Posted on 04/13/2011 5:45:15 AM PDT by FreeManDC
Tim Pawlenty implied Tuesday that there are some less-than-serious presidential hopefuls eyeing the race, with a quip that seemed to lump Sarah Palin, Michele Bachmann and Donald Trump together with wrestling icon Hulk Hogan.
"You're going to have, you know, Mitt Romney who will start out as the front-runner with the most name-ID and money..." Pawlenty told CNNs Piers Morgan in handicapping the race. "And on the other end of the continuum, you'll have perhaps Sarah Palin, Michele Bachmann, Donald Trump, or I don't know, maybe Hulk Hogan will get in the race too. Who knows? But I think in between those two things on the continuum, there's a role for a serious person who has tackled these kinds of issues. We live in very serious times and the country's facing a grave challenge. And if we're going to restore America's promise, we're going to have to get back to leadership that is steady, clear and strong."
Pawlenty was quick to emphasize that he means no disrespect to those others, and he pivoted to say that President Barack Obama has never run anything before and is clearly in over his head. But the message of holding himself up as a serious alternative to other potential candidates was a clear one.
"We just can't afford another whimsical election," he said.
There was a brief kerfuffle between Pawlenty and CNN before the interview aired, as the network promoted it with a quote of Pawlenty saying "I'm running for president." While he said that in passing, Pawlenty's camp insisted he was taken out of context. He quickly clarified that he's still in the exploratory phase.
He let Al Franken steal an election and he has the nerve to talk about other wannabes? Go away Tim...this level of politics is for ADULTS/b>
Yep, he bought into the fraud that is, AGW. Now he is trying to backtrack. Sorry no buy. Anyone weak enough and dumb enough to fall for the anti-capitalist green fraud will not get my support.
Lightweight RINO that is not worth a second look.
Hulk is not my first choice or anywhere close, and neither is Trump, but Pawlenty just put himself on the list of candidates I will not support. If they can beat Palin, Bachmann, DeMint, or other real Americans on the issues, I'm okay with that (except for Romney who is so close to being a socialist that he's not open to consideration). If they are going to treat conservatives like trash, I will hold a grudge.
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