DES MOINES, Iowa — On a sun-soaked terrace with the golden dome of the Iowa Capitol behind him, former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty made his long-anticipated announcement Monday that he would challenge Barack Obama for the presidency in 2012.
Blasting what he described as the president’s “fluffy promises of hope and change,” Pawlenty sought to cast himself as a truth-teller and argued that spending in Washington was driving the nation’s economy off a cliff. He chided the president for backing a “pork- filled stimulus bill” and financial bailouts for well-connected businesses, and called the Democratic health care plan “an unmitigated disaster for our country.”
Pawlenty argued that the president, and in some cases other candidates, has failed to impress upon voters that the reforms required to rein in the deficit will require trillions of dollars of cuts. As part of that effort, Pawlenty said, he was headed to Florida to tell wealthy seniors and young people that entitlement programs are on an unsustainable path.
