Posted on 01/05/2012 2:06:28 AM PST by Cincinatus' Wife
You’re not going to lose a lot of bets by inferring that a candidate who says he is “suspending” his campaign is in fact about to drop out. But Rick Perry’s reconsideration of his role in the Republican nomination race appears to have been genuine and he is pressing forward for the time being.
Why did Mr. Perry decide to remain in the race? Knowing the answer is crucial to understanding whether Mr. Perry has any chance of mounting a comeback — and how his decision might reverberate upon Mitt Romney and the other Republican candidates.
Let me posit two hypothetical (and deliberately exaggerated) scenarios on how Mr. Perry’s decision came about:
[snip]
In Scenario A, Mr. Perry would have made a highly idiosyncratic and personal decision, and one that was somewhat willfully disconnected from the realities of the Republican nomination race. Scenario B is just the opposite: a highly informed and strategic decision, one made expressly because Mr. Perry had credible reasons to believe that he was still viable.
Scenario B is potentially very bad news for Mr. Romney. It implies that party elites are not coalescing around him. In fact, it suggests that a subgroup of party elites are so dissatisfied with Mr. Romney that they are behaving strategically in an effort to maximize their chances of denying him the nomination...
(Excerpt) Read more at fivethirtyeight.blogs.nytimes.com ...
But of course, I'm daydreaming and wishing and praying and doing all I can to avoid thinking about who remains in the race. Rick Santorum is a good guy and a Catholic whom my nuns in high school would be supporting, as they did JFK in 1960, but I don't believe that his policies would reduce our huge government. In a recent article on National Review Online, Brian Bolduc writes about the "overlooked virtue of the ex-senator's: his pragmatism."
Frankly, I don't think pragmatism is what is called for at this time. Slash-and-burn is what is needed to reduce our multi-trillion-dollar deficit. When I read on The Drudge Report that Rupert Murdoch was for Rick because he had vision, I thought that he was talking about Perry, not Santorum. It is Perry who wants to reduce the salaries of Congress and send them home packing. It is Perry who wants to eliminate the useless Departments of Energy, Housing, and Education. It is Perry who wants to drill, baby, drill. It is Perry who would never have pulled our soldiers out of Iraq before complete stabilization was in place. It is Perry who has the experience to get this country back on its feet.
There are only two things this country has ever done right, and they are the space program and our military -- both entities that this socialist administration and the Democratic Party gut at every opportunity.
Rick Perry could succeed with his policies only with a strong Tea-Party Congress, which only we can give him.
Yes, I am a daydreamer, but there's something about that handsome coyote-killer that reminds me of Ronnie."
The problem is Perry further divides the Conservative vote and that HELPS THE slimebag Romney
Then tell the others to get out of Rick Perry's way. Gov. Perry is the TRUE consistent conservative (with the executive record) who is running for president.
Gov. Perry STILL has work to do.
========> Helping Rove and Romney.
Perry has been on opposing sides with Rove (Rove's Crossroads is backing Romney and Bush-Rove backed Hutchison in the 2010 primary challenge to Perry).
Rick Perry has run ads against Romney and twice Perry got Romney to look the "rattled fool" in debates.
Carbon Copies [60 second video campaign ad]
Mitt: That's -- I'm running for office, for Pete's sake, I can't have illegals. [video clip]
And Perry's gone after Mitt (A LOT) on hiding his support for mandated health care (remember the $10,000. bet?).
why don’t YOU be honest?
Gov Perry did much better only WHEN he took on Romney,
but he always fell backwards, becoming slightly
less coherent or pimping Texas instead of focusing
on the goal — defeating Romney, and THEN Obama.
why don’t YOU be honest?
Gov Perry did much better only WHEN he took on Romney,
but he always fell backwards, becoming slightly
less coherent or pimping Texas instead of focusing
on the goal — defeating Romney, and THEN Obama.
Pundits say Perry dropped in the polls when he “attacked” Romney in the debates. There was a big, long “heavy” conversation between Sean Hannity and his pet pollster Frank Luntz on the radio yesterday about how Perry being negative toward Romney, cost PERRY support.
So, who to believe?
I just love all these Freepers who after one primary/caucus think they should decide who is allowed to run for office, and who isn't..
Perry should drop out for "the Greater Good". I personally am sick of having "the greater good" shoved down my throat for years now... I guess enough people have believed it. We've become an entitlement society, have given away many of our God Given rights, while enshrining others, such as gay marriage, and abortion...plus it seems we're on the verge of an economic collapse.
IF you'd rather NOT be pinged FReepmail me.
IF you'd like to be added FReepmail me. Thanks.
*****************************************************************************************************************************************************
Be honest.
Lol. Good luck with that.
Yeah, Karl is downright giddy over Perry taking the bait and guaranteed to suck votes away from Gingrich/Santorum. The question is now, as always, what's in it for Perry? What was the content of that midnight call from Romney to Perry that turned him back on the trail in less than 12 hours after going home to "re-asses"?
IF you truly believe that, to put it nicely...
you are stupid!
Surely you can find a real reason to criticize Perry--nobody claims he's perfect-- without making a fool of yourself!
GMTA.
Your posting advice here on "focusing on a goal to defeat Romney and Obama."
Maybe you should think about that. Maybe you should make that your own personal goal.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.