The debate is not even over and already the Rep Bachmann’s campaign is issuing a press release and it is directed at Governor Tim Pawlenty:
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The Big Government of Tim Pawlenty
Tim Pawlenty’s executive experience is not an asset if it simply means bigger and more intrusive government.
“The era of small government is over,” Pawlenty said in an interview with the Star Tribune. “I’m a market person, but there are certain circumstances where you’ve got to have government put up the guardrails or bust up entrenched interests before they become too powerful … Government has to be more proactive, more aggressive.” (Star Tribune August 19, 2006)
That’s the same philosophy which, under President Obama, has brought us record deficits, massive unemployment and an unconstitutional health care plan.
“Back in 2006, Pawlenty was portraying himself as a conservative who was willing to intervene in markets, and he said that government has to “bust up entrenched interests before they become too powerful.” It appears he’s been backing off those positions in 2011, but that doesn’t change what his views were years ago. If he was quoting David Brooks when he said “the era of small government is over,” he seemed to be doing so approvingly… (http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2011/jul/26/michele-bachmann/did-tim-pawlenty-say-era-small-government-over/)
Tim Pawlenty supported a cap and trade system, but tried to deny it.
“Pawlenty told Fox News Sunday on Jan. 16 that he ‘never did sign a bill relating to cap and trade’ when he was governor of Minnesota, but that’s not true. He also said: ‘I’ve opposed cap and trade.’ However, that’s been the case only since 2009.
“In fact, the bill he signed in 2007 specifically required a task force to ‘recommend how the state could adopt’ a cap-and-trade system. Furthermore, he also signed a regional compact with other Midwestern governors agreeing to ‘jointly endeavor’ to ‘develop a market-based and multi-sector cap-and-trade mechanism.’” (FactCheck.org http://www.factcheck.org/2011/01/pawlentys-political-climate-change/)
Tim Pawlenty was for government bail-outs before he was against them.
“So from a pure marketplace principle, you would not bail them out. But we also have to measure that against the consequences to the rest of the country. And, you know, that is an imperfect solution, but, like has been said, they are too big, the consequences are too severe for innocent bystanders to allow them to fail.” (National Press Club on August 6, 2008)
Tim Pawlenty held views on health care that are strikingly similar to Barack Obama.
“He favored exchanges and was ‘open to’ mandates. Then he ran for president.”
“In 2006, Pawlenty praised Romney for attacking health care costs, said he was ‘open to’ a similar insurance mandate and endorsed the idea that ‘everybody should be in a health plan of some sort.’
‘We all, I think, can chart a path toward universal coverage,’ he said in a luncheon speech to a Minneapolis health reform conference. ‘We’re going to have to move in stages.”
“In 2007, Pawlenty asked the Legislature to create a state-regulated health insurance exchange for individual health insurance policies — now the centerpiece of Obama’s plan to expand access to those who don’t have group insurance through their employers.
“‘It seems like there were two Pawlentys with regard to health care,’ said state Rep. Paul Thissen, a DFL leader who served on the governor’s bipartisan Health Transformation Task Force.” (Star Tribune August 6, 2011)
Tim Pawlenty raised taxes in Minnesota
“Tim Pawlenty misled readers in an op-ed by saying he solved Minnesota’s budget crisis in 2005 without raising taxes. Pawlenty’s 75-cents-per-pack cigarette tax — which he called a “health impact fee” — helped forge a budget deal…” (http://www.factcheck.org/2011/07/pawlenty-taxes-and-budget-crises/)
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