Posted: 09/20/12 13:26
by Dave Mindeman
The Tim Pawlenty sell out is complete and his Minnesota career in politics is probably over.
Former Gov. Tim Pawlenty has been named the head of the Financial Services Roundtable, one of the top bank lobbying groups in Washington, which represents the nation's top 100 financial institutions.
This private sector lobbying gig is lucrative - the previous head was making $2 million a year -but it also has to "appear" non-partisan. Thus the Pawlenty resignation from the Romney campaign. This isn't a "rats fleeing the sinking ship" scenario....Pawlenty probably has had this in the works for awhile, but Pawlenty's recent anti-Midas touch in politics continues.
Pawlenty also indicated that he will not be a candidate for any office in 2014. The speculation was that he would oppose either Franken in the Senate or maybe try for another term as Governor in a contest against Dayton. But, it would seem, he has ruled all of that out.
Since 2016 has no major state wide race and Pawlenty has shown no interest in a Congressional seat, Pawlenty is done till at least 2018. And that kind of dormancy is fatal in politics.
Pawlenty, in the end, sold out for the money. He will go on to become a very wealthy man and leave in his wake, a Minnesota that struggles to regain its footing from structural deficits that Pawlenty engineered, education debt as far as the eye can see, and a horrific back slide on environmental policy.
He also leaves a state party in complete disarray. As the political head of that party, he left party leaders in charge that have destroyed the financial backbone of the party and during his tenure, an ideological split blossomed into a divided party with an ever weakening array of potential candidates.
Although a tenuous majority holds onto legislative control, leadership seems to vacillate and confidence in a repeat of that control is disipating.
How Tim Pawlenty will be viewed from a future perspective is hard to judge. In the end, I suppose, it will depend on who gets to right the book.
QUERY : What did Erik Paulsen send T-Paw as a Thank You gift ?
IMO, this is bad news for Al Franken. Pawlenty will now join with Norm Coleman to drive as many campaign contributors to Minnesota's off-year Senate race that the Republicans will define as "THE" race in 2014 for control of the Senate.
While Pawlenty had baggage and Minnesotans know him enough to vote against him ... outside of the Third District, does Minnesota know any reason not to vote for Paulsen ? He's a blank slate to many and comes across as a aimable guy with cute kids and a psuedo-record of fighting for working families ... and he sits on the Financial Services Committee (where he already has been "rewarded" by the lobbyists) so T-Paw will have no problem getting the supporters of the Financial Services Roundtable to donate to Paulsen.
Better enjoy this year's election season ... 'cause 2014 will be a bloodbath.