Posted on 12/21/2011 12:30:44 PM PST by Cincinatus' Wife
Will Republican voters give Governor Rick Perry a second chance? For what it is worth, I give him a 5% chance of being elected next November. Others also seem to think he has a shot and he is even beginning to get niot only another look but some endorsements.
Ace of Ace of Spades HQ — a pretty big blogger — made a very good case for Rick Perry, which is why Ace has such a good reputation. He pointed out that most voters have not been paying attention to the race and bloggers and their readers have paid perhaps too much attention. He also pointed out that we have to look beneath the surface at what he calls the secondary and tertiary issues.
His is a 3,000 word post or about the size of 4 George Will columns, and it is probably worth more.
Ace’s key points: Rick Perry is true to his wife, did the military time, and jobs, jobs, jobs.
Ace blisters the knocks on Rick Perry while knocking Newt Gingrich. It’s sweet. I am reading this and think, sheesh, these are points that I should be making. From Ace: “Should Gingrich be our nominee, be prepared to do a lot of double-takes as faithfulness and devotion to family suddenly becomes the key trait in a president. The media will call Rick Perry stupid, of course. And Perry has armed them with weapons to use on this front. However, his gaffes are now several months old, and he hasn’t repeated them.”
I think Ace went a little too far in knocking the lack of service time for Newt and Mitt. Yes, they were of draft age during Vietnam. But only 10% of that pool served. In the last 3 presidential elections, it has been a Vietnam veteran versus a person who did not serve in Vietnam. Each Vietnam vet finished second.
The jobs, jobs, jobs aspect is the best selling point because it shows not only does Rick Perry have executive experience, he has executive success. From Ace:
America, and especially the Republican party, has long favored elevating governors to the presidency. Governors are, after all, the presidents of single states. They have nearly the exact same duties and functions (including even maintaining and controlling the state national guards). They have similar executive powers and set the agendas for their respective legislatures. In the case of border states such as Texas, they even require some foreign policy making duties.
No job in the world really prepares someone for the Presidency. But one job, more than any other, comes fairly close to doings so.
So Rick Perry cannot handle high executive office?
Then how is it he’s been doing just that for 11 years?
(And if you want to object that Texas has a weak-governor system, with a lot of power vested in the lieutenant governor position — well, they claimed that about George W. Bush, too. And claimed that Rick Perry actually was doing all the hard stuff in his then-position of Lieutenant Governor. So wherever the power lies in Texas, Perry has handled it, in both jobs.)
The stakes in this election are enormous. The next president may well appoint five justices the Supreme Court, essentially choosing our basic jurisprudence for the next 30 years. This will be the presidency in which we make fundamental decisions about debt, and spending, and entitlements. Decisions on those may decide our fiscal policy for the next 20 or 30 years, too.
But while those are the stakes of this election, the election will actually turn on… Jobs.
The piece could have ended there. Ace goes into a defensive mode that is really unnecessary. But this is an important post because Ace is influential in the conservative blogs. I shall give that link again.
The baggage Rick Perry carries is perhaps more humorous than what the others carry, but it is far lighter.
With Newt Gingrich you have to defend three wives, unethical personal and professional behavior, a career of weird positions, and a tendency to out-Obama when it comes to his own assessment of his intelligence. as I wrote earlier, winning all these debates gives Newt overconfidence in the fall campaign on his debating skills. When he falls behind he will bet it all on winning big in the next debate and guess what? He won’t. Everyone will expect him to win.
Mitt Romney’s baggage is Romneycare and wishy-washyness. He has a great life story and could make a great president who balances the budget and makes the nation strong again. But he is so plodding.
Rick Perry needs to stop trying to work the social issues and instead relax, be himself and have fun with the whole campaign. He seems to enjoy pressing the flesh and of everyone running, including President Downgrade, Rick Perry is the guy you want to have a beer with because he’ll pay and it will be a Lone Star. I can see voting for such a man.
That said, I am not endorsing anyone at this point.
But on a scale of conservatism with 10 being Reagan and 1 being Carter, I give Rick Perry a 9. Sure, the HPV vaccine was a mistake but it was one made for the right reason: To save lives.
Michele Bachmann has no chance. Rick Santorum ditto. Rick Perry is the last conservative standing.
He may be dumb but he did not endorse Dede Scozzafava, did he? And yes, that still matters.
I’m sure he will do great against the MSM and Obama smear machine.
I mean, look at the bang up job he’s done so far!
As long as he doesn’t say anything, give no policy statements, engage in no debates, and try not to look at anyone, he will win in a landslide.
It’s Pretty obvious Perry’s not interested in his run....he never wanted it to begin with. He loves being Governor of Texas and that’s where he should be..and he knows it.
Where do newt and mittens stand on the 2nd. amendment?
Oh, btw, I know where Gov. Perry stands today, and five yrs. ago, and ten yrs ago...
I guess it’s a bit disheartening to some, to read so many conservative columnists and bloggers writing to praise and endorse Rick Perry for the GOP nominee.
Go Rick Perry!
As bad as where they stand on global warming and pushing "carbon" alarms.
I do believe that eventually the Socon vote will line up behind Perry as he’s the only one of the three socons running with the money and organization. Romney is very vulnerable on the social issues and he’s not being hit right now, but I’m convinced Perry will eventually expose him in this area as he has the money to do it. I’m also not at all convinced Romney is doing as well in Iowa as Ras states. Paul will collapse of his own weight soon enough.
LoL...what year/month/day? Nobody can even come close to Perry on the 2nd amendment.
He doesn't just talk the talk. He walks the walk (or jogs the jog, I guess). I'm sure no other candidate makes sure he has his concealed carry weapon when he goes jogging.
CW: Surber writes in the Daily Mail of Charleston, WV. Just FYI.
I messed up — had that in my “click” list that pops up when I’m posting and it got there by mistake. I’ll see if I can get it fixed.
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He may be dumb but he did not endorse Dede Scozzafava, did he? And yes, that still matters.
Read it over and over until it sinks in!
During that time, 739,000 people fled into Texas. Anyone who takes that data and pretends that this is somehow bad news for Texas is simply not being honest. At the worst, I'd call it a good problem to have.
So, to give something of a better feeling for the economic situation across states, this chart takes the population of the states I selected above and judges the current job situation against the population as it stood at the beginning of the recession."....Source
Perry entered the race having just come out of back surgery. Anybody had this and try standing all day, trying to prepare for campaigning, not to mention speeches, when your back is killing you? After hearing this, being an RN, I understand and not only the seeming to be unprepared, but having gone under anesthesia, one’s memory is effected for a few months, so you forget things (he probably knew what he wanted to say, but it would not cooperate and come to the tip of his tongue). Under pressure of a debate, it would be a miracle to get through with no lapses. This is a fact. He has clearly done better, now that the effects have dissipated. One thing I like about him is his humble demeanor. He does not come across as arrogant, and probably would not make us feel that he is our superior, like someone else we all know. He listens to people, he thinks things through and changes course when he sees it is necessary or the best way forward. Very good traits for a president, I’d say. He’s not stuck in a rut and doing it his way or we get the highway. To be honest, I think his personableness will come through in the debates with Obama, should he win the nomination. That is another plus!
If Texas had the same population it did prior to the recession, it would have somewhere around 2.8% unemployment.
That’s nice.
Care to clue us in as to how Perry is going to deal with the MSM/Obama machine?
Or do you think he’s going to get by on just saying how conservative he is or just blame it on a bad back?
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