Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty stopped by the Colbert Report Tuesday to talk about what went wrong in his defunct presidential campaign. As you might expect, most of the conversation was fluff:
“I came in third place behind Michele Bachmann and Ron Paul,” he said, referring to the Ames, IA straw poll that preceded his exit from the race. “I think that’s enough for any one person to endure.”
But Pawlenty also got a little serious, attacking the current political process as designed to keep all but the most TV-ready candidates out contention:
It’s taking on more and more of a reality TV component, these races. You’ve got to have not just money but an entertainment component, too. And so I brought forward a record of serious policy approaches, I thought, to the campaign, and at least in that moment in time the electorate is looking for something else.
He also talked about “shooting sparks up my butt.” So there’s that.
Watch:
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