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Obama Camp on Pawlenty: Bring It On
August 28, 2008 5:39 PM
ABC News' Teddy Davis reports: The Obama campaign signaled a willingness on Thursday to go after Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, R-Minn., for the 2007 Minneapolis bridge collapse, while saying that the populist argument it is building against Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., will continue, even if the presumptive Republican presidential nominee taps the son of a truck driver as his running mate.
"I don't think it's particularly relevant who the running mate is if the running mate is willing to embrace, in total, the Bush-McCain economic doctrine," Obama strategist David Axelrod told ABC News.
"Every day, Americans understand that those policies aren't working for them," he continued. "And if you have one more person out there saying we've made 'great progress' on our economy and that we ought to continue doing what we're doing, I'd be eager to have him travel far and wide. I think it's a losing message."
"Whoever he picks, it doesn't change the fact that it's John McCain's agenda on the ballot," added David Plouffe. The Obama campaign manager joined Axelrod at a breakfast with reporters in Denver, which was held on the same day that Obama is set to deliver a speech accepting the Democratic Party's presidential nomination.
Some GOP strategists have speculated in private about whether Pawlenty's odds of becoming McCain's running mate improved vis-a-vis Mitt Romney, in the wake of the Arizona senator's seeming inability to tell Politico how many houses he owns.
Romney, a former Massachusetts governor who ran against McCain for the Republican presidential nod, is a multimillionaire with four houses to his name.
Trying to undermine Romney in advance of a possible vice presidential announcement, the Obama campaign has been steadily painting him as an "expert" on "Cayman Island tax shelters."
"You couldn't have a more out of touch ticket," Plouffe recently told The Atlantic magazine.
Pawlenty, by contrast, owns only one house.
He recently told ABC's Jan Crawford Greenburg that he owns a $335,000 suburban home outside Minneapolis, and was quick to note that he still pays the mortgage and cuts his own grass.
Obama adviser Robert Gibbs acknowledged that a Pawlenty pick would leave the Democrats with less populist ammunition than a Romney selection. Gibbs was quick to add, however, that there is a "treasure trove" of other issues that can be used against Pawlenty, including the 2007 Minneapolis bridge collapse which killed 13.
"Each of these guys have their own thing," Gibbs told ABC News. "It would be nice to talk about Romney's stuff. But just because McCain picks a guy with only one house doesn't mean that we're going to stop talking about McCain's seven houses."
August 28, 2008 in Hunter, Duncan, Kucinich, Dennis, Romney, Mitt, Tancredo, Tom, Thompson, Fred | Permalink | User Comments (175)
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Yes... you guys are correct. We should make Success-In-Life (aka - multiple houses) a "bad" quality that is to be shunned.
For the record, I live in an Apartment. Most of my neighboors are lazy and on drugs, I have no sympathy for them. It wasn't life that screwed them, but the horrible choices they've made and continue to make daily.
Obama is certainly their guy though...
And clearly they know best... for they have 0 houses.
Posted by: SuccessIsAlwaysStolen | Aug 28, 2008 6:23:36 PM
I am somewhat confused as to how Biden is an elitist when his net worth is $150,000...
**************************
The Senator from MBNA and most of his money is tied up in those hair plugs and Italian Suits.
Posted by: Realist2008 | Aug 28, 2008 6:23:38 PM
The Viet Cong by sparing John McCain has tortured American Citizens.
Posted by: McInsaniac | Aug 28, 2008 6:23:40 PM
Pawlenty, eh? Well, it's nice to see that "maverick" McCain is taking orders directly from Herr Rove. He must have really enjoyed it when Rove and Company bent him over in the 2000 primary. It's called Stockholm syndrome when you relate to your tormentors.
Posted by: thebob.bob | Aug 28, 2008 6:26:08 PM
NoBama! NoBama! NoBama! NoBama! No Bama!
LOve those "Hope" Posters of Bama! All you need to do is cross out the H with the real deal
N or D
Posted by: Realist2008 | Aug 28, 2008 6:27:04 PM
SuccessIsAlwaysStolen: Working hard and achieving success should never be shunned. Cheating on your wife so you can use your celebrity to land an uber wealthy beer heiress? That's not exactly "hard won success."
BTW, remember when everyone was knocking Kerry for marrying an heiress? Pick up the phone pot, it's the kettle.
Posted by: Joe | Aug 28, 2008 6:27:12 PM
McCain went from being a POW to POB (Prisone of Bush). McCain is basically Bush's B_I_T_C_H. Wonder if W let his boyfriend have a go at McCain to loosen him up.
Posted by: Christopher London | Aug 28, 2008 6:27:54 PM
Pawlenty, eh? So, Captain America claims obama doesn't have the experience to be President. But, he's willing to choose this kid Pawlenty? Dan Quayle looked better fit to fill the job.
And, let's not forget who is saving McSame's bacon on a daily basis....his 37-year-old campaign manager, Rovian tactician Dan Schmidt.
McSame's experience? No more years!!
Posted by: JMFulton, Jr | Aug 28, 2008 6:28:23 PM
McCain is 72 on Friday. My neighbor was 63 until he died two days ago. Whoever he picks better be ready because any day now could be McCain's last.
Posted by: George | Aug 28, 2008 6:28:31 PM
In regards to the republican VP candidate, I will quote The Rock;
"It doesn't matter what your name is!!!"
The truth is, the vote come down to the economy and the war. Anyone who likes where we have been the last 8 years (in other words, morons) will vote for McCain. All the people with a brain will vote for Obama.
Posted by: JJS | Aug 28, 2008 6:28:35 PM
samhiguchi asks:
"Isn't the bridge collapse just a little low, even for the Obama campaign?!"
Not nearly as low the continual nonsense about Rezko from the McCainites. I think Obama has shown astonishing restraint not to point out Keating.
How come McCain supporters never talk about McCain, by the way? He seems to be just a bland stand-in for "Not Obama".
Posted by: John from CA | Aug 28, 2008 6:28:49 PM
It's Obama that is out of touch. The price of gas is what is hurting the economy. It causes the price of everything else to go up. 98% of the oil we use goes to transportation fuels and I don't see every american runnning out and buying a new Hybrid or electric car in the next 4 years. So we have to bring the price down by increasing the supply of oil....end of story.
Posted by: Ron | Aug 28, 2008 6:29:07 PM
Here's a thought, let's actually look at some facts. Biden's net worth is more than $150,000, but it is still remarkably low for being a US Senator. Here's Biden's financial statement from June 2008.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080824/ap_on_el_pr/cvn_biden_finances
Posted by: Joe | Aug 28, 2008 6:29:38 PM
McInsaniac: You are disgusting.Crawl back under your rock!
Posted by: casey | Aug 28, 2008 6:30:28 PM
McCain is not out of touch because he has seven houses. He's out of touch because HE CAN'T REMEMBER HOW MANY HE HAS. He has to have HIS STAFF get back to you on that.
Posted by: John from CA | Aug 28, 2008 6:30:52 PM
Topher, Francisco, Mack, decentAmerican, and lets not forget clever 08AMA All the Way:
Your all a bunch of idiots. Your comments give me the image that you all' are clones of Brian Peppers. Only if Kyle Bush was running for President. I bet he could win 36 out of the 50 states!
Posted by: ladyracer36 | Aug 28, 2008 6:31:43 PM
Anyone that votes for McCain is rich or crazy...
Posted by: Average American | Aug 28, 2008 6:32:02 PM
Apparently "realist2008" thinks that making a speech to countries around the world means the candidate thinks he is going to rule the world. What about repairing the Nation's foreign relations that have been crippled due to a war that was illegal? What about rebuilding allies that we need in a time when power houses like Russia could strike us with the touch of a button. These are real threats that need to be addressed. Or we can count on policies that address cursory threats that were more a campaign of fear to put profits in the pockets of people who own 7 houses; not to mention destroy our reputation globally. Maybe it isn't a bad idea to start talking to these people?
Posted by: noah | Aug 28, 2008 6:32:58 PM
Pawlenty has some minuses. Remember the I-35W Mississippi River Bridge Collapse happened under his watch. Pawlenty's tax policies were blamed as part of the cause of the collapse by Mayor James Hovland of affluent Edina He also defended Carol Molnau, the transportation commissioner who has been blamed by some for the collapse. Also, he initially supported but later disapproved of the importation of less-expensive prescription drugs from Canada to be used with the state's MinnesotaCare health plan, and also as a means to band together with other states and negotiate lower drug prices. Many Minnesota residents traveled to Canada, as well, to get prescriptions filled and the governor was supportive of their efforts to save money. However, the U.S. government put pressure on Canada to cease these practices and banned the importation of drugs from Canada in 2006. Finally, opponents of illegal immigration may want to think twice before supporting a man who announced a program for reforming the way Minnesota deals with persons who are in the United States illegally.
Posted by: Gerald Shields, Seattle, WA | Aug 28, 2008 6:33:24 PM
LOL @ REPUBS!!!!
Barack will finish you!!!
Posted by: DEMOCRAT | Aug 28, 2008 6:33:55 PM
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