For His Legacy’s Sake, Pawlenty Will Support Tragedy Tax
Posted by Andy on August 30th, 2007
Governor Tim Pawlenty (RINO MN) has released the level of tragedy gas tax increase he sees as acceptable eventhough billions of dollars have and will be wasted on non-highway and bridge spending by Minnesota’s Government.
The Republican governor says he would prefer to keep the increase at a nickel or less, [...]
But support it he is going to do, promises be damned. This is a straight tax increase, no question or spin about it. Pawlenty has just announced he will raise taxes across the board. FACT!
I certainly hope this is the final straw for the Republican Party of Minnesota’s leadership. Pawlenty seems squarely in the corner of it is all about him, damn the citizens, and to heck with the priorities.
So it is high time that the Republican party of Minnesota stand up for something, rather than in the shade of a man willing to buck public will, and his own political party which he owes his job to, just for his own legacy’s sake.
Pawlenty feels he has to raise taxes to remain liked by Minnesotans, but little does he know that the public likes strong leaders who don’t cave on their own principles the first time the waters get rough. Pawlenty has done so twice now.
Obviously he doesn’t really believe in limited government or accountability of the Government to its citizens. It is impossible to stand behind a man who will stand for everything. He’s blown this opportunity to correct the misdirected priorities in state spending and getting Government back on track to serving the people. Nope, this new pledged support for a gas tax is adding fuel to the DFL fire to make teh citizens work for the Government.
With Pawlenty stupidly announcing that he will sign a gas tax, all he’s done is open the door for the DFL to start at a quarter. They can always come back to a dime or so since Pawlenty will support it, so why won’t the DFL try to get more? That is what liberal big government nanny staters do. Gee, guess who has sided with them and ended to honeymoon and erased the good will from the vetoes.
We don’t need no stinking tragedy tax. We don’t need the Governor advocating for more government. The same government under which the 35W warning signs were missed, is going to get bigger. Thanks to Pawlenty’s desire to seem moderate, he’s forgotten all about his principles. He has abandoned his party far too often, and it is time fpr the party to do something about it.
He didn’t make the liberal Legislature prove that Government really has no waste and needs the new funds. Nope instead Pawlenty has spent the month since the 35W collapse throwing out ideas for the DFL to adopt to raise spending and or taxes. The man has either the worst advisors in the world, or the rumors are true, and he doesn’t give a rats arse about the conservative movement or Republican party.
Unless the Republican party starts to put some room between themselves and Pawlenty, you might as well forget all about 2008. Save the money, save the time. Pawlenty is going to destroy the Republican party, no wait, he may already have.
OHHHHHHHH, OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH, OOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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August 30th, 2007 at 7:46 am
OK - settle down you…
He said that he will support it ONLY if there is an offsetting tax CUT!
I am not fond of the idea of a gas tax myself, but you know and I know that there is no way in Hades that the DFL legislature will come up with a tax cut to offset the gas tax. IT AIN’T GONNA HAPPEN!!!!! This way, the Governor looks like he is willing to compromise and the DFL (who will instinctively reject the tax cut) are the ones that look to be obstructionists! He is actually playing this quote well…
LL
August 30th, 2007 at 8:49 am
Ah, so the Pawlenty spin control is your task now.
Not gonna buy it.
Sorry, he’s sold his principles out for a little positive press. This was an issue where the Tim Pawlenty of 03-04 could have used the line, “we don’t have a revenue problem, we have a spending problem”, but nope, now we got the new and approved Tim pawlenty trying to raise every single person’s tax burden (ok well 95% that drive, oh but everyone who consumes will pay higher prices for goods… so it is a 100%) all so he can say he’s lowering a minority of people’s taxes?
Honestly, is he really this stupid?
When the DFL rejects the offset cuts, and passes a gas tax. Pawlenty can veto it, but the GOP caucus will not be held together. There are already a number of them who have advocated an increase in the gas tax. Like they won’t override him.
Get riled up. Our Governor is going to remove the last bit of energy the conservative base has, and I am sorry to say, there aren’t enough blind party loyalists to volunteer at election time to fill the man hour slots.
That’s why the party had better start opposing the Gov. and publicly, or else all the people who consider themselves members of a party that stands for something, will soon realize the party stands for one thing…. and that is what Pawlenty wants it to.
August 30th, 2007 at 9:16 am
Take a look at what your fellow bloggers– less prone to hyperbolic wailing and gnashing of teeth– have to say on the subject.
http://northstarliberty.blogspot.com/
Mr. Pawlenty has proven himself adept at the old quarterback draw play before, and I have no reason to believe he isn’t pulling it again. At this point, it is the DFL that desperately needs a new playbook, not the Governor.
I’ve learned not to worry about what he says he’s doing with his left hand. I wait until I see what he’s actually done with his right.
August 30th, 2007 at 4:05 pm
Andy, If talk of a special session is all that it takes to destroy the GOP, then it isn’t worth belonging to. Take a deep breath (nay…instead take a few dozen deep breaths), think things through & stop making emotion-based declarations that aren’t based in fact.
Andy, I know you work hard getting conservatives elected but making such hyperbolic statements this frequently isn’t helpful.
August 30th, 2007 at 4:06 pm
One last thing: I take offense at you saying that Lady L is part of the “Pawlenty spin machine.”
August 30th, 2007 at 6:18 pm
I think Andy goes hyperbolic because he is frustrated. Many conservatives are these days. It gets old when we have to constantly remind our guys why we put them in office in the first place.
There is plenty of talk about unity, backing Republican incumbents, sticking together and all that. It isn’t the base that is breaking away, though. It’s too many of our elected officials who are threatening party unity by veering left for personal gain.
The party base has been consistent. Year after year, the platform we craft stays much the same, expressing our collective views and desires quite plainly.
Politicians we support and elect who then turn around and view the base with open contempt, and turn away from the principles they proclaimed to win endorsement are causing the fractures.
After dealing with these situations for years and years, and making the same arguments over and over, it’s easy (and understandable) to develop a hair-trigger when catching a whiff of something fishy.
August 30th, 2007 at 6:54 pm
“Ah, so the Pawlenty spin control is your task now. ”
Spin control my *** AAA. It’s called playing the corporate mind game. After 10 years in corporate telecom, I got real good at recognizing the game when it was being played and the Gov is playing it for all it’s worth!
I must ditto what Gary said (although AAA knows I will get my revenge on him for that “spin control” crack!)
Dan - I appreciate yours (and AAA’s) frustration….I share it! However there have been successes and we need to remember that and instead of lashing out, we need to remind the elected officials that we DO have a platform and WHAT it says. You have a better chance of influencing these people with firm, kind words - rather than hyperbole. Remember….there is true to the old adage “You catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar!”
LL
August 30th, 2007 at 7:04 pm
I just don’t think Pawlenty understands that when the demoralized Republican activists see that ‘their’ Party leader is supporting a gas tax every time they open a paper or hear the news clips, they get more pissed off. (see my post above)
Look, Pawlenty can play all the mind games he wants, he AIN’T on the ballot and doesn’t need to face the voters, BUT there are scores of other Republicans who do, and if Pawlenty keeps pissing us off, well, we won’t work.
In the end, I hope you are right, and Pawlenty is going to fool the DFL, but those activists out there will never forget about this support for a gas tax. They still can’t let go of the Fee or stadiums, or 10% spending increases, smoking bans, and his fringe left environmental stances.
We have damn good memories.
As Dan said, we send people forward to stand for our ideals, not play with our emotions.
pawlenty can do whatever he wants, so long as he releases the Republican Party leadership to carry the party platform and conservative message.
It would be a win win. Pawlenty could seem the moderate he wants to, and teh GOP could grow the conservative base, which is the working class of the party, if you will.
And if y’all don’t think you’re spinning, you might want to reread your thoughts. You’re explaining what Pawlenty is thinking, not saying.
He said he would support a gas tax increase.
August 30th, 2007 at 7:25 pm
Andy, Thanks for reading your crystal ball for us. I am off to share a hotdish with Al now, our next Senator from MN. I really appreciate you sharing now and saving me and the rest of the Republicans in MN another 14 months of what would have been wasted effort.
August 30th, 2007 at 7:48 pm
AAA - all the governor has to do is read the polls! 57% do not want ANY gas tax increase. Say what you will about Pawlenty, he tends to be poll driven.
Bent - snark all you want but this is a discussion that MUST be had by the entire Republican Party. Take off the blinders, put away the snark and DIALOG WITH US!!!!! You just might learn something!
LL
August 30th, 2007 at 9:11 pm
As I posted on my site, if this comment works, it will be my fourth try. Here goes:
Is AAA hyperbolic or is T-Paw hyper-frustrating? I vote the latter.
August 30th, 2007 at 10:54 pm
I just heard Pawlenty speak tonight and I think that he is going to call a special session but I think he understands that like a hostage negotiator, time is on his side, not on the DFL leadership’s. The one thing that prevents him from going to the wall are the floods in Southern Minnesota. Yes, there’s federal aid but apparently some of the FEMA money is tied to a required 25% state match. And the money is due in like 60 to 90 days. And yes, he probably could use executive authority to spend reserve or emergency funds to cover that cost but apparently there is some kind of ambiguity over the legality of authorizing the expenditure. If we were talking Arne or Jesse, they would just go ahead and do it and dare anybody to sue them. Who is going to sue the Governor for authorizing money to go to flood relief? But we are talking Pawlenty here, a lawyer, who likes to dot his i’s and cross his t’s. On such a slender legal thread the session hangs.
Apparently the DFL, who we see are so good at exploiting tragedies have gotten people to put up lawn signs in the flood zone, asking the Governor to call a special session. As we all know, this is a swing area for the Republicans. No doubt this has not been lost on the Governor either since he’s driven down there a couple of times now.
August 31st, 2007 at 9:53 am
Bent - snark all you want but this is a discussion that MUST be had by the entire Republican Party. Take off the blinders, put away the snark and DIALOG WITH US!!!!! You just might learn something!
It’s hard to dialog with Andy when he is so confident that the party is going to destruct if we all don’t agree with him. I’ve got 3 great Republicans representing me, Ramstad, Coleman, and Pawlenty. Who does Andy have? A lot of gripes and complaints?
Pawlenty will do what he can to represent Minnesota, I’ll do what I can to support to support my Republicans, and Andy will undoubtedly keep complaining about his party.
Brent
August 31st, 2007 at 2:51 pm
Well guess what Brent - not everyone agrees with you! You are NOT the center of the universe and last I looked AAA still had the RIGHT to have his own opinion!
If you don’t agree with him fine, but if he is that difficult to deal with WHY DO YOU KEEP COMING BACK?????
LL
August 31st, 2007 at 4:11 pm
If you don’t agree with him fine, but if he is that difficult to deal with WHY DO YOU KEEP COMING BACK?????
Andy has the only blog that I find entertaining anymore.
Besides, he’s a nice person, if only a little misguided in his zeal. I just do my part to try to point it out now and then. Also, no matter what happens, I’ll be there next year at the endorsing conventions to cast my vote for Ramstad and Coleman. In the end, that is the only thing that really matters.
September 1st, 2007 at 12:29 am
“Besides, he’s a nice person, if only a little misguided in his zeal.”
Misguided in his zeal? I’d point to moderates and say they are misguided in their complacency. Horriby, horribly misguided.
We need more people with passion and conviction in the GOP, not more go-along to get-alongs.