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Pawlenty for President

"The American Comeback" +
:30 ad run in Iowa starting July 20, 2011.

[Brief audio snippet from 1980 "Miracle on Ice" Olympic hockey game, Music]


Pawlenty: Out here, you're tested.


You face an opponent experts say can't be beat.


You fight, you bleed, you prevail.  [Audio: "...do you believe in miracles?"]


Our country's down but we're not out.


To come back, we need a leader with a proven record, not just rhetoric.


I took on the unions, and won.


I shut down a government, and won.


I moved a liberal state in a conservative direction.


Join me, and prove the experts wrong.


I'm Tim Pawlenty, and I approve this message.



Notes:  The press release summarizes the ad thusly, "The new ad features Gov. Pawlenty in an ice arena in his home town of South St. Paul talking about the need to restore American prosperity."  Comeback is an appropriate word for Pawlenty now.  He has not been faring well in early polls, which he rightly points out are meaningless, and he has endured weeks of skeptical press about his prospects (for example a New York Times headline on July 7, 2011 "Will Republican Race’s First In Be the First Out?"  This skepticism possibly even extends back to his performance in the June 13 debate in New Hampshire when he declined to directly challenge Romney).  Given that Pawlenty is a hockey fan, "Miracle on Ice" seems a good theme to play off of.  However, the day after this ad came out, several outlets reported that ABC Sports planned to issue a cease-and-desist letter to the campaign for using the footage and sound.  The campaign's initial response pointed to fair use.