Tim Pawlenty has a radio ad and Web site, PawlentyFaith.com, and an accompanying Web video with a simple message: Iowa straw poll-goers should know that he is a committed Christian.
Pawlenty is running behind in the polls in Iowa, where the current frontrunner is his fellow Minnesotan Michele Bachmann — a candidate who campaigns naturally through the religious right, and has in the past credited her political career to direct, divine communication. Now, Pawlenty is showing his own religious bonafides.
“How well do you really know the presidential candidates that are asking for your vote?” the announcer says in the radio ad. “Tim Pawlenty and his wife Mary have a video in which they discuss their faith experience and their values. Watch the Pawlenty video at PawlentyFaith.com.”
The Web site advertises the August 13 straw poll in Ames, Iowa, with a video of the Pawlentys discussing their commitment to their religious beliefs. The video is entitled “Aspirations of a President” — which might be getting just a bit ahead of the curve, as in fact Pawlenty has the aspirations to become president.
“I think when somebody is running for or holds high office, whether it’s mayor, governor, President of the United States, voters want to know, and deserve to know, who is this person? You know, what shaped their values? What are their values? Is this a person that’s good to their word? Can we count on them? And for me, my faith is very important to me, and it influences all that I do, and it informs people about what my values are, and of course that has a great bearing on how you conduct yourself in public office.”
Pawlenty also commented on the subject of the separation of church and state.
“The separation of church and state was intended to protect people of faith from government — not government from people of faith,” Pawlenty says. “Now, we have all this revisionism around what was intended, and where those lines really are drawn. And I think the founders of this country made it very clear — we were founded as a nation under God, and it’s not only in our founding documents nationally, it’s in the founding documents of 49 of the 50 states, and so it’s very clear what roadmap they put out for us as it relates to faith in the public square.”
Here is the radio ad:
And here is “Aspirations of a President”:
Eric Kleefeld
Eric Kleefeld joined TPM as an intern for the final months of the 2006 midterm elections, and then kept showing up for work. His other interests include guitars, old comic books and the politics of various English-speaking countries.
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