"Pawlenty distances himself from stimulus, draws fire"

[Clio the Leo]

"I love it when a plan comes together..."

Pawlenty distances himself from stimulus, draws fire
by Tom Scheck, Minnesota Public Radio
February 22, 2010

St. Paul, Minn. — In a move drawing DFL fire, Gov. Tim Pawlenty refused Monday to sign a letter from the nation's governors calling on Congress to pass an extension of part of the federal stimulus, a bill that Pawlenty is counting on to balance Minnesota's budget.

Pawlenty refused to sign the letter from the National Governor's Association calling on Congress to extend stimulus funds for Medicaid for six more months. 47 of the 55 governors of states and territories signed the letter.

The governor, who appears to be gearing up a run for president in 2012, has long criticized President Barack Obama's stimulus package for being poorly targeted and running up the national debt. His refusal to sign the letter came a day after Pawlenty turned his criticism up a notch on NBC's Meet the Press.

"We could have gotten much more bang for the buck for much less money if they would have focused those things that would grow small business and jobs," he said on NBC. "It was incoherent, largely a waste of money that is now sustaining government."

But Pawlenty's criticism of the stimulus doesn't square up with his efforts to balance the state's budget. The governor didn't mention on the show that he's relying on federal money that hasn't even become law yet to erase a third of the state's $1.2 billion budget deficit.

Pawlenty's spokesman Brian McClung declined to comment. Before the letter was issued, McClung said that the funds were not an extension of the stimulus and defended Pawlenty's decision to use the money to balance the budget.

"No state is indicating that they're going to get out of Medicaid," McClung said. "And this is the federal government saying we're going to pick up the tab. The Obama Administration and others have never said that that money was stimulative or designed to provide jobs because that money would get spent either way."

That's not how DFL House Majority Leader Tony Sertich sees it.

"This is hypocrisy at its finest," Sertich said.

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2010/02/22/pawlenty-distances-himself-from-stimulus-draws-fire/

"Will you walk into my parlor?" said the Spider to the Fly,
President Barack Obama, right, leans over to tap glasses with Gov. Tim Pawlenty, left, during a toast at the Governors Ball in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington Sunday, Feb. 21, 2010.




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzgOS8dbF64">Come on, you KNOW you wanna see this again!

[livetohike]

1. Pawlenty must think his constituents are stupid

Good for the DFL :toast:.

[jwirr]

2. He doesn't care - he is playing to a bigger audience. If I were the

MN legislature I would write a letter and have the top leaders in the House and Senate sign it. Pawlenty has already left his post as governor.

[livetohike]

7. He is playing to a bigger audience, but he's about as exciting

as watching paint dry, imo. They should kick his ass out of the Governor's mansion and then he and the other former Gov. Mrs. Palin could go do a book tour or something together.

[Jennicut]

9. Pawlenty: ZZZZZ

[damntexdem]

4. Just normal GOP hypocrisy.

If his constituents fall for it yet again, then they are stupid.

[DrToast]

6. He doesn't care about them. He'll never win Minn. in a presidential election

And that's all he's focused on now.

[livetohike]

8. Oh yeah, he should be encouraged by the CPAC straw poll

He spoke there and got 6% of the vote :rofl:.

[DrToast]

10. I'm impressed 6% noticed he was there!

He's a pretty boring dude.

[livetohike]

11. Must have been his family

:-)

[Blue Owl]

3. He looks kinda starstruck in that pic

He's getting a closehand view of what real, actual leadership looks like!

[Clio the Leo]

5. They always do.

And Tea-Paw got the pleasure of sitting NEXT to Michelle Obama at dinner.

The 44th President of the United States is a LOT of things ... but STUPID is not one of them.

Speaking of flies, would have LOVED to have been a fly on the wall back in the residence after supper. Oh the tidbits that must have been revealed.

[DrToast]

12. Remember when Pawlenty used to go on Rachel's show?

Now he wouldn't be caught dead on there.