How's Pawlenty doing?

[rumguy]

I couldn't believe that Pawlenty got elected - he just struck me as such a lightweight and so phony.

I was only in MN for a few years, but when I left I remember just being disgusted. Wellstone was gone, Coleman and Pawlenty were in, and the pugs were pushing an amazingly regressive agenda through the legislature. I couldn't believe it when they loosened the concealed weapons permiting process - the public didn't even want it - it's like they did it just because they could...pure arrogance.

Pawlenty seemed adept at handling the press and he had that ex-newswoman working for him. So - is he still standing up in the polls, or are people turning from him? Have the pugs been successful at getting their agenda through the legislature?

What's been going on? Are Democrats in Minnesota feeling more upbeat than they did when I left?

[loveable liberal]

1. pawlenty is a dip....

however, he did take on the feds, and minnesota seniors can order prescriptions from canada. His education commissioner didnt get appointed because she's a religious whack job. new education commissioner got right in. Makes me wonder why the 2nd choice wasnt nominated in the first place. answer: religious agenda in public schools and historical revisionist. Still, pawlenty is a dip....

[Lydia Leftcoast]

2. What loveable liberal said

He proposes legislation about wedge issues, gets everyone all involved in arguing about those, and then blames the DFL legislators for not getting the real business of the state done.

[bluestateguy]

3. Ready to bring back Jesse now?

Pawlenty sure makes him look good now.

[indigo32]

4. Umm no

I know we can do better ;)

[dflprincess]

5. Remember, he won a three way race

with 44% of the vote. Yet, I have heard local right wing radio refer to him as being elected by a "huge majority".

[ButterflyBlood]

6. he's the worst type of politician

only cares about the 44% that voted for him. Of course he seems to think he has a mandate. After the DFL shot down his proposals to instate the death penalty, add a gay marriage ban to the State Constition, and and rejected his wingnut appointee for education commissioner, he threw a big whiny fit like its just their job to rubber stamp everything he proposes. what a dumbass.

[rumguy]

7. He tried to reinstate the death penalty and ban gay marriage?

God - he's such a fuckin' disgrace. Like a typical repig he goes for the hot button issues that have little chance of passing so he can bitch about them. So - has he gotten the deficit down at all?

[dflprincess]

8. Actually, the state Constitution does not allow Minnesota

to run a deficit. The legislature has to balance the budget. Hence, all the cuts to so many services. Pawlently, of course, being one of those politicians who panders to the Minnesota Taxpayers League and took a "no new taxes" pledge. What this actually means is no raise in income taxes. In the 2003 session the DFLers in the state senate suggested an income tax raise for singles making $125,000+ and couples making $250,000+ but it was shot down.

Many cities, counties, and school districts have had to raise property taxes because of this stupid refusal to raise income taxes. (The state also raised fees for some services because, of course, "fees" are not "taxes" in the Taxpayer League's world - mostly you find the League opposed to any tax increase but they seem to especially hate the ones based on the ability to pay.)

I believe I heard that St. Paul, like many communities, is floating a referendum to raise property taxes and Randy Kelly said he's going to name the referendum after Pawlently.

[rumguy]

9. I thought that MN had a huge debt

like five billion or something...

[dflprincess]

10. Mmmmm that sounds familiar.

I know there was a huge shortfall that resulted in the budget cuts to help balance the budget. And, I am sure that the state cannot run a deficit the way federal government does - somehow or another the state has to have the cash available to pay bills instead of just running in the red (I think this has to do with the state not having the power to print money). I wonder, can the state borrow money to make up a shortfall and then call it a debt instead of a deficit?

[Deja Q]

14. It was $5 bil, but now it's $1 bil...

The 2004/2005 budget was forecast as $4 billion.

The 2006/2007 budget is forecast at $1 billion right now.

Many of the 'solutions' to 2004/2005 were one-time payments and cutting social services. Pawlenty shoveled the idea that ALL Minnesotans would suffer. But all but the richest 2% have.

Indeed, before 2004, Pawlenty voted FOR tax cuts 5 years in a row. Guess what? The accumulation of those tax cuts adds up to about $4 billion. (City Pages had an article 'Tim Pawlenty's New Deal' that said it all at the time...

Pawlenty's a crock.

[no name no slogan]

16. Don't forget the tobacco settlement money

He basically pissed all that away by using it to pay off the deficit. So now the very cool and very effective anti-tobacco campaign we had has been sacrificed so that those who make $125k a year don't have to pay more income tax.

Some sacrife, eh? I guess that's one of the reasons why ex-Repub Governor Arne Carlson considers himself an independent, and why a certain prominant ex-member of his administration keeps publishing opinion pieces in the Strib about Pawlenty's fiscal irresponsibility.

[USA_1]

19. Gopher state deficits???

PawLENTY of Garbage wants to raise your taxes in order to build up a baseball stadium for Pohlad and a football stadium for Red McCombs or whomever owns the Vikings. So add another $ 1 billion to the deficit cause it won't come for free.

His lobbyists (notably Sid Hartman and the WCCO jackasses) are working real hard to convince the populace that the world will come to an abrupt end if those wealthy scumbunnies don't get their stadiums at your expense.

So write to all the politicians and let them know that you REFUSE to pay more taxes in order to enrich the wealthy elitists.

[suegeo]

11. I never knew what a religous whack-o Pawlenty was

Until Tim met with the National Council of Evangelicals when they gathered (from around the nation) at the nutty church he goes to in Eden Prairie, I never knew Tim was a dangerous religous nut. Charles Colson (Nixon's hatchet man) was the keynote speaker at this meeting. Criminals lecturing the sheep. Telling them Christians were at war with Islam.

Heavy sigh.

So, he's doing a good job in educating me about just what it is about him that gives me the creeps.

[ButterflyBlood]

12. I don't think he's a real religious nutjob.

He's a Lutheran. It's just pandering to the fundies. Remember he came from a rather moderate state House district, and then turned hard right only after he could take power. Just another political opportunist like Normie.

[The Commie]

13. I though for sure that...

Roger Moe, My former State Senator, Would win in a landslide. What happened?

:cry: :cry: :cry:

[dflprincess]

15. Part of the problem was that Moe didn't run much of a campaign

until after Wellstone was killed and then it was too late.

[no name no slogan]

17. Good point-- "lackluster" is putting it nicely

It's really too bad that Moe was completely dependent upon those last two weeks to campaign. Before that, the two Tims (Pawlenty and Penny) were each all over the state, running as if their lives depended upon it, while it seemed Moe was content issuing statements from on high as the ex-Majority leader in the state senate.

Roger Moe is a very nice guy all around, and would be an excellent governor. However, he doesn't have much appeal to the suburban folk who are fast becoming the ones who control MN politics. He comes across as a very competent leader, but unfortunately not a very visionary one (at least by his last campaign).

I'd like to see him come back and run a REAL campaign some time, especially given how bad the state has fallen during the Pawlenty Years. Come back, Roger, all is forgiven.

[jackieforthedems]

18. Another Bush "Yes" Man

All Pawlenty is worried about are trains and getting more of them. He's just another Bush "yes" man, just like Coleman and Kelly - following instructions and playing the waiting game until they all get what they want from Bush. You'd think losing his mother at such a young age would have made him a more compassionate man towards others, but Pawlenty is a hateful s.o.b. I doubt he'll get in again. Enjoy it while you can, Tim!