Tim Pawlenty faced down a bus strike and a government shutdown in his days as Minnesota governor. Out of office, he's getting even tougher on public unions. Two days ago, before today's statement weighing in against the embattled public employee unions in Wisconsin, Pawlenty urged Florida lawmakers in Tallahassee to approve a bill that would make it easier to fire public school teachers. "I would have given a lot to have a bill like that on my desk," Pawlenty said, according to the St. Petersburg Times. Of course, he never got a bill like that on his desk. Nor did he ever try and strip public employee workers of their collective bargaining rights, as Wisconsin Republicans are now trying to do. To end the government shutdown he raised a "health impact fee" that many, including Republicans, called a tax. They said the move broke his no new taxes pledge.
Pawlenty also said in Florida that he could decide within six weeks about a presidential run. Next week on the Pawlenty presidential watch: His address to the Tea Party Patriots 1st Annual Summit in Phoenix a week from today.
