By Menachem Wecker
Minnesota’s popular former governor and potential 2012 presidential contender outlined his vision for the nation, signed books and talked about his time living on the Foggy Bottom Campus at GW last week.
Former Governor Tim Pawlenty (R-Minn.) addressed about 150 students from GW and American, Catholic and Georgetown universities in the Marvin Center last Thursday night at “Pizza with Pawlenty,” a program sponsored by GW College Republicans.
Although the governor did not eat any pizza – a prior book signing at Barnes & Noble ran late – he hung around for about an hour after his 10-minute remarks to answer questions, pose for pictures and sign his new book, Courage to Stand.
Rob Noel, a junior who is an intern for Mr. Pawlenty and serves as his driver when he is in the District, introduced Mr. Pawlenty, whom he called “one of the most conservative governors in one of the most liberal states in the country.”
“He didn’t win by compromising his values or by being moderate – in fact the opposite,” said Mr. Noel, who served as communications director for GW College Republicans last year. He said that Mr. Pawlenty vetoed “a whopping 299 liberal bills.”
“Needless to say, he ticked off a whole lot of the press,” Mr. Noel said. “In other words, everything that’s become so popular in the last couple of years he’s been doing for the last eight years.”
Mr. Pawlenty told the students the government’s “top-down, one-size-fits-all system” stifles creativity, while empowering individuals fosters it.
“We are a great nation, because we are a free people. We are the freest people the world has ever known,” he said. “And a free people that have that kind of dynamic, envisioning, dreaming, creativity, risk taking that is fundamentally different from much of the rest of the world.”
Mr. Pawlenty, who lived on campus “a long, long time ago” when he was interning for a congresswoman one summer, was thrilled to return to GW, which he said in an interview is an “extremely well respected school” that is “nationally and internationally active.”
“You should be proud of it,” he said. “It’s a very high-quality place.”
“Hosting Tim Pawlenty began our internal dialogue about who deserves our party’s nomination in 2012,” said Will Frey, a junior who is vice chairman of GW College Republicans. “He offered valuable insight into the principles that the Republican Party must embody in order to win a battle of ideas against Barack Obama in 2012.”