Showcasing a new tagline that could presumably make its way into stump speeches — "Results, not Rhetoric" — a new ad from Tim Pawlenty points back to Minnesota's 2005 state government shutdown (ya know, kind of like the one state's experiencing right now). The ad renders a verdict on that shutdown: Pawlenty won.
The New York Times took a look back and collected the facts around that 2005 shutdown:
MINNESOTA July 2005LENGTH Nine daysISSUE A projected deficit of $466 million led to a standoff between Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who is now seeking the Republican nomination for president, and state lawmakers over tax increases and health care for the poor.EFFECT About 9,000 employees were furloughed.
Nine thousand state workers left without pay and state services completely interrupted for nine days. So... that's winning?
Team T-Paw is running the ad right now in Iowa.