Think Progress: Tim Pawlenty’s Extremely Weak Grasp Of Monetary Policy And International Finance
n August 9, 2011, Think Progress's Matthew Yglesias reported:
"When American Bridge sent a tracker to record this talk from Tim Pawlenty, I’m sure they were hoping he’d commit gaffes with a bit more political potency than the ones on display here. But if you happen to care at all about policy substance, what you’re about to see is the former Minnesota governor make a number of blundering errors that reveal fundamental misunderstandings of how monetary policy and the international financial system works:See the video after the jump
Pawlenty's Credit Rating Double Standard
Pawlenty Called Obama “Inept” In Response To S&P Downgrade. Pawlenty issued a statement in August 2011 responding to news that S&P had downgraded the country’s credit rating: “This is a sad moment for the United States, but it's a reflection that our country is in trouble. President Obama is inept when it comes to creating the conditions or job creation and economic growth. It's time for a new direction and a new President." [Pawlenty Statement, 8/6/11] More research after the jump
Washington Post Editorial: An early flip-flop for Senate candidate George Allen
An August 3, 2011 Washington Post editorial wrote: AS A ONE-TERM Republican senator, George Allen voted four times to…
Plain Dealer editorial: Josh Mandel's opportunism
The Plain Dealer editorialized on Josh Mandel's opposition to the debt deal. Mandel's position may appeal to the Tea Party…
Plain Dealer: Josh Mandel would have voted against debt deal, blasts Sherrod Brown
Steve Koff at the Plain Dealer reports: U.S. Senate candidate Josh Mandel, who's currently the Ohio treasurer, would have voted…
AP: Romney And Huntsman In Spotlight As GOP Contenders Weigh In On Debt Deal In Washington
On August 2, 2011, the Associated Press reported:
A Democrat-friendly outside group, American Bridge, echoed the criticism of Romney. “It’s great to see that after more than a month of negotiations, Mitt Romney finally decided to weigh in on one of the most important issues facing our nation,” American Bridge spokesman Ty Matsdorf said. “As somebody who is trying to campaign as a savvy businessman, you would have thought he would have tried to lead his party, but instead he has decided to kowtow to the tea party.”More from the Associated Press after the jump
Roll Call: Heather Wilson Running to the Right in N.M.
On July 5, 2011, Roll Call reported:
Heather Wilson (R-N.M.) sounds like a tea partyer. The former Congresswoman, who ran on her national security expertise and independent voting record to win five full terms representing Albuquerque, is now boasting that she has signed a conservative “cut, cap and balance” pledge, says she wouldn’t increase the debt ceiling unless a deal includes significant budget cuts and calls the new health care law unconstitutional.
AP: Snowe, facing primary fight, shifts to right on votes
On May 7, 2011, the Associated Press reported:
Maine’s Olympia Snowe has long thrived as one of the Senate’s leading GOP moderates, but she has recently sided with Tea Party movement activists on high-profile votes as she braces for a primary challenge from the right. Such votes could help Snowe fend off conservatives who mock her as a RINO — Republican In Name Only — and hope to sink her bid for a fourth term next year. Snowe insisted she has been true to her moderate roots. “I am who I am,’’ Snowe said. “I haven’t changed.’’
Mitt Romney On The Federal Budget
Romney Said That When Government Is “Bailing Out Banks” That “We Have Every Good Reason To Be Alarmed And To Speak Our Mind!” Romney said at the Values Voter Summit, “There’s something else that should concern us when the federal government expands at such a rate. When government is trying to take over health care, buying car companies, bailing out banks, and giving half the White House staff the title of czar – we have every good reason to be alarmed and to speak our mind!” [Romney Values Voter Summit Speech, 9/19/09]
Mitt Romney's Record With The Massachusetts Budget
During Romney’s Tenure As Governor Massachusetts’ Economic Performance Was “One Of The Worst In The Country” On “All Key Labor Market Measures.” “As Mitt Romney pursues his bid for the presidency, his record as Massachusetts governor will come under scrutiny, including how the state’s economy performed during his administration. Our analysis reveals a weak comparative economic performance of the state over the Romney years, one of the worst in the country. On all key labor market measures, the state not only lagged behind the country as a whole, but often ranked at or near the bottom of the state distribution.” [Boston Globe, 7/29/07]