T-Paw is done

[Penelope]

Apparantly CNN's reporting he's going to abandon his run after the Ames Straw poll.

[exopolitician]

I'm kinda surprised, he didn't do THAT bad. I was expecting Gingrich or Cain going first.

[Joe Biden 2020]

I just read that on a tweet from politico.  He's the first casualty.  However, his departure is a victory for the American people!

[Tender Branson]

That`s strange. He didn't do too badly after all with a 3rd place. He should have at least waited for the caucuses and New Hampshire. Not that he would have won anything, but the bigger the field, the better.

[Yelnoc]

Thank goodness.  His winy voice was starting to get on my nerves.  If only we could get Gingrinch to follow him....

[Middle-aged Europe]

Pawlenty down at 2% on Intrade.

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

Hmmmm so the wash-up of Iowa is a boost for nutbags and the downfall of one of the more reality-based candidates.

You have to think that the GOP is completely misjudging the American body-politic, these people are not how you win the Middle-ground...

This whole freak-show really helps Romney no-end...

[Joe Biden 2020]

Thank goodness.  His winy voice was starting to get on my nerves.  If only we could get Gingrinch to follow him....

That would be awesome if we could get Newt to bow out! I don't think it will be very long before he's out.  I'm hoping he's gone long before Iowa so he doesn't pollute the results.

[Meeker]

He needed a strong showing in Ames to keep money coming in. I thought he might last another week or two at least but I guess he figured why bother.

[Zarn]

Between him and Bachmann, he was the one actually using reason in that debate. Her rhetoric won her the day. That's just how it goes.

[Tender Branson]

In Iowa, Pawlenty poled about 10-15% before the straw poll.

Who do you think will get Pawlenty's votes ?

Romney, Paul and Huntsman ?

[exopolitician]

In Iowa, Pawlenty poled about 10-15% before the straw poll.

Who do you think will get Pawlenty's votes ?

Romney, Paul and Huntsman ?

I think Perry will get a fair share of his votes.

[pbrower2a]

I had thought that the best description of T-Paw was the 2012 GOP version of Mike Dukakis.

That role is apparently over. 

[anvi]

In Iowa, Pawlenty poled about 10-15% before the straw poll.

Who do you think will get Pawlenty's votes ?

Romney, Paul and Huntsman ?

I also think Perry will get a good share of it early, but it might shift later.
T-Paw might have a bright future in making commercials.

[NHI]

I knew this would happen, I just didn't expect it to take this long.

[Simfan34]

I won't say I expected this. Pawlenty placed a respectable third. I would have expected Gingrich or Cain to have dropped out first. Shame. He was one of the more intelligent candidates in this race.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

Good riddance.

[greenforest32]

No surprise. I think Perry will win the primary.

Any bets on who drops out next?

[JohnnyLongtorso]

It's okay, the media still has Huntsman to obsess over.

[Bull Moose Base]

I don't recall a first drop-out ever being someone considered a frontrunner so recently before.  Until the NH debate two months ago, when Pawlenty wouldn't say it to Romney's face and Bachmann showed she had better syntax than Palin, he was on Romney's heels on intrade and considered by some to be the frontrunner.  

Will Gingrich use the Pawlenty news for cover to bow out too?  Or is he waiting for Palin's announcement?  Her descent into irrelevance for 2012 has been pretty remarkable itself.

Who would have guessed at the beginning of this year that come mid-August, Huckabee, Pawlenty, Barbour, Thune, Daniels, Palin would be a list of people not running for president? And if Gingrich and Johnson are added to list soon, it'd be even more surprising from the perspective of 7-8 months ago.

[Simfan34]

It's okay, the media still has Huntsman to obsess over.

Well, they ought to do a better job of it! (read: no, they're not)

[Mr. Morden]

I won't say I expected this. Pawlenty placed a respectable third. I would have expected Gingrich or Cain to have dropped out first.

Unlike, Gingrich, Cain, Johnson, etc., Pawlenty has run an "establishment"-type campaign, in which his goal was to actually win.  Candidates like Gingrich and Cain don't really expect to win.  They're running either to promote their issues or promote themselves.  They'll stay in way past the point at which it's obvious that they're going nowhere.

With Pawlenty, the entire point of his candidacy was that he had a chance of winning, so once it became crystal clear that that was never going to happen, there was no point in continuing.

[Simfan34]

I won't say I expected this. Pawlenty placed a respectable third. I would have expected Gingrich or Cain to have dropped out first.

Unlike, Gingrich, Cain, Johnson, etc., Pawlenty has run an "establishment"-type campaign, in which his goal was to actually win.  Candidates like Gingrich and Cain don't really expect to win.  They're running either to promote their issues or promote themselves.  They'll stay in way past the point at which it's obvious that they're going nowhere.

With Pawlenty, the entire point of his candidacy was that he had a chance of winning, so once it became crystal clear that that was never going to happen, there was no point in continuing.

I see. I could tell what Gingrich is promoting, but Cain?

[Bull Moose Base]

Should have announced it with a movie-trailer that replaced Miracle on Ice footage with a Minnesota news anchor announcing the North Stars move to Dallas.

[izixs]

The guy in my office will be sad. But I can't fathom his politics beyond that he comes from Minnesota and liked T-Paw's nice guy persona.

As for how Pawlenty's drop out weighs on me mind, I don't really care.