»» Columnists

Debate Clucker Tim Pawlenty Asks Candy Crowley ‘Is President Obama Chicken?’

Video

by Tommy Christopher | 12:36 pm, July 24th, 2011

» 44 comments

In a statement so rich, Republicans are refusing to tax it, GOP presidential can’tidate Tim Pawlenty (R-The Drain) rhetorically asked CNN’s Candy Crowley of President Obama, “Is he chicken?”

This is the same Tim Pawlenty (R-KFC), you may recall, who refused to repeat his criticism of rival Mitt Romney during a GOP presidential debate in June. Pawlenty also asked, “If you’re the leader of the free world, would you please come to the microphone, and quit hiding in the basement?”

Yes, if only we could get President Obama to step up to a microphone. That guy’s a regular J.D. Salinger. President Obama has been spending more time in the White House briefing room that a C-Span cameraman the past couple of weeks.

Pawlenty’s criticism is part of a Republican drumbeat to get the President to make public the specific concessions he’s willing to make in order to get House Republicans to remove the default gun from the mouth of the US economy. You don’t fuel the jet and present the sack of ransom money until you know that the hostages are going to be released, and there are few hostage takers who would have the balls to demand that the SWAT team help plan their getaway.

The problem here is that there are two issues tied together that shouldn’t be. If Republicans want to see a “plan” to avoid a default, here it is: raise the goddam debt ceiling. Is that specific enough?

In June, President Obama responded to criticism that he hasn’t shown leadership on the default threat (and earned a penile rebuke for his trouble):

And I’ve got to say, I’m very amused when I start hearing comments about, well, the President needs to show more leadership on this. Let me tell you something. Right after we finished dealing with the government shutdown, averting a government shutdown, I called the leaders here together. I said we’ve got to get done — get this done. I put Vice President Biden in charge of a process — that, by the way, has made real progress — but these guys have met, worked through all of these issues. I met with every single caucus for an hour to an hour and a half each — Republican senators, Democratic senators; Republican House, Democratic House. I’ve met with the leaders multiple times. At a certain point, they need to do their job.

And so, this thing, which is just not on the level, where we have meetings and discussions, and we’re working through process, and when they decide they’re not happy with the fact that at some point you’ve got to make a choice, they just all step back and say, well, you know, the President needs to get this done — they need to do their job.

Since then, of course, the President has been an almost daily fixture in the White House briefing room, and has taken a very hands-on approach to negotiations that Republicans keep walking out of. It appears that Republicans only want to be led to where they already are.

His larger criticism, that it was Rep. Paul Ryan who led on deficit reduction and not the President, ignores the fact that Americans overwhelmingly care much less about deficits than they do about jobs (which is what the Republicans ran on in 2010), and that cuts in government spending have already cost the US economy 500,000 public sector jobs, and an unknown number of related private sector jobs. Pressing debt and deficit reduction now is like going to get your fire extinguishers topped off while your house is on fire.

Even so, President Obama, compromiser that he is, played along with Republicans, supporting a deficit commission that they thought up, which those same Republicans then opposed. This forced the President to form the commission via an executive order.

The real point of Pawlenty’s remarks, though, is likely to draw attention to his flagging presidential campaign. Since his refusal to call out Mitt Romney to his face, Pawlenty has tried to recover with increasingly aggressive tactics, but the result has been poll numbers below the margin of error. Calling the President “chicken” would ordinarily be a good way to get attention, but not when you make the charge from within a cloud of your own feathers.

Here’s the clip, from CNN’s State of the Union:

barack obama, Candy Crowley, CNN, Debt Ceiling, deficit commission, J.D. Salinger, Mitt Romney, Paul Ryan, State of the Union, Tim Pawlenty

Anonymous

Isn’t he the guy who has been campaigning for 3 years and has almost no support from any constituency at all?
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_WH3ZLMM7CUKUHUIMK4TKXW6SQE John

Hey, he has gone from 2% to 3%. Pawlenty is a dud, but he is exactly right here. Obama and the Democrats have not given us any specifics and only have played politics with the debt ceiling.
Anonymous

msnbc couldn’t do it better tommy
Anonymous

He’ll just apologize tomorrow. That’s his M.O.
Anonymous

why scoff at the question so much Tommy? His point is the President has put NO plan on the table, ZERO. Did you see Timmy tax cheat Geitner today on tv danching around that fact?

The President loves to talk, he does’t say much of anything, but he loves to talk and he loves to hear the media praise him for it…empty words,. empty suit, manchild.
Anonymous

Pawlenty is making a fool of himself.
Anonymous

Fact: Would beat Obama though even polling as bad as he does!
The Real Royal Emperor

Why should today be different than any other.

I thank All the Marys in Heaven T-Paw wasn’t left to capture or kill Bin Laden. “Talk Tough Then Bacltrack” wouldn’t have done the job.

Has anyone heard from Bobby Jindal lately? The Republicans need him.
Anonymous

Fact: Put him in a tiger suit and he can become a democrat chick magnet!
Anonymous

Tim Pawlentry should take the live chicken out of his mouth it is really a used Bachmann Maxi-Pad. Tim is not too bright and can’t help making stupid comments.
Anonymous

Tommy is going to keep that Access to the WH open with this article!
Anonymous

How long before Paw-Paw is only interviewed via Skype on various internet sites? Not too long I’ll bet, he’s becoming more irrelevant every day.
Ccrazyhorz

He is is guy with allot of PUFF but no SMOKE.. *Dead Man Breathing*..
Anonymous

and whats with the images tommy, gun in the mouth, hostages,ransom money………little violent huh
Anonymous

This article made me smile on the inside.
Denialator

That’s if you only count the liberal leftists as his constituency.
Denialator

That’s if you only count the liberal leftists as his constituency.
Denialator

It’s really hard to soar with eagles, when you’re working with turkeys. Know whatta-mean?
Fred Farkle

Nice try at spinning, Tommy Christopher, but you’re a sick pup. Can’t carry the GOP’s jock strap on this way, ficiton writer.
Anonymous

Since the GOP ran on jobs, will the GOP be the first to lay out a jobs bill?
The Real Royal Emperor

“Yes, if only we could get President Obama to step up to a microphone. That guy’s a regular J.D. Salinger. President Obama has been spending more time in the White House briefing room that a C-Span cameraman the past couple of weeks.”

Great observation, TC. In fact, a number of Republicans have been whining about him spending too much time out in front of this issue.
Anonymous

it is amazing that the president can get in front of cameras, and keeps speaking, but never says anything
Harry

Tim Pawlenty is without a doubt the press candidate of this election cycle. By that I mean, the candidate who is always on TV, considered the favorite dark horse by the establishment, yet fails to ever gain traction. He could very easily close his campaign in a month with a poor showing in the Iowa Ames poll.
John Wayne Gacy

Yeah with all that charisma shining off his face. Another overtly partisan comment from justforpancakes.
Anonymous

You can get off your knees anytime now.
Anonymous

That’s because they will never allow ya on the outside.
Anonymous

The Prez is praying so. And please, keep drinking the koolaid.
Anonymous

Bobby just do some speechifying in Cleveland. And Kasich didn’t even show up. ALEC bribes can get you only so much.
Gar

This was a very poor job of the Obama network and Candy Crowley in particular. She let a nonplayer get on a roll and actually score some points on the ineptness of this administration.
Tommy’s bullshit of being held ransom and Obama can’t show his cards makes no sense.If the president had a plan and the American public embraced it, the Republicans would fold like a house of cards.
Again this administration fails miserably of doing the hard work of planning, explaining, marketing and delivering to the American public. That’s why the business community is perplexed and quite honestly most Americans have little faith that government is or should be the answer.
Out of luck MN taxpayer

Goober Pyle Pawlenty raised my property taxes 2000 % while he was Governor of MN, beware, beware, beware, master of shifty calculations. But he likes Lady Ga-Ga so he has to be OK Right?
Anonymous

2000% lol
Anonymous

Poor little Tommy Christopher has proven his credential as a card carying prog/ commie/ lib whether he intended to or not. He has definitely failed “Fair and Balanced” from journalism school, though I think they quit offering that a decade ago, he has mega flunked economics 101. which is the manifesto’s prime directive and admission key. Delink spending from grand theft, brilliant, just turn the O loose—”don’t throw me in dat briar patch”. It is embarrassing when lefties pretend to have a brain then expose their lack of aforementioned little used organ in the same sentence. I f journalism was still a profession I would suggest shunning him.
http://profiles.google.com/dippersdad Dipper Well

Tina, your knowledge of how government works, well actually of a lot of things, is showing. 1) It’s not the President’s job to put a “plan” on the table. That’s Congress’ job. 2) The President has, in fact, put a whole lot of proposals on the table. It’s just that Mr Boehner keeps walking away. 3) If the Republicans are actually serious about needing a “plan,” and not just posturing (a highly doubtful proposition), the author’s “raise the goddamn debt ceiling” is simple, direct and resolves the issue.

Oh, but you and the GOP don’t really want that – resolving the issue – do you? You just want to troll the web, the way Congressional Republicans troll the media, always putting your political advantage first, and the interests of the USA last. The whole right wing looks pretty pathetic right about now.
http://profiles.google.com/dippersdad Dipper Well

Yup, you nailed it, JWG. Only the East Coast punditry ever thought Timid Tim had a shot at anything higher than his own foot. Here in MN, we knew he’d manage to shoot himself, given a few bullets. It was only a matter of time.
Anonymous

yawn
Mickey Askins

Pawlenty who had balls only half the size of BB’s in his debate with Romney is calling someone else chicken? LMAO The loser is still a loser and should not waste the GOP’s time.
labman57

“Obama is not showing courage …” decries Pawlenty before crawling back under his rock.

Curious comment coming from a guy who won’t take a stand on any important issue until he’s had a chance to examine his political weathervane.

Remember that this is the same guy who lacked the courage of his convictions, transforming into a bowl of Jello when given the opportunity to confront Romney face to face during a debate on health care reform legislation.
Kelc

Well where is the senate plan,oh yea they don’t have a plan either.Wow, how many more excuses can you libs make for Obama and Reeds lack of leadership.With unemployment expected to still be over 8% well Jimmy Carter comes to mind.
LweisertinMN

Haw!! Haw!! T Paw, laid another rotten egg. Grow up or get out of the race you dwarf bantam rooster.
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_ECYBIXNKAG5E46BC3GCJQPA7CQ well_its_no_cannibal_holocaust

The obvious question that should be asked is why the hell is Candy Crowley interviewing Tim Pawlenty? He is currently polling at 2% and fading fast. I am only 2 % points down from TPaw, hey Candy I am available for an interview anytime this week, just let me know. Read my lips, NO NEW TAXES! and I am not really sure that Obama isn’t a Muslim.
Anonymous

Obama is the biggest Whimp ever to sit in the Oval Office. He is a Disgrace to America and should have been removed long ago, if we had any elected officals with testicles! Vote for Anyone But Obama in 2012! Keep your Powder Dry and your Weapons Clean, just in case the bastard child of a skand does win thru fraud in 2012!
Anonymous

Using the revolving door that exists between the media and the DNC/Whitehouse, it looks as if Tommy is auditioning to be the WH spokesman. It’s funny that as a WH reporter, you do a better job of speaking for the WH than Jay Carney. State run media is awesome.
Anonymous

Tommy, was this post approved by Rahm Cartman? What does he think? How did you manage to not throw his name in there somewhere?
John

The content of he interview was awesome. Failed leadership from Obamo is so true. Ducking, bobbing and weaving is not leadership. Nothing serious about cutting is coming from administration. Tax and tax and spend only works during a very thriving economy. Idiots in Washington are clueless.