Pawlenty: “Government’s too damn big”
Former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty went after government unions this afternoon during a speech in Phoenix, Arizona. In his keynote address to the Tea Party Patriots "American Policy Summit," Pawlenty drew load applause when he ripped President Obama and urged his audience to applaud Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker for his efforts to restrict public employee collective bargaining rights. Clutching a copy of the constitution, Pawlenty said the nation's founding fathers intended to limit government, not freedom.
"It says in here in order to form a more perfect union," Pawlenty said. "Mr President that does not mean coddling out-of-control public employee unions."
The head of Minnesota's largest public employee union is accusing Pawlenty of scapegoating public employees for budget problems.
Pawlenty thanked tea party enthusiasts for their energy and referred to them as "modern-day Paul Reveres."
Here's the full speech:
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