Tim Pawlenty releases the first television advertisement of the 2012 presidential election.
Ad transcript:
A lot of candidates will come to Iowa and say the same things. The question is, have they done it?
In a liberal state, I reduced spending in real terms for the first time,
Took on the government unions and won,
Appointed a conservative supreme court.
And passed health care reform the right way – no mandates, no takeovers.
If I can do it in Minnesota, we can do it in Washington.
I’m Tim Pawlenty, and I approved this message.”
Television ads for Tim Pawlenty will begin running on Thursday in Iowa on Fox News Channel, making the former Minnesota governor the first candidate to place a large ad buy in the first-in-the-nation caucus state.
Politico’s Ben Smith first reported the story, and noted that the ads will run “starting tomorrow on Fox News with a buy just under $50,000 in the Cedar Rapids, Des Moines, Omaha, Ottumwa, Rochester, and Sioux City media markets. The ads will run from June 23rd to July 3rd.”
Pawlenty spokesperson Alex Conant previewed the tone the ads will take.
“Governor Pawlenty is well positioned to unite conservatives and do well in both Iowa and New Hampshire,” Conant emailed. “The soon-to-be-unveiled TV ads will introduce the Governor to Iowans about why he is the candidate with the strongest record and best results, not rhetoric.”
This commercial definitely fits Pawlenty’s style – not too flashy and straight to the point. In the short 30 second ad, he addresses his record of cut spending, battling unions, appointing conservative judges, and attacking Obamacare. All great points that conservative Iowans will love to hear. Unfortunately, the commercial is something that won’t excite anyone at first glance.
Also, T-Paw’s campaign stepped in and purchased the www.iowastrawpoll2011.com domain name and step up a great microsite. Props.
In the third year of Barack Obama’s presidency, unemployment is at unbearable levels, gas and food prices are skyrocketing and federal government spending is out of control. “ObamaCare” is unconstitutional, and it is already driving up health costs — not reducing them.
The president’s policies simply aren’t working. And more than that, he won’t even tell us the truth about the problems we’re facing and what it’s really going to take to get America back on the right track.
As a candidate for president, it would be easy for me to just tell the American people we can solve our debt crisis and fix our economy without making any tough choices. But we have now seen where that type of leadership gets us.
Leadership isn’t about fancy speeches and empty promises. It’s not about telling people just what they want to hear. It’s about telling the truth. Like too many Washington politicians, President Obama governs with an eye toward the next election, at the expense of the next generation. He would rather pretend there is no crisis and attack those who are willing to stand up and try to solve it rather than risk doing anything about it himself.
[...]
The problems facing our nation are severe. But we can overcome them. We will grow our economy if we shrink our government. We will create good jobs if we encourage job creators. And our children will be free to pursue their dreams if we rescue them from our debts.
Together, we will change our country, and this time, it really will be for the better.
Ever since the 2010 midterm elections ended, I have been a big fan of Pawlenty and Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels. Unfortunately, I awoke to the news yesterday that Daniels decided to withdraw his name from the 2012 presidential election talks. This leaves a lot of room for other GOP hopefuls, including T-Paw.
On the political advertising side of his announcement, Pawlenty’s ads have been on fire ever since he has hinted at a presidential run. Although his “I’m going to tell you the truth” stance isn’t anything new for a politician, the introduction and outro of the ad were great. They definitely portrayed a humble candidate who is ready to take on President Obama and his campaign war-chest. I just hope Pawlenty can keep up with others in his own party.
The College Republican National Committee (CRNC) is launching a television ad in Iowa this week with the goal of energizing young voters to get involved in the political process in a state that will host the first electoral contest of the presidential primary season.
Unlike typical political ads, the CRNC spot features pop culture references and an upbeat tempo with young people asking viewers about the $5 trillion per decade interest on the national debt. It calls on Iowa’s college students to ask presidential candidates, who will be courting their state’s voters over the coming months, what their plan is to fix the deficit?
Best part of the ad: It immediately takes President Obama’s “Win the Future” slogan and turns it against him. Bravo!
The real challenge behind this new ad will be to actually break through to the college demographic later down the road. Liberal cesspools, commonly known as “college campuses”, do a great job at keeping liberal group-think in and conservative philosophy out. Young people are known to be rebellious, but why are they supporting the Democratic Party who want to control their lives? Chris Long, president of the Intercollegiate Studies Institute, thinks he might have an answer:
From Long’s perspective, campuses fail to provide an understanding of the intellectual foundations of conservatism, leaving young people with no viable alternative to liberalism, with the possible exception of libertarianism.
Even if young people have a sensibility that they’re conservative, Long said, they are rarely steeped in conservative philosophy. That’s why the mission of ISI is to reinvigorate the “traditional liberal arts education” on college campuses and help students “understand what it means to be an effective citizen in today’s world.”
That’s no easy task. With the Obama administration on track to leave the next generation a back-breaking amount of debt and an economy in shambles, students might have to be “mugged by reality” before they’ll come to their senses about the future of the country, Long suggested. The struggle of ISI is to engage students in a discussion about first principles “before they get their first paycheck and half the money’s taken away.”
Hopefully 2012 will be a different story, but I am not holding my breath.
Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour said Monday he will not run for president in 2012.
“I will not be a candidate for president next year,” Barbour, a Republican, said in a statement. “This has been a difficult, personal decision, and I am very grateful to my family for their total support of my going forward, had that been what I decided.”
Barbour, the former chairman of the Republican Governors Association, said he would continue serving as governor of Mississippi and work to “elect a new Republican president in 2012.”
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According to a source close to Barbour, the governor felt he received positive receptions on recent trips to the early contest states of New Hampshire and South Carolina, but that his decision in the end came down to a “gut feeling”
In all honesty, I am shocked to hear Haley Barbour is not running. The man is incredible fundraiser and could make the Republican primary interesting. Unfortunately, I have always questioned Barbour’s chances at winning a general election against President Obama. His heavy southern accent and appearance would be an obstacle if he ended up going against America’s first black president.
With Barbour out, does that mean Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels will jump into the ring? Politico reports:
Daniels is candid: He’d be less inclined to launch a White House bid if Barbour does the same.
“My first inclination would be to help Haley,” said Daniels, adding: “It would be unusual [if we both ran]. On every past occasion, we’ve been teammates.”
A source close to Daniels tells NYT reporter John Harwood he’s leaning towards yes: “mitchdaniels confidant: Indiana Gov. now ’60 to 70%’ likely to seek 2012 GOP nomination”.
It’s official folks! US Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) released his budget plan that cuts $6.2 trillion in spending over the next ten years. Also, he released an awesome Path to Prosperity video to go along with it.
His plan eliminates hundreds of duplicative programs, reflects the ban on earmarks, curbs corporate welfare, brings government spending to below 20 percent of the economy, and much more!
The current path – which the President’s irresponsible budget commits us to – will result in a debt-fueled economic crisis, the shredding of the safety net, and a diminished future. Americans deserve better than empty promises from a government going broke. The budget advanced by the House Budget Committee ensures real security through real reform. The House Budget Committee’s FY2012 Budget Resolution helps spur job creation today, stops spending money the government doesn’t have, and lifts the crushing burden of debt. This plan puts the budget on the path to balance and the economy on the path to prosperity.
When it comes to addressing the crushing burden of debt, Rep. Ryan’s budget plan tackles it:
By continuing Washington’s spending spree, the President’s budget adds $13 trillion dollars to the debt over the next decade. Under his budget, debt held by the public would double by 2016 compared with the President’s first year in office, and triple by the end of the budget window.
By failing to address the unsustainable growth of autopilot spending programs, the President’s budget commits this nation to a crushing burden of debt. The CBO estimates that under the President’s budget, debt held by the public will near 90 percent of the entire economy by the end of the decade. The explosive growth of debt will continue in the years ahead. The CBO projects debt as a share of the economy to grow to 146 percent in 2030, 233 percent in 2040, and an unfathomable 344 percent in 2050.
If policymakers continue down the present course, the consequences will be dire. American families are still reeling from the hardships of the recent economic downturn, and millions of individuals remain out of work. Yet Washington continues to erect to new barriers to growth, to raise the hurdles to sustained private-sector job creation, and – most distressingly – to accelerate the nation ever-faster toward a debt-fueled economic crisis.
[...]
The Path to Prosperity lifts the crushing burden of debt, making it possible for the economy to grow and for Americans to prosper. This budget would cut trillions of dollars from the debt relative to the President’s budget in every year of their long-term analysis. In 2022, the debt would be over 25 percent lower than would be the case under the status quo; 56 percent less in 2030; 79 percent in 2040. By 2050, this budget would cut the debt in half relative to where it stands today, lifting nearly $120 trillion of debt relative to the President’s path.
Although I have only scratched the surface here, I am extremely excited about Rep. Ryan’s Path to Prosperity. There are some mighty big numbers in there and naturally it has quickly come under attack from the Democrats. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has already decided to share her baffling two-cents.
WARNING: Statements about grandma being forced to eat dog food because of heartless Republicans and their insane crusade for solvency will be a staple of Democratic talking points, especially with the White House desperate to win back seniors alienated by ObamaCare.
Oops… It has already started. Go figure.
*UPDATE* – May 25, 2011 – 9:55 pm
Reminder: Americans 55 years old or older will not be affected by Rep. Ryan’s plan, but does that fact stop the opposing political party from creating misleading ads like this?:
Wonder what you would find if you frisked President Obama’s plans for 2012?
Answer: He’s running for re-election! I know, shocking right?
Don’t be confused folks. The video posted above is actually President Obama’s first political advertisement. Hot Air reports:
Barack Obama is running for President in 2012, but he may be the last person we’ll actually see on this campaign. The Obama 2012 team released its first web ad this morning, but other than a couple of long-distance clips, Obama himself is nowhere to be seen. Equally absent — any hint of issues or claims of accomplishments.
How much trouble does O-12 face? They couldn’t even find enough enthusiastic people to fill out a commercial. In 2008, it was all about the passion, and yet only one person even mentions this, and only to say that Obama’s too busy to work that magic again. One of the last voices we hear in the ad comes from a North Carolina man who admits that he doesn’t agree with Obama on “everything,” but that he “respects” Obama. Yes, that’s the kind of momentum one longs to see at the start of a presidential campaign.
The advertisement is so boring that some people are even comparing it to a DeVry University ad. Haha.
On the Republican side of things, former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty released a rebuttal to President Obama’s campaign ad. Check it out below:
Now that’s more like it!
Also, the Republican National Committee launched their own ad along with a new landing page: HopeIsntHiring.com. In all honesty, the RNC needs to stay away from the gentlemen who did the narrating on that one, because he doesn’t fit the intensity of an attack ad.
Former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty announced the formation of a presidential exploratory committee on Monday, taking the first concrete step toward a 2012 run. He made the announcement on Facebook, posting a video with the dramatic camera angles and crescendoing music that we have come to expect from the former governor. Pawlenty made a post on his Facebook wall this morning telling visitors to return at 3 p.m. for a special announcement. In keeping with the theatrics of the video, a countdown clock ticked down the seconds until the announcement.
Obviously this was not a surprise to those who have been paying attention to the political scene on a regular basis, but it was important that Tim Pawlenty threw his name in the ring as a presidential candidate before any of the other bigger names. Unfortunately for T-Paw, the news of his formation of a presidential exploratory committee has the potential of quickly fading out relevance due to the 24/7 news cycle and chaotic events occurring around the globe.
On the bright of it all, Tim Pawlenty’s political advertisements are absolutely amazing and I can’t wait for more to come in the future!
Right now, Tim Pawlenty and Mitch Daniels are the two realistic candidates I have my eye on for the 2012 presidential race.
After unceremoniously crashing the Nevada Senate race last year — raising record amounts of money and becoming a headache for establishment Republicans while also endearing herself to tea party activists nationwide — Sharron Angle is returning for an encore performance with a run for the U.S. House.
[...]
Chris LaCivita, who served as political director for the National Republican Senatorial Committee during the 2010 election cycle, described Angle’s Senate campaign staff as severely incompetent.
“It’s a huge problem [for the party] if she has the same cast and crew,” said LaCivita. “She brings a lot to the table — she has an enormous fundraising base. But you can have all the money in the world and if you have the wrong people spending it, it’s mitigating.”
But, he added, “As long as she doesn’t have the ‘Dinner for Schmucks’ crew around her, I think she’s the frontrunner.”
Although I did not support Sharron Angle in the Nevada Republican primary, she was not that bad of a candidate. As mentioned above, she definitely had a awful campaign team surrounding her. Also, it is hard to ignore the fact she was going up against the Senate Majority Leader and his enormous campaign war chest. Ms. Angle’s image as a so-called “extreme right-winger” would have been formed whether she was one or not. Let’s face it, demonization was the only efficient campaign strategy Democrats had during the 2010 midterm elections.
Hey, at least she’s actually doing something right this time: She actually has a working website online.
Former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty presents… Courage to Stand.
I realize this advertisement is for Gov. Pawlenty’s brand new book Courage to Stand and his Freedom First political action committee, but if this does not get you excited about the upcoming presidential primary season then I do not know what will.
I do not know for sure, but it seems like this advertisement was created by the same person (or firm) that did the Republican Governor Association’s advertisements during the 2010 midterm election cycle.
Unfortunately, Gov. Pawlenty is behind in the recent polls, but there is plenty of time to catch up… Or match the charisma of this ad.
Democratic Sen. Kent Conrad of North Dakota reportedly plans to announce his retirement today.
The Washington Post and Politico reported the news, citing two unnamed Democratic sources.
If Conrad retires, that would create an opportunity for Republicans. Last year, Republican John Hoeven easily won the U.S. Senate seat of Byron Dorgan, who retired after 18 years.
Conrad, 62, has been in the Senate since 1987. He is chairman of the Senate Budget Committee and a member of President Obama’s [worthless] debt commission.
Sen. Conrad must be one of the few Democrats who actually recognized the aftermath of the Republican tidal wave that hit the country last fall and realized his odds at winning re-election were quite slim. After all, Hoeven (R) won Dorgan’s old Senate seat with 76.2% of the vote.
Although the Democrats currently have a 53-47 voting edge in the U.S. Senate, they will have to defend 23 Senate seats. Fortunately for the Republicans, we only have 10 Senate seats up for re-election.
In the wake of Senator Hoeven’s overwhelming victory last year, Senate Republicans fully expected North Dakota to be a major battleground in 2012, but Senator Conrad’s retirement dramatically reshapes this race in the Republicans’ favor.
Like millions of voters across the country, North Dakotans sent a strong message in November that they are tired of the massive spending and growing debt that we have been seeing from Washington. That is why the Democrats’ big government agenda will be a major impediment to any Democrat challenger who may now step forward in this race.
We believe this race represents one of the strongest pickup opportunities for Senate Republicans this cycle and will invest whatever resources are necessary to win next year.
Agreed.
As a Republican, it is completely natural to be very optimistic, but we must remember that Governor-now-Senator John Hoeven had an approval rating above 80 percent before he won last November.
Let’s hope that a strong and competent Conservative Republican will rise to the occasion to take on whoever the Democrats throw in the race.
