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Capitol View®
Tim Pugmire

Pawlenty rips Obama in speech to GOP insiders

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Gov. Tim Pawlenty says Republicans should be proud of who they are, but they also need to welcome conservative Democrats and independents into the party to win future elections.

Pawlenty delivered a speech to the Republican National Committee today in San Diego. And at times he sounded like a candidate who was running against President Barack Obama. Pawlenty has been mentioned as a potential GOP candidate in 2012. During the speech, Pawlenty said it was time for Republicans to stand up to Obama.

"As Republicans we've already had our fall," Pawlenty said. "We need to get over the political post traumatic stress syndrome of being so apologizing and discouraged about our future. We need to move forward with strength and confidence that our party has the right ideas and the right values moving forward. So let's get about the business of moving forward."

Pawlenty said he thinks Obama is turning the nation's political climate back toward Republicans. He offered specifically harsh criticism of the administration's approach to health care reform, spending and foreign affairs. Pawlenty told the crowd of party insiders that Obama knows exactly what he's doing, but what he's doing is wrong.

"He is in the process of unleashing a flood of federal spending and the greatest expansion of the federal government in the modern history of this country" Pawlenty said. "It is time that we stand up for our principles and it is time that we stand up as a Republican party for the American people and for the taxpayers across this great land."

The Minnesota DFL responded to the speech with a statement from its chairman, Brian Melendez. He said Pawlenty has no room to criticize.

"Gov. Pawlenty has done little in his administration other than side with big business, look out for big insurance, and leave Minnesotans in the dust as he makes his way toward Washington," Melendez wrote.