Pawlenty Exposed

Unchecked Poetry

2005-06-01T07:31:00.000-07:00

A Few Lines Composed Above A State Office Building.

Tim, I think that I should see
The day that you will no longer be
Our governor, the source of great
Embarrassment.

Minnesota should not be a state
Of mediocrity. I hate
That I cringe at your sunny
Cheshire sentiment.

All the poets interviewed agree
That a Laureate is not a necessity.
I would extend it further
To a Pawlenty second term.

I am patient. I can wait
For a stronger, better state
Where voters vote and cast you out
In turn.

PE

There once was a Governor from Eagan...

2005-05-31T14:01:00.000-07:00

There once was a Governor from Eagan
Ambitious, pernicious, yet deceiving.
He vetoed a State Poet
While claiming to know that
Poetry’s taxing not fee-ing.

PE

All The Players Smirk

2005-05-25T09:30:00.000-07:00

Nick Coleman’s on to it. Mark Brunswick, too. Tim Pawlenty’s got the Presidential bug and he’s got it bad.

This morning, in one of those joyous harmonic convergence moments, Coleman’s Strib column and Brunswick’s Gov/Sviggy/Dean-o negotiations story both revealed Pawlenty’s increasingly naked Presidential ambition. Coleman examines Pawlenty’s right-wing blogger love fest. Brunswick, though, nails it.

“[State Senate Majority Leader Dean] Johnson joked to a stone-faced Pawlenty that he should smile, but Pawlenty barely cracked a smirk.”

Oh, yes. This Governor smirks. He smirks quite a bit. I’ll bet he’s smirking right now. The President of the United States, George W. Bush, is also a notorious smirker. Smirking is key.

Tim hasn’t missed the point. Want to be president? You need a presidential smirk. No garden variety, smart-assed South St Paul High School, jock-sniffing, Vin Weber-worshipping smirk will do. I mean, come on, what respectable Republican president can’t derisively smirk at the most inopportune moment?

This month’s PE book club selection is Hunter Thompson’s Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail, ’72. Thompson didn’t much care for Hubert Humphrey, reserving a special contempt for Humphrey’s naked ambition. Thompson was quick to spot vanity, arrogance and greed masquerading as noble aspiration. Coleman’s final paragraph captures a similar sentiment.

“The [Governor’s] mansion plays tricks on big egos. Once you glimpse yourself in a gilded mirror, you start to believe your own stuff.”

The smirk reveals all.

PE

Flynn Dim on Tim

2005-05-23T10:44:00.000-07:00

Today, the Star Tribune published excerpts from an interview with Harry Flynn, the Archbishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of Minneapolis and St. Paul. While we at PE do not agree with all of the Archbishop’s analysis (“I think the governor has a real good heart”) we do overwhelmingly support his overall message that Tim’s allegiance to the (to good to be) Taxpayer’s League is diametrically opposed to the core of mainstream religious teaching. Archbishop Flynn challenged Tim to do what he has done -- talk to children whose only daily meal is the one they get during the day at the child care facilities that Tim wants to cut funding from. Flynn said that, “any heart should be able to be changed by that." Unfortunately, Flynn’s confidence in Tim’s heart is likely misplaced. Tim seems to care more about promises to interest groups and being president or vice president than he does about religious teaching.

http://www.startribune.com/stories/587/5413601.html

Kitchen Sink in Favor of House Transportation Bill

2005-05-19T09:33:00.000-07:00

Admittedly, we here at PE link you to the Star Trib more than the Pioneer Press. However, here is a link not only to the press but to there (conservative) Editorial Board’s piece asking Tim to sign the House Transportation Bill into law despite his written promise to his blood brothers over at the Tax Payers League (special interest group).

This is just one of an array of articles, editorials, and opinions published in the last week asking for the following: “TIM, SET YOUR POLITICAL AMBITIONS ASIDE FOR JUST A SECOND AND, FOR ONCE, TAKE CARE OF OUR STATE!!”

http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/news/editorial/11662071.htm

Breaking News: Tim Will Say Anything to Look Good

2005-05-19T09:32:00.001-07:00

In a shocking announcement, the Star Tribune (LINK) reported yesterday that Tim’s statements about Minnesota’s business climate aren’t exactly what you or I would call consistent. It turns out that Minnesota is either the best place to do business in the country, or the worst -- it all depending on Tim’s political ambitions that particular day. Hmmm, this sounds strangely familiar to Tim’s stances on expanding gambling and publicly funded stadiums. Two might be a coincidence, but three is a pattern. Can you say, “flip-flop?”

http://www.startribune.com/stories/468/5408017.html

Don’t Count You Eggs Before They Hatch, Tim

2005-05-19T09:32:00.000-07:00

Tim’s plan to turn Minnesota into Las Vegas in order to cover core state services is dead (see any newspaper today May 18th). The problem is, Tim had already factored this income into the state’s budget. Seems to me that the adage, “don’t count your eggs before they hatch,” would have been useful here. So, what do we do now, Tim? Should we just kick a few more thousand working Minnesotans off of their healthcare insurance? You didn’t seem to care too much about the first forty thousand, what’s a few thousands more? As long as it keeps David Strom and Karl Rove happy, it’s probably a good idea for you. Or maybe we could raise the nursing home fees, or pass on the cuts to our middle schools and high schools, or just charge the students at the University of Minnesota a few more thousand dollars a year in tuition? These all seem like viable options; surely they are better ideas than having all of us chip in our fair share to keep our standard of living highest in the nation, like we used to do. That, my fellow Minnesotans, would be profoundly stupid.

It’s Not Original, But It’s Effective

2005-05-18T13:34:00.000-07:00

We here at PE usually strive to be a little more original then this, but when I read this piece in the City Pages...I just had to share

PE

Tim Pawlenty's false populism
Comforting the Comfortable

by Britt Robson - May 18, 2005

Was it really only four months ago that Gov. Tim Pawlenty was lecturing legislators in his 2005 State of the State speech? "When it comes to spending the people's money, we shouldn't be afraid of the people," he declared on January 18. "Today, I'm proposing what I call, 'Turbocharged--Truth in Taxation.'"

A scheme to starve the beast of government, "Turbocharged" would include three postcards along with every Truth in Taxation Form that is currently mailed to Minnesotans as a means of explaining how much of their money goes to taxes. The postcards--"one each for the county, city or township, and school district," Pawlenty explained--would enable taxpayers to mail in a "no" vote if they think a levy increase goes beyond a reasonable level.

"If significant dissatisfaction is registered, a levy referendum on the amount of increase above a certain level will be triggered," Pawlenty continued. "We've got to trust the people. So once again I ask the Legislature to pass a carefully drawn and limited form of Initiative and Referendum. We need to allow the people the chance to directly speak on the major issues of the day."

By late April, of course, the major issue of the day was a proposal to increase the Hennepin County sales tax so that $353 million of the people's money could be spent on a new stadium for the Twins. But state law currently stipulates that such a move be put to a referendum--exactly the mechanism Pawlenty championed in January, and supposedly wants to expand, as a means of holding politicians accountable for their spending decisions. Ah, but this windfall of tax dollars would flow not to school district classrooms, or county hospitals, or city-or-township police forces--but to billionaire Carl Pohlad, the richest man in the state. And with surveys once again showing overwhelming public resentment of this unique form of corporate welfare, Tim Pawlenty suddenly didn't much care about "trusting the people" anymore. Sure, he'd prefer that the issue be put to the people, Pawlenty told reporters. But, he cavalierly added, the portion of the stadium proposal that expressly overturned the requirement for a referendum "is not a deal breaker."

Pawlenty's paper-thin populism was again on display last week, when he worked himself into a lather over the Senate DFL's proposal to raise taxes on the wealthiest Minnesotans. Never mind that the governor's own bean counters in the revenue department have determined that the richest 5 percent of the state population will endure a much lower tax burden than the blue-collar folk that Pawlenty pretends he wants to protect, or that the added revenue would go primarily toward education and health care for the middle class and working poor. Pawlenty memorably labeled the proposal "profoundly stupid" and claimed it would be a "job killer" for the state.

Not surprisingly, the governor cited no economic data to support his "job killer" charge. In fact, numerous studies have indicated that, if anything, states with high tax rates also enjoy robust economies. Certainly that has been the case in Minnesota, which emerged as a regional economic powerhouse during the last half of the 20th century at precisely the same time it was garnering a reputation for high taxes and liberal spending on education.

Now that Pawlenty and his "no new taxes" crew have held sway for the past few years at the Capitol, the state's record of job creation is not so stellar. According to the latest figures on the website operated by Pawlenty's Department of Employment and Economic Development, the Minnesota Labor Market Index has grown by 2.8 percent over the past year. The U.S. Labor Market Index is up 3.1 percent over the same period.

Put simply, Governor Pawlenty is less adamant about providing a check-and-balance on tax dollars for Pohlad than he is on tax dollars for schools. And he isn't afraid to use hyperbolic and factually inaccurate language to oppose proposals to make Pohlad and peers bear the same tax burden as the rest of us. On the other hand--as recent polls have shown Pawlenty's approval rating holding at 56 percent while his no-new-taxes policy is unpopular with Minnesotans--he really is a nice guy, isn't he?

Slow Motion: Pawlenty ATV Crash Coverage Continues

2005-05-13T10:33:00.000-07:00

It’s not just us. Tim’s little ATV embarrassment is getting ink and air all over the state. Now, mainstream (not just bloggers) editorials are weighing in. Check out the Duluth Tribune’s piece.

Pawlenty Strays, Polaris Pays, DNR Looks the Other Way

2005-05-12T14:11:00.000-07:00

This pat weekend, Tim Pawlenty was tear-assing around Grand Rapids on an ATV when he ran into a tree stump. The ATV, a 2005 model belonging to Polaris Corporation, sustained $2,500 in damages, roughly a third of its cost.

Pawlenty spokesman Brian McClung quickly leaped to Tim’s defense. "The governor just happened to clip (the stump) with the corner of the ATV and that was enough to take it out.”

Pawlenty was not cited, but Department of Natural Resources supervisor Ken Soring said the governor was likely going too fast for the difficult terrain.

I suppose we should all breath a sigh of relief that Tim wasn’t attending a gun show.

Think about what McClung says. “The Governor just happened to clip it…” Just happened. Like he was driving along like any responsible ATV operator, completely in control of his machine, when he just happened to hit a stump. Note the passive language, deflecting responsibility. Tim didn’t hit the stump so much as the ATV kinda, sorta hit the stump.

This is right out of a Jerry Springer episode. “Jerry, I didn’t mean to sleep with my wife’s mom, it just happened. All seventeen times.”

Wouldn’t it be neat if we had a Governor who owned up to his mistakes? Who said, “Folks, I don’t ride ATVs that much and I was going a lot faster than was safe. I hit a stump that I should’ve seen. I wrecked an ATV that doesn’t belong to me but I’m paying for the damage I caused. It’s embarrassing to learn this lesson at my age and stage in life but I hope other people learn from my mistake.”

But, no, Tim didn’t say that. Instead, his toady said that Pawlenty’s accident just happened. Sort of like the way Tim governs our state. All those failing roads? They just happened. Our overcrowded, under funded schools? They just happened. Skyrocketing local property taxes? They just happened.

I guess Tim’s ATV accident isn’t so surprising.

PE

Pawlenty Criticism Not Taken Well

2005-05-12T10:25:00.000-07:00

Minnesota Democrats Exposed, our host site blogmate and the Minnesota Republican Party’s plausibly-deniable blog monkey boy, is shocked, SHOCKED, that PE explores the logical extension of Tim Pawlenty’s half-baked rhetorical assertions.

Let’s revisit the situation. At a recent ethanol bill signing pageant, Tim Pawlenty crowed that Minnesota (and perhaps he was overreaching here) is the Saudi Arabia of renewable fuels. We, in turn, asserted that if Tim’s claim is true, then Tim is the new Osama bin Laden.

Explaining a joke always kills the humor but since MDE has lost his usual wit in this case (side note to MDE: we loved the Steve Kelley civility standard pieces), we’ll explain.

Saudi Arabia is a country in the Middle East. It is not a democracy. The ruling Saud family embraces Wahhabi fundamentalism, a puritanical Islamic sect. The Saud family is tight with the Bush family. Saudi Arabia produces a lot of oil. Osama bin Laden’s father became wealthy building stuff for the Saud family. Osama bin Laden, biting the hand that fed him, is determined to overthrow the Saud family. Saudi Arabia stripped bin Laden of his citizenship and kicked him out of the country. Things went downhill from there.

So -and follow me here- Saudi Arabia produces a lot of oil but it also produced Osama bin Laden. Tim Pawlenty wants Minnesota to produce renewable fuels to the same degree that Saudi Arabia produces oil. Just as Minnesota produces more than ethanol, Saudi Arabia produces more than oil. Tim is a product of Minnesota’s strong public schools but he’s turned against the very policies that facilitated his rise, just as Osama bin Laden rejected Saudi society. Both men are pursuing a dark, destructive vision. It’s not the same kind of destruction, of course, but that’s where satire comes in.

Mostly, however, I think Tim’s “Saudi Arabia” declaration is just plain dumb; that it merits skewering. So if Tim broadly claims one comparison, I think it’s funny to assert a parallel one.

I hope this clarification, MDE, makes the joke funnier.
PE

Pawlenty, POTUS, The West Wing…and an ATV

2005-05-12T07:22:00.000-07:00

I was reading the newspaper this morning and came across this beauty in the Star Tribune. “Pawlenty involved in ATV crash”

Now is it just me, or does this remind you of the very first episode of “The West Wing”?

In it, the President falls off a bicycle, and the SOS goes out to staff, “POTUS fell off bicycle.” I can just see it now…beepers all over the capitol went off with “the Governor fell off an ATV.”

After all, Two-Faced Tim is so focused on being President; maybe that is what he was thinking about while he was speeding on his ATV.

And if Timmy and his staff fancy themselves after the staff of The West Wing, does that mean Dan McElroy is the closet alcoholic (Leo) or did he accidentally sleep with a call girl last night (Sam).

Either way, sure will make some good TV.

Tim. Osama. Tim. Osama

2005-05-11T07:33:00.000-07:00

If Minnesota is on its way to becoming the Saudi Arabia of renewable fuels, then Tim Pawlenty is the new Osama bin Laden.

“The Saudi Arabia of renewable fuels.” He really said that. What’s next? Minnesota: the Kuwait of Ethanol. The United Arab Emirates of Biomass. The Syria of Sugar Beets. The Lebanon of Learning. The Iran of Schools.

Rhetorically, Tim’s on to something here.

Parked in front of St Paul’s Grand Avenue Super America gas station, surrounded by black shirts, enabled by portly State Representative Greg Davids, Tim signed the new ethanol bill into law.

Ethanol, if you haven’t heard, is the newest farm subsidy. This bill, requiring all gas sold in Minnesota to eventually contain twenty percent ethanol, enjoyed wide-ranging support. It’s the feel-good hit of the legislative session and who can blame Tim for wanting to crash one more party? Anyway, implementation requires a federal government waiver. The feds won’t sign. The ethanol requirement lives to be flogged to death another time.

I hope stays with the comparative perspective. Minnesota could become the Russia of hospitals. The Burma of dentistry. The Uganda of roads. The Kansas of Science.

So many empty platitudes; so little time.

PE

Tim Pawlenty is Not Profoundly Stupid

2005-05-06T07:04:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty, reacting to the State Senate Majority Caucus’ tax proposal, uttered the phrase, “profoundly stupid.” Just when we thought that Jesse’s head scratching declarations couldn’t be surpassed; Tim establishes a new low in political rhetoric.

Tim believes that wealthy folks shouldn’t pay their fair share; that, as Scottie Fitzgerald wrote, the rich are different from you and me. Although Minnesota generally and St Paul specifically fall all over themselves embracing Fitzgerald, you don’t have to dig too deeply to strike Fitzgerald’s vein of loathing, resentment, and ambivalence about his birth place. Tim and Scottie share that special reverie that some reserve for wealth. Fitzgerald lionized the well-heeled in literature. Tim Pawlenty uses the state tax code.

But “profoundly stupid”? That’s it? That’s the best he can do to preserve privilege?

Let’s think this through.

First, is “profoundly stupid” redundant? Gradations of stupidity, previously used to describe developmental disorders, assigned cognitive capacity. “Imbecile” or “moron” once referred to a specific mental condition. Now discredited, the language remains but applies broadly as an insult rather than narrowly as a diagnosis. So, yes, “profoundly stupid” is redundant. Even back in the day.

Secondly, Tim’s dismissive declaration is an ad hominem attack on those proposing the change. Rather than simply refute the Senate Majority’s proposal as poor policy or note damaging potential results, Tim attacks the messenger. The proposal is bad, in other words, not because it’s a bad idea but because the writers are bad people of low character. Granted, Tim’s cagier than that but fundamentally Tim’s attacking Senator Dean Johnson and not Johnson’s ideas.

I guess Tim must be worried about something, lowering himself to this level. He’s not profoundly stupid, after all; he’s just stupid.

Shocking! Tim Discovers Illegal Canadian Immigration!

2005-05-02T07:13:00.000-07:00

Two days ago, Arizona’s Minutemen Anti-Immigrant Vigilante squad declared victory, packed their radios, binoculars and thirty aught-sixes, and trooped home. Apart from wasting Border Patrol time and resources, the Minute Man Project didn’t accomplish much. Illegal workers -the folks washing your dishes, mowing your lawn, and picking your produce- kept pouring across the Mexican/US border, hustling to get to work.

Citizen driven enforcement improvement isn’t the point, though. It’s all about attention. The Minute Man Project provided a stellar opportunity for rightwing posturing.

What’s this have to do with Tim Pawlenty? I’m glad you asked.

Minnesota’s Canadian border is radically more porous than Arizona’s Mexican border. Tim is a master of the policy proposal that he has absolutely no intention of implementing yet reaps extraordinary media benefit. Put these two things together. What do you get?

Minute Man North, brought to you by Governor Tim Pawlenty. As I see it, Tim covers several bases. First, Tim’s not going to nail down a GOP presidential endorsement by being soft on illegal immigrants. Second, as we all know, illegal Canadian immigration is the greatest threat to America since the Mexicans, Soviets, and Nicaraguans. It’s bigger than Osama Bin Laden.

Third, he stirs up national press. Fourth, he screws with environmental activists by allowing volunteer enforcement agents to use outboard motors in the BWCA while establishing a skirmish line. Fifth, and my personal favorite, Tim gets to practice the Wendy Anderson with a walleye “good life” shot for Time magazine.

There’s just no down side here, at least for a ruthless, unprincipled political sleaze. Some of you may find this naked posturing unconscionable but Tim’s not that kind of guy.

Tim may not have thought of Minute Man North, what with all his Presidential travel. But, I’m telling you, Tim, there’s rightwing gold in that thar snow.

Tim will grasp this immediately. But, he needs to get moving before Canadians shift to canoes, rather than walking across frozen lakes. If one of this staff toadies redrafts my post as a memo, I won’t complain. In fact, I’ll consider it as my contribution to Tim’s weasel greatness.

PE

Pawlenty’s Crapshoot

2005-04-28T07:07:00.000-07:00

The whole thing is falling apart. Tim’s vaunted casino deal, I mean. Some proposals are untenable from the start; this is one of those.

Let’s recap. What were three poor tribes are now one. The Leech Lake and Red Earth bands remain poor –no surprise there- but dropped out when Tim folded the Vegas casino proposal into the Casino-at-Racino deal. White Earth clings to the hope that not only will this doomed project become law but that it can somehow successfully compete with Mystic Lake and Vegas-at-Canterbury Downs. That’s like me opening a small to midsized grocery store smack dab between Cub Foods and Byerly’s.

Granted, I don’t generally like Tim’s policy choices but let’s face it, this guy will say and do anything to stay in office. Promises one day; broken promises the next.

Note to all future Pawlenty partners; recall Regan’s words: trust, but verify.

PE

Tim relying on Minnesotans to be "smart," but not THAT smart

2005-04-25T14:13:00.000-07:00

Last week the Senate Democrats released their spending plans. They include $1.4 billion more than Tim proposed. This added spending would allow the state to adequately fund education, which we at PE consider a good thing. (This is all from the governor’s website by the way.) The senate did not specify where the added revenue would come from as that will be worked out in the next couple weeks in tax committees. Tim had this to say, “"The DFL is obviously going to increase taxes. They should at least have the courtesy to tell us whose pockets they are going to pick. Minnesotans are smarter than that. They know that the Senate DFL can't help themselves when it comes to spending other people's money. They say yes to every spending lobby and special interest in the state. But they're apparently afraid to tell us who will be stuck with the bill."

Notice the key phrase, “Minnesotans are smarter than that.” Apparently Tim thinks Minnesotans are just smart enough to take his rhetoric at face value and that all brain activity ends there. Apparently Tim doesn’t think Minnesotans are smart enough to realize that his entire governing philosophy is based upon a single written pledge to a lone interest group. Tim doesn’t think Minnesotans are smart enough to realize that because of this pledge, education funding has been frozen for the last two years. Tim doesn’t think Minnesotans are smart enough to figure out that their property taxes rising, their health care cost rising, their fees rising, and their roads degenerating, just might have something to do with Tim’s pledge to that one special interest group. Lastly, and most obviously, Tim doesn’t think Minnesotans are smart enough to realize that the Senate Democrats will release their revenue plans in the next few weeks of the session, just like they said they would the entire time.

We at PE think Minnesotans aren’t just smart, we think they’re that smart.

Does Tim Pawlenty Have a Soul?

2005-04-21T07:14:00.000-07:00

Sam Rayburn had his Board of Education. Pawlenty Exposed has its Department of Theology. The recent Papal Enclave reminds us that we are temporal beings, gracing this world for only a short time. In that spirit, we pause to inquire, “Does Tim Pawlenty have a soul?”

This ought to be an easy question, like “is Tim Pawlenty the Prince of Darkness” or at least a vampire? (No, he’s not, because you can see him reflected in mirrors.) However, relying on sentience alone –Tim walks and talks- is not proof of a soul. So, what proof would be acceptable?

If Tim repealed his shameful tax cuts for Minnesota’s wealthiest citizens, that might demonstrate that he has a soul. If Tim would only act on the many good things he claims to value, I might accept that action as sufficient. If Tim’s baptism sponsor were singer, song writer, performer and the hardest working man in show business, James Brown, that would be proof positive.

Alas, none of these can be affirmed. Perhaps during Tim’s lost Eagan years, in order to advance his ambition, Tim placed his soul in a blind trust much as former President George H.W. Bush placed his manhood in one. And if that’s the case, we won’t be seeing Tim’s soul for quite some time.

Keep your eyes peeled. Tim clearly needs a soul, if not his own. We at PE will do our part. We’re firing up the PE Toyota Prius and heading for Eagan. Somewhere, likely in a mini-storage locker, Tim Pawlenty’s soul awaits its liberation.

And we’re just the folks to liberate it.

PE

Tim’s Bad Roads

2005-04-20T07:34:00.000-07:00

I’ve been driving Minnesota, basking in the spring sunshine and looking for Tim Pawlenty’s Terri Schiavo. Cruising our fair State, I’ve made two observations. Dairy Queen is never further than the next town and, boy, do our roads suck.

If you’ve ever driven South Dakota, you know what I mean. Ruts, more ruts, potholes, cracked pavement, shabbily repaired cracked pavement and shoulders that make my grandmother’s look like a man’s. (Take the Lord’s name in vain, here). And Tim Pawlenty aspires to this?

I’m not a business guy but don’t crappy roads mean slower traffic? Doesn’t slower traffic mean higher delivery costs? Don’t higher delivery costs drive business away from Minnesota?

You see where I’m going here.

Infrastructure, Tim Boy, infrastructure. Schools. Roads. Bridges. Curbs. Gutters. Health Care. Communications systems. Water. Sewer. Rail. It’s all part of the big picture. Crappy, crumbling systems create a crappy, crumbling state. South Dakota is a fine, fine example.

Years ago, back before the war, The Gear Daddies once sang, “Daddy always said everything I touched just turned to shit.” Tim, for you, buddy, and your gubernatorial stewardship, nothing could speak more clearly.

I’ll let you know when I find your Terry Schiavo. We have a lot old folks homes/assisted living/transitional care facilities in this State. Some poor, brain dead sap will turn up soon enough. Until then, do your part: keep your state Navigator off the roads and save us all the wear and tear.

PE

The Pawlenty-DeLay Axis of Corruption

2005-04-18T07:32:00.000-07:00

Is it just me or has Tim Pawlenty been suspiciously quiet on the Tom DeLay “problem.” This leads to a troubling question: what’s Tim hiding?

Or, in keeping with historical rhetoric, “Governor Pawlenty. What did you know and when did you know it?”

Do I have proof of shenanigans linking Tim Pawlenty to Tom DeLay? No, not yet. But a close examination of their records suggest that the two men swim in the same disease-ridden, rampantly corrupt pond.

Both men demonstrate a fondness for illegal political money. Both subvert principle before power. Both –returning to the bathing analogy- hungrily serve as towel boys to rightwing freaks. Although, to be fair to DeLay, he’s risen to cabana boy supervisor in that regard.

It’s a fair question and one that I expect causes the Governor some discomfort. What’s Tim Pawlenty hiding? We’re getting a taste of the DeLay garbage house. Tim’s will really reek once that door is cracked open.

That didn’t take long....

2005-03-23T06:55:00.000-08:00

Within hours of the Red Lake school killings, Tim Pawlenty and his minions were suggesting that this tragic moment isn’t the time to talk about Tim’s casino deal.

Yes, we didn’t miss the point but in case you did, let us recap the Pawlenty talking points:

The Red Lake incident is tragic. It’s the work of a lone, weird individual. The Red Lake Band is a poor, tightly knit community. Casino revenue from Tim’s Twin Cities Vegas-style casinos will provide new revenue. More revenue means less poverty. Less poverty means less tragedy and fewer lone, weird individuals. Therefore, the solution to the Red Lake killings is expanded gambling.

But, to paraphrase Tim Pawlenty, we’re not going to talk about the casino deal unless we can talk about the casino deal.

PE

Tim Pawlenty: the New Caligula

2005-03-17T09:58:00.000-08:00

I keep wondering, where do Minnesota’s poorest tribes –recipients of Tim Pawlenty’s casinos-as-social-engineering munificent benevolence- come up with $200,000,000?

Two hundred million smackeroos is about two hundred million smackeroos more than the northern tribes have. Two hundred million bucks; that’s Carl Pohlad money. Or, Ghermezian Brothers money. Or, Randy Sampson money.

If Tim’s Vegas Casino deal happens, somebody will have to lend the northern tribes two hundred million dollars. As we’ve learned from the sports stadium experience, private capital never rushes in where public capital blunders first. I predict that the State of Minnesota “loans” the northern tribes two hundred million dollars. The tribes, in turn, pay their “one time fee” to the –gasp- State of Minnesota.

Ok, Joe Citizen, pay attention. You’re on the hook for two hundred million dollars, raised through the sale of government guaranteed state bonds. The northern tribes are on the hook for two hundred million dollars borrowed from Minnesota to pay Minnesota for a gambling license. The bottom line? Tim Pawlenty is washing two hundred million dollars of borrowed money, declaring it revenue and applying it against his billion dollar budget deficit.

People, people, people. Tim Pawlenty is simply transferring debt from one credit card to another, declaring the transfer as revenue, then buying himself a steak dinner to celebrate. Ancient Rome tried this sort of thing, hoping to keep the empire together. It didn’t work. Tim, take note. You don’t want to be mentioned in the same breath as Caligula.

PE

Tim Pawlenty: Twelfth of Twelve

2005-03-15T08:55:00.000-08:00

Tim Pawlenty made the top twelve most likely 2008 Republican presidential nominees list. Some might fear that Tim’s getting a big head over this but, frankly, his noggin’s already pretty good sized so let’s move on to the other common question: which 11 Republicans stand ahead of Tim?

And, can you name them? How about five? Could you at least come up with the top five?

We didn’t think so. However, let’s at least try to examine Tim’s august company.

First, there’s Condi Rice except that she’s not running. Same thing with Colin Powell and Dick Cheney. Newt’s not running, of course, although it annoys him to admit that. Bush the Elder reports that Bush the Florida Governor isn’t likely to run.

See, the first five Republicans that I can identify –apart from Tim Pawlenty, of course- and none of them are running.

Denny Hastert? Naw. Why take the step down from being Speaker? Bill Frist? Possibly. Sure, running the Senate is like herding cats but he’s still the Senate Majority leader. Plus, being Leader worked so incredibly well for Bob Dole’s Presidential bid.

A great many Christians are hard pressed to name all twelve apostles so I guess I’m not surprised that I can’t name the eleven likely GOP presidential nominees ahead of Tim Pawlenty.

Maybe, though, Tim isn’t really the twelfth most likely nominee. Maybe, like the traitor, Judas Iscariot, he’s actually the uncounted thirteenth.

Damn it. Now we have to come up with yet one more Republican presidential contender ahead of Tim Pawlenty. If Tim thinks about it too hard, it might give him an insecurity complex.

PE

Sugarcoated Crap

2005-03-09T09:19:00.000-08:00

Last Friday, an ever-so-slightly-uncomfortable Tim Pawlenty stood before northern Minnesota tribal representatives, toadies and assorted traitors, and announced his “fairness” initiative. Today, the Racino vultures get their shot. Frankly, I can’t keep the proposals straight without a scorecard.

Today’s Pioneer Press-Republican carries a Craig Westover op-ed piece, examining Tim-Boy’s political maneuvering and stagecraft. It’s well written and certainly worth a read.

Westover argues “Using the theater of his office, the governor has defined the debate as a contest between the moral high ground of "fairness," plus demonstrable fiscal benefits, vs. the speculative social costs of gambling.

“The governor is running a winnable bluff.

“Given immediate gratification with only "potential" consequences somewhere in the future, most people will order the dessert, charge up their credit cards, run the yellow light and take the tribal $200 million up-front money as part of the governor's deal.

“And that's what the governor is counting on.”

Since we’re ordering dessert, abandon all restraint, ye who enter. My newest suggestion: seatback video slots on school buses. Let kids use their lunch money debit cards to gamble during the tedious bus commute. (And those of you from rural areas know what I’m talking about).

Sure, little Jimmy will go hungry nine times out of ten but, hey, he might get an extra Ho-Ho once in a while. And, isn’t that why Tim wants more casino gambling in Minnesota? He’s betting the farm, shoveling sugarcoated crap down our throats and calling it caviar. I’m betting that Pit Boss Tim Pawlenty craps out.

Flip-Flopper Tim Pawlenty

2005-03-08T07:31:00.000-08:00

Flip Flopper. A term Republicans including the Two-Faced Governor of this state know all too well and love to throw about. But like a boomerang, it is coming back to smack Timmy in the face.

Thanks to a tip from one of our loyal readers, we found an article over at Minnesota Public Radio dealing with Two-Faced Tim Pawlenty the Flip Flopper, and his views of gambling.

The article, posted December 6th, 2004 had this to say:

Pawlenty insists he has not changed his position on gambling. But when he ran for governor two years ago, he campaigned against proposals to expand gambling.

Five months into his first year as governor, Pawlenty had this to say about a state-sponsored casino in an interview with Minnesota Public Radio.

"It's not a proper function of government, to be running and owning and profiting from gambling operations. That's not really part of our Constitution, or the vision that our founding fathers had for our state."

Now lets see. "It's not a proper function of government, to be running and owning and profiting from gambling operations.” That seems pretty clear. And yet he lies when he says he has not changed his position. After all, he campaigned against proposals to expand gambling!!!

FLIP FLOP!!!! A big one. And not just a Flip Flop, but a blatant lie added to it.

This is the true face of Two-Faced Tim Pawlenty the Flip Flopper. A deceitful, flip-flopping, liar who will say anything to get re-elected so he can run for President and run out on this state.

PE