Well it is what a good chunk of voters see in her. Texas is booming in spite of the economy and that is ultimately going to be the main issue in 2012. It’s the jobs, economy, experience and the ability to garner support from more than one demographic in order to win.
Debate is one thing, action is quite another. Talk is cheap. One more thing, the person in the general election has to be able to win against Obama. Palin consistently comes way short of defeating him.
Most people barely know who Perry is now. They haven’t really seen or heard him for themselves. It’s a long time and a lot of campaigning before anyone casts a vote.