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Can Perry Be Stopped?
Texas Observer ^ | September 2, 2011 | Eileen Smith

Posted on 09/02/2011 10:53:13 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife

Sure, he polls well, but can he debate?

The polls keep looking better and better for Rick Perry, despite this week’s provocative headline in Politico, “Is Rick Perry Dumb?” Dumb or not, it sure seems to be working.

On Monday, a CNN/ORC International poll of Republicans and independent voters who lean Republican found that Perry’s still on top, with 27 percent of Republicans nationwide supporting him for the nomination. Romney’s in second with 14 percent. A poll released Tuesday from Public Policy Polling showed Perry leading among likely Republican primary voters in South Carolina with 36 percent, a full 20 points ahead of Mitt Romney. This shouldn’t be too surprising considering that Perry chose the Palmetto State to announce his official candidacy. I bet Romney’s ahead in Utah.

Not to be outdone by the furious polling conducted by CNN and PPP of every Republican-leaning household in the world, Quinnipiac University released its own national poll Wednesday showing that Perry is the first choice for 26 percent of Republican voters, followed by Romney at 20 percent. But there is some good news for Romney. He has a favorability rating of 57 percent compared to Perry’s 44 percent. Both candidates are running about even with President Obama, although on Thursday Rasmussen Reports showed Perry with a small edge over Obama, 44 to 41 percent. Likeability is clearly not a factor here.

So what should we make of Perry’s strong showing in the polls? Is he unstoppable? Or will he crack during next Wednesday’s GOP presidential debate? The debate, hosted by NBC News and Politico, will be held (naturally) at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California. If you’ve ever seen Perry debate (a rare treat, as he avoids them at all costs), you’ll know this isn’t his strongest forum. There will be no bales of hay to casually place his cowboy boot upon. There will be no tea party crowd to whisper sweet nothings of secession and deportation to. There won’t be any snubbing of the media, since this is sponsored by the media and that would just be awkward. The governor is actually going to have to answer questions and acknowledge the other candidates. Perry doesn’t like sharing the stage, unless it’s with Ted Nugent.

Baby Got Backers

Fresh on the heels of receiving the coveted endorsement of one-time semi-celebrity gubernatorial candidate Kinky Friedman, who was apparently trying to remind people of his existence, Perry got another key endorsement this week—that of influential evangelical leader Rick Scarborough. Scarborough, the founder of Vision America, told TIME that he would be making his case to other social conservatives. “That’s not to say Rick Perry is Jesus because he is not,” Scarborough said. “But when you look at his full body of work, he’s been the best governor we’ve ever had.” So, kind of like Jesus.

Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-OK) also endorsed Perry, the first U.S. senator to do so in the 2012 primary. Inhofe told NBC News that Perry’s “gubernatorial experience, personal profile, and good looks” make him the candidate to beat. At least until Sarah Palin enters the race. She’s much better looking.

False Security

Meanwhile Perry is doing his best to piss off those already-cranky seniors by taking even more shots at Social Security. On a campaign stop in Iowa Saturday, he repeated accusations in his book, Fed Up!, that the program is unconstitutional and amounts to a “Ponzi scheme” for young people. “The idea that they’re working and paying into Social Security today, that the current program is going to be there for them, is a lie,” he said. Later Perry reasserted that he hadn’t backed off any of the claims in his book. “So read the book again and get it right,” he told the crowd, thereby assuming that anyone read it in the first place.

How to Ruin Perry’s Day…

…take away his sonogram law.

This week a federal judge in Austin found that several portions of the law, which requires sonograms for any woman seeking to obtain an abortion, were “unconstitutionally vague” and violate the First Amendment. The preliminary injunction issued by the court blocks the state from enforcing penalties against either the doctor or the woman. The law was to take effect on September 1. Of course, Perry can always blame it on that activist judge and the pesky First Amendment that got in the way. Nothing like red meat for the base.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; Editorial; Politics/Elections; US: Texas
KEYWORDS: corporatewelfare; liberals; perry; perry2012; perrytards; porkulus; ramblingmsm; ricardoperrito; rickperry; rinofreeamerica; texas; texican; valleytalk
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To: Cincinatus' Wife

Of course he can.

The vast majority of Americans have no idea who he is, except he’s been flogged by the media of late as the tea party candidate (wherever that came from!) with a good record as TX guv.

They’ve not so much as seen him in a debate or give a speech—or heard any real details about his record. (E.g., on ethics and illegal immigration and actual government spending)


21 posted on 09/02/2011 11:21:31 AM PDT by 9YearLurker
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To: Cincinatus' Wife

Well, Perry could bomb in the debate next week but not likely.

It is likely, however, that NBC and POLITICO will ask him some gotcha questions but I thnk his charm could get him out of a tough spot.

If Bush survived the debates than Perry should have no problem.


22 posted on 09/02/2011 11:24:35 AM PDT by tirednvirginia ( RICK'S CHICK AND PROUD OF IT!)
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To: Bigun

“Irene.” A Japanese woman with one leg!


23 posted on 09/02/2011 11:27:27 AM PDT by RexBeach (Mr. Obama can't count.)
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To: hellbender

We need to play the hand we are dealt.

Trying to hobble the momentum of the best, fastest and most powerful horse in the race will leave us at the gate, again.

It is nice to envision the perfect candidate, but it is like girls who waited so long for Mr. Perfect, that they ended up old maids.

I am only saying this because I don’t think that “O” can actually beat ANY one of the Conservative hopefuls (except possibly Romney)...but Conservatives can defeat themselves (and have done in the past).


24 posted on 09/02/2011 11:28:33 AM PDT by SMARTY (A claim for equality of material position can be met only by a government with totalitarian powers.)
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To: RexBeach

LOL!

OK!


25 posted on 09/02/2011 11:30:18 AM PDT by Bigun ("The most fearsome words in the English language are I'm from the government and I'm here to help!")
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To: SMARTY
I am only saying this because I don’t think that “O” can actually beat ANY one of the Conservative hopefuls (except possibly Romney)...but Conservatives can defeat themselves (and have done in the past).

Right on Smarty! RIGHT ON!

26 posted on 09/02/2011 11:32:19 AM PDT by Bigun ("The most fearsome words in the English language are I'm from the government and I'm here to help!")
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To: Cincinatus' Wife
The polls keep looking better and better for Rick Perry,

What the changed the election to Nov 2011
27 posted on 09/02/2011 11:32:32 AM PDT by uncbob
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To: Cincinatus' Wife

Good luck in the primaries Governor. It’s good to have a deep bench to pick from.


28 posted on 09/02/2011 11:32:38 AM PDT by agere_contra ("Debt is the foundation of destruction" : Sarah Palin.)
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To: SMARTY

[ Support for all of them(conservatives) will assure the success of Conservatism for decades to come. ]

true... whats more important is many more members of the House and Senate to be elected..
And they will be.. 2012 is the main event showing for Nov. 2010..

60+ members of the Senate is required.. “RINOS be gone”


29 posted on 09/02/2011 11:34:31 AM PDT by hosepipe (This propaganda has been edited to include some fully orbed hyperbole...)
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To: hellbender
........ excusing gay marriage.

Do you just throw everything you can against the wall?

When Texas's anti-sodomy law was struck down in 2003 by the Supreme Court Rick Perry called Court decision the result of “nine oligarchs in robes."

Republican presidential candidate and Texas Gov. Rick Perry has signed a pledge from the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) pledging to oppose same-sex marriage and advance a constitutional marriage amendment.

30 posted on 09/02/2011 11:38:12 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
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To: Cincinatus' Wife
"Can Perry Be Stopped?"

Nope, he'll self-destruct within one month, and nothing can stop him. The first two debates will seal it.

31 posted on 09/02/2011 11:45:52 AM PDT by Gargantua ("I'm voting for Palin whether she runs or not. I admire her attitude.")
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To: Cincinatus' Wife

It aint none of his business if each local/state wants its own marriage laws. Problem is..those marriages would have to be recognized in the other states. THAT IS where this is going. They want those marriages to be recognized in all states! If that happens, and they pass ANYTHING to advance this social debacle, then all the states MUST recognize gun laws also. No?

DO NOT wish for something you might regret later. This could open a whole can of worms none of us want.

If Perry, and believe me, I like him, sticks his nose into this, he will get burned. Better for him to say that it is a local issue and that only.

Why is it people want the holy federal government running every part of their lives?


32 posted on 09/02/2011 12:06:44 PM PDT by crz
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To: HerrBlucher
Yes he can be stopped, all that has to happen is for FReepers to repeatedly post RINO RINO RINO Mitt Perry blah blah blah gardisil, illegals, and gore RINO RINO.....blah blah blah..............and voila, he is toast.

You could be right. ;-)


Where there's a shell, there's a way.

If you can't appreciate the pure beauty of the violin after hearing this, something's wrong with your ears.

Or you can get raw with these strings. Either way, the violin is sweet yet lethal.

Do it!

33 posted on 09/02/2011 12:20:19 PM PDT by rdb3 (The mouth is the exhaust pipe of the heart.)
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To: Sudetenland
RINO! RINO! OMG, he's a BilderbergerBrettonWoodsNewWorldOrderCouncilonForeignRelationFreeMasonBritishMonarchyIlluminatiBohemianGrover puppet!!!!

There's no place like home!

Sounds like Alex Jones.


Where there's a shell, there's a way.

If you can't appreciate the pure beauty of the violin after hearing this, something's wrong with your ears.

Or you can get raw with these strings. Either way, the violin is sweet yet lethal.

Do it!

34 posted on 09/02/2011 12:23:17 PM PDT by rdb3 (The mouth is the exhaust pipe of the heart.)
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To: SMARTY
Also, there is an entire constellation of Conservative talent right now. Every single one of these people running for the nomination are enormously capable and necessary for an immediate Conservative victory against “O”.

Just a year ago, a poster on FR was reflecting that he thought the talent pool of real conservatives with presidential credentials was amazingly thin, other than Sarah.

His thought was that the Bush family and Karl Rove (I think Rove especially) had deliberately sandbagged conservatives all over the map in local races, to "suppress" social conservatives before they could get their political careers started. (Remember what happened to Rick Santorum?) Which when you think about it is the same thing gay PAC's do. Isn't that interesting?

And it turns out the chairman of the RNC, Ken Mehlman, is gay. Lots and lots and lots of power gays closeted all over the upper reaches of the RNC and GOP on "Poppy" Bush's watch, and again on Shrub's.

Makes you wonder what is going on in the RNC's "neural plexus", doesn't it?

We need a good, strong Main Street conservative to broom out the backstabbers, rich boys, and Princeton fairies from the influential recesses of the GOP, and turn that once-great party back to the People.

35 posted on 09/02/2011 1:01:53 PM PDT by lentulusgracchus (Concealed carry is a pro-life position.)
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To: RexBeach
“Eileen.” Isn’t that a woman with one leg?

Unless she's Chinese, then it's "Irene" [rimshot]

"Lord, I apologize, and be with the starvin' Pygmies down there in New Guinea. Amen."

36 posted on 09/02/2011 1:09:44 PM PDT by COBOL2Java (Obama is the least qualified guy in whatever room he walks into.)
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To: HerrBlucher
Yes he can be stopped, all that has to happen is for FReepers to repeatedly post RINO RINO RINO Mitt Perry blah blah blah gardisil, illegals, and gore RINO RINO.....blah blah blah..............and voila, he is toast.

Not enough spittle there, gotta add more spittle...

37 posted on 09/02/2011 1:10:50 PM PDT by COBOL2Java (Obama is the least qualified guy in whatever room he walks into.)
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To: Cincinatus' Wife

I pinged it....it seems Eileen likes to refer to herself in the third person.


38 posted on 09/02/2011 1:13:26 PM PDT by Gaffer
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To: tirednvirginia
It is likely, however, that NBC and POLITICO will ask him some gotcha questions but I thnk his charm could get him out of a tough spot.

If Bush survived the debates than Perry should have no problem.

I still chuckle about Bush's repartee during the second presidential debate: "Need some wood?"

39 posted on 09/02/2011 1:15:07 PM PDT by COBOL2Java (Obama is the least qualified guy in whatever room he walks into.)
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To: Cincinatus' Wife

40 posted on 09/02/2011 1:15:33 PM PDT by Revolting cat! (Let us prey!)
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