Bloggers should probably give a nod to Governor Pawlenty for having held in 2005 a reception for new media.  Seems like ages ago, and nowadays blogger access is taken for granted.  I had three blogger conference call invites today alone.  But Pawlenty did this at a time where it was easy to dismiss bloggers, and not just from screedy columnists.  You could have seen it in the group there at the time: not so much awe but appreciation of being appreciated.  My sense was that he is a guy that respects hard work and passion, which is two of the three qualities that make a good blogger.  (The other is, you have to know how to write.)  Paid for out of his pocket, and more importantly the governor was generous with his time and thoughtfulness.  All questions were answered.  In case we didn't say thanks enough for that bit of validation in 2005, I hope this puts a small credit on my tab.

We had Governor Pawlenty on Final Word twice by my count, last in March last year.  We expected him at 3:30 and he came in early and sat down like a guy sitting at the lunch counter with people he knows in athletic clothes you'd expect anyone to wear while doing Saturday errands.  He starts the conversation right away.  We were told thirty minutes and he stays to 4.  Now any time we get someone of his stature -- look, he's the governor, we're two guys with a weekend radio show, this is HUGE for us! -- we always invite them to stay longer.  I fully expect him to say no, particularly since we already got an extra five minutes.  Pawlenty answers, "hang on, I'll see."  We go to the break, and he makes a call, then comes back and says he can stay.  Turns out he's between his daughters' volleyball game down the road. He called to see if their next match had started yet.  Family before us, and us before getting out of there and relaxing.   It's a side we don't see, didn't expect to see.

Both those memories form fundamentally my impression of the man.

Mitch has already written that Pawlenty isn't a movement conservative, and I'm not going to argue the point.  What Pawlenty represents to me, though, is the kind of person conservatives see Americans being:  quiet, unassuming, family-first, unafraid to disagree without being disagreeable, frugal, generous.  The guy, who didn't have to show up at all, shows up at Talk the Vote last October by surprise wearing a Coleman t-shirt.  When he's not the show, he gets out of the limelight (I hope he never runs for U.S. Senate, because he may lose that quality).  He does the Everyman thing really, really well.  He's likable, in a way few politicians pull off.  And likability takes you a long way these days.