Tuesday
Aug262008
DNC - Senator McCain Watch: The Pawlenty Edition
Tuesday, August 26, 2008 at 07:16AM
Washington, DC -- If John McCain picks Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty as his running mate this week, he'll be allying himself with a key Bush supporter and leaving no doubt that McCain means four more years of the same failed Bush economic policies and same old politics. Pawlenty is such a strong supporter of President Bush that he would, in his own words, "stand with President Bush if his approval rating was 2 percent." Standing by Bush would be nothing new for Pawlenty, who was an early supporter of Bush's risky Social Security privatization scheme, which would cost Americans $1 trillion initially -- that's just to transition o private accounts -- and a total of $5 trillion over 20 years. Pawlenty was also an "enthusiastic supporter" of Bush's plan for No Child Left Behind that resulted in an under-funded program that left more than six million students behind.
In Minnesota, Pawlenty has enacted the same failed Bush-Cheney economic policies that have driven the American economy into a recession at the state level - with the same results. In February 2007, Minnesota was projecting a $1 billion surplus. A year later, Minnesotans were anticipating a deficit of $935 million. Like Bush and McCain, Pawlenty has also failed to take adequate action to help Americans in jeopardy of losing their homes as a result of the housing crisis, vetoing a mortgage
foreclosure bill that would have protected 12,000 Minnesota families from losing their homes.
Pawlenty's record of standing with Bush and against the middle class makes him the perfect pick for McCain to prove his commitment to offering four more years of the same failed Bush-Cheney economic policies and same old politics.
PAWLENTY AND BUSH
Pawlenty: "I'd Stand With President Bush if His Approval Rating Was 2 Percent." The Star Tribune noted in October 2005, "Pawlenty waved off any concerns about Bush, Hatch or other DFLers on Wednesday. 'I'd stand with President Bush if his approval rating was 2 percent,' Pawlenty said. 'I won't abandon my leader just because times are tough.'" [Star Tribune, 10/20/05]
Pawlenty Was An Early Supporter of the Bush Plan to Privatize Social Security. The Los Angeles Times noted, "Several Republican governors expressed support during interviews Saturday for Bush's plan for private accounts, including Govs. Lingle of Hawaii, Robert A. Taft of Ohio, Haley Barbour of Mississippi, Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota and Jim Douglas of Vermont, all of whom said the idea was popular with young people in their states." [Los Angeles Times, 2/27/05]
Pawlenty Was An "Enthusiastic Supporter" of No Child Left Behind and Supported Extending It to High Schools. The Star Tribune reported, "Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty endorsed the centerpiece of President Bush's second-term education agenda Sunday, backing a plan to extend the federal No Child Left Behind testing requirements to high schools... Pawlenty has been an enthusiastic supporter of No Child Left Behind, but his comments on Sunday were the first time he has endorsed Bush's plan to push the law's reach into the nation's high schools. 'I think Minnesota could, and should, move in that direction,' the Republican governor said." [Star Tribune, 2/28/05]
In Minnesota, Pawlenty has enacted the same failed Bush-Cheney economic policies that have driven the American economy into a recession at the state level - with the same results. In February 2007, Minnesota was projecting a $1 billion surplus. A year later, Minnesotans were anticipating a deficit of $935 million. Like Bush and McCain, Pawlenty has also failed to take adequate action to help Americans in jeopardy of losing their homes as a result of the housing crisis, vetoing a mortgage
foreclosure bill that would have protected 12,000 Minnesota families from losing their homes.
Pawlenty's record of standing with Bush and against the middle class makes him the perfect pick for McCain to prove his commitment to offering four more years of the same failed Bush-Cheney economic policies and same old politics.
PAWLENTY AND BUSH
Pawlenty: "I'd Stand With President Bush if His Approval Rating Was 2 Percent." The Star Tribune noted in October 2005, "Pawlenty waved off any concerns about Bush, Hatch or other DFLers on Wednesday. 'I'd stand with President Bush if his approval rating was 2 percent,' Pawlenty said. 'I won't abandon my leader just because times are tough.'" [Star Tribune, 10/20/05]
Pawlenty Was An Early Supporter of the Bush Plan to Privatize Social Security. The Los Angeles Times noted, "Several Republican governors expressed support during interviews Saturday for Bush's plan for private accounts, including Govs. Lingle of Hawaii, Robert A. Taft of Ohio, Haley Barbour of Mississippi, Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota and Jim Douglas of Vermont, all of whom said the idea was popular with young people in their states." [Los Angeles Times, 2/27/05]
Pawlenty Was An "Enthusiastic Supporter" of No Child Left Behind and Supported Extending It to High Schools. The Star Tribune reported, "Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty endorsed the centerpiece of President Bush's second-term education agenda Sunday, backing a plan to extend the federal No Child Left Behind testing requirements to high schools... Pawlenty has been an enthusiastic supporter of No Child Left Behind, but his comments on Sunday were the first time he has endorsed Bush's plan to push the law's reach into the nation's high schools. 'I think Minnesota could, and should, move in that direction,' the Republican governor said." [Star Tribune, 2/28/05]