Washington (CNSNews.com) – Deficit spending and government debt are reaching a level that could culminate in another economic crisis as big as the one that hit the United States last year, Minnesota’s Republican Governor Tim Pawlenty told CNSNews.com.
“One of the main things I’m very worried about is this administration and the Democratically-controlled Congress running on a pathway to bankruptcy,” Pawlenty said. “I mean, we have a reckless amount of deficit and debt in this country. The Obama administration and this Congress are exponentially growing that.”
The $787 billion stimulus package pushed by the Obama administration and congressional Democrats was supposed to salvage the tanking economy, but that measure – along with the $700 billion bailout of the financial industry pushed by the
Bush administration and supported by Obama – will boost the nation’s debt by $9 trillion to a total of $14.5 trillion by 2019, according to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office.
It took the United States 232 years accumulate $5.8 trillion in debt under Obama’s 43 predecessors, according to a report by the Republican staff of the Senate Budget Committee earlier this year.
“It’s going to massively burden our children and our grandchildren,” Pawlenty told CNSNews.com. “I think we’re going to have government debt equivalent to the subprime mortgage meltdown in the not too distant future. And for those of us who can see that coming, we need to stand up. We need to shout that that is reckless, that is irresponsible, and we can’t allow that to continue.”
Pawlenty spoke over the weekend at the Values Voters Summit in Washington, hosted by the political action arm of the conservative Family Research Council. He also weighed in on the divisive health care debate.
“Public funding of health care should not be an excuse for taxpayer funding of abortion,” Pawlenty said. “I challenge President Obama and Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Reid to extend the Hyde Amendment to the health care bill; that will put an end to the bureaucratic game-playing.”
Pawlenty has recently campaigned for GOP gubernatorial candidates in New Jersey and Virginia. But he continues to wave off talk that he is gearing up to seek the GOP presidential nomination in 2012.
“We’re not focused on 2012. We’re focused on 2009. We have two governors’ races this year -- Virginia and New Jersey. Both can be won by the Republicans.”
“Then in 2010, we have 37 governorships on the ballot,” he added. “So anybody that is looking ahead to 2012 is doing our team a disservice. In the meantime, we should be focused on the here and now.”
Pawlenty, who has been associated with the phrase “Sam’s Club” Republicans, said the view is consistent with Reagan conservatism in that it builds a majority coalition by appealing to working class voters.
“I’ve learned some things as a conservative governing in a pretty left-of-center place (Minnesota),” Pawlenty told CNSNews.com. “I have some ideas I want to share to try to improve the conservative movement and my party. This is a great opportunity to do that.”
Pawlenty referred to his blue-collar family roots, and he noted that his brothers and sisters are union workers. He said Republicans “need to change” the perception that they are not “for the working person.” Republicans must show those working people “how what we believe is better for them in the long run.”