Pawlenty, Bachmann and Romney Steal Limelight at Ames Debate

By Lynn Campbell

IowaPolitics.com

AMES – Standing at podiums next to one another, two Republican presidential candidates from Minnesota went after each other more than once about experience, records and taxes during a two-hour, eight-candidate debate Thursday night at Iowa State University.

“She’s done wonderful things in her life, but it’s an undisputable fact that in Congress, her record of accomplishment and results is non-existent,” said former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty. “That’s not going to be good enough for our candidate for president of the United States.”

Minnesota U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann, who according to recent polls is the front-runner in Iowa going into Saturday’s Ames Straw Poll, shot back.

“When you were governor in Minnesota, you implemented cap and trade in our state and you praised an unconstitutional individual mandate, and you called for requiring all people in our state to purchase health insurance,” she told Pawlenty. “Third, you said the era of small government was over. That sounds a lot more like Barack Obama if you ask me.”

That line drew applause from an enthusiastic crowd of 2,500 people in CY Stephens Auditorium at Iowa State University. But Pawlenty said that’s not what Bachmann said when he was governor.

“She’s got a record of misstating and making false statements,” Pawlenty said. “She fought for less government spending; we got a lot more. She led the effort against Obamacare; we got Obamacare. She led the effort against TARP; we got TARP. She says she’s got a titanium spine. It’s not her spine we’re worried about. It’s her record of results. If that’s your view of effective leadership with results, please stop because you’re killing us.”

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