Pawlenty: GOP "Idea Factory" "In The Doldrums"
WASHINGTON -- Discretion. That’s what MN Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R) said should be the paramount quality of a VP nominee. During a speech at the Nat’l Press Club today, Pawlenty attempted to be the model VP candidate, offering little hint about the state of John McCain’s search for a running mate.
“I don’t address vice presidential questions anymore,” he said.
Instead, Pawlenty answered questions about energy policy -- he supports offshore drilling and is “open” to oil exploration in ANWR -- and questioned Barack Obama’s qualifications to be president.
Earlier in the day, Pawlenty reportedly offered “positive comments” about Obama during a speech to GOPAC. But he was less generous over lunch, reminding the audience that “less than four years ago [Obama] was a state legislator,” whereas McCain has “epic life experiences” from which to draw.
Pawlenty went on to ridicule Obama’s “Leadership” TV ad, which featured Sen. Dick Lugar (R-IN) and noted that Obama had “passed a law” to help secure loose nuclear weapons.
“Who’s against rounding up loose nukes?” Pawlenty said. “How much courage did that take?”
Pawlenty defended McCain’s "Celeb" TV spot featuring Paris Hilton. “It tries to raise the question about whether [Obama’s] celebrity and oratory has transcended people’s ability to understand the substance,” he said.
The governor also offered a somewhat frank critique of his own party. Since the “Contract with America” was signed in ‘94, he said, the GOP “idea factory” has been “a little bit in the doldrums.”
“You have to have ideas that are relevant for these times,” he said.
Pawlenty detailed a possible GOP platform that included improving teacher training and incorporating technology into higher education. He called for increased domestic oil exploration while investing in renewable energy technology and a general policy of fiscal discipline. Most importantly, he said the GOP needs to target “Sam’s Club Republicans,” or in other words, people who are “limited in their economic capacity.”
Asked if that would include Latino voters, Pawlenty said: “They would certainly be part of the people who are Sam’s Club Republicans.” Still, Pawlenty admitted that the GOP “probably aren’t going to win them this cycle.”
On McCain’s chances of winning MN, Pawlenty said recent polls showed a tied race in his home state. (A Quinnipiac Univ./Wall Street Journal/washingtonpost.com poll; conducted 7/14-22; showed Obama leading by two points). Who will win? “Whoever runs a better campaign,” Pawlenty said.
Having someone who knows the terrain on the ticket might help, too.
(Hotline's SEAN J. MILLER)
