Pawlenty Spins His Fundraising Numbers

The way they are trying to spin Pawlenty's fundraising numbers shows the dire situation his campaign is in. Today, Governor Tim Pawlenty’s spokesman, Alex Conant, released this statement: "Gov. Pawlenty will report that his campaign has raised about $4.2 million, and begins the third …

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Written by Robert Lee on Saturday July 2, 2011

Why Pawlenty Doubled Down on Ethanol

It's right for Tim Pawlenty to travel to Iowa to denounce ethanol and other farm subsidies. But is this his way of downplaying his Iowa expectations? It's courageous, principled, and right for Tim Pawlenty to travel to Iowa to denounce ethanol and other farm subsidies. But I'm also left wondering: …

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Written by David Frum on Monday May 23, 2011

Pawlenty: GOP Nominee by Default?

Pawlenty would be a fine president. Yet, I've never met anyone enthusiastic about him. Can he reach the presidency with everyone saying, "He's fine, he'll do"? Jonathan Chait reasons his way to Pawlenty as the most plausible GOP nominee for 2012. Chait is applying the Sherlock Holmes methods: …

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Written by David Frum on Tuesday March 8, 2011

America's Secret Trillion Dollar Debt

When times were good, governors who cut taxes received praise for their "tough" fiscal conservatism. But they may have left taxpayers with a $1 trillion tab. A PS to my recent column about the huge mind-crunching pension liabilities of state governments: $1 trillion in total, according to the …

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Written by David Frum on Thursday February 24, 2011

Thune's Out. Who Gains?

Today, South Dakota Senator John Thune announced that he wouldn't run for president in 2012. What does his decision mean for the rest of the GOP field? If you work on the assumption that the 2012 GOP nomination contest is a battle between Romney and not-Romney, John Thune's departure helps …

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Written by David Frum on Tuesday February 22, 2011