Free Republic

AMES, Iowa (AP) - Fellow Minnesotans Tim Pawlenty and Michele Bachmann directly challenged each other at the GOP debate in Iowa, with Pawlenty calling her a failure and Bachmann likening her Republican competitor to President Barack Obama. The two sparred face-to-face during Thursday's debate, just two days before the crucial early test vote in Ames. The exchange began with a question whether the two have pushed the limit of civility, known as "Minnesota nice."

MIAMI, Aug. 4 (UPI) -- GOP presidential hopeful and ex-Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty said he would tell young workers they'd have to work to an older age to collect Social Security. People born after 1959 now have to wait till age 67 to collect full benefits. "If you're on the program now or anywhere near eligibility, you shouldn't have your benefits impacted," Pawlenty told The Miami Herald during a campaign stop. "But if you're in the next generation, we're telling you now, with several decades of warning, we're going to gradually raise the retirement age over time. If you're lower...

On Morning Joe today, Mika Brzezinski asked Tim Pawlenty to assess the strength of one of his potential rivals, Donald Trump, and the former Minnesota governor tried at first to remain positive, calling Trump “talented” and “interesting.” When it came time to assess Trump’s apparent platform of birth certificates, Pawlenty was decidedly less positive: Tim Pawlenty says Donald Trump needs to get off the birther circuit. In an interview on MSNBC’s Morning Joe, the former Minnesota governor said there are more serious concerns to weigh. “I, for one, do not believe we should be raising that issue,” Pawlenty said. “I...

Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R) on Tuesday urged political figures not to "play into" false rumors that President Obama was not born in the United States. Pawlenty, a likely presidential candidate, said Obama's opponents should focus their criticisms on his policies, not his birth certificate. "I, for one, believe we should not be raising that issue in the sense that President Obama was born in the United States," Pawlenty said on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" program. "I question his policies ... I don't play into that." Billionaire businessman Donald Trump, who has said he is interested in running for president...