Pawlenty Lays Groundwork for 2012 on ‘The Daily Show’

It may have started when he lost the mullet two years ago, but Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s appearances on “The Daily Show” Thursday night and Good Morning America Friday represent a big step to raise his national profile in advance of a potential 2012 presidential run.

Pawlenty would not say whether he would run for the 2012 nomination, but admitted he is considering it. “I might, but I might not. I don’t know,” he told host Jon Stewart of “The Daily Show.” He did acknowledge a potential handicap for his candidacy. “Mostly to run nationally you have to be rich, famous, or you have to have some kind of schtick or novelty,” he said.

Pawlenty got the special extended interview treatment from Stewart, with the first eight minutes of the interview airing last night, and the full interview posted online. The total conversation lasted almost half an hour, and barring a few divergences in the third segment (a presidential candidate has probably never been caught saying “bong water” that many times) the interview largely lacked typical “Daily Show” humor, instead focusing on a Pawlenty’s governing philosophy.

His message throughout the interview was making government smaller but more effective. One area he mentioned when asked for examples was reforming higher education, suggesting new technological possibilities such as “iColleges.” The second part of the interview was primarily spent discussing the importance of entitlement reform.

Pawlenty is a two-term governor and was a finalist for the second spot on John McCain’s ticket in 2008, but his national profile is still relatively low. In a poll released Friday from The Des Moines Register, 53 percent of likely voters in Iowa’s Republican caucus were “unsure” about Pawlenty. His media blitz over the past day should help raise his profile, laying groundwork for his spot as the “Sam’s Club” Republican candidate.

Watch all three parts of the interview below.

Part I:

Part 2:

Part 3: