I, myself, first laid eyes on him----when he stomped all over Michele Bachman's hard-fought win in the first Idaho go-round---pasting that silly grin on his face, flashing the victory sign---as if HE had won....not Michele.
Stuff like that works on trusting Texans----Perry had no idea he was dealing with savvy, sophisticated voters outside Texas. That was his undoing. He expected us to overlook his massive goofs----like his adoring pimpos did.
STROLL DOWN MEMORY LANE
Perry did NOT campaign in NH AND FINISHED ALMOST DEAD LAST. However, Perry DID campaign in Iowa---AND FINISHED ALMOST DEAD LAST.
In NH, Perry spent $6 million--the most of any candidate,
----Perry ran around in two campaign buses,
----Perry held numerous campaign events,
---- glad-handed thousands of Iowans,
----Perry ran non-stop ads touting his conservative credentials,
----Perry trucked in 1000 Texans for groundwork,
----Perry campaigned with California legislators and other high-level supporters
----PERRY FINISHED ALMOST DEAD LAST IN NH.
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BACKSTORY---when Perry went for the presidency, he and his Texas cronies projected an air of supreme self-assurance and indifference to outside advice.....Perry never even entered the first Iowa go-round-----and stomped allover Bachmann's hard-won victory, announcing his candidacy on the same day she won. Perry was posing for pics, acting like he had won Iowa, with 700 write-ins.
However, when sinking polls and losses forced him to regroup, Perry's hastily assembled new team found: Perry's 2012 campaign was mounted like Perry's state campaigns: (1) raise a bunch of money, (2) don’t worry about the [media coverage], (3) don’t worry about debates, (4) buy the race on TV.
The new team was not sympathetic: "You have to be a total rube to think a race for president is the same as a state race for governor. There has never been a more ineptly orchestrated, just unbelievably subpar campaign for president of the United States than this one."
To nationwide voters, Perry appeared to be calculatedly opportunistic---making it up as he went along....smugly assured that Americans would buy the stuff he peddled to Texans.
Indeed. It is identity politics at its worst. Blacks supported and voted for Obama simply because he was black. Texans supported and voted for Perry simply because he is their governor. Past failures are apparently meaningless. Pro-ILLEGAL alien positions are meaningless. Defending his pro-ILLEGAL alien agenda by labeling real conservatives as heartless was meaningless. He was their governor and that was enough to "earn" their unwavering support.
There is no definition of conservative that I know of that applies to Rick Perry and his pro-ILLEGAL alien, nanny-state, open border's agenda. Moreover, there is no discernible difference from Perry today and that of the Al Gore supporter of the 80s who, when he switched to the GOP said, "I intend to vote the same convictions". In that regard, he is man of his word.