I didn’t catch it, but uber-pundit Marc Ambinder says that the Pawlenty did well on Fox News Sunday earlier this week:
Note to Gov. Pawlenty: the McCain campaign was mucho impressed with your performance on FNS against Gov. Tim Kaine.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Pawlenty would be a solid, but unspectacular pick for McCain. I think he would do better to go further outside the box and pick someone like Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, but that’s just me. Pawlenty checks all the boxes and has almost zero risk of turning into a VP disaster (like Quayle, Lieberman or Edwards).
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Lieberman and Edwards were disasters?
Pawlenty’s a fine guy, but boring and he barely carried Minnesota when he became Gov (and it’s highly questionable whether he could carry Minn for McCain anyway — ironically, Palin may do better in carrying Minn.)
Pawlenty will do nothing for McCain in the election. Palin will entirely change the playing field.
Did Pawlenty attend the Cheney fundraiser? I saw that Erik Paulsen was there….wouldn’t that be a lovely photo to have framed????
I think Timmy would make a fine Veep candidate. He does have to quit his day job to run doesn’t he? Please make him quit his day job.
Lieberman maybe, but Edwards? What?
If he quits his day job, we get Gov. Molnau. Wonder is she would make herself transportation secretry again?
Lieberman and Edwards both had the same problem: they put their own ambitions ahead of the ticket. Both refused to do the dirty work a VP has to do. Cheney made them both look like chumps.
I watched Pawlenty — he actually was stronger than Gov. Kaine. BTW, did you see that Rep. Laura Brod was on Fox in Hannity’s America on Sunday as well? I found that interesting…
Zack,
I agree with you that McCain would be smart to put a female on the ticket. Especially since, as Hillary pointed out many times, Obama ran such a sexist campaign.
Good commentary Zack. I like fair minded analysis as opposed to so much of the hack-like coverage I see on other blogs.
I would think a female VP would be the smart play. Especially with Hillary voters being in play.
He should pick Condi Rice - yes he should!
Chris - that is obnoxious and false.
I just realized that I don’t really hate publius, because I post here too much to hate it. It’s Zack that annoys me. The stupid comments like Sarah Palin being a potential pick, or Edwards being a vp disaster make me wonder if your postings are actually just … satire.
Zach, you’re a tool.
Ummm…Paulsing…Palin’s name has been floating around since March, maybe earlier. The punditocracy really ran with the idea for a while, and if you look at the potential VP polls that SurveyUSA has been running, she is actually more beneficial than Pawlenty in some states.
Incidentally, anyone who honestly wants to see Palin on a national ticket needs to track down a video of her speaking. Not trying to be mean, I’m impressed with how thoroughly she’s shook up the crony system up there, but she is just a downright horrid public speaker.
As for Edwards as a disaster, not sure where the blame lies, a lot of folks think the Kerry campaign misused him, others, myself included, don’t think he was quite ready for primetime, but the fact remains that he didn’t do much for the ticket. I don’t think he really hurt Kerry’s chances, but there were certainly better candidates out there.
Well it looks like the Republicans are at it again…
“Eric Feltner, chief of staff to Republican Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder of Missouri. Feltner, it seems, has been holding his own “Kinder-garten,” with 13-year-olds on the Internet, who were actually cops in “disguise,” like on that hilarious teevee show where they capture perverts. Unfortunately he thought he was talking to 13-year-old girls, but the rest is pretty textbook.
It doesn’t sound too bad, the actual charge of “furnishing” porn to minors:
Eric Feltner of Columbia was charged May 21 in Cole County Circuit Court with two counts of furnishing pornographic materials to a minor, according to court documents. Feltner had been engaged in instant message conversations with a person he believed to be a 13-year-old girl, the probable cause statement filed in the case against him says. The girl was actually a Jefferson City police officer, according to the statement.
Kids’ve gotta start looking at porn sometime, right?”
So lets get this straight, Republican provides porn for minors… no big deal? Al Franken writes for Playboy magazine… big deal?
Wonkette
I know I was so surprised at the heterosexual nature of the child porn provider… looks like the GOP is really falling apart.
Zack,
I thought you would respond that way. Why did the crowd boo each of the 15 times Hillary mentioned Obama by name during her speech on Saturday? Why did Hillary continue to mention the glass ceiling that has 18 million cracks but couldn’t get broken (since she didn’t get the nomination)? Hillary and her supporters have alleged the sexist campaign and I think many of them, particular older and professional women will not support Obama.
amuseinc,
I’m not familar with the situation you’ve described. But the difference between Republicans and Democrats is, if what you’ve said is true he will be forced to resign from office. If Franken had done the same thing, a lot of people would still defend him. I think Franken’s comments in Playboy are no different than Larry Flynt’s infamous Hustler cover with the naked woman going through the meat grinder.
How do John McCain’s “family values” — or lack of — jibe with Pawlenty’s so-called religious claims?
After McCain’s first wife was disfigured in a car accident, he ditched her for Cindy, 18 years younger, pretty and rich.
The wife U.S. Republican John McCain callously left behind
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1024927/The-wife-John-McCain-callously-left-behind.html
What really matters - a Franken joke, or John McCain’s actual treatment of his wife?
Chris,
Any Hillary supporter who votes McCain is an idiot. Hillary’s positions almost completely matched Obama’s and are light-years from McCain’s. You’d have to be a moron to switch party votes in this election.
All the trend lines show the Democrats coming back home to Obama. The Hillary mourning period is up and they need to stop whining about everything. She lost. Get over it.
He wasn’t sexist. He was better.
Chris -
You didn’t give one example of the Obama campaign being sexist.
Some in the crowd may have booed, but I heard far more cheering than boos. Either way, Clinton partisans fought very hard and no one should expect all of them to run to Obama right away. In any event, the polling shows Obama leading McCain even with the Hillary defectors. Imagine what will happen if/when they come back into the fold.
Paulsing -
To each his own, but I think your immature comment reveals your character. By the way, multiple MSM sources list Palin as a possibility and Bob Shrum has gone on the record saying the Edwards pick was a mistake. Neither of these views are particularly uncommon.
Zack,
Hillary Clinton and her supporters said Obama ran a sexist campaign. That’s my whole point. I don’t think older, professional women are going to go for Obama. You linked to an article in The Atlantic (no conservative publication at that). Read the comments to the article you linked to. Many women are very dissatisfied with Obama. There should have been NO boo-ing at the Clinton rally on Saturday. Instead, there were boos every single time Obama’s name was mentioned. If you want examples, watch this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KACQuZVAE3s
and this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48BBS7IuPdo
and this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLcmC-np_zk
[EPDem probably means Eden Prairie Democrat.]
And EPDem could be E Pluribus Unim Democrat.
Timmy can look good and talk good, and that’s probably just what McCain needs, especially with a youthful running mate.
Governor Molnau would be great to set the stage for competent female leadership in Minnesota, to be followed by Susan Gaertner and Margaret Anderson-Kelliher.
OK, that was a little satire since I don’t really think Molnau is competent, and I hope people won’t blame it on her gender since there are women in the wings that are qualified and competent.
Only a Republican nitwit would equate a picture or an article in a magazine with an active pedophile on the internet. That is so long as the pedophile had the right party designation. Don’t Republicans realize that defending these other Republicans is not good for the brand?
As if we needed on more bit of proof that team McCain is clueless.
Edwards is better than he appeared on the trail for Kerry. He looked like a JV politician, but in my opinion it had more to do with the disaster of that campaign. He’d be an excellent Secretary of Labor.
Does Pawlenty step down if he’s on the ticket, or only if they win? I’d love to get him out of Minnesota before next year’s budget session, but if it means 4 years of McCain…..
amuseinc,
I think the story is appalling and the guy should resign and go to jail. If you’re looking for Republicans to defend the actions, if the allegations are as you’ve described, you’re not going to find any. What you will find is a whole bunch of Democrats who will continue to defend Franken’s disgusting and demeaning writings.
I’m curious when you’re going to renounce Al Franken’s writings regarding the rape of women? If you don’t think there’s a problem with Al’s writings, why did the President of the DFL Feminist caucus resign over Franken’s endorsement?
— — - Original Message — — -
From: John K
To: RCA@co.ramsey.mn.us ; info@tombakk.com ; rep.tom.rukavina@house.mn ; rt@minneapolis.org ; Ann.Mulholland@ci.stpaul.mn.us ; rep.margaret.kelliher@house.mn ; state.auditor@state.mn.us
Cc: TimP@mail.governor.state.mn.us
Sent: Wednesday, June 11, 2008 9:09 AM
Subject: Governors are responsbile for the integrity of the legal system of their states.
Re: Dakota County says it just can’t find deadbeat parent. Try Florida. http://www.twincities.com/rosario
“Let’s try to stay focused on who the real losers are in these cases,” Wunsch said. “It is not the parent; it is the children. Who is looking out for them?” Obviously, not Dakota County! My kids are 37 and 34 years old. Under the current schedule, Dakota County will be garnishing my social security benefit for another 27 years, or until I am 95 years old. Does that sound like due diligence to you? When a county attorney cannot enforce his own judgment in something less that half a century, there is probable cause to investigate why. This is what happens when the criminals are running the so-called legal system in Minnesota. There is one small tribute to the validity of my criminal complaints: Pawlenty will deservedly not be McCain’s VP.
What Chris said.
Swiftee, Chris, I agree 100%,
Everyone knows Al Franken endorses raping people.
As you write on your blog, Swiftee, keep on “Spreading discontent on the internet and sending “Leftists” to the third ring of hell”.
You both take down moonbats so very very well!!
Great Job!
Frightened,
Since when did rape become a joke?
Chris, I agree 100%,
Everyone knows making any joke or mention of rape whatsoever means that that person is cruel, insensitive, and definately endorses rape. Context is irrelevant. Debate is irrelevant.
We Republicans are right, and these moonbats who for some reason defend a complete and utter disgusting absurd failed comic failed talk show host liberal commmunist socialist moonbat like Al Franken shows why they are wrong for America, in fact they hate America and want us to surrender to terrorists.
When Al went on his USO tours of Iraq, the troops should have all stood up and walked out of the arena.
As we Republicans all like to say, we are “Spreading discontent on the internet and sending “Leftists” to the third ring of hell”.
And you do one heck of a job at doing exactly that, Chris. Welcome back!
Great Job!
Frightened,
I hope your wife, mother, or daughter never gets raped. Rape is not a laughing matter and I don’t care what the supposed context is of the “joke.” I highly dobut Franken was telling rape jokes to the troops either, or they probably would have walked out. It shows what a sheep you are that you would defend this kind of crap.
I agree 100% Chris,
Keep on spreading discontent on the internet and sending “Leftists” to the third ring of hell. That’s definately where Al Franken deserves to go, as do all moonbats.
Great Job!
Does anyone who reads this not realize by now that TFRWG is trying to be satirical and ironic?
It may have been funny the first 500 times he did it, but it’s getting old now.
Randy,
There is nothing funny or amusing about any of my posts. I am not trying to be satirical nor ironic. Speak for yourself, Randy.
Most of my comments are tragic, sad, and quite representative of a segment of the Republican party and their bloggers.
In addition, there is no Republican who is tired of repeating talking points ad nauseum, repeating them again and again and again and again is what makes them true. The more that say it, the truer it becomes. Do you find that to be “old”, Randy?
I disagree 100%, sorry.
Come on, guys, lay off him … he’s just using SATIRE!
Frightened,
For once that part of your name is truly representative of you. It’s amazing that you’re frightened to read something that isn’t propaganda from your side of the aisle. To call you a sheep is insulting to sheep. You’re more like a robot that’s programmed to spit out the same thing over and over again.
Chris, I agree 100%
The talking points that get repeated over and over are very robotic indeed, but that doesn’t make our Republican talking points untrue.
Eveyone knows As long as 50.0000001% of the people believe the Republican talking points, then they are true.
It is common knowledge that these moonbats who hate America and want to surrender to terrorists need to be taken down, and you do one heck of a job at that, Chris.
Keep spreading discontent on the internet and sending “Leftists” to the third ring of hell. I will keep repeating the talking points I’m supposed to repeat.
Great Job!
TFRWG, you’re doin’ a heckuva job!!!
“In addition, there is no Republican who is tired of repeating talking points ad nauseum, repeating them again and again and again and again is what makes them true. The more that say it, the truer it becomes. Do you find that to be “old”, Randy?”
As a matter of fact, I do. I also find it disturbing that the public and the media are willing to buy into that sort of thing.
TFRWG brings a wide stance to any issue. Great job TFRWG, keep ‘em tapping.
Swiftee, I agree 100%,
Keep doing as you like to say “sending “Leftists” to the third ring of hell”. They deserve nothing less, because they have different opinions than you do.
You tak down moonbats so well.
Great Job!