At the National Press Club, Wednesday, Gov. Tim Pawlenty called on the GOP to expand the party by reaching out Sam's Club Republicans, whom he described as Reagan Democrats who share GOP values.
Read an excerpt of that address below, or click play to watch.
Jerry Zremski, NPC Moderator: Why are you advocating a Sam's Club alternative to republican "elites?" Weren't republicans doing ok before the evangelicals and neo-conservatives took over the GOP?
Gov. Tim Pawlenty: You have to have party that is welcoming and attractive to many different groups. It isn't just one group. So when I talked about that Sam's Club metaphor - and, of course, the metaphor only goes so far -- We need to be the party of Sam's Club, not just the Country Club. So people say, well, Pawlenty is engaging in class warfare. He wants to throw the country clubbers overboard.
No I don't. We want to keep everybody in the party and grow it. So it's not just a matter of having just the traditional Republicans you mentioned, or just the Reagan democrats, or just the Sam's Club Republicans, or just the evangelicals, or just the business republicans, or down the list. We got to have it all, and more.
So it's not us versus them. It's us with them. We want to keep everybody in party and grow it. It's not just matter of having the traditional Republicans you mentioned or just Reagan Democrats or Sams Club reps or just evangelicals or just business Republican or down the list. We got to have it all and more so it's not us vs. them it's us with them.
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Zremski: In this year of change, is there any sign that the influence of Evangelicals on the state and national Republican parties may be weakening?
Pawlenty: I think the evangelical voter has been an important part of the republican constituency, but it's not a vote to be taken for granted. You you have to earn it, and you have to be connected to it in ways that are real and meaningful; and real and genuine. And one of the things that's happening, of course, in the evangelical community is that there's a new generation of leaders emerging. It's not a monolith. And you see people like Rick Warren and Bill Hybels and T.D. Jakes and Franklin Graham, and many, many others.
It doesn't move in one big block, and republican candidates, all candidates, are going to have to vie for that vote. And have Republicans historically had an advantage with it? Yes, but we can't take it granted, and I would also say people who would want to dismiss that vote are making a very grave mistake. They are an important part of the American cultural fabric, and an important part of our heritage and an important part of the conservative governing coalition and we should work to earn and keep their support.
