[elpadre]

I find Perry's lack of support in SC surprising:

1. He has been very successfully governing one of the largest economies in the US and the world (Texas)

2. He is the only candidate with military experience and SC is full of military - active and veterans.

3. He is very conservative as are most in SC.

4. He is the only evangelical Christian in the group and SC is full of evangelical Christians.

Agreed his debating skills are lacking but good debaters do not make good presidents.

What's his problem?? - just asking!!

[throwback]

I find that surprising too. Perry's biggest negative is that he choked in the debates. That probably sticks in everybody’s mind. A politician that chokes in a debate is like a platoon leader that folds in an attack. I think he's made other mistakes that show he has a tin ear for hearing how his own statements sound. In his Iowa concession speech he read a letter someone sent to him saying that Rick was a great man. He may be a great man, but you don't read that out loud about yourself. Lack of humility turns people off. When the subject of adultery came up in the debates in regard to Newt, Perry wasn't very forgiving. Santorum, on the other hand, took the right line on it.

[Rational Thought]

There's little doubt that Perry's continued debate performances were strong contributors to his decline. Added to that, his defense of his in State reduced tuition's for illegal immigrants plays very poorly among many Republican voters (as, IMO, it should).

When you add those factors to his overall campaign, I think the issue many have with Perry is the same as with Romney or Gingrich, the trust factor. Most voters don't believe the candidates who are calling themselves “Conservative”.

For now (and maybe for good), Santorum is the most believable.

I've maintained all along that Perry's plunge isn't due to the media or some huge mistake by his campaign (or it's supporters). Perry did this to himself, with his weak defense of previous policy positions and his ongoing misstatements. What I don't know is if he really is this bad a campaigner or he just never truly put in the effort. Looking back at his campaigns in Texas, I don't think he needed to be a great campaigner in order to be victorious. As we all know, things are quite different in a Presidential campaign.

[CPT Clay]

4 excellent points!

I suspect S Cackalaky is Gov Goodhairs last.

[SamAdams76]

Several factors negatively impacting Perry (aside from the debate performances).

• He's a Republican from Texas and is perceived as another Bush. This is unfair but perception is reality. Romney will have the same issue nationally, being from Massachusetts (just another Northeast liberal in the mold of Dukakis and Kennedys).

• He comes across as a phony. Again, this is perception and not necessarily reality. But many perceive his "down-home-backslapping" mannerisms as contrived and artificial. Add to that the perfect hair and the exaggerated accent and he could be selling cars down at the lot.

• Debates aside, Perry does seem to have more than his share of "goofy moments" and is thus not taken seriously by many that don't know him that well.

Finally, we can't overlook that awful debate moment when Perry could not remember the departments of government he wanted to eliminate as president which is supposedly a cornerstone of his platform. That would be like Herman Cain not being able to name the three components of his 9-9-9 plan or Newt not being able to remember the main points of his 1994 "Contract with America".

Unfortunately, that moment will haunt Perry for the rest of his political life. If Perry ever does make it to the nomination, the SNL people will have skits playing off that moment from the first show in September to the show right before the election. They will do to his image what Chevy Chase did to Gerald Ford during the run-up to the 1976 elections. Now realize that Gerald Ford was far from the bumbling, stumbling fool that Chevy Chase made him out to be on TV. But such is the power of the media that they can take a bad moment and turn it into national obsession. Witness what the same show did to Sarah Palin four years ago.

[Lou Budvis]

The problem is we’re tied of GOP prez candidates being inarticulate. The libs love to portray conservatives as dumb and Perry’s gaffes play right into that stereotype.

[Go Gordon]

What's his problem?? - just asking!!

People remember his botched performances in his first couple debates. First impressions are hard to undo, and people want a candidate that debate the pants off Obama and make Obama defend HIS record and be held accountable.

[magritte]

Apparently, conservatives don’t want executive experience or a solid background in actually doing conservative things. They want talkers who say all the right things (Bachmann, Cain, now Santorum), not actual doers. It’s a shame.

[kara37]

Bush! Their speaking ability and mannerisms are exactly alike. It even shocked me when I first saw him speak. I knew that would be a problem for him, even before his missteps in the debates.

[rightwingextremist1776]

The problem is another RINO from Texas...we done did that ride already.

[org.whodat]

What is his problem, first he is as sharp as a basketball and second, he is as sharp as a basketball, and that is the way he comes across to people, and third his wife wants him to run, not him.

[arrogantsob]

You surely have seen his “problem” right here. He has been attacked from the Right as not “conservative” enough and there are enough people dumb enough to believe it. The Right is its own worst enemy. We have seen it before.

[DM1]

“What’s his problem?? - just asking!! “

well its his piss poor campaign and gaffes that destroyed him - all self inflicted. First he got in late which in and of itself is not so bad except if you can run a flawless campaign. he cant
he stunk up the debates by looking lost in most then saying “oops” because he forgot what agencies he would cut.
called conservatives who were against in state tuition for illegals “hearltess”
got the voting age wrong
had some rambling speech that made him look drunk that went viral.
he just looks like an incompetant joke

I was unaligned from the beginning and thought Perry sounded promising but was thoroughly disappointed with him and his campaign.

[Norman Bates]

You’re trying to oversimplify it when it’s just not that simple. And to say Perry’s “debating skills are lacking” is being kind.

[Leader_Of_The _Conservatives]

Paul has also military experience, an evangelical Christian and is a conservative...I rather have him than Capt. Gardasil