2012 Part 3

Tim Pawlenty
Tim Pawlenty has been getting national attention since John McCain considered him for the VP slot in 2008. Pawlenty is finishing his second term as governor of Minnesota. He has announced that he will not seek a third term. This seems to be an obvious sign that he plans to pursue the presidency in 2012. For a governor late in their second term, Pawlenty's approval rating is pretty good. This experience at the executive level is sure to be one of his key assets in the upcoming campaign. Pawlenty was also elected at a time when his state was facing large budget shortfalls. He was able to balance the budget. This type of fiscal responsibility is likely to help him in a time of record deficits and ever expanding debt.

Pawlenty ran in 2002 on a George H.W. style campaign of "no new taxes." While he was able to balance the budget his first year, taxes were increased in several areas over the last few years. Pawlenty also comes off as a bit cheesy and hackish in his stump speeches. One example of this is when he said the public should act like Elin Woods and "smash the windows out of big government." Pawlenty is also avidly seeking the acceptance/endorsement of the tea-party. It is dangerous to do this since the tea party has no real ideological focus. Their actions are often unpredictable. Pawlenty seems as if he lacks some sort of intangible quality needed to ascend to the presidency. If the tea party movement continues to gain speed, he could be selected as a VP in order to sure up their support.