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SPRINGFIELD, Ohio -- Vice presidential prospect Tim Pawlenty won't talk about the vice presidential vetting process, but he will tell you about his favorite beers.
Putting in another solid day of swing-state advocacy on behalf of Mitt Romney, the former Minnesota governor pumped up the GOP nominee's small government policies, sampled local ice cream and won laughs from supporters when he deployed some recently-unveiled stump speech jokes at the president's expense.
"I don't know about you, but I enjoy a cold beer once in a while," he said at Dublin Pub in Dayton, Ohio, listing some of the available sudsy brands. "I know you probably have some Guinness here, and some Smithwick’s, and some Edmund Fitzgerald, who knows what else? Miller and Budweiser and all kinds of other stuff."
Imagining the unsatisfying scenario of being served a foamy pint of beer, Pawlenty delivered the punch line: "Barack Obama is all foam and no beer. And you can't live on the foam. His speeches are his foam."
That's an analogy that Pawlenty says "most Americans can relate to."
"I think most people can relate to the notion that if you want a cold beer you want the beer, you don't want the foam," he told NBC News after an appearance in Springfield. "That sort of gets in the way of the beer and it's not the substance of what you're hoping for. And that's kind of like President Obama's presidency. It's all speeches, it's all words, it's all fancy rhetoric but the results haven't been there."
His personal favorites? Minnesota-brewed Grain Belt Nordeast and Summit Extra Pale Ale, he said.
Two of the three men known to be on the general election ticket do not drink alcohol; neither Vice President Joe Biden nor Mitt Romney partake.
Pawlenty, wearing an untucked casual blue shirt and jeans, offered a fierce defense of the GOP nominee's record both on the stump and in an interview.
Asked about criticism of Romney's foreign trip, which has been marked by controversy over his public skepticism about London's preparedness for the 2012 London Games, Pawlenty dismissed the kerfuffle as "overblown."
"I think the criticism of his comments in London were way overblown and way overstated and I think the rest of the trip has gone well," he said.
While Romney is the frequent butt of jokes for his sometimes robotic-seeming interactions with strangers, his Minnesotan surrogate chatted easily with customers and employees when he stopped at Young's Jersey Dairy in Yellow Springs. There, Pawlenty chatted with local elected officials - including Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine - and posed with children, even coaching them to crown him with "bunny ears."
And he showed the only hint of a diversion from his much-discussed "Minnesota Nice" aura when pausing for a photo with young workers at the ice cream parlor.
"Cross your arms!" he instructed them after one smiling snapshot. Demonstrating a grimace and a tough guy look, he added, "Now, look angry!"
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romney/pawlenty 2012 ticket: all hat, no cattle.
The election being upon us isn't it telling that congress has stopped work on the people's business to focus on their own personal business? Should they be drawing a paycheck in the coming pay periods?
Also the president stopped work 3 1/2 years ago to focus on his own political future. Actually he never did transition out of campaign mode from 2008.
I guess you're right DON, he didn't end DADT, he didn't get through landmark legislation that is helping Americans afford health insurance, he didn't help get Ghaddafi, he didn't help get Osama.
Yeah, stopped work 3 1/2 years ago....more like your rhetoric is still stuck in the ignorance of 3 1/2 years ago.
Romney is like a 6ft wind up Ken Doll, complete with micro chip to play back whatever it's handlers think the listener want to hear.
Just like the Mattel Ken doll, Romney has no solutions, no answers, just more recycled Bush II/GOP failed policies, tied up with a Romney approved, "Marvelous" Ryan Budget Plan bow, guaranteed to kick off a brand new GOP Recession, to restart the GWB II Great Depression Obama was able to avoid.
Wake up America. If the Politician you are considering executed the Norquist No new taxes pledge, vote him out of office. The job creators own over 44% of America. They now have enough.
Tim Pawlenty---the male version of Michele Bachman........
Besides being a wussy, Pawlenty is one of the biggest political failures in history!
Besides being a wussy, Pawlenty is one of the biggest political failures in history!
"Barack Obama is all foam and no beer."
And Romney is an empty beer stein.
Ron Paul 2012 or Nobody!
There is very little support for Mitt Romney. The votes he will get on November 7 are not votes for Romney, but votes against Obama. There are Americans who hate Obama more than they love America. It willl NEVER be enought to WIN.
Obama for 4 more years!
Tim Pawlenty is a wiener.
Considering that alcohol KILLS 75,000 Americans per year, perhaps that's a good thing?
Interesting comment from someone who's presidential campaign was a sorrowful mess and who actually GAVE UP trying to be the Republican candidate. Timmy has become so intelligent since he quit, just like Sarah Palin. What does this guy do to pay the bills besides ride along with Mitt to rallies? Why doesn't he have an honest job somewhere?
I guess that's as much substance as we can expect from the republicans
really.....vote republican vote for a couple more wars that we cannot seem to get out of. But that has nothing to do with the deficit does it???? Hey, maybe Siera, maybe Iran... surly there is some country out there that needs America to straighten out. We could invade a couple more. Vote for Romney warlord..
After 800 billion dollars in Obama stimulus we still have 8% unemployment and for 42 straight months. Do you still have your shovel ready and remain laser focused waiting for recovery summer to start?
Can we stop talking politics for a minute and agree that Summit is pretty good beer?
Juan Williams says that obama fears an October Surprise of running out of money just short of the election. I think it's more that he fears the November Surprise of finding out that his campaign spent all the money and he isn't going to have the sizeable nest egg of unspent campaign funds to take with him into obscurity.
Oh, this is just sad. T-Paw rattling off names of beers in an attempt to look relevant ... gawd. Go away.
Can we get Palin out on the campain trail alone with Joe the plummer.
And Pawlenty was an empty glass as a 2 term Governor of Minnesota. We're still trying to recover financially from his poor leadership. Bridges fell down, roads fell appart, ill people lost thier medical benefits and on and on. I hope Mitt picks him for VP becuase he's got a ton of bad baggage that will hurt the ticket.
They don't say anything except "Obama is bad" I have yet to see one realistic idea about creating jobs or cutting the deficit. Getting rid of Medicare will not fix the economy. More tax cuts for the wealthy will not do it. Returning healthcare to complete control of the insurance industry will not do it. Interesting that Mitt had such high praise for the Israeli socialist healthcare system. His latest ad brags how he made $100 million on the SLC Olympics but doesn't mention that the Federal government put in $1.5 billion.
Well Tim, you should know suds better than anyone. You were a lousy govenor and boring beyond belief. The perfect match for the Mittster. Two boring white guys...how Republican is that?
The Republicans are foaming at the mouth and don't have the head to know it.
THE INCONVENIENT TRUTH: is that I now suspect that Romney can not meet the ten year or any other standard to release and make public his tax statements. The truth is now that Romney as many us have suspected that there are years that he paid NO taxes or certainly less than the one year he has disclosed. Those Cayman Islands, Swiss Banks and Bermuda HIDDEN tax shelters have served him well just they do for the the Drug Cartells! Romney understands that it would be too embarrassing and damaging for a millionaire to ask us intelligent thinking voters that paid our taxes to vote him! However, this will make watching the Presidential debate both entertaining and more interesting!
ah, good ol Trub. Trouble Pawlenty. "Tim Tim Tumbling Bridges." now we know his problem... he's all beer and no brains.
Mitt Romney the devout Mormon seems to be lowering his standards to win this Presidental election. For decades The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS) - The Mormons and its faithful church members have taken a strong, and very vocal unalterable stance against gambling in any form including lotteries, internet gambling, racetracks, and casinos. Sheldon Adelson (CEO of the Las Vegas Sands Corporation and Venetian Macao Ltd.) his wife recently gave $10 million to the pro-Romney super PAC named Restore Our Future. Adelson the Las Vegas casino magnate has pledged to spend $100 million to defeat Obama. Adelson's very large contributions can easily make Romney a shoe in for the President of the United States. It will probably be after Romney officially wins the GOP nomination at the National Republican Convention in Tampa, Florida in August 2012 that the American public can expect this Super PAC money to be spent in negative campaign ads against Obama.
Tim Pawlenty doesn't always drink beer, but when he does, he prefers Dos Eguis. He is the most uninteresting man in the world.