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Pawlenty: My New PAC Is "Just The Opposite" Of Confirming Presidential Run
Eric Kleefeld | September 22, 2009, 2:29PM
Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R-MN)
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Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R-MN), who is widely seen as a potential presidential candidate in 2012, has now formed his own federal political action committee, called "Freedom First," which will allow him to raise money for other Republicans and to travel around the country -- but Pawlenty is denying that this is a step towards laying groundwork for a presidential campaign.
As the Star Tribune reports:
Pawlenty, who ended his state fundraising committee earlier this month, said the new PAC should not be seen as confirmation of his interest in running for president.
"It is just the opposite," Pawlenty told the Star Tribune this morning. "This undertaking, as we plan it and envision it, would be to help other candidates on a federal level."
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CT Voter
September 22, 2009 2:35 PM
Um, frankly, anyone who has the nickname of "TPaw" is probably going to have a hard go of it. Especially when "TPaw" is behind in the polls to Obama, while still in office.
LINK
So maybe he means it. He's just doing this for other, unnamed, unknown, and unknowable candidates.
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jzap
September 22, 2009 5:12 PM in reply to CT Voter
What? Not America First? Why do you hate America???
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erichayes
September 22, 2009 6:39 PM in reply to CT Voter
Wasn't TPaw a Vulcan character from Star Trek? Just what we need . . . TPaw from Vulcan and Bachmann from the suburbs of Ganymede.
What's with you Minnesotans?
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CT Voter
September 22, 2009 8:12 PM in reply to erichayes
I don't know about Minnesotans. I've got my hands full explaining Joe Lieberman most of the time. . .
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Winston Smith
September 22, 2009 2:46 PM
"I promise to prevent everyone in America from getting affordable healthcare!"
Hooray!!!
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converse
September 22, 2009 2:54 PM
"This undertaking, as we plan it and envision it, would be to help other candidates on a federal level."
Uh, yeah, so they'll owe you in 2011-12.
Does he think everybody is a stupid as the winger-baggers?
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Hussein Stemper
September 22, 2009 3:01 PM in reply to converse
Bingo.
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dswx
September 22, 2009 3:09 PM in reply to converse
Yep! That is exactly what George Maccaca Allen did a couple years ago when he was considering running for higher office. Of course the racist in him destroyed his plans.
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Walter Mitty
September 22, 2009 3:09 PM
This guy is boring as hell, he has negative charisma. He's more of a VP candidate really if the GOP had a rockstar Senate candidate. He's bring the governing cred to the ticket that way.
If it isn't Romney a top the 2012 GOP ticket I'll eat a bug. I'll even guess Romney/Petraus to name the complete ticket. To take it a step further I'll predict Jeb Bush/Huntsman for the 2016 ticket against M.Warner/H.Clinton(who will not have run herself)
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jdb316
September 22, 2009 3:28 PM in reply to Walter Mitty
If it isn't Romney a top the 2012 GOP ticket I'll eat a bug.
It should be Romney. He'd be by far the biggest threat to Obama. But the Christian Right will have to not only be willing to accept a Mormon, and one who was once a social moderate at that, but embrace him and rally behind him. As we saw last year during the primaries, that's anything but a certainty.
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Walter Mitty
September 22, 2009 3:56 PM in reply to jdb316
Palin (if she hasn't fizzled out yet) and Huckster will split that vote in the primaries. Most real contenders will sit this one out and set their sights on 2016, however Romney isn't getting any younger so this will be his last chance and he'll spend his fortune if necessary.
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CT Voter
September 22, 2009 4:29 PM in reply to jdb316
Romney's flip-flopped too many times to be a viable candidate. Even if he could survive the primaries, he'd flop in the general. He's too fake, and he got his ass whupped by debaters who aren't nearly as good as Obama.
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Minne sconsin
September 22, 2009 5:29 PM
Good.
He is kind of like a black hole that way...
Wholeheartedly disagree on Romney, though. No way the wingers will accept a Mormon. If he makes it to the general, they'll sit home and moan that he's not a "true conservative".
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The Old Grouch
September 22, 2009 6:44 PM
Pawlenty is just a chickenshit. If not for some misfit third party nuisance splitting off votes, he's be a footnote instead of a governor.
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