Flip-flop Pawlenty: A web primer

[Bluebear]

http://www.pawlentyunplugged.com/index.htm



“I don’t think there’s anybody in his old neighborhood who would be paid $4,500 a month and forget what he did to earn it.”

- State Representative Tom Rukavina, After Governor Tim Pawlenty said he could not recall what he did to earn $4,500 per month during the campaign from a telecom company run by a political supporter whose other companies were in hot water with state regulators for cheating consumers.
========



“I think it is probably as close as we can get to a smoking gun.”

- Nancy Jorgenson, Acting Chairwoman of the Independence Party, discussing the collusion between Tim Pawlenty and the Republican Party to illegally run campaign ads. The Minnesota Campaign Finance Board ruled that Pawlenty’s ads were illegal and imposed one of the largest fines in State history -- $600,000 -- on Pawlenty’s campaign. (Associated Press, “Witness comes forward in GOP TV ad complaint,” October 4, 2002.)
=========
“Whether they’re called flip-flops, adroit political maneuvers or honest changes of heart, Gov. Tim Pawlenty is compiling a sizable list of shifts on key issues after 15 months in office.

He has gone from opposing, as a House member, any public financing for stadiums to recently proposing a bill that would provide for just that. He has moved from typically voting against rail transit to strong support of the Northstar commuter rail line from Minneapolis to Big Lake.

He has shifted from resisting any expansion of gambling to opening the door to a state revenue-producing racino operation….”

-Star Tribune, “From opponent to proponent; Gov. Pawlenty has shifted on rail, stadiums and more without losing support from fiscal conservatives,” April 4, 2004.
===========

“ow many flip-flops does it take to make you wonder whether the governor is merely flexible, or is perhaps losing touch with his core principles?”

- David Strom and Michael Wigley of the Taxpayer’s League, on Governor Pawlenty’s many flip-flops on issues from what were his positions while campaigning for office.
===========



“verybody knows the industry regularly plays crooked—except Tim Pawlenty. Like Claude Rains in Casablanca, he is shocked. Shocked!”


- City Pages, writing about how, as one of three members of the board of directors of a telecom holding company run by his political crony, Pawlenty claims he did not know about the widespread telemarketing fraud by the company’s largest operating subsidiary in which thousands of consumers were ripped off.
============



“It’s no to this, no to that. Paw-lenty of nos. That’s what you’re going to get out of this ticket.”

- Roger Moe, speaking about Tim Pawlenty. (Associated Press, “Moe, Pawlenty trade shots as GOP takes slate on tour,” June 17, 2002.)

============



Gov. Tim Pawlenty delayed the planned security upgrades to St. Peter and Moose Lake during a time of tight budgets. A planned $5 million upgrade one year was turned into a plan that called for spending half of that in the first year and the rest in 2008.

The governor’s budget acknowledged a security audit done on the sex offender programs suggested upgrades. Still, the governor’s budget message stated the changes will be completed as “time and funding allows.”

- Editorial Board Mankato FreePress April 24, 2006

[Bluebear]

1. ---