The GOP, Guns and bailouts
Gov. Pawlenty is on CNN's Glenn Beck tonight to talk about guns, bailouts and the GOP. CNN has this story or you can watch part of the interview here.
One quibble with Pawlenty. He said this about government bailouts:
When asked if car companies such as GM, Ford and Chrysler - who have fallen on hard times with a sagging economy - need a bail out, Pawlenty said the government "can be in the business of bailing out every large company that's in trouble."
"We'd be bailing out the airlines we'd be bailing out lots of other companies, I think the answer is to have those companies ... be competitive and compete in a world marketplace."
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That seems to contradict his philosophy when it comes to St. Paul's Ford Plant. In 2006, he said the state would do whatever it takes to save the plant. When I asked if that meant a significantly large state contribution, his crystal clear response was "In for a penny, in for a pound."
Here's part of that story:
Gov. Pawlenty reiterated Monday he will push for any state investment that might convince Ford to convert, rather than close, the factory.
Pawlenty suggested he is prepared for the bidding war that might ensue among other states with troubled plants.
"We want to find out what is strategically important to them -- what is a difference-maker to Ford," said Pawlenty. "And we'll invest in that because we want to align with their strategic future, not our strategic past."
Pawlenty flew to Detroit this month to pitch Ford executives on one particular idea -- a research and production facility for hybrid and alternative-fuel vehicles. The governor stressed Minnesota's leadership in ethanol production.
So is there a difference between saving a plant and bailing out an industry?