# Pawlenty drops out **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [August 14, 2011, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pawlenty-drops-out/592721 "2011-08-14T21:06:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2011, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pawlenty-drops-out/592721/1 "2011-08-14T21:06:05Z")
If _ **ever** _ a subject deserved heading under “MPSIMS”, it is this. [http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=1&sqi=2&ved=0CCEQqQIwAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.ajc.com%2Fjamie-dupree-washington-insider%2F2011%2F08%2F14%2Ftim-pawlenty-out%2F&ei=fThITpjeJ-nd0QHh2YWPCA&usg=AFQjCNEV\_YVxlXnmNWTRlXyJmaavtMrcoQ](http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=1&sqi=2&ved=0CCEQqQIwAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.ajc.com%2Fjamie-dupree-washington-insider%2F2011%2F08%2F14%2Ftim-pawlenty-out%2F&ei=fThITpjeJ-nd0QHh2YWPCA&usg=AFQjCNEV_YVxlXnmNWTRlXyJmaavtMrcoQ) Yawn… Bye, bye T. Paw. It was good knowin’ ya…:smack: ---
**Author:** ![Shayna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shayna/32/17976_2.png) [@Shayna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shayna)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2011, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pawlenty-drops-out/592721/2 "2011-08-14T21:09:45Z")
No surprise there. Any bets on who will be next? ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2011, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pawlenty-drops-out/592721/3 "2011-08-14T21:17:28Z")
> [@Shayna](#): > > No surprise there. Any bets on who will be next? 1. Thaddeus McCotter (yes, he’s running) 2. Herman Cain 3. Newt Gingrich (the only reason he isn’t #1 is because of his gigantic ego) 4. Rick Santorum 5. Ron Paul (why the hell not stay in it this long?) ---
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2011, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pawlenty-drops-out/592721/4 "2011-08-14T21:32:27Z")
> [@jamiemcgarry](#): > > If _ **ever** _ a subject deserved heading under “MPSIMS”, it is this. Maybe, but that’s not going to stop me from moving it over to Elections anyway. : p ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2011, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pawlenty-drops-out/592721/5 "2011-08-14T22:11:08Z")
> [@Shayna](#): > > No surprise there. Any bets on who will be next? I say Santorum. It should be Cain or Gingrich, but Cain is too stupid to realize he has no chance, and Gingrich’s ego is larger than Mount Rushmore so he needs time to develop a plausible narrative for dropping out that will allow him to save face…as if anyone cares. ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2011, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pawlenty-drops-out/592721/6 "2011-08-14T22:26:08Z")
Will he still cut my grass? But seriously, why now? Because he came in third in a stupid straw poll that people have to pay $30 to vote in? That was the writing on the wall for him? ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2011, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pawlenty-drops-out/592721/7 "2011-08-14T22:40:53Z")
> [@jtgain](#): > > Will he still cut my grass? > > But seriously, why now? Because he came in third in a stupid straw poll that people have to pay $30 to vote in? That was the writing on the wall for him? I think he’s known he was done for a while now and the poll just gave him the excuse he needed to finally throw in the towel. He’s probably relieved. He tried ratcheting up the crazy. He really did. He even threw God in the mix a couple of times; once in a debate. Nothing worked for him. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2011, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pawlenty-drops-out/592721/8 "2011-08-14T22:47:52Z")
> [@Onomatopoeia](#): > > I think he’s known he was done for a while now and the poll just gave him the excuse he needed to finally throw in the towel. He’s probably relieved. He tried ratcheting up the crazy. He really did. He even threw God in the mix a couple of times; once in a debate. Nothing worked for him. How he could have _ **EVER** _ had any sort of notion that he could have been President of the United States is beyond baffling. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2011, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pawlenty-drops-out/592721/9 "2011-08-15T00:10:35Z")
They played a sound bite of Gingrich at the debate the other night and I thought “Damn, I forgot he was still in!” ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2011, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pawlenty-drops-out/592721/10 "2011-08-15T00:13:07Z")
> [@jamiemcgarry](#): > > How he could have _ **EVER** _ had any sort of notion that he could have been President of the United States is beyond baffling. :dubious: I think the Franken ordeal helped boost his delusions that he was meant for and ready for a larger role in government. ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2011, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pawlenty-drops-out/592721/11 "2011-08-15T00:18:23Z")
> [@River\_Hippie](#): > > They played a sound bite of Gingrich at the debate the other night and I thought “Damn, I forgot he was still in!” He really isn’t but, as he is completely insignificant, it doesn’t hurt anyone to humor him. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2011, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pawlenty-drops-out/592721/12 "2011-08-15T00:28:40Z")
> [@Onomatopoeia](#): > > I think he’s known he was done for a while now and the poll just gave him the excuse he needed to finally throw in the towel. He’s probably relieved. He tried ratcheting up the crazy. He really did. He even threw God in the mix a couple of times; once in a debate. Nothing worked for him. And I think that totally hurt him. He seemed to think the race was a race to see who could pander the hardest to the Tea Party instead of who could get elected President. Although I cannot really blame him for that, the entire Republican party is consumed with this madness. ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2011, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pawlenty-drops-out/592721/13 "2011-08-15T00:31:46Z")
Unfortunate. Pawlenty was my most favoured candidate (I am suspiscious of Romney’s flip-flops). ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2011, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pawlenty-drops-out/592721/14 "2011-08-15T00:34:37Z")
> [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#): > > Unfortunate. Pawlenty was my most favoured candidate (I am suspiscious of Romney’s flip-flops). Who cares what he wears at the beach? ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2011, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pawlenty-drops-out/592721/15 "2011-08-15T00:35:16Z")
Then if you really knew anything about Pawlenty, you wouldn’t really have liked him either. Political chameleon who changed opinions with the wind. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2011, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pawlenty-drops-out/592721/16 "2011-08-15T00:43:30Z")
> [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#): > > Unfortunate. Pawlenty was my most favoured candidate (I am suspiscious of Romney’s flip-flops). How could you like such a limp-noodle like Pawlently? Such a _ **pussy?** _ Remember in the last debate when John King asked him directly about his remarks mocking Mitt Romney’s healthcare plan, when Romney was right there? He backpeddled and stuttered and had _nothing_ to say. That right there sealed his fate. A spine-less weakling will never be leader of the free world. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2011, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pawlenty-drops-out/592721/17 "2011-08-15T00:46:32Z")
> [@jtgain](#): > > Will he still cut my grass? > > But seriously, why now? Because he came in third in a stupid straw poll that people have to pay $30 to vote in? That was the writing on the wall for him? That stuff affects fundraising. Pawlenty has had problems raising cash, and his staff has been reportedly been working for free. If he’d won in Iowa, it might have turned on the money faucet (which is what he was counting on, and why he spent two years campaigning in Iowa). With a distant third place finish, though, and with Rick Perry now sucking off his johns, T-Paw’s money is dried up. ---
**Author:** ![pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pseudotriton_ruber_ruber)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2011, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pawlenty-drops-out/592721/18 "2011-08-15T00:50:15Z")
> [@jamiemcgarry](#): > > A spine-less weakling will never be leader of the free world. According to \*\*RR, \*\*(dudn’t matter which one) this has already happened. ---
**Author:** ![Martin\_Hyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2011, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pawlenty-drops-out/592721/19 "2011-08-15T02:12:28Z")
> [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](#): > > According to \*\*RR, \*\*(dudn’t matter which one) this has already happened. He was a great man but James Garfield was mostly a pathetic weakling for much of his Presidency, no fault of his own though. Same for old Bill Harrison. ---
**Author:** ![Martin\_Hyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2011, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pawlenty-drops-out/592721/20 "2011-08-15T02:19:19Z")
I don’t even really understand candidacies like Newt Gingrich. The Contract With America is politically ancient history. Gingrich doesn’t have to worry about issues like the hits his reputation took over trying to impeach Clinton or people discovering he was cheating on his wife. He has to contend with the fact that most of America doesn’t even know who he is anymore, that is or ever was running for President, or that he ever was anyone of any importance at all. The American electorate’s memory is at best 6 months, Gingrich hasn’t been relevant since the 1990s. Gingrich should/will drop out after Iowa and New Hampshire I bet, assuming he doesn’t just get lazy and quit before then. It’s hard to believe someone threw his hat into the ring to run for President, a task that is herculean in amount of effort and work it requires and who has mostly been unwilling to do any of that work. I think Bachmann may pull a Huckabee and stupidly keep talking and campaigning til the bitter end. Since the GOP has some proportional States in the nominating process now it means she will actually be able to accumulate delegates. I haven’t looked at a schedule/breakdown of exactly which states have gone proportional and which haven’t, though. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pawlenty-drops-out/592721.md?page=2)