Pawlenty Praised Positive Campaigns, Will He Ask McCain to Run One?

MADISON – Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who recently praised Senator Obama for running a positive campaign, is in Wisconsin today hosting high-dollar fundraisers to help continue John McCain’s negative ads, prompting Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Joe Wineke to demand an explanation. 

“How can Governor Pawlenty say he supports positive campaigns and then go on to raise the very funds that pay for the negative ads he has criticized?” asked Wineke. “I hope he will use his trip to Wisconsin to call on John McCain to drop his low-road approach to politics and end his false, negative ads that lie to the American people.” 

On Wednesday, August 6, Pawlenty addressed members of GOPAC and said, “Say what you will about Barack Obama, people gravitate when you have something positive to say…People want to follow hopeful, optimistic, civil, decent leaders. They don’t want to follow some negative, scornful person.”  

At the same time, John McCain has over the past several weeks run a series of false, negative ads that have been roundly rejected by independent media analysis and nonpartisan fact check groups for shamelessly spreading lies. 

Now Governor Pawlenty is in Wisconsin to host high-dollar fundraisers at exclusive clubs to help John McCain continue his slew of mean-spirited attack ads that non-partisan organizations have repeatedly called false.  

“John McCain promised the American people a civil, high-minded, respectful campaign. But that’s not what we’ve gotten from him,” Wineke said. “Governor Pawlenty should demand that John McCain end the Karl Rove tactics and the ‘say-anything-to-win’ philosophy that has become central to his campaign and has poisoned our political process.”