As frequent viewers of this show know, Lawrence is placing his bets on Tim Pawlenty in 2012. What makes him The Last Word's official pick to win the Republican nomination for president? Lawrence explained his theory in-depth on last night’s show. Basically, it comes down to a few main factors.
Simple process of elimination: The former Minnesota governor could be the last man standing based upon the simple fact the pool of contenders is weaker than elections past. To Lawrence, “there's something seriously wrong with every other Republican candidate. Pawlenty is going to end up the last man standing."
He’s a safe bet: Pawlenty's vanilla take on everything (excluding his bizarre "Google Test" to solve the debt crisis) generally pleases both tea party-style activists and establishment Republicans alike. He's the GOP’s safety school – he's not everyone’s first choice, but would probably turn out okay. Maybe he'd even throw a good party once in a while. He dares to be boring, and it could pay off.
Genius of staying mum on “Obamneycare”: The former Minnesota governor coined the nickname “Obamneycare” to compare Obama’s health care reform law with the law Mitt Romney enacted as Massachusetts governor. Then all of a sudden, as many pundits have pointed out, he choked on repeating his catchphrase at the recent GOP debate. To Lawrence, he’s simply following the Reagan rule: "you don’t fight with these guys on the stage." He doesn’t want to have a "voodoo economics" moment like Bush did with Reagan. Plus, keeping quiet opens the door for a possible VP slot. Besides, Rush Limbaugh is going to keep hammering away at Romney, so T-Paw need not worry.
What's your take? Tell us your theory on the GOP pick in the space below.