Tim Pawlenty on Mitt Romney 'gifts': They didn’t elect Obama

[highplainsdem]

Source: Politico

Tim Pawlenty on Friday disputed Mitt Romney’s controversial remarks claiming that President Barack Obama won reelection by handing out “gifts” to his core constituencies, saying in an interview that American voters do not have the mentality of, “I’m going to vote because of gifts.”

“I think President Obama, first of all, just tactically did a better job getting out the vote in his campaign. But No. 2, he, at least at the margins, was better able to connect with people in this campaign,” Pawlenty said in an interview with C-SPAN’s “Newsmakers” program scheduled to air on Sunday.

“But I don’t think it’s a matter of people looking at the election and saying, ‘I’m going to vote because of gifts,’” he added. “I think they looked at it and said which one of these candidates would they prefer because of leadership considerations and also can understand their needs the best.”

Pressed on whether this meant he disagreed with Romney’s remarks, Pawlenty responded, “You know, I don’t think it’s as simple as saying the president gave out gifts. I just don’t think it’s that simple. There’s a lot more to it than that.”

-snip-

Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1112/83983.html

[frazzled]

1. It was the people who gave "gifts" to Obama, and that's what elected him

Whatever "gift" I got, in the form of a stimulus rebate or whatever, I gave right back to the Obama campaign over the past year. More than I should have. As did millions of other people ... to the tune of apparently $1 billion dollars, mostly from small donors (the 47%, doncha know).

As I explained in another comment, these donations are not just money to spend on advertising or offices. They represent millions of people who have put skin in the game. And once you've got skin in the game, an investment, so to speak, you're going to protect that investment by making sure to get to the polls. You're going to make phone calls and knock on doors.

These "invested" voters are what got Obama elected. Romney may have gotten a ton of money from a handful of billionaires, but they only have a handful of votes, and do not represent the massive army that ended up giving their time and efforts to making sure this president got elected.

[tblue]

2. They may not all say it and they may not

all even believe it. But the GOPers have used a lot of code language to fire up their base making the same "47%/gifts" accusations over the years.

It's the same old Southern Strategy and the "class warfare" and the "I want my country back" and the "Communist" war cry ("Don't let THEM take your hard earned money&quot updated for the new millennium. All are one and the same. Long as it suited their purpose, they've been happy to spew the same bs Romney is saying, which they're now pretending is just SO not what they've ever once said.

[Kalidurga]

3. This is troubling...

I thought Pawlenty was out of politics.

[SoapBox]

4. Hey TPaw, you spineless jellyfish...

Two things.

1. Shut Up.

2. Go Away.

[Angry Dragon]

5. Pawlenty is an empty suit like Willard

He is a lot like Dictator Walker
Palenty is scum like Ryan

[fujiyama]

6. Pawlenty was smart enough to jump ship before

even the first debate. He saw the writing on that wall a while ago.

[BlueStater]

7. Don't tell me this doofus is going to run again.

He couldn't even defeat Michelle Bachmann, for God's sake.

[Tutonic]

8. Runnin from Mitt like he's a Forest Fire.

N/T

[Beartracks]

9. "don’t think it’s that simple"... But...

... Republicans only *do* simple!

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

[southernyankeebelle]

13. Gee, I thought "simple" was even to difficult for them to understand.

[Chemisse]

10. Just another way in which Romney shows his disgust for the people of America.

Thank all the gods that that man is not preparing for a showy, pretentious inauguration right now. I just couldn't bear it.

[SemperEadem]

12. Rude Pundit's parting shot

http://rudepundit.blogspot.com/2012/11/photos-that-are-like-purest-heroin.html

[eilen]

11. Perhaps he has never been into Romeny. He just doesn't like him. nt

[tclambert]

14. Well, for his own self-image, Romney can't admit that he lost because he's a prick.

Who wants to admit that to themselves? No, you gotta find some other reason that doesn't require admission of one's own badness.

[Javaman]

15. I think mittens should take the Turing Test.

I know he's a sociopath, but I'm beginning to believe he's not human either.