Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s stamp is all over Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s announcement today that she will leave office at the end of the month. Media reports (video) aren’t failing to note the parallel to Pawlenty’s decision last month not to seek re-election. Palin and Pawlenty were reportedly the two finalists for the Republican vice-presidential slot in last year’s election, and both governors are said to be gunning for the top of the GOP ticket in 2012.
Pawlenty’s term won’t end until a new governor replaces him in early 2011. Palin said today she’ll quit July 26 and won’t seek re-election as governor.
Palin already has formed a leadership PAC, a national political fundraising group; Pawlenty has been advised to do so if he’s serious about seeking the Republican presidential nomination.
Both governors like to travel, but Pawlenty has an easier time of it from his home base in the center of the country. Palin has been hamstrung by her distant location far north of the lower 48 states — a handicap her resignation will resolve — and by a propensity to court scandal in her spending on trips and other items.
Pawlenty has so far been careful to characterize his trips out of state as being prompted by invitations to speak, and his press office makes sure to explain that expenses are covered by the sponsoring group, not Minnesota taxpayers.
Two other Republican presidential aspirants took steps nearly in tandem — but backwards — in recent weeks: Sen. John Ensign of Nevada and South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford announced extramarital affairs that appeared to doom their White House hopes.
Palin has a much higher profile than Pawlenty, and a stronger grip on the conservative base still essential to Republican support. But that didn’t stop a speaker at last year’s Republican National Convention in St. Paul from calling her “Sarah Pawlenty.”
That mixed-up appellation makes a bit more sense today.














17 Comments »
Comment posted July 3, 2009 @ 4:29 pm
Aye Carumba! She’s back!! Blame it on Dave Letterman.
Comment posted July 3, 2009 @ 5:11 pm
If that ding-bat runs, we’ll be stuck with a 2nd term of OBAMINATIONS… Unless ol’ MITT ROMNEY can convince Americans that a MORMON IS BETTER THAN A MUSLIM IN THE WHITEHOUSE. (At least Mormons believe in JESUS!)
Comment posted July 3, 2009 @ 6:20 pm
sarah palin is an idiot.she would damage are party if she was thinking about running in 2012.
Thank god,and good bye sarah!!!!!!!!!
Comment posted July 4, 2009 @ 6:00 am
*
*
*
*
HAI GUISE
SARAH PALIN HAS KNOT GHON ANYWARE
MITT ROMNEY FULLY SUPPORTS SARAH PALIN
YOUR PRESLEYDENT WILL KNOT LAST UNTIL 2012
*
ASTA
Comment posted July 4, 2009 @ 7:10 am
See folks, even the FREEPER thinks she’s a “ding-bat”
Comment posted July 4, 2009 @ 10:39 am
Whom ever “Let’s HOPE NOT” is apparently missed that part of the US Constitution that states, (Article 6) “The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the Members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.”
Comment posted July 4, 2009 @ 3:20 pm
THE UNITED STATES IS A CHRISTIAN NATION AND ALWAYS WILL BE. American voters WILL prefer a Christian, when given the opportunity to vote–without interference from THUGS like ACORNERS!
Comment posted July 5, 2009 @ 1:30 am
Even if you enjoy using caps to make a point, you are absolutely wrong, please learn about American history. The United States was not founded on Christian beliefs, if anything, our nation was founded by Deists. Do these sound like words from Christians? Thomas Paine felt, of “all the systems of religion that ever were invented, there is no more derogatory to the Almighty, more unedifiying to man, more repugnant to reason, and more contradictory to itself than this thing called Christianity.” Thomas Jefferson, “I have recently been examining all the known superstitions of the world, and do not find in our particular superstition (Christianity) one redeeming feature. They are all alike founded on fables and mythology.” And after unanimous passage in the Senate, John Adams, as President, signed into law, the Treaty of Tripoli which, in part, stated “As the government of the United States is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion.” There is reason for separation of church and state, your beliefs would be prime example.
Comment posted July 5, 2009 @ 8:29 am
Gang, this is MnIndy, not the Strib. Please go back where you came from.
Comment posted July 5, 2009 @ 8:59 am
Rant about ACORN all you want. Sieg Heil.
Comment posted July 5, 2009 @ 9:47 am
Even if you enjoy using caps to make a point, you are absolutely wrong, please learn about American history. The United States was not founded on Christian beliefs, if anything, our nation was founded by Deists. Do these sound like words from Christians? Thomas Paine felt, of “all the systems of religion that ever were invented, there is no more derogatory to the Almighty, more unedifiying to man, more repugnant to reason, and more contradictory to itself than this thing called Christianity.” Thomas Jefferson, “I have recently been examining all the known superstitions of the world, and do not find in our particular superstition (Christianity) one redeeming feature. They are all alike founded on fables and mythology.” And after unanimous passage in the Senate, John Adams, as President, signed into law, the Treaty of Tripoli which, in part, stated “As the government of the United States is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion.” There is reason for separation of church and state, your beliefs would be prime example.
Comment posted July 5, 2009 @ 10:02 am
My apology for the double-posting ~ that was not intended! Have a fantastic day!!
Comment posted July 5, 2009 @ 2:54 pm
Wow, she really wanted to upstage Michael.
Comment posted July 5, 2009 @ 4:16 pm
To Gabriella,
If the current and recent administrations had been TRULY CHRISTIAN, our beloved AMERICA would not now be in the sh*t-hole in which it presently finds itself! AMERICA THE COUNTRY *IS* PREDOMINANTLY CHRISTIAN, regardless of libtards’ fantasies. Sure, we have freedom of religion and separation of church and state, but that does not change REALITY: AMERICA–THE PEOPLE–ARE PREDOMINANTLY CHRISTIAN, AND AGAIN, IF RECENT ADMINISTRATIONS HAD BEEN TRULY CHRISTIAN, WE WOULD NOT FIND OURSELVES GOING UNDER.
AND YES, WE PREFER CAPS, LIKE IT OR NOT. SOME HAVE VISION PROBLEMS OR REASONS WHY THEY USE CAPS. GROW UP AND GET OVER IT.
Comment posted July 5, 2009 @ 8:00 pm
Eww make the crazy zealots go away
Comment posted July 6, 2009 @ 10:25 am
To CAP person. Why is it that you have such difficulty with being civil? If you want to be taken seriously, then back up your opinion with facts. It does not matter if the majority of Americans are Christian; we are a secular, non-theocratic nation. We are governed by our magnificent Constitution, not by religion. There is a reason why you do not see the words “Lord”, “Jesus”, etc. in our Constitution. And yes, some people have “vision problems” and if that is your logic for capping, then why not cap all your words?
Comment posted July 9, 2009 @ 6:48 am
Only the christian right sees Palin as a viable candidate… moderate republicans won’t vote for her in large numbers. Governor BridgeCollapse’s main competition will come from the tried-and-true politicians, such as Romney and Huckabee. Gov BC is building a lot of negatives in MN with unallotment, and it will be interesting how the national media reports on it… BC may be able to blame the negative firestorm on opposition politics, the way Palin did. In the end, it’ll probably be Romney, with BC as vice pres… they’ll be easily defeated by Obama and Biden.
RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URL
Leave a comment