As he considers 2012 bid, Pawlenty takes hit at home
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/images/04/23/art.tpaw3.gi.jpg caption ="A new survey indicates that more than half of Minnesotans do not approve of Gov. Tim Pawlenty's busy out of state travel schedule."]
(CNN) – Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty is discovering that laying the ground work for a presidential run can take a political toll back home.
According to a new survey from Minnesota Public Radio and the Humphrey Institute, 54 percent of Minnesotans aren't too keen on the governor's frequent out of state trips, which usually include visits to important presidential nominating states. Only 31 percent of voters approve of his busy travel schedule.
In even worse news for Pawlenty, Minnesota Republicans apparently would prefer Mitt Romney as their presidential choice than their own governor.
Stacked up against Romney, Pawlently loses 45-32 percent. In a matchup against Sarah Palin, Pawlenty comes out on top 59-24 percent.
The poll surveyed 750 likely voters between August 25-29 and carries a sampling error of plus or minus 5.3 percentage points.
Pawlenty – widely believed to be an all-but-announced presidential candidate, made news Tuesday when he issued an executive order that directs Minnesota state agencies and departments not seek federal grants under the health care measure, which was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Barack Obama this spring.
Pawlenty told reporters earlier Tuesday that the new law, which was a top priority for the White House and congressional Democrats, is a "misguided piece of legislation," and added that "anything that I can do to slow down, limit or negate Obamacare, I'm going to try to do it within reason."
Surveys indicate that the health care law is extremely unpopular with Republicans. According to the most recent CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll, 83 percent of Republicans oppose the measure.
Both are lousy candidates with no new ideas for America.
Minnesotans are smarter than we give them credit for. Pawlenty is a joke.
I live in Minnesota, and I think Tim Pawlenty has done so much harm in his dismantling of education funding, healthcare and prevention funding, and his version of "balancing" the budget. What the article doesn't mention is that the grants he has forbidden agencies from going after are free money for sexual education requiring no state matching. He did, however, encourage them to apply for a $500,000 grant for abstinence-only education that would require 3/4 matching by the state of Minnesota. I can fairly confidently say that this is not the will of the majority of Minnesotans. Just think what he would do with the entire United States as president...it makes me shutter.
Pawlenty loves to talk about how his state is broke and in financial trouble – and yet he takes all these trips and doesn't stay at home to help the people who elected him.
Sounds like Palin and every other self-serving Republican out there.
What a bunch of losers!
So, Pawlenty is not the hot shot "good chrizz-jun conservative" re-thug-lie-cants in MN thought he was. Nice to see that some of the good p[eople of the state are coming to their senses.
But remember, this is the same state that keeps re-electing Michele Bachmann so there are still quite a few dillusional nut jobs left in MN...
More news from nowhere. Why was that idiot Palin even in this poll? No surprise there.
State trips only occasionally tke the real Governors out of State. I would be upset if wanted to politic on my tax dollar. Wake up Minnesota throw the bum OUT.
Politicians have become so ambitious and focused on advancing their careers that they have lost sight of what they've been elected AND paid handsomely to do. This isn't just Pawlenty's problem. It's the problem of nearly every member of Congress, too. As long as these people are so desperate to get elected to higher office or just hold onto their own office, they can't be counted on to make the hard and sometimes unpopular decisions that decent leaders have to make.
As a Minnesotan, I will do everything in my power to keep this man OUT of office...any office for that matter. He has done Pawlenty of NOTHING for the state of Minnesota. I'm appalled that he would even consider running after leaving our state in a MAJOR crisis in all facets of government. Unlike Texas citizens, I will warn the national public of this man's misdeeds and consistent policy-making based on ideology instead of Minnesota's best interest. If he ends up with the Rep. nomination (which I cannot even believe we are discussing it so early), please remember the outcry that comes from Minnesota's residents. Pawlenty was nothing but a DISASTER!!!!!
In a match up against Sarah Palin, my shoe comes out 85-15.
I always wondered what Minnesotans thought of this guy's constant travels and addressing of national issues, when he's got the responsibilities of running a state.
And he's been doing it since the day after the elections
you r to conservative 2 win your homestate n a presidendial election.u barely got elected governor twice n minnesota
yes a dog fight.to see who can be the dumbest.pqwlenty. romney palin..how about throwing gomer in there.i.e huckabe.anyone else. DONT MAKE ANY DIFFERENCE.OBAMA 2012.LANDSLIDE.EAT YOUR HEART OUT REPUBS.
Any idiot should come out better than the moronic ex governor of Alaska. I bet my dog would. Samoyeds are much smarter than trailer trash ex Alaskan governors any day.
These are the same folks who send ex-wrestlers to their State Capitol as their Governor, and Saturday Night Live comedians to Washington as their Senate representatives. zzzzzzzzzzzzzz yaaaawwwwnnnnn...
I wonder if the single mothers in Minnisota feel the same way about refusing assistance.
This guy is one of the "they're gonna kill grandma" bunch.
He doesn't have a chance,.............
This guy is a total weenie and Mittens isn't much better. Let's be honest...Republicans have no realistic presidential prospects right now.
Pawlenty will soon be out of everyone's hair soon enough. Don't let the door hit ya on the way out!
Another presentational hopeful tracking the highways and byways of our lovely country campaigning instead of attending to the job they were elected to do.
Piyush 'Bobby' Jindal is another faux governor gallivanting all over the coveted primary states for fund raising and recognition status that he so desperately seeks for the presidential race.
But wait–Aren't these politicians SUPPOSE to be home fulling their duties as elected public servants'?
Now of course, you couldnt dynamite Piyush, our absenteeism governor, off his beloved oily shores of LA. He's tooo busy posturing and campainging for the cameras and 'doing the people's work.' .
Condemning the Feds for their slow response to the oil spill while simultaneously licking up for loot and grandstanding like he was the Joan of Arc and totally responsible for its source.
Piyush and his ilk are the biggest hypocrites who like to have it both ways and the droids of the GOP are his props.
These cherades of politicians should