[rbg81]

Let me just say that I will vote for whoever the Republican nominee is vs. BHO. But, I am concerned that a sizeable number of independents WILL NOT vote for another Governor from Texas, period. Very probably sizeable enough to swing the election to BHO, no matter how much he screws the pooch. Is that fair to Rick Perry? No. But then life often isn’t fair.

[mo]

I like Perry...were he a Texan fresh on the national scene...no worries at all. But I guarandamnteeya..if he is the Republican nominee..that by August 2012...the general public won’t be able to tell him from Dubya...and the Independents will STAY HOME.

[don-o]

But, I am concerned that a sizeable number of independents WILL NOT vote for another Governor from Texas,

Who WILL the "independents" go for? Give me a name.

[ishmac]

I used to think along the same lines regarding another Texan in the Oval Office. Now, however, I don't think "Texas" will be the albatross that it once was. That is due to the horrendous state of the economy. The economic news out there really is scary. We are on the verge of a second recession, and now it's directly linkable to Obama. Americans are tolerant and accommodating to a fault, but there are some things that are unforgivable. Among them are amateurishness and incompetence. Obama is showing both traits in abundance, and bigger and bigger chunks of the electorate are starting to notice.

Now, along comes another Texas guy who sounds like Dubya, but has a 10 year record of relative success on the jobs front. The major thing that's eating people in this election cycle is JOBS, JOBS, JOBS. Perry’s record, rightly or wrongly, gives him the best chance to monopolize that meme. The "social issues" (abortion, gay marriage, et al.) are of course important, but they don't weight on people's minds the way they used to. A guy who hasn't had a job in two years doesn't give a rip about Perry's doings in the Gardasil affair.

Of course, those are political considerations. Exploiting them adeptly will win you the election. The real question is, does Perry (or anyone) know what to do about currency manipulations of the Chinese, our vanishing industrial capacity, and our monetary policies? Is there someone out there who can be to Perry (or to whomever wins) what Paul Volker was to Reagan? Our problems have been many decades in the making, and it will take some real savvy to work out these issues prudently. So far, McCotter seems willing to address these issues, and to a lesser extent, Perry.