Former Governor Tim Pawlenty (R-MN) spoke at the 11th Annual Iowa Faith & Freedom Coalition at Point of Grace Church in Waukee, IA.
“Well thanks a lot (for the applause), or as President Obama would say, ‘you’re welcome.’” Nice opening line by Governor Palwenty. He thanked Steve Scheffler and then also thanked “Chuck.” Oops… I believe he was referring to Chuck Hurley of The FAMiLY Leader (he acknowledged his mistake later) and it seemed like he shared similar illustrations from his speech for their Presidential Lecture series.
He cited 2 Chronicles 7:14 – “We need to be a country that turns toward God, not a country that turns away from God.” We need to remember that our we are endowed by our Creator, that he gives us rights, not Congress… etc. He said this is acknowledged by our Declaration of Independence and numerous state constitutions. The Constitution was designed “to protect people of faith from government, not government from people of faith.”
He said our debt matters – “just because we followed Greece in democracy doesn’t mean we need to follow them in bankruptcy.”
He challenged the cultural mindset of DC – he said life does begin at conception, marriage should be between a man and a woman. He said government isn’t for the elites, it is for the people and by the people..
He said we need leaders who can not only talk the talk, but walk the walk. He shared how he cut taxes, cut spending, introduced tort reform, reformed teacher pay, etc. in a Democratic state. He set a single season veto record, and received an A from the Cato Institute.
He said we can bring conservative principles to our nation, but that it won’t be easy. “This isn’t about easy, it is about rolling up our sleeves and get the job down.”