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Posted on 12/04/2011 9:07:28 AM PST by Cincinatus' Wife
Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour seems to think so:
Q: Is it becoming clear that Mitt Romney will emerge as the Republican nominee?
A: I don’t think it’s clear. I think people make the mistake of writing off Rick Perry and believe he can’t come back. He’s got a mountain to get over, but I don’t think it’s impossible. Both Newt and Romney have a lot of support, but I don’t think it’s a two-man race. I think Perry could get back in it with Gingrich and Romney. I can’t look you in the eye and say nobody else can come up. You’ve got to learn your lesson this year not to say that about anybody."
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Coincidentally, this subject came up a day or so earlier on Twitter, in a conversation involving Allahpundit, blogger Karol Markowicz, fundraiser/adviser Nathan Wurtzel and me. AP, skeptical of a possible comeback, asked me what I thought Perry would have to do to get back into contention.
I think the first and most difficult step is for Perry to stop being a bad candidate. He has gotten a bit better under the radar, but needs to continue to improve.
If Perry does improve, he may stand a shot at placing third in the Iowa caucuses. The new Des Moines Register poll has Perry near the bottom at six percent, but the poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.9 percentage points. PPP has a poll in the field in Iowa and teases that Perry appears to be in double digits.
The Register poll shows more respondents choose Gingrich as their second choice than any other candidate. However, Perry could benefit not only from Herman Cain’s collapse, but also from lingering doubts about Gingrich.
In Iowa, the doubts will primarily come from the religious right. In past cycles, social conservatives ensured victories for candidates like Pat Robertson and Mike Huckabee. This year, there is no consensus candidate.
Newt — he of the serial infidelities and divorces — bought himself some goodwill with some religious conservatives by pouring $150,000 into the successful 2010 campaign to oust three Iowa Supreme Court judges after the state’s high court struck down a state ban on same-sex marriage. But even that support has proved controversial among social cons in Iowa. And Newt probably did not help himself with them by telling Jake Tapper human life begins at implantation rather than conception.
Michelle Bachmann also hurt herself recently with this demographic by gaining access to the email database of a group of parents who homeschool their children in Iowa and sending them two unsolicited email blasts. Nor does there appear to be any groundswell in Iowa for Rick Santorum.
Perry seems to have figured all of this out; his latest ad is aimed squarely at religious conservatives. If Perry climbs back into third place (or at least ties it with Ron Paul) in Iowa, he has a shot at maintaining a viable campaign. There is the traditional spin about there being three tickets out of Iowa and Perry — like Romney and Gingrich — is blessed by his rivals. Conservative voters are looking for a viable NotRomney, and while they are currently flocking to Gingrich, all the polling suggests his support (like those for his rivals) remains soft.
NotRomney voters may also be looking for an insurance policy, given Gingrich’s demonstrated propensity to implode. Indeed, Gingrich looked as though he had his final implosion just a few months ago. And if Newt can make a comeback, it is possible that Perry could do the same. But it’s not likely unless Perry continues to improve his campaign over the next month.
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how many hundreds of posts have you typed on FR in the last week dumping on other candidates?.. for some reason you think FR is your personal propoganda machine where you fanatically have to dump on other candidates to prop up Perry.. pretty pathetic....
Your exaggeration is showing.
Sure, there’s a little bit of getting one’s sea legs in a first go at a presidential level campaign. But Romney, Gingrich and Perry are all in their ‘60s and they’ve been pols running in campaigns for years.
The idea that Mitt is going to suddenly get a personality, Newt integrity, or Perry a brain is laughable. At this point, these guys are what they are.
Perry’s the only reasonable choice, IMO. I dont care that he cant string a debate together, hes the most conservative candidate with experience who can win. My G-d, we cant be nominating Gingrich, he cant win and he’s really a lousy character....
Considering Gingrich will undoubtedly say something off-the-wall and blow himself up like a big greasy bomb, there probably will be an opening for some candidate to jump into. Normally, I’d think Perry would be the one to take advantage it, but he’s just been such a unbelievable stumblebum and his approval ratings are abysmal beyond belief. Even worse than perhaps warranted, and I’m saying that as someone who doesn’t much care for him to begin with.
There was some poll a week or two ago that gave Perry’s favorability rating (with the public at large) at only 25%. Which I find ironically amusing, because when Palin’s ratings were 15 points higher than that, there were a slew of posters saying it reflected how intensely unpopular she was and that she shouldn’t even think about getting into the race!
The very idea that the Tea Party movement would rise to power, elect huge numbers of conservatives in 2010, to only a year later nominating Newt Gingrich for their GOP candidate, is beyond words.
Rick Perry is a SOLID conservative and has the massive record with which to fillet Obama — slowly, and use those coattails to sweep the election.
Perry or Newt either I’d vote for before I’d be willing to see another 4 years of what we have.Perry did really well this last week on the Tonight show and I like his idea about a part time congress.
Yeah, lets vote for another open border, pro-illegal alien Texan.
That's going to happen...sure.
500,000 illegals march on Dallas Texas, 2006:
Under Rick Perry as Governor of Texas, and President Bush, from Texas at the Federal level, 500,000 illegal aliens march on Dallas Texas, waving foreign flags in their faces, while making demands and threats.
Perry has done all he can on a state level to seal and protect the border. Out of all the candidates running, Perry is the only one who will seal the border.
Yes! Perry spoke to LaRaz and here is what he told them.
Gov Rick Perry spoke to LaRaza about the drug cartels, shared responsibility of border security and that it is Washington's responsibility to secure the border -- that the Federal government should support the military, deliver the mail and secure the border -- and they aren't doing their job. [HE RECEIVED a lot of applause] He spoke of the money Texas spends securing the border, that it must be sealed and then we can sustain legitimate commerce...He told about protecting the sanctity of the vote and strengthening our shared values, family, faith, hard work -- they are TEXAS values and we should unite as citizen's of one Nation under God and concentrate on what unites us.
The very fact that he even SPOKE to LaRaza makes the illegal-haters foam at the mouth. They don’t care about what Perry actually said. All they have is vitriol.
Many people speak to them. Gov. Perry is the governor of Texas which has a large Hispanic heritage population. He spoke plainly to them about the facts. They responded positively. Gov. Perry has also tried to encourage the leaders of Mexico to start building a middle class in their own country. He has not been sitting around on his hands.
If you fault him for that, I can not communicate with you.
The delusions of Don Quixote in "The Man of La Mancha" couldn't hold a candle to you CW.
You’re a tough nut to crack HR but I haven’t given up on you.
Uh, you seem to be confusing me with others. I’ve been a Perry supporter as long or longer than you have been.
Right. It's like talking to a meeting of the Muslim Brotherhood without telling them that they are WRONG. Did Perry tell La Razza that they were wrong to be a racist organization, that they were dead wrong to believe in Reconquista? No because he was pandering, plain and simple.Your spin is like saying there are a lot of Democrats in Texas so you have to pander to them. I guess maybe that is true if getting elected is all that matters. In that respect Perry would fit right in with Romney and Gingrich.
Oops! Sorry magritte! I’m going nuts.
Of course you are a supporter.
We either did not watch the same program last night OR you just do not like the West Texas way of speaking.
Are you really Karl Rove?
I guess you didn’t listen to the speech.
Post #30.
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