Tim Pawlenty on The Brody File

The Brody File caught up with Minnesota Governor (and possible Republican Presidential Candidate) Tim Pawlenty. The Governor has been going around the country in support of Republicans hoping to win office in 2010.

Below are four clips from my interview where he says the following:

The Obama-Care health care plan is "frightening"

He  issues a challenge to the Obama Administration on abortion funding in the health care reform bill.

He addresses the question "What Would Jesus do?" when it comes to health care reform

He addresses the so-called "death panels"

First up, Pawlenty tells me that what President Obama is trying to do with health care is "frightening people". Watch below and the transcription follows:

 Governor Tim Pawlenty: "I think the President made a miscalculation by taking his election results and thinking the country had lurched to the left in terms of its philosophy and approaches to the issues facing this country and the country remains I think a pragmatic conservative country and they're reacting to a proposal that is the federalization of big parts of the health care delivery system and it's scaring people, it's frightening people and they don't like it  and they're pushing back."

Next up, abortion and health care. Governor Pawlenty makes the following request of the Obama Administration:

 David Brody: "I'm wondering if you believe the President is being honest in this area of abortions and health care?"

Governor Tim Pawlenty: "Well, it's interesting because I think a way to resolve that question David would be to ask the President and the Congress to  build into the law a prohibition on publicly funding abortions and they're unwilling to do that so if he (the President) is saying the law will not use public funds for abortions then would he be willing to say that in the law? They're unwilling to do that so that's why many people are concerned that they may be trying to sneak something in there."

Third in our Tim Pawlenty hit parade, the Governor weighs in on those moderate and progressive Evangelicals who say Jesus would be for health care reform.

Governor Tim Pawlenty: "The values and principles in the Bible are very important and instructive and they should inform all of us as to how we treat other people but that's not the same as saying the federal government should be the vehicle or the platform to do all of that. I know President Obama has been a community organizer but our definition of community doesn't need to be or shouldn't be the federal government. There are great acts of love and kindness that we can do on an individual level through our affiliations and associations through our places of worship, through communities, through neighbourly acts of kindness and gestures and many many other examples. I think it's quite presumptuous to say that the biblical answer to things is the federal government. There are many ways to express love and kindness and support for our fellow citizens and we're called to do that."

Finally, the so-called "death panels". Pawlenty says elderly people have a legitimate concern that health care reform as it stands now could lead to rationed care.

 Governor Tim Pawlenty: "If you look at the rhetoric surrounding the cost containment goals and objectives of the legislation it could lead to scarcity or rationing of health care delivery services and if that happens people may get less health care or be denied care in certain circumstances and I think that concerns people. I don't think that's an irrational assertion or an irrational conclusion so there is clearly a goal within this legislation that's pending to contain costs and to limit funding. I don't think by the way that the plan is going to actually do that but that's what they're threatning to do but if you have decisions that are going to be made that deny health care or reduce health care or provide scarcity in terms of health care it could result in people getting less health care or different health care than they're receiving now and it's not irrational to be concerned about that."

Print     Email to a Friend    posted on Thursday, September 10, 2009 1:36 PM