Editorial: Memo To GOP: The Foe Is Obama, Not Perry (Excellent Point!!!)

IBD Editorials ^ | September 23, 2011 | Staff

[Kaslin]

Politics: Despite the "gotcha" sniping at Thursday's debate, Republicans need to keep their eyes on the prize. The target for 2012 is not Santorum, Cain, Bachmann, Romney or Perry. It's the current White House occupant.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry must have felt a bit like Gen. Custer at Little Big Horn at the Orlando debate, a made-for-TV contrivance in which those who have a real chance to be president must take pokes and jabs from those who don't.

We appreciate this may be a necessary evil in which front-runners without stamina — the Ed Muskies and Rudy Giulianis, for example — are weeded out.

Still, we must understand that while the goal is the nomination, the prize is the White House. Lost in the brouhaha over tuition for illegal aliens and mandated vaccines is the fact we simply can't afford four more years of President Obama.

Perry has given awkward responses. How can he debate the president, the whispers ask. Sound-bite debates in which you thrust and parry (no pun intended) with eight other candidates, as well as the pundits, are one thing. Comparing your job-creating pro-growth record in a booming state to the record of the arguably worst president in American history is something else.

Those former and nongovernors without a 1,200-mile border with Mexico may criticize, and perhaps justifiably, Perry's embrace of a college tuition break for illegal aliens. We've opposed it too in the past.

[Clairity]

Perry ping

[Clairity]

“Texas Gov. Rick Perry must have felt a bit like Gen. Custer at Little Big Horn at the Orlando debate, a made-for-TV contrivance in which those who have a real chance to be president must take pokes and jabs from those who don’t. “

Excellent points indeed. The candidates who have ZERO chance of either winning the nomination or beating Obama, are doing Obama’s work for him, by trying to make mincemeat of the leading candidate. And those who are cheering the attacks on Perry are doing the same: helping to knock out the only candidate who can win and beat Obama.

Do conservatives want Romney — he is going to get the nomination, if not Perry.

[shield]

Perry Ping....

IF you'd rather NOT be pinged FReepmail me.

IF you'd like to be added FReepmail me. Thanks.

[dsc]

“Do conservatives want Romney — he is going to get the nomination, if not Perry.”

If the next president of the United States is not Sarah Palin, the United States will not survive.

That’s not alarmism, just a recognition that it’s mate in two, and the only course of action is to kick the board over.

[pgkdan]

I don’t think this meme being floated

I wish tehre was a way to ban 'meme' from the Freeper lexicon.

[MNJohnnie]

Note to Perrybots. Perry, not the GOP, is making Perry the enemy. Don’t blame everyone else for Perry’s stupidity at the debate.

[pgkdan]

So, all the other primary candidates should just sit back and give the nomination to Perry? Now is the time to make sure Republicans pick the proper candidate who is battle tested. Once that candidate is nominated, then they can worry about defeating Obama

Sure...after they've spent 6 months or more doing obama's dirty work and giving the dems all the ammo they might need in the general. We don't need a nominee who's been lied about, defamed and stabbed in the back by other republicans going into the general.

Anyone who can't stand on that stage and promote themselves and differentiate themselves from obama is unworthy of consideration. That leaves Newt, Cain and Perry.

[MNJohnnie]

Note to Perrybots. Perry, not the GOP, is making Perry the enemy. Don’t blame everyone else for Perry’s stupidity at the debate.

[pgkdan]

You are disgusting.

No he's not. He's absolutely correct! The palinistas and paulistas attack Perry with lies, half truths and innuendo every stinking day. All they care about is that Perry was gaining steam and he's not palin or paul! Period. That's what's disgusting!

[pgkdan]

was shocked at Perry’s lame performance last night. I now have eliminated him, MB, RP, and Huntsman. I’m having a difficult time coming to grips with the choices we have at this point.

Oh grow up! We're electing the President of the United States next year...not the president of some lame ass debating society!

[Hugin]

Perry is right about it not working: you can always dig under, punch through, or climb over a fence. What is needed are UAVs and enough troops to respond to incursions.

That's true if you build the stupid corragated metal fences on the cheap that they are using now. Since you can't see through them, they just allow illegals to hide behind them until the BP passes. But if you build them right, they are quite effective. The Israeli fence along the Judea-Samaria border has been just about 100% effective in stopping terrorists from getting across.

I will concede that there may be some places where geography won't allow a fence (big canyons and such), but surely most of it could be.

[nopardons]

People went after JFK for his Catholisim, LIEberman got a bit of an anti-Semitic smear, when he ran as VEEP; it IS something nasty that has been done in the past and has less than nothing whatsoever to do with me, or what I think. I was just stating a simple fact.

Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar, as the saying goes. Stop trying to tar me with your own imaginary insults.

[ImpBill]

Oh, you have my full agreement on the "in state tuition" matter. Our Legislature totally blew this issue and even though it was veto proof in the vote, Perry should have either vetoed it or at least made a strong statement in opposition. His handling of the criticism concerning it in the debates has been totally poor and this last "heartless" remark has cost him dearly.

I am not a big R Republican and haven't been for a dozen or more years. I am registered without party affiliation. I consider myself an Constitutional Conservative with some, mind you only a few, libertarian leanings.

Been around FR for a while now and normally I only post very sparingly with those folks that I agree with. I guess I got carried away listening and reading criticisms from folks I "assumed" knew very little of the lay of the land and state politics down here.

I appreciate your measured and polite posts to me and know we have much more in common than we don't.

I do hope the Republicans do get it figured out and nominate the best possible candidate to defeat the current piece of junk in the WH.

[ImpBill]

Come on down to Cameron County/Brownsville will see what has been built so far. It is a monstrous and costly tribute to the insanity of Washington. Point is that the “wall/fence” has been started, but stopped as Obama cut the funds for it.

[lonestar]

I live in Brownsville on the Rio Grande and you should see the wall/fence. It is a very expensive joke that really cedes a chunk of US land into a no mans land. And what many of the folks seem to think is the State of Texas' responsibility.

So you think you know more about the border than these people from MN, IN, IL, etc.

I believe you... but you'll never convince them!

And what many of the folks seem to think is the State of Texas' responsibility.

They don't even understand that!...that it isn't the state's responsibility but the fed's.

[txroadkill]

I wonder if the public picks up on the fact that Bachman, Santorum, and Romney are blowing smoke when they talk about a 1200-mile fence keeping Mexicans out of Texas. Perry is right about it not working: you can always dig under, punch through, or climb over a fence. What is needed are UAVs and enough troops to respond to incursions.
 

The problem is Perry assumes that people understand our border and what we are facing here. He needs to explain it.

First of all, there is a BIG ASS RIVER that runs our border that includes several lakes, if we fence it we are giving up US territorial waters. We have people here that make a living off those waters.

Secondly, a fence wont stop them, these people are running for their lives, not coming here for jobs or "in-state tuition". We have got to end the civil war in Mexico if we want to stop the flood of illegals coming across the border.

Thirdly, these illegals are not going to UT, SMU, UNT, ect, they are going to JR. Colleges where it's $900 a semester and they are saving $151 a semester. I really don't believe there are a lot of people coming from North Dakota to go to Dallas County Community College and if they are the extra $151 is the least of their problems. 

For those who are going to the Universities, why would we not want them to stay here where it's cheaper? That way when they get their degrees and citizenship they will most likely stay in Texas and their taxes will pay us back for their tuition discount. Additionally, there is nothing we can do about them being here, the government wont let us throw them out, they wont let us deny them services and if we try to do anything to them Obama will sue us and Hillary will report us to the UN. Our only choice is to educate them and turn them into tax payers. They are here, there is nothing we can do about it and being renters, they are paying the property taxes that qualifies them for the in-state tuition.

[Ron H.]

As was pointed out by someone else on this thread the concept of a ‘wall’ doesn’t necessarily mean bricks and mortar or steel sheeting per se. And also pointed out by someone else here Perry and company were largely responsible for the failure of what was erected in your neck of the woods. But in any case the invasion must be stopped before we all sink under the burgeoning weight of the illegal invasion.

[TexMom7]

What about Big Bend, Amistad or Falcon Lakes and mountains.

There are humongous dams, marinas and multi million dollar resorts. Some are over the water.

Americans/Texans canoe, fish, hike and recreation on many parts of the Rio Grande.

[dforest]

Perry can fill out a suit, its his brain that is missing.

[dforest]

Time to take responsibility.

Perry has ruined himself. Nobody else is to blame.