Pawlenty, Then And Now On Health Care
Posted by Mike Memoli | Email This | Permalink | Email Author
Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, increasingly active on the rubber chicken circuit, used a speech in Iowa last week to criticize Democrats on both health care and energy, saying at one point: "They should be focused like a laser on jobs, not acting like a manure spreader in a wind storm."
Over two years ago, however, Pawlenty was critical of his own party for being slow to offer solutions on those two issues, saying about health care in particular that the GOP has been "slow to articulate what they're going to do for an average person to contain health care costs." More:
There's a sense that there's emerging issues that we haven't responded to or been leading on. For example, health care is breaking the back of individuals and families and unions and employers. Republicans have been, I think, slow to articulate what they're going to do for an average person to contain health care costs.
People don't want the government to take over the system, but they do want to know, what are you going to do about it to help me and my families. So that's an emerging issue, or an issue that's been rising on people's agendas that I think the Republican Party has been slow to address.
The comments were made in a 2007 interview from John McCain's New Hampshire headquarters. The interviewer linked to the exchange after news that Pawlenty would be returning to the state as he prepares for his own possible presidential bid. Pawlenty was one of McCain's national co-chairmen for the 2008 race.
Of course, the economy has since emerged as the preeminent concern of Americans, and Pawlenty's comments in Iowa reflect that changed dynamic. But Pawlenty has also not shied away from the health care debate, recently announcing steps that states could take to expand coverage opportunities for citizens.
He also stepped in somewhat awkwardly on the debate on "death panels," reflecting the perils of being a primary candidate. Dan Balz yesterday wrote about the perils of Pawlenty potentially "losing his true voice and his authenticity" as he begins courting Republican activists.
