Pawlenty in New Hampshire

Minnesota’s Governor Tim Pawlenty was in New Hampshire yesterday. He gave a long interview to the Manchester Union Leader:

“President Obama was here in New Hampshire on New Hampshire primary night and said he was going to fix health care by bringing Republicans and Democrats together,” he said. “Well, here we are in New Hampshire and now what we see is a monstrosity being jammed down our throats on almost a purely partisan basis and maybe entirely partisan basis.” He called the Democratic-led process on Capitol Hill that has led to the likely passage of a health care reform package “one of the largest political bait and switch tactics in the modern history of the country.” He said the Minnesota health care system, while imperfect, gives participants broad market choices. He said the state employee plan has kept cost increases at or near zero percent for the past five years. …
Pawlenty said that after “Republicans got their cans kicked” in 2006 and 2008, they have “a lot of work to do” to learn to relate to the working class American.
He said if the GOP is able to regain the majority, “then we need to do what we say we’re going to do. “If you’re going to say you’re the party of financial responsibility and then go to Washington and spend like crazy, that’s hypocrisy,” he said. …
Pawlenty said those in tea party movement “really have put their finger on something and they reflect something that is a raw nerve in the country. People are mad, and should be, about the out of control, reckless, irresponsible federal spending and the non-stop march toward government intervention.”

This video shows scenes from Pawlenty’s New Hampshire trip and gives insight into his style as a campaigner. There’s no doubt that Pawlenty has the right message: solid, Reagan-style conservatism with a heavy emphasis on economic issues and the core value of freedom. Is he the right messenger? That ‘s the question the primary process will answer.

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