Posted on 09/23/2011 4:42:52 PM PDT by 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.
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Good points.
I think you’re correct.
It’s a debate. What do they expect? If Perry can’t face the heat, then he needs to get out of the kitchen. Do they think that Obama and the entire left wing press would be kinder to him in the general election?
And what’s all this business of blaming Sarah Palin for attacking Perry? She has nothing to do with it. It’s wrong to say that Perry is a poor candidate, with a RINO record, but it’s OK to attack Palin at every turn?
If it weren’t for you meddling kids, I might be able to throw the country under the bus for my friends with the wrong last name. LOL
You can "eliminate" whoever you want, but when it comes time to vote in your State primary you will have to order from the menu just like everyone else.
Maybe some other candidate will get in and do well, maybe not. But Rick Perry is not "destroyed" and he is not going away. When you vote, his name will be there as will Mitt's.
Being unhappy with Perry's record and debate performance (as I am) does not make Mitt anything more than what we all know he is.
Obviously, Perry is perfect for Texas.
Please keep him there.
“I now have eliminated him, MB, RP, and Huntsman.”
So you actually haven’t eliminated Romney???!!! I never even considered Romney for a second, and he is still on your “list”?
You can do better than that ~maybe. Where's your Eisenhower? Why do you keep delivering Johnson lite?
I am not beyond feeling that Perry is past being a best option out of a number given, however, sometimes there can be honest criticisms. It’s important that we’re not all an echo chamber here, disagreements are good to have. I do have questions as to who Rick Perry is, and they are honest and sincere. I am not his biggest fan, but I am willing to think about who Rick Perry is before making a final decision on him.
I thought we had this discussion earlier about how EVERYTHING can be stopped from coming over the border except airplanes.
That brought up the question of how we catch the other 40% who enter the country legally and then overstay their visas. Sure, a fence won't work there, but I think the minefield approach would scare the P out of them ~ particularly if we told them that "even though you entered legally at the airport you gotta' walk out going South through that minefield."
NOTE: there are ways, and there are nice ways. You really only need to get into nasty stuff when your other stuff doesn't work. So far nobody has tried any of that other stuff.
You mean there are people here with nothing but those ridiculous Latvian names? Wow!
Thanks for calling me a “sucker” because I have not eliminated Romney. Romney has never been on my radar, however, if I’m convinced that he could pull our Country out of the catastrophic economic collapse with more skill than say Cain or Santorum, I’ll keep him in my bullpen. I’m actually praying that Palin decides to run and that we finally can match a genuine conservative against a socialist liberal on November 2nd, 2012.
good to know that instate tuition for the children of illegal aliens is more important to you than babies lives.
At least we all know where you stand now.
I remember during the 2004 presidential election, when all the nine rat dwarfs were attacking President Bush instead each other, I was thinking to myself, are they each going to share the presidency with each other?. None of the 9 dwarfs was criticizing the other
I liked the last paragraph about the circular firing squad. These certainly aren’t the Reaganesque candidates sniping at each other more than they are attacking Obama. Newt tried to suggest this a couple of debates ago, but no one has heeded. Oh well, what can we expect when people are involved. It is an imperfect exercise in an imperfect world.
It’s Perry or Romney. None of the others have a chance in hell to win the nomination. Palin missed her time. She should have got in - if she wanted to - before Perry and the IA Straw poll. She probably wins that. If she gets in now, it won’t be pretty. Her and Perry split the vote and we’ll get Romney. Even if she were to win, the mediawhores will continue to trash her. They’ll be absolutly NO attention paid to Obies pathetic record.
So, how much American land are you willing to give up? And how much water rights are you willing to give to Mexico? You are aware that is what the results would be aren't you?
It’s Perry or Romney. None of the others have a chance in hell to win the nomination. Palin missed her time. She should have got in - if she wanted to - before Perry and the IA Straw poll. She probably wins that. If she gets in now, it won’t be pretty. Her and Perry split the vote and we’ll get Romney. Even if she were to win, the mediawhores will continue to trash her. They’ll be absolutly NO attention paid to Obies pathetic record.
“good to know that instate tuition for the children of illegal aliens is more important to you than babies lives.
At least we all know where you stand now.”
Perry was dumbfounded when asked about the Taliban getting control of nuclear weapons. His answer was pathetic and eliminates him in my mind as a viable CIC. Until last night I have supported Perry on this site with an open mind.
As far as you knowing how I stand on life issues, you don’t have a clue and it’s none of your business. Let’s just say that Ronald Reagan is my all-time hero. What was his stance on “life” when he was a democrat?
I disagree with the in-state tuition law and must admit Perry has done a p-poor job in handling it. But what can you say in 1 minute and 30 second sound bites.
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