Perry’s Path to GOP Nomination Could be the Clearest

Fox News ^ | 5-27-2011 | Chris Stirewalt - OP/ED

[smoothsailing]

Perry’s Path to GOP Nomination Could be the Clearest

By Chris Stirewalt

Published May 27, 2011 | FoxNews.com

Maybe Texas Gov. Rick Perry said he’s decided to test the waters on a presidential run just because he’s feels left out.

For all the attention paid to the presidential possibilities of two members of the House (Paul Ryan and Michele Bachmann) and a reality show host (you know who), you’d never know that the Republicans had on their bench the three-term governor of the state with the nation’s best economy and the largest Republican population.

But for some reason, when Perry told people he wasn’t running, reporters believed him. If Chris Christie even flies over Iowa, the blogosphere goes into meltdown mode, but the political press for some reason mostly took Perry at his word.

It seems strange that they would have.

Perry, who has been governor for more than a decade, is a favorite of the Tea Party movement for his tough stands on state sovereignty, border security, taxes and gun rights. Anybody who packs heat when he jogs so he can blow away coyotes that mess with his Labrador retriever and hangs out with Ted Nugent at a Tax Day rally is going to have serious street cred with the Republican base.

As the Perry talk heats up, these primary election positives will be reinforced by liberals who find his Texas-fried politics to be repellant. Every time Democratic cable news talkers remind viewers that Perry once warned that Texas might secede from the union if Washington kept piling on new federal powers, somewhere in Iowa or South Carolina a Republican primary voter thinks, “Not bad.” When Perry gets chided for declining photo-ops with President Obama on visits to the state, somewhere in New Hampshire a guy...

[SoConPubbie]

I do like the fact that he is the Governor of a large, successful state. I get the impression that his pro-life and pro-2nd Amendment credentials are solid as well as his support of DOMA and his opposition to embryonic stem cell research.

It's his record on Illegal Immigration, the Texas transcontinental highway boondoggle, and trying to force down the throats of Texans a bogus mandatory vaccine that should give everyone pause on FreeRepublic.

He is just GWB II, and true conservatives should be wary of this guy because if he ever got into office, you'd have the same heartburn that GWB gave you.

[af_vet_rr]

Having lived through a number of Texas dem and GOP Governors, show me one other that has proven more “net” Conservative than Gov. Goodhair.

As I told somebody else that was unfamiliar with Texas history, this is a trick question. Since the 1870s, there have only been three Republican Governor's - Bill Clements, George W. Bush, and Rick Perry. Romney could be made to look conservative compared to Clements and Bush. Clements and Bush were both soft on Mexican border issues as was Perry early on. Clements was a scumbag anyways, as I'm sure many SMU football fans will agree, assuming any are left. Bush helped push No Child Left Behind, the Patriot Act, the TSA, and gave us Obama so he's pretty despicable.

Perry is consistent though - you look at what he was saying in 2001, he's just changed the wording a bit and toned things down.

[jsdjason]

I’d take GWB or Perry over BO or any other candidate currently running. However, I really do wake up every day and pray that Sarah Palin is going to announce she’s running.

[af_vet_rr]

Just wondering, but exactly who should he have supported? It’s not like there was an army of conservatives running in 08’.

If you're pro-life, you damn sure don't support a pro-abortion type like Giuliani. But his ties to Giuliani run deep, so regardless of how many Conservative candidates anybody might have trotted out in front of Perry, he was going to go with Giuilani.

[af_vet_rr]

Right on. I find it funny that people dislike Perry. Texas is about to become the largest economy in the U.S., which by the way makes the Texas economy bigger than probably 90% of entire countries on the planet. Unemployment is comparatively lower than other states. There is no state income tax, granted this is by no reason of Perry’s,

None of the above has anything to do with Perry, but it still gets trotted out as if it does. The industries that are the backbone of Texas' economic health were around long before Perry was born or anywhere near a public office.

I can’t say it was a great idea, but it’s not like Perry is out there trying to continually defend it like Romney does with his commy-care law.

Perry spent nearly eight years defending his corridor and it's just now being formally killed off. I don't think Romney spent eight years defending romneycare.

[A Texan]

I have my issues with Perry as most Texans do. His major issue negative issue with me as a Texan was his stance on the trans corridor was one I very much opposed. BUT after the people damn near lynched him he relented. Would I pull the lever for him again as a presidential candidate, yes I would. He is better then most of those who have thrown the hats is the ring (at least the electable ones), and he definitely stands a better chance of beating Obama.

With that being said, I wonder if I will be zotted for this statement. Have the FR big wigs deemed Perry taboo yet?

[A Texan]

I have my issues with Perry as most Texans do. His major issue negative issue with me as a Texan was his stance on the trans corridor was one I very much opposed. BUT after the people damn near lynched him he relented. Would I pull the lever for him again as a presidential candidate, yes I would. He is better then most of those who have thrown the hats is the ring (at least the electable ones), and he definitely stands a better chance of beating Obama.

With that being said, I wonder if I will be zotted for this statement. Have the FR big wigs deemed Perry taboo yet?

[af_vet_rr]

JUst another trial balloon floated by the "Anybody but Sarah" crowd.

I'm beginning to think that this is the case. I don't really care for Palin either way, but it sure does seem like an awful lot of people are grasping for candidates not named Sarah Palin.

[A Texan]

here here. Spot on comment.

[smoothsailing]

Seems to me I lost interest in your opinion on an earlier thread.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2725825/posts?page=71#71

LOL!

[Windflier]

I’m a Texas Freeper, and I concur with BobL. We’ve damn near got a Republican super-majority in the state House, but Perry’s done nothing to push them to send him the sort of legislation that Texans have demanded.

Another legislative session is about to close, and we still don’t have a bill that would close the door on illegal immigration. Perry could have (and should have) made that one of this session’s top priorities, but he didn’t.

Perry will talk the talk when it benefits him politically, but when it’s time to walk the walk, he’s got his feet kicked up. Disgusting....

[Clump]

As a Texas freeper I will say that I am disappointed that he allowed our current speaker of the house to retain his position for this term.
He is pathetic at best, and a liberal at worst.
He really should have led the house to vote for a legitimate conservative.
The end result is that the session is over and a bunch of really good bills died in the calendars committee.
Campus carry and immigration reform to name a couple.
He got to eat his cake and eat it too.
I called his office and told them he could only redeem himself by calling a special session of the legislature to address both of these items.
I'm not holding my breath.
Since he has avoided such hot button issues I can only assume it is with the mindset that he will run for president.
Now if he could actually win and appoint Palin or Bachmann to the Supreme Court I could live with him.

[Squantos]

GOP evidently doesn’t take this election seriously..... Yet.

Some folks may not think we do either. But we vote an most provide fiscal support to who we vote for before the elections.

My opinion....

[jsdjason]

Of course he’s not responsible for building an economy, no politician is. A politician should merely stay out of the way so that business can grow. So bottom-line, Perry managed not to screw up Texas’ economy with stupid laws. Whoever is elected President I would like the following: kill taxes, kill regulation, pave some roads, keep a strong defense and get the hell out of the way. As far as I can tell the tax and regulation burdens in Texas are far less burdensome than most other states. Does Perry get no credit for the business environment in Texas or he is just a worthless piece of slime?

I’m no expert, but I thought Perry admitted defeat long before this. Whatever the case, Romney has defended Romneycare for a while now. He hasn’t been Governor of Massachusetts for a few years.

[Squantos]

Accurate description. Well stated.

[Rational Thought]

Oh yea, that's exactly what I smell.

It looks like they're on a shopping trip, every couple of days floating a new name, just to see Conservatives reactions, and maybe more importantly (to them) Media's reactions.

This Republican Establishment still doesn't get it. They figure we Conservatives are all dumb enough to buy whatever they sell. While their track record for pandering isn't too good, I believe things are different now. Out here in real America, we're paying attention as things stink and there not getting better. We now fully realize we've been sold out by a powerful entity which we're supposed to employ. In 2012, we will act as employers once again.

We now have a means of alternate representation known as the Tea Party. If the Republican Establishment continues on their current path, 2012 may be the end of the Republican Party as we know it, and the rise of another party. It wouldn't be pretty, but it might be a war which has to be fought.

Ball is in their court.

[matthew fuller]

I have to say that Rick Perry is NOT a Conservative. I’ll be the first to admit that Texas has prospered under Perry, relative to the rest of the USA, but I can’t say whether that was because of him, or in spite of him. He’s way down on my list of preferred Republican candidates, although if he ever becomes the nominated Pubbie, I will then support him.

[wizard61]

What if the other choice is Romney?

Dang, when folks could not see the choice was McCain or Romney, we ended up with McCain. As much as I hate Romney now, I loved him compared to McCain.

It is not that clear yet, but when it comes down to two names, don’t be wishing for some Huckabee. Either bite down & swallow the medicine, or go all the way... third party. All the way to nowhere.

[ForGod'sSake]

Thanks for the ping! On balance Rick Perry is a good man and a competent governor. More conservative than not, he would be a good choice for president OR vice president. He can be fiery when he wants to be and is a cut or two above “W” in speechifying. All in all, we could do worse, a LOT worse.

[peyton randolph]

Perry talks a good game and will support conservative principles when it’s the populist thing to do.

Back when Al Gore was running for president in 1988, Perry was a Democrat and Gore’s state campaign chairman. Gore was pretending to be a southern “conservative” Democrat.

Perry is along the same lines. He’s somewhere to the right of the Bush family (which doesn’t like him) but he’s not a conservative.

He is relatively tuned in to political winds though. If being conservative will get him elected, that’s what he will be. If he had been Governor of Massachusetts, his credentials would likely resemble RINO Romney. That wouldn’t fly in Texas so Perry has tilted right.

Would he be better than Obama as prez? Of course.

Is Perry politically astute enough to win the GOP nomination? Sure.

If he won, would he be more conservative than either Bush in the White House? Absolutely.

Would he be the best voice for conservatism in 2012? No.

Of those with a realistic chance of getting the GOP nomination, I’d rank Perry just behind Palin among the current field.

FWIW, a Palin/Perry ticket or a Perry/Rubio ticket would crush the Dems next year. Can’t say the same about any of the other potential combinations out there.

Yes, there are flaws (particularly immigration issues and the Trans-Texas corridor fiasco). But none of the candidates walk on water and the perfect should not become the enemy of the good.