Minnesota Independent

Obama appoints Pawlenty’s pastor to faith council

By Andy Birkey | 02.07.11 | 8:17 am

President Obama named a dozen faith leaders to the President’s Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships on Friday, and two of them hail from Minnesota. Leith Anderson of the National Association of Evangelicals, who is also Tim Pawlenty’s pastor, was appointed by Obama, as was fellow Minnesota Bishop Mark Hanson of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The council, formerly known under President Bush as the Office of Faith-Based Initiatives, has had a healthy number of Minnesotans under Obama.

Pawlenty’s presidential ambitions get the Pat Robertson treatment

By Andy Birkey | 12.13.10 | 10:00 am

As part of it’s “Elephant in the Room” series, Pat Robertson’s Christian Broadcasting Network did a half-hour long segment on Gov. Tim Pawlenty and his presidential aspirations. CBN’s David Brody sat down with Pawlenty and wife Mary as well the Washington Post’s Chris Cillizza and Politico’s Jonathan Martin. Among the topics were Pawlenty’s connection to the evangelical community and his lack of name recognition.

Pawlenty tells 700 Club his family is ready for 2012

By Andy Birkey | 10.20.10 | 10:45 am

Gov. Tim Pawlenty and First Lady Mary sat down with Pat Robertson’s 700 Club last week to discuss presidential ambitions and the family’s faith. In the interview, Pawlenty says his family is ready to take on a presidential campaign even if Pawlenty himself is still coy about his ambitions for higher office.

Pawlenty recycles gags during Iowa visit

By Paul Schmelzer | 08.02.10 | 9:29 am

It was Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s fifth visit to Iowa in less than a year, but that’s not why some may have gotten a sense of déjà vu. It’s his repeated use…

AM.MN: Like Oprah, Pawlenty will quit his show in 2011

By Chris Steller | 11.20.09 | 9:00 am

The year 2011 will be the end of an era in broadcasting. That’s when Oprah will leave her long-running show — and, by coincidence, when Gov. Tim Pawlenty will leave his, Minnesota Public Radio confirms.…

It-boy Pawlenty debuts before Iowa GOP to strains of ‘It ain’t me’

By Chris Steller | 11.07.09 | 11:24 pm

Taking his opening shot in the state that hosts the nation’s earliest presidential caucus, Gov. Tim Pawlenty could hardly miss by appealing to “Heartland values” that Minnesota shares with neighboring Iowa. But other parts of his Saturday-night speech to Republicans…

Pawlenty named GOP “star” like Jindal … and possible john like Spitzer

By Chris Steller | 07.20.09 | 11:51 am

If Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s office still uses those “While You Were Out” notes, his Monday-morning stack would make interesting reading. During his weekend trip to Iraq, Pawlenty was called a GOP “star” like Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, and his name came…

Pawlenty bows to tea-partiers in GOP weekly address

By Chris Steller | 04.11.09 | 6:11 am

In the Republican response to President Obama’s weekly address today, Gov. Tim Pawlenty regurgitates the right-wing Tax Foundation’s discredited “Tax Freedom Day” calculation to claim that ”the average American has to work from January 1st until this Monday, April…

CPAC ’09 RIP: Pawlenty dubs wife ‘hot,’ Coleman ‘plausible,’ Reagan irrelevant

By Chris Steller | 03.03.09 | 3:40 pm

picture-12 We’ve had “Representation WITH taxation,” faith-in-God-in-government, Franken-Coleman to the Supremes, ”Michael Steele, you be da man. You be da man” and “You be da man (Remix).” To…

Minnesota’s Capitol not an active front in ‘War on Christmas’

By Chris Steller | 12.26.08 | 4:40 pm

Washington state’s capitol has been beset with proliferating religious displays this holiday season — some of which are being taken as shots across the bow in the annual “War on Christmas” promoted on Fox News. “Fox and Friends” co-host…