“First of all, his age is attractive,” Weber says, hinting at the nearly quarter-century difference between his fellow Minnesotan and the 71-year-old McCain. “Second, he’s from outside Washington. Third, he represents a battleground part of the country. And he has a nice balance of, on one hand being totally acceptable to conservative wing of the party, especially to social conservatives, but at the same time sharing a couple of key maverick strains of thought with McCain.”…”By far, he’s the strongest candidate,” to serve as McCain’s running mate … “He’s a conservative, rock-n-roll Republican and is counterintuitive to the party stereotype that we’re old and rich,” says Taylor, who recalled visiting St. Paul and finding the governor jamming in his office to recording artist Bruce Springsteen. “He’s young and blue-collar.”And, Taylor said, in a potential race against the 46-year-old Barack Obama, Pawlenty would be “as good as our party has for that [match-up].
…
“He is a rising star in the party,” adds Black.
…
“He’s a phenomenal talent,” says Lawrence Jacobs, a University of Minnesota political science professor. “He’s Clintonian in terms of being able to connect with an audience. It just drives Democrats crazy.”
…
“Politically, he’s pretty skilled, no question about it,” says Moe … “He’s a bright guy and very charming, no question about it.”
So goes the whispering about Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty in the race for the McCain’s VP spot. He seems to be the top choice at this point, at least among those who try to predict these things. Jonathan Martin’s article at the Politico, where all of these quotes are found, also references “senior McCain adviser Charlie Black” who says that McCain “has not spent one second thinking about a running mate.”
So what’s a conservative to think? It seems as if Pawlenty has been preparing for a VP run.
Moe claims that since being re-elected in 2006 and getting involved in the McCain campaign, Pawlenty has put his national aspirations first.
“Everything he’s done is colored through those lenses,” Moe says, pointing to Pawlenty’s state of the state speech this week where he took a hard-line against any new taxes.
Another Minnesotan who has also clashed with Pawlenty, but from his right rather than his left, agrees.
“He’s got to stay more fiscally conservative now than he otherwise would,” says this conservative, who requested anonymity to speak candidly about his governor. “It’s great so far in that it keeps the governor more conservative than he otherwise may be.”
Not horribly comforting, but better than moving to the middle. He does have a mixed history:
To be sure, Pawlenty is not a darling of his state’s conservative base. In 2002, he lost in an initial precinct caucus straw poll vote to a more conservative candidate before later getting his party’s nod in a state convention. And he was unable to deliver McCain a victory in similar non-binding caucuses on Super Tuesday.
Befitting his blue-collar roots, Pawlenty has something of a populist streak. These “Sam’s Club Republican” tendencies — as he likes to call them — are reflected in his strong support for allowing the reimportation of prescription drugs from Canada, something which the major pharmaceutical companies have strenuously opposed.
But overall his is a fairly conservative gubernatorial record. An abortion rights opponent, he signed into law a waiting period for abortions. He also got a long-sought concealed weapon permit into law.
Though not known politically as a Christian conservative, Pawlenty, who was raised Catholic, and his wife attend perhaps the most prominent megachurch in the state, Wooddale, in suburban Eden Prairie.
I don’t consider myself a populist, but I am all for breaking up the monopoly the drug companies have on this country. If that is the extent of Pawlenty’s populism, maybe we wouldn’t have nearly the problems with him as we currently do with the prospect of VP Huckabee.
Oh wait:
Like McCain, it’s on the environment and on fiscal issues where Pawlenty draws fire from the right.
“He’s a little too green,” says Phil Krinkie, a former Republican state legislator who now heads the conservative Taxpayers League of Minnesota.
Along with many other governors, Pawlenty has seized on the issue of global warming and has used much of his second term to promote energy conservation with a goal of producing 25 percent of the state’s electricity by renewable sources by 2025.
Energy conservation is the thing I’m supposed to take issue with as a conservative? Nice one, Martin. I’d say the things I’d worry about with a McCain-Pawlenty executive are economy-choking initiatives like a carbon cap and trade system that McCain already supports.
On fiscal issues, Pawlenty might also be perceived by some on the right as impure. Tax hawks point to the 75-cent tax on cigarettes he greenlighted in 2005 to balance the budget.
“Since then he’s gone back and held the line,” offers Grover Norquist, head of Americans for Tax Reform. “Particularly in the wake of the [Interstate 35W] bridge collapse tragedy, that he did not allow himself to get mau-maued into tax increases speaks very well of him.”
The latter speaks louder than the former.
“He’s a survivor in a Democratic environment.”
Shades of Romney, eh? This line of argument was absolutely owned by the Mitt supporters, so they better not get their knickers in a bunch if Pawlenty is indeed McCain’s pick, even if they are still holding out hope for the ultimate reconciliation.
One final plus with Pawlenty:
But could Pawlenty deliver Minnesota to the GOP column, something that hasn’t happened since President Richard Nixon’s 49-state landslide in 1972?
Krinkie, Moe and the unaligned analysts are skeptical. Even Weber concedes that Pawlenty on the ticket wouldn’t make Minnesota “a slam dunk.”
But, says Weber, he would at least put it in play.
And that may be one of Pawlenty’s biggest assets. Beyond passing the conservative litmus test and appealing to swing voters, he is the lone big-state, two-term Republican governor in the heartland. And Minnesota’s media markets reach into two other traditionally contested states along the upper Mississippi River, Wisconsin and Iowa.
I know I’m being unrealistic, but I’d be much happier with a Mike Pence or Fred Thompson.
John Hawkins has a detailed list of McCain’s top 24 choices.
Martin’s final point to consider on Pawlenty: is the country ready for a VP who used to sport a mullet?
My answer: more so than a crooked-toothed, baby-faced hick who used to fry squirrels in a popcorn popper.
UPDATE: Ed Morrissey at Captain’s Quarters also has an opinion on Martin’s piece.
