Pawlenty now at net disapproval

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

http://www.surveyusa.com/client/PollReport.aspx?g=e37a7d0d-daff-45a9-9591-da87038227f3

I'm getting a hunch now he doesn't run again anyway though. Let's look at his possibilities:

1-Win a third term, then instantly start campaigning for 2012 and doing nothing domestically.
2-Win a third term, not run in 2012 and then go nowhere after it ends.
3-Run for a third term and lose, and doom any shot at 2012.
4-Not run at all and run in 2012 with no distractions.

None of the first three are very appealing.

[RosettaStoned]

The Governor of Minnesota can run for a third term?

[Keystone Phil]

The Governor of Minnesota can run for a third term?

Yes

Yeah, he better just skip 2010 and focus on 2012.

[RosettaStoned]

Like he;ll win a third term anyway. He was barely reelected.

[Keystone Phil]

Like he;ll win a third term anyway. He was barely reelected.

And that's not uncommon in Minnesota. It means something when you're the Republican incumbent in a year like 2006 when the Dems are kicking ass everywhere else in your state.

Mark Dayton is running, for Christ's sake. If he is the DFL nominee, it would be asinine to laugh off the idea of Pawlenty winning.

[Brittain33]

And that's not uncommon in Minnesota. It means something when you're the Republican incumbent in a year like 2006 when the Dems are kicking ass everywhere else in your state.

Yeah, in Minnesota, it usually means there's a third party candidate and the Democratic nominee is fatally flawed.

[Saxwsylvania]

Pawlenty at present stands very little chance of being the nominee in 2012.  If he really wants to be President, he should run for a third term and hope that he beats his Democrat challenger by an impressive margin.  It's a gamble, but it might work.

[Keystone Phil]

Taking that chance is pointless. No voter is going to care more about him being Governor for about eight and a half years instead of just being Governor for eight years. An impressive victory won't be much either. We really are the only people that look into that stuff and think it makes much of a difference. Remember when Mitt would go on and on about being elected in Massachusetts? How many voters responded with, "Wow, a conservative Republican won in Taxachusetts? Impressive!" everytime he pulled that line out? Plenty did. Did it matter in the end? No.

He ought to announce this Fall that he's not running again and then feel free to do whatever he wants concerning 2012. If he has no desire to run for President then I'd like for him to run for re-election.

[Boris]

yeah, if Pawlenty wants to be President, he has no incentive to run for a third term at all.