Tim Pawlenty in Speech at 2011 CPAC conference


On Foreign Policy: America's rightful place is not lagging behind China

The policies of the left encroach every day on the very freedom that has made this country great. We will never, ever, ever stop fighting for our freedom.

If we bend, if we compromise, on this bedrock issue we are in danger of losing our edge. But there's a real concern that we're losing our edge already. Did you know that a recent survey asked Americans which country they thought would be the dominant country in the world in just twenty years? Guess what the answer was? China!

You know wha I say to that: No way! No how! Not the America we know. Not the America we love! America's rightful place is not lagging behind China. America's place is leading the world!

My friends, we need to restore American confidence, American optimism, and America's hope for the future. We need to restore the American Dream by restoring American common sense.

Source: Speech at 2011 Conservative Political Action Conference Feb 11, 2011

On Government Reform: Set a record for vetoes in Minnesota's history

We can't spend more than we take in. You can't do it as an individual. You can't do it as a family. You can't do it as a business. And we can't let our government do it anymore.

The big spenders in Washington have us on a course of trillion dollar deficits for as far as the eye can see. It's not a matter of right versus left. It's a matter of 6th grade mathematics. It isn't going to work. It's irresponsible, it's unsustainable and it's reckless.

The naysayers say "we can't cut spending; we have to raise taxes." I drew a line in the sand and said, "Absolutely not. We're going to live within our means just like families, just like businesses, just like everybody else."

It wasn't easy. I set a record for vetoes in my State. Vetoed billions of dollars of tax and spending increases. Had the first government shutdown in Minnesota's history. And, in the last budget period, I cut spending in real terms for the first time in the history of my state. The federal government should do the same.

Source: Speech at 2011 Conservative Political Action Conference Feb 11, 2011

On Health Care: ObamaCare's individual mandate encroaches our freedom

The individual mandate in ObamaCare is a page right out of the Jimmy Carter playbook. The left simply doesn't understand. The individual mandate reflects completely backwards thinking. They, the bureaucrats, don't tell us what to do. We, the people, tell the government what to do!

We're blessed to live in the freest and most prosperous nation in the history of the world. Our freedom is the very air we breathe. We must repeal Obamacare!

Source: Speech at 2011 Conservative Political Action Conference Feb 11, 2011

On Principles & Values: Obama might be born in US, but he's from another planet

Now, I'm not one who questions the existence of the President's birth certificate. But when you listen to his policies, don't you at least wonder what planet he's from? On what planet do they create jobs by taxing the daylight out of people trying to grow jobs? On what planet do they try to reduce the deficit by spending even more? On what planet do they make health care better by putting bureaucrats in charge?
Source: Speech at 2011 Conservative Political Action Conference Feb 11, 2011

The above quotations are from Speeches to Conservative Political Action 2011 Conference.
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Page last updated: Dec 03, 2018