By: Guest ContributorJun. 12th, 2011more from Guest Contributor

Tim Pawlenty was on Fox News Sunday today, but instead of getting softballs tossed his way like Sarah Palin did last week, he was hammered for his economic plan. It looks like Pawlenty is not one of the FNC chosen ones.

Here is the video from Think Progress:

Here is the transcript,

PAWLENTY: We have achieved 5 percent growth twice in the recent history of this country. Once under Reagan, once under Clinton. Now was it sustained for 10 years in those circumstances? No, but keep in mind Reagan in those early years we didn’t have 5% growth. We had 7%, so this idea we can’t do it in America. Hogwash. I believe in the American people. I believe if you unleash the private economy in this country, we can do this. Now we have also made it such that if the numbers don’t hit 5%, they’re a little lower than that, the plan still works. So I don’t buy this defeatist declinist Obama attitude that America should just accept its place as an anemic lagger. That’s not America. That’s not the America I grew up in, and that’s why we need a new president.

WALLACE: But governor, is it declinist to doubt the 5 percent number or is it just a realist to doubt the 5 percent number? You talk about the fact that for a few years in the 80s and a few years in the 90s that we did have average 5 percent growth – or close to it, it was 4 point something. But the fact is, the difference is, in both of those occasions that was coming directly out of a recession, not after a year, a year into a weak recovery. And actually, in both of those cases, it came after a tax increase, not a tax cut.

PAWLENTY: But Chris, as I said — this is an aspirational goal. I think it’s an achieveable goal…Others think it is a good plan. Of course, the conservatives like the plan. The President Obama and the liberals don’t. That’s predictable.

WALLACE: Sir, there are a lot of conservatives who doubt the number, and if you don’t get your 5% growth, which you now say is aspirational then it means a bigger deficit.

Last week Rmuse discussed the Pawlenty plan,

Former Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty, a Republican candidate for the presidency in 2012, proposed a massive $7.8 trillion tax cut over ten years that represents Republican largesse with the middle class’s tax dollars. Pawlenty’s proposal calls for a tax increase on the middle class to help pay for a personal income tax cut of at least 41% for the wealthiest Americans. He also proposes completely eliminating the estate tax, capital gains tax, and tax on dividend income that benefits only the wealthiest 2% of Americans.

The Minnesota maniac also places a cap on spending the will mean drastic cuts to Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid but does not include any cuts or cap on defense spending. Mr. Pawlenty’s plan also cuts the oil industry and corporate tax rate by more than 50% in spite of the fact that many of the largest corporations and oil companies pay no taxes at all.

At a time when Republicans are introducing non-economic economic plans on a regular basis, Pawlenty’s plan is so ridiculous that it is attracting ridicule from many conservatives, but what a difference a week makes on Fox News Sunday.

Seven days ago, Sarah Palin was on the show and given the fawning drooling treatment by Chris Wallace. (The FNS was so friendly that it made one yearn for the days of the tough as feathers interviewing skills of Larry King).

Tim Pawlenty had to be thinking, “What the hell? This is Fox News. Why are you treating me like this?” The ugly reality for Republicans running in the 2012 Fox News Primary is that the network is not being fair and balanced with their own candidates. They are playing favorites. From June 1-5, Fox gave Pawlenty zero minutes of airtime. He got nothing, and when Pawlenty does get airtime, Chris Wallace hammers him.

Hmmm, do you think that maybe Fox News Primary is rigged?

Get to the back of the bus, Tim Pawlenty. You are not a Fox News favorite.