Perry: Uproot and Overhaul Washington
The Perry Plan: Energizing American Jobs and Security
The Perry Economic Plan: Cut, Balance and Grow
Posted on 12/05/2011 12:04:10 AM PST by Cincinatus' Wife
ORLANDO, Fla.—The 2012 presidential campaign is well underway. The Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary are just weeks off.
And still the vast majority of the nation’s 29 Republican governors — which includes the high-profile class of 2010 — are sitting on the sidelines.
They frequently express their belief that the nominee should be a candidate with executive experience, which rules out much of the GOP field. But many of them are cool to the idea of Mitt Romney as the nominee — just as they were in the 2008 race when just three of the 22 GOP governors backed him.
Then there’s the other explanation for their detachment: the question of what to do about Rick Perry.
They know the Texas governor through his work as former chairman of the Republican Governors Association. Many of them like him. But Perry currently exists in a political netherworld, his presidential campaign seemingly mortally wounded and buried in the polls. Endorsing him now would be an unwise expenditure of political capital. But endorsing Romney would be a slap in the face to a colleague, not to mention a move that could potentially alienate some conservative supporters.
The result is a group of party influentials (only 7 GOP governors have endorsed) just waiting and watching — and signaling that they may not take sides at all.
“Rick Perry is one of the sitting governors. He’s a friend of ours. You don’t want to offend your friends. You kind of want to see how things shake out,” said Utah Gov. Gary Herbert, who succeeded Jon Huntsman in Salt Lake City when he stepped down to become ambassador to China. “Mitt’s a former governor, and he has a lot of friends…Governors are saying, ‘I don’t want to burn any bridges.’ That’s why it’s hard for me. I want to do the right thing, but I don’t want to offend anyone in the process.”
Herbert is in a unique jam. He urged Romney — who is extremely popular in heavily Mormon Utah — to run again, but then Huntsman jumped in. So he’s officially neutral.
“For me, I would support a Romney-Huntsman ticket — it doesn’t necessarily have to be in that order — because I think their skills are very complementary,” he said. “The world is really used to seeing two Mormons walk around together in white shirts and ties.”
The awkwardness of their position permeated the annual RGA meeting here last week. There was surprisingly little hallway chatter about the presidential campaign; attendees pointed out that it was a stark contrast to the same confab four years ago, which they recall as a hub of presidential activity.
There was plenty of buzz, however, about Perry’s struggles. The governor of America’s second most-populous state chaired the association until he stepped down to run for president in mid-August, and his collapse in the polls has not gone unnoticed among his colleagues.
Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, who succeeded Perry as chairman of the RGA, predicts that “a lot of governors probably will end up staying on the sideline.”
“People here like Rick. They like Mitt,” McDonnell said. “Most of these governors here know Rick…Many people here can overlook debate issues because we know that sitting in that Oval Office he’d do the right thing…When you look at what it takes to be president, you don’t spend every day debating. You spend time governing. But I understand the reality is many people make up their minds and get their impression from an hour debate here and an hour debate there, particularly Republicans who want to make sure we’ve got someone who can go toe to toe with President Obama, who’s very good on his feet…It tough.”
“Both the media and the brief clips can form a caricature and an impression that may not be accurate,” he added. “It’s probably not fair, but that’s unfortunately the reality of the 24-hour news cycle.”
Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback — who made a brief run for the presidential nomination in 2008 — Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval each came out for Perry before he flatlined. A handful of others were thought to be strongly leaning in that direction.
“For me, it was an easy decision,” said Jindal, who noted that the two worked closely together as governors of neighboring states and through the RGA.
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker guesses that Perry flopped because he did not want to be president badly enough. He remembers advisers trekking to Austin for meetings with George W. Bush in the years before the then-Texas governor announced his own candidacy. That gave him ample time to think about what he wanted to accomplish if elected to the world’s most powerful position.
“Romney has thought about that. Gingrich has thought about that. Rick, unfortunately, I honestly believe that when he says that [his wife] Anita said, ‘Hey, Rick, you owe it to the country to consider getting in,’ that that’s what got him,” Walker said. “Having talked to him before about it – when Mitch Daniels was thinking about it, when Haley Barbour was thinking about it – he was perfectly fine with it. But when they weren’t in, he felt compelled to get in.”
Walker said he urged his friend Chris Christie not to run for president when other Republicans were trying to recruit him because he had not spent enough time thinking about what he wanted to accomplish as president.
“Because when you go in to have debate prep, you can’t be thinking about ‘what do I think about this?’” he said. “It’s got to be, ‘How do I take what I want to do and narrow it down to a minute or two answer?’”
Walker has a good cause for not endorsing: he’s facing a recall campaign next year and cannot afford to alienate any Republicans. He’s partial to a governor, though.
“I give deference to governors,” he said. “Not that Newt couldn’t do it, but there is a natural advantage to a chief executive because we don’t just talk about things, we don’t just vote about things. We get things done.”
That was a message repeated over and over again in interviews at the Waldorf Astoria Orlando — that and concerns about Gingrich’s electability.
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett, who said he will not endorse, admitted that Gingrich would have a hard time carrying Pennsylvania as the nominee.
“It would be tough, but there are scenarios where he could,” he said, citing low turnout or a worsening economy. “As you know, Pennsylvania is not an ultraconservative state.”
“The one thing I’ve said publicly is that it has to be someone who has executive experience,” he added. “If you look at our president and vice president, neither one prior to the roles that they’re in now were an executive. They were one vote. They did not have to make the decision. That is so crucial. So that kind of narrows the field down.”
With Dave Heineman of Nebraska, Butch Otter of Idaho and Chris Christie of New Jersey all endorsing Romney, only one of the seven governors who have weighed in has done so for a candidate who hasn’t served as chief executive — Georgia’s Nathan Deal. Deal is backing Gingrich, with whom he served in the House.
A few governors have indicated they plan to endorse soon. South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley said she “absolutely” plans to pick someone before the Iowa caucuses on Jan. 3.
Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer said she “would love to endorse” after the field has “condensed down.” She’s thinking about waiting until a presidential debate the state Republican party is hosting in Phoenix on Feb. 22. Arizona moved its primary up to the end of February, which makes her endorsement more valuable.
Maine Gov. Paul LePage said he’s genuinely torn and feels no special pull toward anyone.
“I really don’t know,” he said, when asked if he’ll endorse. “I’ve been listening and watching, and it changes every day…The advice I’ve received from the most experienced governors is: Take your time making a decision. Don’t rush into them.”
Now, let's put our Tea Party hats back on our heads and stand with Gov. Rick Perry, the Conservative that can take this election all the way to victory (who will shake up the establishment and return power to the states). Then these GOP governors can do the right thing (what they're itching to do) and line up behind the proven executive (Texas!) and prepare for victory right down the ticket.
Perry: Uproot and Overhaul Washington
The Perry Plan: Energizing American Jobs and Security
The Perry Economic Plan: Cut, Balance and Grow
Nov. 11, 2011 VIDEO: Rick Perry interview Nov 11, 2011 in Columbia 25 minute video – starting around 4:00 – 12:00 Perry speaks at length about Iran, allies and national defense.
@robertcostaNRO Robert Costa
Reliable sources tell me that Cain will *not* hold a presser on Monday to endorse Gingrich or any candidate
https://twitter.com/#!/robertcostaNRO
So the several GOP guvs who want Perry will tell Politico but won’t tell their constituents...
But wait...is this article a back door way of revealing the truth?
If not, then what is it?
It’s showing that the governors are being a bit weak-kneed and need to step up to the plate and do what in their hearts/heads what they know is right — get behind Gov. Perry — not freeze and sit back, playing it safe politically.
Interesting.
Of course, Newt Gingrich is better than Romney, but I don't trust either of them. Bachmann, Santorum, and Perry would all be acceptable to me. Of the three, Perry is the only one with executive experience. If only he hadn't made that stupid (and revealing) “heartless” comment.
Ditto that!
The word that keeps coming up in comments about Gingrich is, that they don’t, can’t, or aren’t sure they can “trust” him.
If voters can’t trust the man, why in the world would they ever consider nominating him to be their candidate for the most powerful office in the world?
People who know Gov. Perry, and those now getting to talk with him and study up on his record, trust him.
As for Perry, I trust him. That's not necessarily a good thing, because I trust him to be soft on immigration. No matter what he says at this point, it's clear where he stands, and we're heartless if we don't agree. On the other hand, Perry seems good on most of the other major issues. If he's elected, I'd hope a conservative congress could reign him in from getting too compassionately conservative on us.
Also note how Rick Perry, a border governor (the executive), must deal with Federal dictates and inaction. Perry has been fighting them. So far the only "vaunted" wall on the border is the WALL of Federal inaction on sealing it. The only action the Feds have done is give guns to Mexican criminals to kill Americans and Mexicans and then SEAL (not the border) that information from our view.
ICE blamed for Texas parolee law delayThe state has been unable to enforce a new law designed to increase the deportations of illegal immigrants from the Texas prison system amid concerns that federal immigration officials are unprepared to handle the anticipated influx of convicted criminals, state officials said.
Under the new law, which was scheduled to take effect Sept. 1, state prisoners who are granted parole and turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials must either be deported or leave the country voluntarily - or risk being returned to state custody to serve out the remainder of their sentences.
The law was crafted to address a vexing problem identified by the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles, which reported granting parole to some illegal immigrants and turning them over to ICE - only to later learn that they were not removed from the country, said state Rep. Jerry Madden, R-Plano.”………………..
Mexico’s drug war is giving growers a break EL BARRIL, Mexico — The Mexican government is allowing domestic marijuana and opium poppy production to climb to record levels, as soldiers who once cut and burned illegal crops here in the vast Sierra Madre mountains are being redeployed to cities to wage urban warfare against criminal gangs.
Since President Felipe Calderon ordered his troops into the streets in late 2006, the acreage dedicated to marijuana farming has nearly doubled in Mexico, according to technical reports by the U.S. government and the United Nations, data provided by the Mexican military, and interviews with law enforcement agents and growers.
The acreage devoted to opium poppies has also soared, according to the U.S. State Department, making Mexico the second-leading heroin producer in the world, after Afghanistan, whose crop goes mostly to Europe and Asia.......
“Yes, it is a change in strategy, as the army now gives priority to catching criminals and seizing cocaine, which is far more valuable to the cartels” than marijuana or heroin, said Raul Benitez, an expert in drug trafficking and national security at the National Autonomous University of Mexico.
The Mexican government, Benitez said, also cares less about marijuana cultivation these days because the U.S. government appears to care less.”………………..
Still no solution for illegal immigrants' long-term care costs…………..”Still, the real problem isn't hospitals, which transfer most all patients, both U.S. citizens and illegal immigrants, once urgent care is no longer needed and the bed is needed for other patients. It's long-term care facilities, unable to afford to accept patients, like Martinez, who don't have insurance. It remains for hospitals, obligated by federal regulation to arrange post-hospital care for those who need it, to find alternatives and to provide care indefinitely if they can't....
I can support Governor Perry, but your opinion about his “didn’t have a heart” comment doesn’t make sense. If I was a governor who was working hard to solve an immigration problem created by the federal government, I wouldn’t strike out at those citizens who actually oppose illegal immigration. If I did, I certainly wouldn’t blame them for being heartless. I might be mad at them for not understanding how hard I was trying to fix the situation, but saying they didn’t have a heart if they didn’t support in-state tuition for illegals? That reveals a lot I think. Nevertheless, I also think Perry has the necessary executive experience and enough conservative ideology to make a better president than Newt Gingrich or Mitt Romney.
Let’s just say we disagree about Perry’s record on immigration and leave it at that. Things aren’t looking good right now, but if there’s a change, I have no trouble voting for him next November. I only hope I’m proven wrong about his stance on illegals if he’s elected.
Perry’s record on immigration is sound and conservative. Your stance will change upon further examination of the truth of the matter. Thank you for the discussion.
Unfortunately, the die will be cast probably long before I get a chance to vote. If it comes down to Newt or Perry, I have to go with Governor Perry. Newt talks a good game, but that’s about it.
I agree, good article. Without Palin in the race I would prefer Perry just because I prefer Governors as Presidents and I Perry could win if we put our heads together and pick someone.
We must beat Obama and I think Gingrich would be a mistake.
In the end I’ll take anyone over Obama because we cannot afford another 4 years of destruction. Next month is our state’s primary and we the group we have now I most likely will choose Perry.
Maybe we could get a Perry/Palin ticket if we show enough support rather than being lazy about getting rid of Obama.
Sorry folks, not enough coffee I guess, poor sentence structure and typing faster than I was thinking.
If we can’t have Palin, I’ll take Perry.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.