You said you were, “absolutely positive he [Perry] is the most likely of the candidates declared to be able to beat the President”.
If you can predict the future as well as you claim you can should be in Vegas. All kidding aside, you are not 'absolutely positive' Perry can beat Obama you just think he can.
I understand your sentiments about wanting to ensure we have a candidate who can beat Obama but we are 15 months from the election and anything can happen in that time. Just look what has happened to the stock market in the past month. Obama is vulnerable, so can he be beaten? While I am not ‘absolutely positive’ I believe he can. And I believe he can be beaten by just about any conservative candidate. So there is, at this point in time, no point or sense in supporting a candidate like Rick Perry. We, as conservatives, should hope for and hold out for a real conservative, one who does not want open borders, one who does not want to give instate tuition to ILLEGALS and one who will not, due to his very questionable past, be the next Juan McCain who instills little to no enthusiasm amongst conservatives.
I don’t dislike you, I don’t even know you and I do not fancy myself morally superior to you. But when it comes to Rick Perry I have done my homework. Perry is not the conservative his supporters try to make him out to be. I have posted his very questionable record in many threads. And yes, I call him a RINO because that is what I believe he is. I voted for a RINO in 2008 and I don’t want or intend to do that again. Here is why.
I currently live in East San Diego County. Not a week goes by that I don't go out to find my water hose running having been left running by ILLEGALs filling their water jugs. They pick fruit from my trees and steal the eggs from my chicken coop. Hell, they've even stolen my chickens. They have broken into and slept in my garage, workshop, storage shed and barn and they've tried hot wiring my vehicles. A time was when they would run when spotted but that is no more. They have grown bolder and more dangerous. I hate leaving the home empty when I travel or worse, leaving my wife here alone. So I hire someone to house sit my house or we have someone stay with Mrs. 4 when I am away. My congressman is Duncan Hunter. He is a staunch conservative who knows and understands the needs of people like me. What I don't have but need is a president who will take real steps to secure our southern border. I refuse to support any candidate who I think will not provide me the security I both desire and need. As I said above we have 15 months left in this race. We need a conservative in the White House and that man is not Mr. Open Borders Rick Perry.
Thanks for listening.
First, I should just say again, I'm not a Perry fanatic. I suspect he will be like a Republican Bill Clinton, meaning Rs will see him like Ds see Bill (frustrating, successful, great on some issues, bad on others, ultimately a positive).
I am not telling anyone they “have” to vote for him. I will leave myself if someone (IMO) better comes along. Like I said, Ron Paul would be my first choice, if I thought he was at all electable (although I know most here don't agree or like him).
It's hard to know what to say about your personal situation w/ the border, other than that instead of spending billions on Libya, we should concentrate on the quasi-failed state on our own border. I have a feeling that would cut down on illegals fleeing.
A real immigration policy is difficult for either party, because as long as there are 41 liberals or conservatives in the Senate, they can filibuster either side.
I don't have any other solutions, other than we should be spending more to protect our border, than S. Korea's.
To sum up, I have no problem w/ anyone supporting anyone, and letting this thing play out. I have a problem w/ Palin or Bachmann supporters calling Perry supporters names, because I don't think we do that to them.
It's their right, but I would say it doesn't win over too many. It's sort of like being talked down to by the MSM. You don't even listen, you just get your back up, after a while.
As far as where I said I was “positive” he was the best to beat Obama, I just meant in my own head (like a person would say “I'm positive Andrew Jackson is my favorite President”), not because it's a law of nature. But in your own head, you've decided. In other words, it's an opinion, but for me a deciding one.
In closing, I hope your own situation improves. I feel the key is helping Mexico exterminate the Drug Cartels, but it doesn't seem to be on anyone’s platform, even as a secondary issue.
Take care,
Sean (trickamsterdam)