He DID IT! He actually DID IT! Tim Pawlenty has announced that he is running for President! And he did it via YouTube!!
He is bold and daring! I feel a little tingle running down my leg! Uh-oh. BRB. Read this in the meantime.
"I could give a speech, and tell you I was running for president. I could have a podium with my campaign logo on it. I could have balloons -- red ones, white ones, and blue ones. I could pass out stickers and cupcakes.
"I could promise that we can eliminate a $14 trillion debt, create jobs for 10 million people, restructure social Security and health care -- all without making any tough decisions.
"Or -- I could try something different. I could just tell you the truth.
"The truth is, our country's in big trouble. We have far too much debt, too much government spending, and too few jobs. We need a president who understands that our problems are deep, and who has the courage to face them. President Obama doesn't -- I do.
"Tomorrow, my first campaign stop will be in Iowa. And that's where I'm going to begin a campaign that tells the American people the truth. I'm Tim Pawlenty, and I'm running for President of the United States."
(I stopped there because that's where TPM stopped and I'll be damned if I'll try to transcribe this myself -- not with patriotic tears in my eyes!)
We're done for!
I mean, look at this CHARISMA!
This is a man who, when speaking to you directly, can suck the very color out of himself and the entire environment! That is power!
(Yes, it is telling that he is proud of having searched Google for how to make an announcement, but that's just competence talking, Buster!)
I was afraid that Republicans were going to cover our hidden weakness: that President Obama doesn't understand that our country's in big trouble, that we need to cut the debt, that we have too few jobs, that are problems are as deep as the water under a bridge crumbling over a mighty river due to inadequate maintenance. I hadn't anticipated, though, that they would figure out that he also lacks courage. Curses!
Well, the cat's out of the bag now. I'm sure that the Tea Party will love this fierce attack on the President and will prefer him to Bachmann, who refuses to give them this sort of red meat attack.
If I have one criticism, it's that he did not thank Rep. Paul Ryan by name! That is going to cost him, but he can recover.
Well, we'll just have to soldier on and hope that he makes a mistake. Maybe he'll believe in evolution or something. Voters hate that!
Tue May 24, 2011 at 11:17 AM PT: Bold! Daring!