BusinessWeek profiles Tim Pawlenty and says: "[A]s a candidate seeking populist credibility, Pawlenty beat up on big bankers. Today he works for them."
Blogger Blois Olson noticed the piece, which has this takeaway for Minnesotans:
After 18 years in elective office and no indication that he has national political appeal, Pawlenty says of public life: "I’ve had my full run."
So that means no run for governor? Or senator?
That might be explained in the story:
Pawlenty might have had a shot at a second-tier Cabinet post in a Romney administration, or he could have gone home to run for the U.S. Senate. He decided instead to sample the private sector. His most recent salary as governor was $121,000. He and his wife, Mary, have a daughter in college, another in high school, and no family fortune. The Roundtable won’t reveal his starting pay, but there’s no reason to think it’s less than the nearly $2 million [Steve] Bartlett collected.
Will he be any good at this new job?
Washington veterans predict that once he’s up to speed, Pawlenty will make an effective frontman (especially if Romney defeats President Barack Obama on Nov. 6 and Republicans retain control of the House). By all accounts, he’s smart and industrious. "He may not be an expert, but I have no doubt he sincerely agrees with the industry’s antiregulatory philosophy," says former Democratic Senator Ted Kaufman of Delaware. "The guys in this industry don’t give an inch. There’s no sense of shame, and they have the money to just keep fighting and fighting until the other side goes away."