The Economist: American voters, meet 'T-Paw'

Gov. Tim Pawlenty introduces himself to the nation -- and it's clear he's a man who needs introducing.

By FROM THE ECONOMIST

Last update: November 14, 2009 - 9:29 PM

Presidential hopefuls find a natural habitat in Iowa. Before the caucuses, this energetic species can be seen marching in parades and munching pies at county fairs. Some, however, can be spotted by keen watchers a lot earlier than others. On Nov. 7, Tim Pawlenty, Minnesota's governor, gave the keynote speech at the Iowa Republicans' annual autumn dinner. "Are you fired up?" he asked the crowd, echoing the young longshot of 2008. "Are you ready to fight back?"

The answer, apparently, is not quite yet. In a field of veterans such as Sarah Palin and Mike Huckabee, Pawlenty lags far behind. Seventy-two percent of respondents in a recent poll had no opinion of him at all. This has a least one advantage: Pawlenty is a fresh face. Now his camp is trying to fashion him into the future of the party. But with Republicans in turmoil, Pawlenty is proving just how difficult the road to 2012 will be.

Pawlenty is in some ways a natural antidote to Barack Obama. He is young, just 48 (the same age as the president), and like Obama he has a compelling personal history. The son of a truck driver, he rose through the state Legislature before winning the governor's office in 2002. He is evangelical, antiabortion and progun, but manages to be all those things without appearing as abrasive as Palin. Most important, he describes himself as a fervent fiscal hawk. He has refused to raise state taxes, which Democrats say will leave Minnesota with gaping shortfalls. This year he slashed programs from the budget unilaterally, a move being challenged in court. However, though Minnesota's liberal voters may not like all of the governor's policies, they do like "T-Paw."

Pawlenty is coy about his ambitions, but he is plainly looking beyond Minnesota's borders. On Oct. 1, he formed a political action committee with a suitably bland name (Freedom First) and a benign premise (electing other conservatives). He has become one of cable television's most talkative heads. The speech in Iowa followed a big fundraiser; Florida and New Hampshire were to follow. All this is supposed to build a base of support. But there is also room for disaster.

In the era of tea-party conservatives, Pawlenty is calculatedly veering to the right. Speaking to the Economist in St. Paul, he recently explained that the Earth might be warming but that it is unclear "to what extent that is the result of natural causes." After a blog called him "milquetoast establishment" for not endorsing a conservative candidate in New York over a moderate Republican, Pawlenty hastily endorsed the conservative. A Democrat won the race. On Nov. 3 he questioned Olympia Snowe's place within the Republican Party. He later called Snowe, a moderate senator, to apologize.

Despite these swings, Pawlenty insists that the best path to power is to uphold conservative tenets. "It's about trying to convince Democrats and independents to join us because our views, our ideas, our values are hopefully attractive to them." But the governor has his work cut out. "My base?" he asked in St Paul, and pointed to an aide and his dog.

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