Posted on 03/03/2010 3:01:42 PM PST by Michael van der Galien
Hot off the heels of Texas Governor Rick Perrys decisive victory over Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchinson for the Lone Star States GOP gubernatorial nomination, Daily Beast columnist Mark McKinnon thinks the governor is well-positioned for a bid at the presidency, or at least the VP slot:
Theres a fight right now for the soul of the Republican Party. Theres a dominant and loud wing led by social ideologues like Sarah Palin, who endorsed Perry. But if she doesnt run for presidentand if shes actually smart, she wont because shell never wield as much power, influence, or money than she does now, and shes unlikely to win a general electionthen the field opens up considerably. And whos left to fill that right- wing spectrum? Mike Huckabee has a prison commutation problem. Rick Santorum has a narrow Christian base of support and as a former senator spent a lot of time inside the unpopular Beltway. And if a more moderate candidate like Mitt Romney, Tim Pawlenty, or Mitch Daniels (watch out for Mitch the Knife) wins the nomination, theyll be looking for someone to put in the No. 2 slot with appeal to Southerners and strong conservatives.
Perry currently denies having any interest in the White House, but given the nature of politics, that doesnt mean much. And McKinnon is right that theres no clear-cut conservative favorite among the current field of presumed 2012 contenders, giving Perry a potential opening if he wants it. But should conservatives want Perry?
(Excerpt) Read more at newsrealblog.com ...
I must admit that Texas did not have a heck of a lot of good choices.
Hutchison was a bit of a disappointment in the Senate, noably on the bailouts. I worked on her ‘94 campaign, and liked her for standing up to Ma Richards and crapweasel Ronnie Earle.
Perry I have misgivings about. I’m pro-rail, but the land grab corridors stank. Why a mile wide right of way?
Medina had red flags of being a truther, nuff said.
If I was still in Texas I would have held my nose and voted for Perry in the primary. But in the White House, no thank you.
President of the Republic of Texas? If 0bamacare passes, who knows? Fifty one votes in the Senate might now be the new standard for card check and cap and tax.
Certainly not one who saw the Kelo decision as an opportunity and ran with it.
I’d be happy to get him out of he govornor’s mansion here in Texas, but it would be an even worse tragedy to have him in the White House.
Wait until about next June 2011 and see what’s the Texas’ opinion of Perry. The legislature begins session in Jan and must deal with a budget that some say maybe $17 billion in the red. The last budget in 09 included some $12 billion in stimulus to balance it. That most likely won’t be available this time. So let’s see how Perry proposes to work this one out. Tax increases, service/program cuts, dry up the $9 billion rainy day fund, increased fees, or what other income producing or confiscation games they can come up with.
I would have voted for Perry(were I living in TX, which I expect to be by mid-year), but he isn’t a panacea for the GOP. As for McKinnon, he is just looking/hoping for another political meal ticket. This guy, McKinnon, is the same one who theatened to quit McCain’s campaign if McCain said something factually accurate about Obama-does the next GOP Presidential candidate need that sort of adviser?
McCain had campaign staffers who jumped ship and headed to the Obama campaign as soon as McCain secured the GOP nomination. Their job was not to get him elected, it was to get the Democrat candidate elected but failing that, a weak Republican in office.
Howard Dean staffers got onboard “Democrats for McCain 2008” back in 2006.
The Republican Party got punked. And it was made perfectly clear when some insider slipped a code pink protester ringside seats for McCain’s nomination speech (which she then used to heckle him on live television).
There are fifth columnist socialists infiltrating the GOP to dilute the conservative message.
Texas didn’t have good choices in the last governor’s race general election either.
Chris Bell (D) who launched the partisan ethics probe that got Tom DeLay out of office in 2006.
“One Tough Grandma” (Independent, former RINO, former Democrat)
Rick Perry (RINO, former Democrat)
Kinky Friedman (Independent, ran as a Democrat this year and dropped out of the governor’s race at the insistence of Jim Hightower, looney liberal Democrat)
There was another independent candidate (Libertarian?) who was not given much face time by the media. Look at that list, no matter who you voted for was a Dem last time around (except maybe the L, who I know very little about).
LBJ would be an improvement over the current president but he was corrupt to the core.
Perry’s handling of the TTC was similar to Bush’s outsourcing port operations to UAE. Americans are opposed to giving up sovereignty, but both men fought to let foreign countries manage our infrastructure.
I have no doubt what you say about the infiltration of the GOP is true. I can’t prove it; but, any observer of the GOP with a lick of commonsense knows that there is something seriously wrong with the GOP when it can be sabotaged so easily.
Yup. He’s a globalist. If you look, you’ll find lots of articles about him buddying up to the prez of mexico. He’s just another globalist that calls himself a “republican”.
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