GOP Infighting Pawlenty:Bachmann’s Congressional Record ‘Nonexistent’
Jul 10, 2011 6 Comments ›› Angelia
The GOP needs to stop feeding on its own and deal with the issues.
Presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty, taking the gloves off, said Sunday that fellow Minnesotan Michele Bachmann’s record is “nonexistent.”
Pawlenty’s tough comments come as he faces mounting questions about the viability of his campaign. The former Minnesota governor is trailing far behind his competitors in the polls, with former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney typically leading and Michele Bachmann, a Minnesota congresswoman, catching up to him.
Bachmann is touting her Iowa roots as she makes a big play for voters ahead of the leadoff Iowa caucuses and, before that, a key straw poll. With Pawlenty likewise staking much of his success on Iowa, the ex-governor argued that voters should square his record against Bachmann’s.
“I like Congresswoman Bachmann. I’ve campaigned for her, I respect her. But her record of accomplishment in Congress is nonexistent,” he told NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “We’re not looking for folks who just have speech capabilities. We’re looking for people who can lead a large enterprise in a public setting. … I’ve done that, she hasn’t.”
Bachmann, a former state legislator and tax attorney, is serving her third term in Congress. The Tea Party-aligned lawmaker has surged since entering the race for president last month.
FoxNews.com is seeking a response from the Bachmann campaign to Pawlenty’s comments.
Pawlenty acknowledged he wants to see “significant progress” in his own numbers in the upcoming Iowa Straw Poll next month. But he expressed confidence in his ability to recover and downplayed his standing in recent polls.
“Rudy Giuliani would be president or Hillary Clinton would be president or Howard Dean would be president if these early polls meant anything,” Pawlenty said
