Some of You Tea Party Folk Think Perry’s the Answer?

http://markamerica.com ^ | 27 August, 2011 at 00:23 | MarkAmerica

[el_texicano]

Looks Tough Firing Blanks

If you're a Tea Party member, or you have significant sympathies with them, I'd caution you against climbing aboard Rick Perry's TransTexasCatastrophe. The Media is doing everything possible to paint this guy as a bronc-busting, cattle-roping, Texan, but in truth, there are more than a few things you ought to know about him. He's no friend to individual rights, except in an election season, and he's not really the trend-setter he'd have you believe. His record on jobs isn't actually so swift as he'd have you believe, and he's got less in common with the average Texan than he does with the Wall Street types with whom he prefers to consort. He's no friend of Main Street, and he's certainly no friend to real entrepreneurs, and for all his posturing as one of us, he isn't, and it's been quite plain. Those of you from outside Texas can be forgiven for mistaking Perry for a conservative. It's assumed because he's a Republican, and he's from Texas, he must be. Let me now explain a bit of why this isn't the case.

Friday I heard the increasingly estimable Mark Davis claim that you shouldn't mind that Perry converted from the Democrat Party to the Republican Party because, as he points out, Ronald Reagan was once a Democrat too. Of course, this is a lie by omission, because what Davis doesn't mention is that it was a long stretch of years between Reagan's conversion and his arrival in California electoral politics. This isn't the case with Rick Perry. He was Al Gore's Texas Campaign Manager in 1988, and following the loss, immediately reversed course and ran as a Republican. I don't know about you, but despite Davis' rather disingenuous interpretation of Reagan's conversion, painting it as just alike, I'm inclined to believe he left some details out intentionally.

Rick Perry has been a regular guest on Davis' show on WBAP in the D/FW area for years, and to consider Davis anything like an objective or unbiased voice in this stretches all credulity. Frankly, I hope Limbaugh finds somebody else to be a regular fill in, because Davis is clearly in the tank for Perry, and it runs against Limbaugh's general premise that he will take no position in a Republican primary, except in general terms on behalf of conservatism.

You may have heard some of Perry's more recent statements about conditions along the Texas border with Mexico, and you might be inclined to believe Mr. Perry thinks more should be done. He even tried to repair his credibility on the issue by being broadcast on a live feed from a base of operations near the border for an interview on Greta Van Susteren's show. If you believe that stage-managed bit of theater, I'm inclined to let you know right now that he's relatively no more conservative in real terms than George Bush, which is to say on the matter of his statist, globalist reflexes, he's no conservative at all. I'd hate it if anybody else broke the news to you, because I believe bad news is best delivered by a friend. Check out the following video for where Rick Perry really stands on issues of the border:

watch?v=UwD84nKA5y0

I realize there's a tendency to overstate things in the name of supporting one's position, but it's really no exaggeration to suggest that Perry isn't really very close in his thinking to Tea Party Members, not when measured against what he's been saying since October 2010, but in what he has said all along throughout his career. He's taken money and support from La Raza, ACORN, and other groups that advocate spending tax-payer dollars for dubious programs and projects.

He's also a crony-capitalist. If you're like me, that's simply something you can't abide. I love the free market, but Governor Perry's revolving door between his staff and corporate boardrooms is a well-established phenomenon, and frankly, if you buy into his nonsense, he's going to wind up exploiting your good intentions too. Companies like Merck and Cintra are more his style, and his staff has reflected this over the years of his gubernatorial reign.

You've undoubtedly heard about the Gardasil flap, and likely been willing to dismiss it as a fluke. That would be a serious and potentially tragic mistake. The most ridiculously egregious thing he may have done in his tenure as Governor of Texas was the proposed TransTexas Corridor. You may have heard of it, but may not have any details, so let me expound on that for a moment or two. This was the project that first enlightened me to Perry's big government answers to all things. The upshot is this: It was to be a vast network of toll roads, but more, it would have included some form of light and heavy rail, pipelines, and all manner of things. On the surface, this might sound attractive, but as with any such project, the devil lies in the details.

The plan included 4400 linear miles of a toll road network, running parallel in many cases to existing Highways and Interstates already in existence. The corridor's right of way was to be a full 1/4 mile wide. Simple math tells you that even ignoring junctions and interchanges, this would have consumed 1100 square miles of Texas' territory. You might argue that while it's a lot of land, Texas is a big state. That's all well and good if the state already owns the land, but since it doesn't, it was going to acquire it by use of eminent domain. Again, you might argue that building roads is one function for which eminent domain out to apply, but once you look at the rules to be applied to this project, you might well conclude otherwise. Rather than basing their offers to property owners on free market value, they instead intended to limit it to "fair market value" as determined by a panel of cronies they would gin up for the chore.

This project actually proposed bisecting county and farm roads, and even property, dead-ending what are fairly important thoroughfares for the communities they serve. More, it would have bisected school districts and even towns along its path. Again, you might think that impossible until you understand that this was to be a closed system with few exits or on-ramps, only permitting access at major Highway and Interstate junctions. This threatened to destroy many rural communities, and they rose up against it. Once the details became clear to the public, it was quickly sent back for re-work, and eventually dumped.

Here were the things they didn't advertise, but you need to know. It was supposed to be operate by a concessionaire, Cintra, for a period of 50 years. It was going to employ tolls of roughly $0.26 per mile. A geographical understanding of the scale of Texas immediately prompts the question: "Who on Earth would voluntarily pay to enter a closed-system roadway at that cost over the huge distances in Texas, when a free parallel alternative is just a few miles away in the form of an Interstate, or Highway?" Good question, and the answer is: Almost nobody. So how did they intend to make this work? In 2004,TxDOT applied to the USDOT for a waiver so that they could charge a toll on the existing I-35. The first leg of the proposed TTC system was called TTC-35, the leg that would run from Laredo to an undetermined point on the Oklahoma border. In other words, it was a corridor to nowhere, but in order to get you to use it, they were going to toll the free Interstate and let it fall into disrepair.

Opponents at the time argued that the existing I-35 corridor could be widened, and this was met with a dismissive rejection by Perry's Transportation Commission. They said it couldn't be done in a cost-efficient way. Your confusion at this statement matches that of the average Texan who realizes that this couldn't possibly be true. How hard is it to add a few lanes here and there? Yes, you'll have some eminent domain issues, but nothing on the scale of what the TTC proposed.

They also promised it would promote economic development, but what they kept concealed for a while, until they no longer could do so under the law, was that because it was a closed system, Cintra, the corporation from Spain that would build and operate it, would also have exclusive rights to all concessions along its length. More, due to the limitations on exits and on-ramps, it could never be shown how this colossal highway system would provide any sort of economic boon to anybody, because you wouldn't be able to access most smaller towns from along its length. I'm sure you'll agree with me that the fact that one of Perry's top staffers was a former Cintra VP, and the fact that one of his own staffers had gone on to work for Cintra had absolutely nothing to do with Perry's TTC plans. Right?

Ladies and gentlemen, if you've fallen prey to the hype about Perry, you may be forgiven, particularly if you're not from Texas. You're not aware, as so many here, that Perry isn't the fellow he's now being portrayed to be. He's not a friend to the Tea Party, despite his seeming 2010 conversion, because much like his conversion in 1989, this conversion also seems to be one of convenience. I will assure you, this is most definitely the case.

Perry likes to put on an act about his conservative credentials, and his sympathies with the Tea Party, but if the truth is told, he's no more one of us than the man in the Moon. You might want to let your fellow conservatives and Tea Party patriots know it too: We're being hustled again.

[ejonesie22]

While my personal jury is still out on the man, this won’t sit well with the paid Perry sycophants here

[Conservativegreatgrandma]

What are you smoking? Perry supporters are smearing Palin and Tea Partiers? You can't be serious. Have you read the posts on here from Palin supporters? They're vitriolic. I don't like any of this. We all must come together after our nominee is chosen.

At this point, Perry is far more electable than Palin--that is not an anti-Palin statement. It's a reflection of poll after poll.

[DCmarcher-976453]

In general he doesn’t send a thrill up my leg either. When he poked that young reporter in the chest with his finger last week I knew he was a phony.

[Past Your Eyes]

*sigh*
It’s so much more enjoyable to watch the damn Democrats chew each other up than watching us do it to oursselves.
*sigh*

[festusbanjo]

Alright smart guy. So who do you think is the solution...and she ain’t running.

[DRey]

Those calling Perry a RINO sound to me like those lunatic lefties that cry because Obama is too conservative. Fringe, at best. Medication could help.

[Bad~Rodeo]

he's no more one of us than the man in the Moon. You might want to let your fellow conservatives and Tea Party patriots know it too: We're being hustled again.

The bottom line is Obama HAS to go....vato

[RowdyFFC]

I’m from Texas and know ever detail about Perry and his policies and actions and have lived very well in my home state!

I’m also a Tea Party board member who’s worked closely since our first events when Govern Perry’s office opened it up and let us use their resources.

And there’s not a spit of truth in this article that’s not some wet dream from a democrat spreading a bucket of horse manure and propaganda.

Bah humbug! And pffffffffffffffffft....

[Nervous Tick]

>> surely we can do far better than any of these establishment RINOs such as Perry.

Fair enough.

Who are you recommending?

[DRey]

Sounds to me like he courted the right people then. Are you under the impression politicians can get elected without donors? Because they can’t.

[JosephSmithNAW]

Depends. If that kind of candidate you speak of looks like winning, then I will support her/him. But, if it looks like that person has no chance, based not on polls but actual election results (the initial ones in Iowa for ex), then tactically I will switch to and support Perry to prevent a Romney nomination

ANYBODY BUT ROMNEY

[el_texicano]

FYI to you all

[steveshoveler]

Perry appears to be the only candidate out there fully comnmitted to the idea that anthropogenic climate change is BS or am I missing something? That one by itself is gigantic.

[shiva]

ANYBODY BUT ROMNEY

Yep,I feel the same.

[stillonaroll]

Just curious: who do you support, of the current or possible presidential candidates?

[DRey]

This, too, is naive. Texas has Mexicans in its school system that drag us down. It’s tough competing with Connecticut when the whole south of our state doesn’t speak English in our English-only school system. Try comparing apples to apples. North and West Texas beats Connecticut in test scores. Pretty impressive, actually. Or compare the whole state of Texas to California, who also has a huge influx of Mexicans in the school system, but spends FAR more per student on education that we do. We beat them, easily. Apples and Oranges = misleading, at best.

[rob777]

"Perry / Rubio 2012 !"


I am willing to bet that, if Perry wins the nomination, he will look to Booby Jindal as his VP. He has been quoted as saying the his preferred choice is a current sitting Governor and has said a lot of positive things about Jindal.

[South40]

"I think there is a path to citizenship for those young men and women ILLEGAL ALIENS who have served their country," Perry said.

THEIR COUNTRY?! Perry thinks America is THEIR COUNTRY?!
Perry wants to give ILLEGAL aliens citizenship

In 2001, Perry signed into law the very first Texas “Dream ACT.” It allowed the children of illegal immigrants to pay in-state tuition at any Texas university. Perry defended the Texas “Dream ACT,” saying, “To punish these young Texans for their parents' actions is not what America has always been about.”

Sr El Perrista receives a blanket from Mexican Gov Enrique Martinez of
Coahuila, as a token of appreciation for enacting the Texican Dream Act.

Perry then jetted off to Mexico and bragged to the Mexicans that Texas passed this law, saying, “The message is simple, educacion es el futuro, y si se puede.” Education is the future, and yes we can.
Rick Perry’s immigration problem

"Yes We Can"? Where have we heard that before?

In February 2007, Perry signed a shocking executive order forcing every sixth-grade girl to submit to a three-jab regimen of the Gardasil vaccine. He also forced state health officials to make the vaccine available "free" to girls ages 9 to 18. The drug, promoted by manufacturer Merck as an effective shield against the sexually transmitted human papillomavirus (HPV) and genital warts, as well as cervical cancer, had only been approved by the Food and Drug Administration eight months prior to Perry's edict.

Perry defenders pointed to a bogus "opt-out" provision in his mandate "to protect the right of parents to be the final authority on their children's health care." But requiring parents to seek the government's permission to keep an untested drug out of their kids' veins is a plain usurpation of their authority. Translation: Ask your bureaucratic overlord to determine if a Gardasil waiver is right for you.

Libertarians and social conservatives alike slammed Perry's reckless disregard for parental rights and individual liberty. The Republican-dominated legislature also balked. In May 2007, both chambers passed bills overturning the governor's unilaterally imposed health order.
Perry's vaccine order exposed lapse in political, policy judgments Rick Perry’s Superficial Extremism The Texas governor’s record doesn’t live up to his rhetoric.

“The Gardasil debacle is just one of many concerns a wide range of grass-roots conservative activists have about Perry’s record as governor. He’s soft on illegal immigration despite a few recent nods to border enforcement. He’s prone to crony capitalism. And as the vaccine mandate scandal shows, he demonstrated Nanny State tendencies that are anathema to Tea Party core principles.

Once again, the Perry campaign proves my point about the non-walkback-walkback. If Perry “erred on the side of life,” what his campaign continues to suggest is that those who opposed his Gardasil mandate from the beginning chose death. Instead of renouncing the human shield demagoguery he engaged it after the repeal, the Perry campaign has doubled-down. There is nothing — nothing — Tea Party about this.

The Gardasil debacle is a useful red flag on Perry’s basic political instincts, judgment, core values, and trust. It is no surprise — given his ties to Merck — that Perry is a consummate practitioner of corporate welfare “public-private partnerships.”
Plumbing the rest of the Perry record

Perry’s campaign website lists the Trans-Texas Corridor as one of his accomplishments. But is it something Perry really wants broadcast as an achievement? The Texas Republican Party’s 2010 platform includes a plank specifically opposing the Trans-Texas Corridor.
Rick Perry's NAFTA Superhighway Problem

That’s why I am also excited that Texas Secretary of State Henry Cuellar is working on an initiative that could extend the benefits of telemedicine to individuals living on the Mexican side of the border.
~ Rick Perry

Think ObamaCare is Bad? Rick “Open Borders” Perry Wanted a Bi-National Plan That Would Include Mexico

VIDEO Perry compares Giuliani to Reagan

VIDEO: Perry thanked by Vicente Fox for illegals in-state tuition

Rick Perry is NOT conservative!

[RowdyFFC]

Texas National Honor Society students also beat the pants off of every other state, mainly because they have to be tops before we let them in...and we don’t CHEAT on scores to produce fake stats either like the many states are. And actually Texas has the many really good stats, but somehow the democratic propaganda leaves the good stuff out.