Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty sounded off on a number of controversial topics Thursday in an interview with Meet the Press host David Gregory at U. Minnesota.
Pawlenty said he supports the Tea Party movement, and that those involved are “mostly folks who are average Americans who want the country and the government to return to American common sense.”
When asked if he would repeal the new federal health care reform, he said he would and would replace it with something better. He called the reform “one of the misguided pieces of legislation in the modern history of the country.”
“I think it is going to fail, largely,” he said.
Some of the conversation focused on the federal government’s handling of the oil spill crisis, which Pawlenty criticized. While it’s too early to place blame with the lack of information available, he said, “We need to hold this administration and BP accountable. But as we do that, we need to make sure we have good information and good facts.”
“Why did they rely just on BP early on to tell us to what the volume of the leak was?” Pawlenty asked. “Why didn’t we independently verify that using government sources?”
He said he is glad that the president is “assuming responsibility and accountability,” though the government should have reacted more quickly.
The governor voiced support for Arizona’s new immigration law, which allows police to check the immigration status of those they suspect have entered the country illegally. However, he was critical of the media coverage of the new law.
If someone is stopped and “You have a reasonable suspicion that they may be here illegally,” Pawlenty said, “You can inquire and should inquire about their immigration status.”
In response to Gregory’s question of whether this is an invitation to commit unlawful racial profiling, Pawlenty said, “No.”
“I like his conviction, his courage,” said Paul Hamilton, a Coon Rapids financial consultant and self-proclaimed Democrat. “I don’t like his policy, but that is a personal choice. That is why we have a democracy.”
Pawlenty declined to give a forthright answer if he would run for president.