Tim Pawlenty to Rachel Maddow on MSNBC: ‘I’m available’

Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty made an intriguing election eve appearance on MSNBC’s “The Rachel Maddow Show” Monday — a rare visit from a conservative on Maddow’s fledgling cable-TV companion to her popular Air America radio program. If T-Paw’s guesting had the semi-forced, hesitating bonhomie of a first date, it’s a marked improvement over his bored-deer-in-the-headlights performance on political talk shows in the heat of last summer’s veepstakes.

Once being passed over for the McCain ticket sunk in, Pawlenty turned his sights to 2012, burnishing his future appeal to various demographics such as Jewish voters (with the announcement of a trade mission to Israel) and now, it seems, diehard liberals. His key message on Maddow: “I’m available, I’m available.”

Video after the jump, with a transcription of highlights from Pawlenty’s comments on McCain, the Franken-Coleman U.S. Senate race, and whether Gov. Sarah Palin is a drag on the ticket or a future leader of the party. (T-Paw’s sangfroid discussion of the woman who trumped his veep hopes is well worth watching through the end of the clip.)

Here’s a video clip from “The Rachel Maddow Show” (the interview with Tim Pawlenty begins at the 2:25 mark), and below that, a transcription of highlights from the segment:

RACHEL MADDOW: Gov. Pawlenty, it’s a real pleasure to have you on the show tonight. Thank you for being with us.

GOV. TIM PAWLENTY: Well Rachel, thanks for giving a Republican a shot on this show. We appreciate it.

MADDOW: Absolutely. I keep asking, but you guys are so recalcitrant. That’s why we’re very happy to have you.

PAWLENTY: I’m available, I’m available.

MADDOW: Oh, very good, very good. Governor, nobody is suggesting that John McCain should stop trying to win, the day before the election. But had he chosen to spend more time in states where Republican incumbents are struggling, like North Carolina, Kentucky, your own state of Minnesota, do you think he would be doing more to help the Republican Party rather than making these repeat visits to a state like Pennsylvania, where really he is very far behind?

PAWLENTY: … If the logic that you’re using is true, then the inverse of the logic should also be true. In other words, why isn’t Barack Obama campaigning in places where he’s got a big lead, where there’s congressional seats at issue? One would be Minnesota. Barack Obama hasn’t been here in months, and yet we have a U.S. Senate race that is essentially tied, with maybe the Republican having a slight advantage, Norm Coleman.

MADDOW: … Senator Obama is up an average of I think about nine points in your home state of Minnesota, and certainly that Senate race is being very closely watched around the country. I feel like it’s pretty clear that if Barack Obama were campaigning with Al Franken, it would help Al Franken. If John McCain were campaigning with Norm Coleman, would it help Norm Coleman?

PAWLENTY: Well, John McCain until not so long ago was doing pretty well in the polls here in MInnesota. Now it’s more of an uphill climb for him. Although last night we had a Survey USA poll in Minnesota that showed the race here at 49-46. If that’s accurate, Minnesota would be within the margin of error.

MADDOW: In looking at the polls in Minnesota, we think of it as a blue state but it really is quite blue this year. We typically think of it as a blue state but it is really quite blue this year. Do you think that is because of the economic crisis? Do you think that is because the McCain camp hasn’t spent too much time there since the RNC? Why isn’t McCain leading in Minnesota at this point?

PAWLENTY: Well, in fairness, Minnesota has a pretty deep liberal or Democratic tradition. We’ve had some success in making a more competitive state, and in the right year with the right candidate and the right message Republicans can win here. And John McCain I think did some good things here, made some good progress here, and still is competitive I believe. But it’s a fiercely independent state, Rachel. The Democrats have an advantage but the plurality of people here are independents or ticket-splitters or swing voters, so it can go back and forth depending on the year, the candidate and the circumstances.

MADDOW: … You, everybody knows, were on the very, very short list to be John McCain’s running mate. It has been a surprise to a lot of people that so many Americans have a strongly negative opinion of Sarah Palin as his vice presidential choice at this point in the race. Do you think that she will ultimately go down as a help or a hurt to John McCain’s chances of winning this race?

PAWLENTY: Well, that’s a debate that will I’m sure go on for a long time but in the end it will be answered by the data. I think Sen. McCain believes that he was facing a deficit position in this campaign, had to do something bold or take a bit of a gamble. I think she has energized the base and Sen. McCain believes she has appeal well beyond just the base. And, you know, that seemed to be working, post-convention. Of course many other things happened since then.

MADDOW: Do you believe that she has appeal beyond the base? Do you think that she’ll be a big part of the leadership of the party moving forward, even if she’s not elected vice president?

PAWLENTY: Well, I think again those questions will be answered by the data, and people can all spout off with their opinions and the like. But clearly she’s a very — person with a lot of skill, I think a lot of ability. And Sen. McCain believes she’s gonna be — has had appeal across the country. And look at those rallies, look at the excitement she has brought out. Not just from Republicans but from people across the country, from other political stripes as well.