Profile: Tim Pawlenty in 2012

Contender: Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty


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Why he's important: Balanced a budget deficit of $4.3 billion dollars without raising taxes.

Regularly prods a party that's become increasingly strident with calls to un-strident itself. That's a tough message to either party, and either set of activists, and Pawlenty could be costing himself the Presidency by doing it.


Ideology: To the slight right. Fouled left on funding the Twins stadium and supported an energy plan that incensed conservatives, although he's championed extending tax incentives for energy efficiency and energy R & D. Supports market-driven health reform. Is unabashedly pro-life and spoke at March for Life rallies in St. Paul on the anniversary of Roe v. Wade. Also, vetoed a bill using taxpayer dollars for stem cell research.


[For more, see On the Issues, Tim Pawlenty]


Why he can win: He's inclusive, and talks sincerely about the Republican party's need to embrace folks from all walks of life.

He's an evangelical with close ties to leading social conservatives, but doesn't come across as Alan Keyes.

He's a young man in a party of older men, and a red governor in the only state that said "Fuck you" to Reagan in '84.

If anyone's been doing their homework for 2012, it's Pawlenty.


Why he can't win: No one gets angry at him. Yes, that's right. That's why he can't win.

Because if no one gets angry at you, no one will get inspired by you.

Unfortunately, those two sentences are perfectly sufficient to explain why he can't be elected President in these United States.



For more GOP 12 Candidate Profiles...

Utah Governor Jon Huntsman, Jr.
Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney
Alaska Governor Sarah Palin
South Dakota Senator John Thune
Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee
South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford
Former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson
Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal
Florida Governor Charlie Crist
Virginia Congressman Eric Cantor
Tennessee Senator Bob Corker
Former Idaho Governor Dirk Kempthorne
South Carolina Senator Jim DeMint

More coming soon...