Republican MN governors calls John McCain a "crank"

As in "cranky old man."

At this afternoon's panel about the future of the Republican Party, Tim Pawlenty picked up where he left off yesterday, delivering some tough medicine for the party, calling for moderating the party's message and demeanor, including McCain's.

"People don't want to just hear I'm against earmarks, and 'we need to get back to things,'" Pawlenty said. That's nice, he added, but people are want to know, 'How can I pay for college, fill up my gas tank,' he added. "People are wondering, 'What are you going to do for me.' … Enough's enough."

He criticized the Republican Party's perceived negativity.

"When did you see Reagan get angry," Pawlenty said, adding that the 1980s president was positive and strong. "People want to follow mostly positive leaders; they don't want to follow cranks," he said, an apparent reference t