speeches." But, she didn't. I will not watch another interview with the little twerp. He's making an a** out of himself. For him to be so tough, he peed his pants when...

Tim Pawlenty ended June with $1.4 million to spend on his bid for the Republican presidential nomination as his campaign dumps money into Iowa ahead of a crucial August straw poll. The former Minnesota governor raised $4.5 million during his first three months as a presidential candidate, according to a Pawlenty aide. He closed the quarter with $2 million in cash and negligible debt, but $600,000 of the remaining total was raised for the general election and can only be spent if he wins the nomination. The campaign needs to stretch its remaining money to pay for staff, advertising and...

Pawlenty once praised Bachmann's “leadership” and "guts" By Christian Heinze - 07/14/11 06:00 AM ET Despite his recent remarks that Rep. Michele Bachmann’s (R-Minn.) record in Congress is “non-existent," Tim Pawlenty praised her “leadership,” “guts,” and “persistence” at a fundraising dinner last year. He gushed over his Republican rival for the presidential nomination in March 2010 at a fundraising dinner for the Susan B. Anthony List, a group that opposes abortions rights. “I can give a personal testimony only to what you already know and what you are witnessing on television and the halls of Congress and in advocacy all...

Yesterday, my blog partner Tina Korbe scolded Tim Pawlenty for making an argument that Michele Bachmann didn’t have executive experience or a record of Congressional accomplishment in her three terms in Washington as a comparison to his own experience as a governor in Minnesota. Even though Tina says that Bachmann’s record in Congress is “admittedly a little thin,” she writes that Pawlenty looked thin-skinned for pointing it out. My friend John Hinderaker wrote last night at Power Line that while he thinks that Pawlenty would make a better President than Bachmann, but that he “crossed a line” by pointing out...

A COUPLE weeks back, I argued that Michele Bachmann's lack of relevant experience makes it unlikely she'll win the Republican nomination. This elicited several thoughtful responses worth addressing, especially in light of Tim Pawlenty's recent digs at Ms Bachmann's lack of qualifications. Jonathan Chait suspects that "the Bachmann skeptics think she'll implode largely because she reminds them of Palin, when in fact she has a professional staff and is far more in control than Palin". Ms Bachmann does not in fact remind me much of Sarah Palin. I agree that her cannon is not as loose as Ms Palin's, and...

Last week Tim Pawlenty was reluctant to criticize Representative Michele Bachmann, a fellow Minnesotan and one of his chief rivals for the Republican presidential nomination, saying in an interview only that “everybody brings different strengths to the table.” But now, that reluctance appears to be waning. In an interview Sunday on “Meet the Press” on NBC, and again on Fox News on Monday morning, Mr. Pawlenty, a former Minnesota governor, derided Mrs. Bachmann’s record as a member of Congress and her lack of executive experience. “I like Congresswoman Bachmann,” Mr. Pawlenty said on NBC. “I’ve campaigned for her. I respect...

Michele Bachmann has now shot out-front in Iowa, according to the latest polling... and the numbers are telling indeed- Bachmann 25% - Romney 21% - Pawlenty 9% - Cain 9%: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Although Bachmann’s lead is narrow and within the poll’s margin of error, the best news for Bachmann is her “favorable” number is ten points higher than Romney’s.  Interestingly, her “unfavorable” number is 14 percentage points lower than Romney’s, giving her an incredible 65-favorability margin. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- She's clearly surprising a lot of people... and against the expectations of most, rising in New Hampshire now. too. The MSM press has of course taken notice,...

On Meet the Press this morning, former Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty took a swipe at fellow presidential candidate Rep. Michele Bachmann (R., Minn.). “I like Congresswoman Bachmann. I’ve campaigned for her. I respect her. But her record of accomplishment in Congress is non-existent,” he said. “We’re not looking for folks who just have a speech capability.” Bachmann is a major threat to Pawlenty in Iowa, where a Des Moines Register poll puts his support at only 6 percent — and Bachmann’s at 22 percent.

Tim Pawlenty and his top staff are increasingly downplaying the importance of Iowa in interviews, a strange turn given its central importance to his campaign so far. Pawlenty told reporters that "this week is the first time that I've campaigned in earnest in Iowa," according to the Des Moines Register despite the fact that he's been pouring huge amounts of time and resources into the state for months. Earlier this week, top aide Vin Weber lowered expectations for the campaign by labeling Pawlenty's rival Minnesotan Michele Bachmann the frontrunner, who has been surging in the polls. "It's going to be...

It’s a fair cop. Her four and a half years in Congress are notably thin on bills passed and committees chaired and thicker than expected on earmarks. There are ways to spin that — “I went to Washington to stop runaway government, not enable it,� etc — but if/when Palin and Perry get into the race, this’ll be their chief line of attack on her too. They’ve governed states. What has Bachmann done except cast marginal dissenting votes and wave the Gadsden flag?Now, show of hands. How many people expected three months ago that Michele Bachmann, not Mitt Romney, would...