E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSSTim Pawlenty accused President Obama of being a "champion practitioner of class warfare."
“Elected with a call for unity and hope, he's spent three years dividing our nation,” the former Republican Minnesota governor, who’s running for president, said today at a speech on the economy at the University of Chicago. “And fanning the flames of class envy and resentment. To deflect attention from his own failures. And the economic hardship they have visited on America. "
Pawlenty took a dig at President Obama, asking the crowd about the "recovery summer" that the "President said we were having.” Noting unemployment and the nation’s debt, Pawlenty said the "president needs to enter economic rehab. And the American people need to stop his policies. Cold turkey."
Pawlenty proposed an overhaul of the tax code, calling the current on “anti-growth" and that "it's main goal --- seems to be to generate campaign contributions. Not jobs." He suggested the rate be reduced from 35% to 15%, adding that it’s "littered with special interest handouts --- carve-outs --- subsidies --- and loopholes." He said that a reduction would "reduce cronyism --- favoritism --- and government manipulating markets for political purposes."
Pawlenty later called for what he termed "The Google Test," and said that if the American people "can find a good or service on the Internet, then the federal government probably doesn’t need to be doing it."
He also called for the elimination of the U.S. Postal Service, the Government Printing Office, Amtrak, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
"The post office, the government printing office, Amtrak, Fannie and Freddie were all built for a different time in our country,” Pawlenty said. “When the private sector did not adequately provide those services."
Leave a Comment:
Obviously the solution is to give even more money back to the richest people and naturally the class warfare will abate itself:
Because the rich will win the war. Ta dah, no more class warfare!
I find it remarkable that Mr. Pawlenty dares to make such claims with absolutely no logic or evidence to back them up. This does follow a rather successful methodology of many so-called conservative mouthpieces and it must be moderately successful due to the increasingly frightful decrease in literacy and lack of fact checking Americans now accept.
What kind of individual practices this disgusting art? Certainly not one worthy of consideration for public office.
P.S. Class warfare is over. The rich won via their influence peddling and paid lobbyists.
Sir Nickers
The "War" has not yet begun so how can it be over?
Before that happens maybe you want to Join the "Revolution" with Ron & Ralph & US........at least that way it will still be mostly peaceful after 2012..... and lots of work cleaning up their mess!
Otherwise move to Syria....ya'll probably be much safer there because you know you can't trust your hired help!!
Why is it when progressives want to help the working poor and middle class, conservatives always refer to that as "class warfare" but when conservatives want tax breaks and subsidies for wealthy people and corporations, they refer to that as "free market principles"?
The Republicans are on the same stupid path as they were last election. Obama has them mesmerized again so they continue to talk about him; saying just enough negative things about him just a tad below racist. Listen: failure, birther, not one of us, take my country back (from what), starting class warfare, giving Bush credit for bin Laden, not mentioning GM re-paid their loan with interest, always about Obama. It's never about what they will do, and when they rarely put something together like the Ryan plan its cutting spending at the sake of the elderly. I'm so sick and tired of the Republicans that I'm going to change my party to Dem. The Republicans have lost me and the election is easy for the taking but they go on and on about hating on Obama rather than doing the things they need to do. Stop saying no to things that is not going to fly for the sake of principle, and fox news. Do the things you need to do, work on bipartisan things that will keep things moving instead of being the reason for a stagnant government. Stop saying no to everything. The Republican candidate that learns how to treat Obama and the office he holds with respect while providing sound alternatives will move into the lead of the field. Those candidates that continue to let us see echos of the old boy network and their resentment of a an African-American president need to review the video so that can articulate better with their rhetoric. Whatever happened to Mr. President (right or wrong, like or dislike) it's disgusting even for members of Republican parties. These candidates don't even seem real in their decorum but appear to be appeasers for all the wrong reasons.
Class warfare ? If it is against the super -rich and Wall St and muti-national American corporations that sent our jobs overseas, tell me where I can join its ranks. Obama is leading it ?? As an Independent where do I sign up ? This time (2012) I WILL vote for him !!!
Pawlenty is right, Obama has done nothing to unite this country since his election. Where is the transparency in government he promised? How about his promise not to fill the White House with lobyists and career politicians? If Obama wanted to send this country in a new direction, why did he insist on rebuking the former president to his face at his innauguration speech? Or for that matter, why did Obama feel the need to insult the Supreme Court to their face at a joint session of Congress? He has done nothing but promote partisanship and disharmony in Washington. And don't for a minute think he is one of the "common people" -- while he was busy learning executive skills as a community organizer, his wife was pulling in $350,000 per year from the University of Chicago. Sure sounds like a promotor of class and political warfare to me and anyone with a clue.
There is a class war going on but not by the majority. The wealthy are guilty of class war against the rest of us.
There is always class warfare - the question is, who's winning. For the last 40 years, it has been business at the expense of the middle class. Union breaking, lower wages, smaller middle class. History shows the decline of Egyptian, Roman, Assyrian, and other empires followed the same track. Feed business as the expense of the middle class until society collapses. Anyone who makes less than $250,000 and votes republican is fueling their own poverty. As for Democrats - don't kid yourself, Democrats are a frog hair away from being just as bad about catering to big business as Republicans.
Class warfare is alive and well. Don't know if it will ever be eliminated, however, class warfare should not be promoted by Washington DC. Their jobs should be objective, to do the bidding of their constituents, not donors to their campaign. Power and Money the best of all worlds.
Every reasonable voter should be appalled by the Citizens United decision by the SCOTUS. The way to eliminate that threat to our way of life is to change the campaign finance laws, eliminating PACs and lobbyists. Change the laws, sounds easy, but would take formidable, ethical individuals in elected positions and concerned watchdogs in every district keeping track and over-riding mainstream media to get the facts straight, clear and out to the public.