Posted by Tina
Ex governor of Minnesota Tim Pawlenty is the latest Republican to announce his candidacy for president:
“Our country’s in big trouble,” he said. “We have far too much debt, too much government sending, and too few jobs. We need a president who understands that our problems are deep, and who has the courage to face them. President Obama doesn’t. I do. Tomorrow, my first campaign stop will be in Iowa, and that’s where I’m going to begin a campaign that tells the American people the truth.”
His own record of cutting spending received an A rating from CATO.
Mitch Daniels, meanwhile, decided not to put his family through the pounding that all republican contenders will face as they seek to unseat President Obama. Pawlenty’s announcement is only a day old and already the DNC has begun the negative attacks with a sound bite tossed into the online video pool.
All of the Republican contenders seem to be holding back a little and who can blame them. Why ask for negative hits (and why spend money) before it’s necessary. They know they won’t get the fawning year long rock star coverage that Barack Obama received when he was running. They know they’re in for a fierce battle with the opposition and the press as they attempt to discuss and debate the issues. In fact the media is chomping at the bit with early reports that the Republican field is weak. Even more interesting is a report that the Obama campaign is digging for dirt on Governor Chris Christie. Christie has emphatically said he will not run.
Here’s another curious wrinkle. William Kristol of The Weekly Standard has a bet going that the “next president isn’t currently in the running”.
The game is politics and the path to victory has been defined by a compromised media and a Saul Alinsky atmosphere. Is it possible that the grassroots conservatives have a game plan. I think so…stealth, of course.