Photo by Cindy Gomez

Winds of Change

Our Opinion / Don’t count your chickens before they hatch

By Cindy Gomez
Editor

Strange weather we’re having lately, huh? Perhaps you’ve noticed the inordinate number of deadly tornadoes this year. There were 2 people killed in Minneapolis and a couple dozen hurt. Missouri was hit with “record” tornadoes that killed more than 100 and injured over 400.

But it isn’t just tornadoes.

The weather in general is changing. Watching the weather channel over the past few years changed from a bore-fest comparable only to C-SPAN into an experience akin to watching some Armageddon themed blockbuster movie. Floods, hurricanes, forest fires, tsunami’s, earthquakes, and tornadoes are wreaking havoc on the world.

And of course, along with the change in meteorological climate, there are the many prophecies predicting the end of the world. Lately, even die hard atheists are starting to question whether all these disasters are indicators of our impending doom. People are beginning to, for religious or scientific reasons, come to terms with their own mortality.

Judgment day, (previously scheduled for May 21st and now postponed until mid October) has come and gone. But unlike past crack-pot predictions of the end of days which were routinely ignored by the masses, today’s predictions are taking hold. That’s probably because no matter how much one believes that the end is NOT neigh, it’s pretty hard to ignore the constant barrage of massive and historical natural disasters. Every disaster headline has some version of “record breaking” or “not seen in 100 years” as part of it. Rescue workers are taxed to the maximum, neighbors are helping each other, and disaster areas are being declared. Politicians are making rounds visiting devastated areas.  Everyone is focused on helping victims.

Except, that is, Tim Pawlenty.

Maybe Tim thinks he’s really a native of Iowa because lately, he seems to be spending a lot more time showing concern for Iowa than for Minnesota. This weekend, with the gold dome of the Des Moines capitol as a backdrop and a sun shiny day, Pawlenty announced his bid for the presidency and his hopes for America. Overshadowed by the news of natural disasters, devastating damage, and deaths due to tornadoes here at home, Pawlenty still felt it would be a good time to make his announcement to run for president in 2012. Pawlenty didn’t just snub Minnesota by choosing Iowa to make his announcement, he completely failed to send condolences to the beleaguered people of his state or even mention the devastating tornadoes.

People in Minnesota probably don’t know which to be more upset about, the fact that Pawlenty shows so little concern for the people of his state or the fact that he’s so hell bent on pandering to everyone else in the nation. Not too long ago, when Pawlenty was spending as much time as he could making the rounds on national news shows and vehemently confusing the public about his intentions to run for president, the talking heads really scrutinized the guy. Commentators said Pawlenty didn’t have what it takes to be “presidential.” They suggested he stop moving around so much, not talk with his hands, and get a haircut. Well, Pawlenty may not have been listening to the weather radio, but he sure heard the fashion memos from talk radio. Unfortunately for him, the changes aren’t good. His lack of animation and subdued behavior really sucked the air out of his speech; giving new depth of meaning to the term “empty suit”. Pawlenty would have been better off showing compassion for his fellow Minnesotans and appealing to the people at home who know him best. Especially when he left the administration having developed a track record - - through his budget cuts to the state’s neediest people – of being uncaring about the needs of the most vulnerable in his state while pandering to the rich.

Analysts, pundits, and critics alike are all puzzled as to what Tim’s strategy really is. It doesn’t seem at this point that he has one, or that it’s very well thought out. Perhaps Pawlenty is making bad judgment calls, listening to the wrong advisor, or maybe he’s just incompetent.  I have accused Pawlenty of absentee governing before (See our opinion “Put the Tool Back to Work” at http://tiny.cc/chac5 ) but this latest behavior is a new low for the former governor. Or is it?

Actually, Pawlenty’s past screw ups may trip him up before he ever gets out of the gate. Pawlenty is now defending his decision to fully pardon Jeremy Geifer, a man who statutorily raped a 14 year old girl, got her pregnant, then married her 15 years ago. Pawlenty made the original pardon based in part on the fact that the rapist has married his victim, and had fathered a child with her. Oh, and because Geifer’s wife wanted to run a daycare for children (yes, children in the home of a convicted rapist) out of the family home.

How bizarre! And, what a confusing message for the “tough on crime” governor to send to rapists: “if you decide to rape a minor, make sure to marry them!” The pardon extraordinaire was granted. So was the daycare license.  Geifer is now in jail again. This time, facing charges of repeatedly raping his daughter. But before Geifer was granted a pardon he verbally assaulted an officer, engaged in sexual harassment of a drunk woman, abused his son, and had a no contact order issued against him by a second woman whom he impregnated while married to his first rape victim…er I mean his wife. Pawlenty missed all of these obvious red flags.Even the letter requesting the pardon from Pawlenty is a smoking gun; written in girly bubble-gum letters. It seems that no one did a home study to make sure it would be suitable to have children in a daycare there. No one checked his current arrests nor outstanding restraining orders. No one even bothered to take a close look at the request which was most likely written by his first wife and was so overtly feminine that it was only missing hearts on the “i’s” to make it the quintessential example of girly writing.

Keep in mind that T-Paw knew about this Geifer scandal before his decision to travel to Des Moines and stand on a stump. All I can say is: ‘Wow!’ and scratch my head. I’m as quizzical about this presidential bid as Pawlenty’s pundits, detractors, and the millions of Minnesotans he’s abandoned on his quest for the oval office. Nothing has deterred Pawlenty’s determination. Not his lackluster administration of Minnesota, not his latest scandal with Geifer, not even his jerky start in Iowa.

But as I said at the outset, these are strange times. The weather is changing quickly and violently. Minnesota crooner Bobby Dylan once said “You don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows.” Maybe Tim Pawlenty does…or at least he should stick his head outside of Iowa and take a look.

P.S. Happy 70th Bob!

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