It's going to remain bad until Palin jumps in or sits out. She's playing a very savvy game thus far, and keeping her enemies guessing like Sun Tzu with a Twitter feed. That said, Perry has taken an interesting strategic move. He's going to play to the big GOP donors that aren't loving the current field. They couldn't get Daniels or Christie. They despise Palin viscerally, and realize that Romney has hit his ceiling and will not rise any further.
In other words, Palin is all Tea Party outsider, and Romney is all GOP High Command insider, and there is precious little overlap.
Perry's a very powerful contender because of that dilemma. If he can bridge the gap between the Tea Party crowd and the GOP establishment, he can basically hold the strategic high ground that no one else has been able to occupy. Palin's legions or Romney's millions are massive advantages, but both sides were waiting for the other to fall, and claim the other's resources by default.
Now, the Tea Party doesn't have to hold their nose and vote for Romney, and the GOP power players don't have to swallow their bile and support Palin. Perry's positioned to siphon strength from both sides.
She stepped all over the other candidates in Iowa for no reason. No reason to make enemies who may endorse you when they drop out.
Perry just gave a reaganesque speech, he gives every voter on the fence someone to vote for besides Palin, and there are alot.
If Palin gets in now, she is the one splitting the votes and giving Mitt the lead.
If she jumped in earlier it would be Perry who split the votes.
Prepare to watch her decline in stature and influence from here on out.
Oh she visited Reagans boyhood home ...yawn Perry was speaking.
She still may get in...yawn Perry is already in who needs her.
It's interesting to finally hear someone on this thread admit that Perry is an Establishment candidate. Listening to the majority of posters on this thread, you would think the man had single-handedly founded the Tea Party.