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.

[muawiyah]

As I said the Leftwingtards really don't understand much of what's said over here, and if they quote it somewhere else it's not likely to be understood.

What they are looking for are racist statements.

[fightinJAG]

Agreed.

Looks to me like Perry is going to fade fast. (To be honest, he also looks like his back surgery is bothering him quite a bit — maybe this is more strenuous than he anticipated, but he sure looks as though he’s in pain sometimes.)

If/when Perry fades, people will STILL be looking for an alternative to Romney. I think the pundits are wrong that Perry’s support will automatically go to Romney.

On that stage, the candidate best positioned to take on Romney — and the one with the best chance of KO’ing Romney — is Santorum.

Of course, Gingrich would be ahead of Santorum except he’s just considered to have too much baggage. Santorum has a lot of the strengths that Gingrich has without the baggage.

Can Santorum beat Obama?

IF he gets the nomination, that will say a lot about how he was able to dig deep and BRING IT during the primaries. So, bottom line: we’ll see.

[fightinJAG]

Failure to agree with you that Rick Perry should or will be the nominee and next President does not make one a “hater.”

Thank you.

[lentulusgracchus]

[Article] 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.

So, IBD was fully invested in a Perry walkover, and now they're feeling the pain? Too bad. Bad night at the office.

I don't remember them crying foul when Ed Rollins took a karate chop at Sarah Palin, or lamenting that Herman Cain doesn't seem to be getting his props as an economically literate conservative. If they protested McGinniss's book or the smears on Bachmann's family life and faith, someone remind me now, quickly -- I missed IBD's support in adversity for these conservative Republicans.

I suspect they reserve their pain for Perry and Romney.

[fightinJAG]

It’s not the fence issue that is dragging Perry down. Most Americans DO understand that there are a variety of things that need to be done to physically/virtually secure the border.

Perry was decimated by the in-state tuition for illegals debate last night, in particular, his response that people who did not agree with this were “heartless.”

Sorry, that is the kind of gaffe that just isn’t going to be overlooked in this cycle.

Even the Frank Luntz focus group was focused on the fact that the problem with Perry’s policy was that it subsidized college for illegal aliens while subjecting American citizens from outside Texas to huge tuition surcharges.

[DManA]

Get a grip. This season is about picking the best candidate. My mind is open. My opinion of Perry is dimmer than it was two months ago because of what I’m learning about him.

[lentulusgracchus]

I like your tagline.

I think people are finally beginning to realize that Perry is a) amnesty on steroids, and b) available for anything else -- like NWO-ism -- if you've got the money to back your talk.

He's sort of a cross between John McCain and Ozzie Myers -- but then, maybe I'm repeating myself.

[fightinJAG]

Why don’t you take a second look at Santorum?

I am.

I don’t see why Romney is the automatic fall-back guy if Perry crashes and burns.

[lentulusgracchus]

Do not be surprised when the MSM and/or lefty blogs use our own words to attack the GOP frontrunners and especially the ultimate nominee. FReepers, please don't be part of the problem.

Then the solution is not to nominate the kind of RiNO who tends to draw well-earned hard jabs and crossing right hands on FR.

[lentulusgracchus]

On that stage, the candidate best positioned to take on Romney — and the one with the best chance of KO’ing Romney — is Santorum.

Rick Santorum leads an exemplary family moral life. And I think it is for just that reason that homosexual PAC's (there are four or five that concentrate on adversary support against family-values candidates at the state and municipal levels, trying to cut future Ronald Reagans off at the knees) went after him bigtime.

He was also jobbed IMHO by Karl Rove. I mean jobbed, as in Christine O'Donnell and other Tea Party candidates Rove karate-chopped last year.

I suspect that Rove is at the vortex of the GOProud phenomenon (before GOProud, there was RUC, the Republican Unity Coalition, call it PFLAG for Republicans built around some longtime Bush family associates and allies, that broke apart when Bush 43 endorsed DOMA), and that he really, truly wants the Loggies' money in the mix.

Keep in mind that Ken Mehlman and many Bush appointees were out and gay -- Mehlman after he left the RNC, I grant you. But Dubya appointed a hell of a lot of gays, and he was doing a lot of pattyfingers with the Loggies under the table in 2000, even as the Christian Coalition were being treated to box lunch and speeches from Rove in lieu of Bush, who was across town dining with the Loggies, with Mary Matalin doing his advance with them and telling them how much thinking Republicans, in the name of fairness, supported same-sex marriage. Smoke that for a while, while we listen to Adam Nagourney of The New York Times, just a month or two ago, telling Charlie Rose that gay money in politics is huge now, in both parties (and Nagourney would know -- most of his colleagues at the Times are gay and arrogantly so).

[rdb3]

All this in-fighting and name-calling liberal-lite b.s. within FR is horrifying. This crap only helps 0bama's reelection chances. This upcoming election is absolutely critical to our survival as a nation of and for the free.

I swear to vote for whoever the GOP puts on the ticket for Nov 2012. Until then, I will listen and learn all I can about the candidates so I can give my input by way of my vote in the primaries. Unfortunately, objective and logical discussions about the current GOP candidates is no longer found at FR (at least in all the posts I've read lately).

Stop giving DUmmies and KOSers forum fodder!

INDEED! And I agree with you 100¹⁰%.

Just remember the lay of the land. It's not going to change the cyber-war here.

If you can't appreciate the pure beauty of the violin after hearing this, something's wrong with your ears.

Or you can get raw with these strings. Either way, the violin is sweet yet lethal.

Do it!

[tarheelswamprat]

The foe.... America's Ruling Class -- And the Perils of Revolution By Angelo M. Codevilla from the July 2010 - August 2010 issue

Correct. But unfortunately, most here aren't going to listen.

[Eva]

What did Rove say about Santorum?

The WA state GOP is a mess. We are having Rove speak at an upcoming event. We had Romney last year at our convention (he cried, wiping a tear from his eye like Clinton). Then after the convention, when the state GOP chairman was defeated, he took a job as a lobbyist for the SEIU.

[CynicalBear]

>> Do not be surprised when the MSM and/or lefty blogs use our own words to attack the GOP frontrunners and especially the ultimate nominee.<<

If candidates can’t even stand the scrutiny here how do you think they will fair once the MSM or libs get hold of them? The more debates we have where they have to defend themselves and their positions the more they will be ready for the real deal.

[ImpBill]

OoooooooooooooooooK!

[Hoodat]

Memo To GOP: The Foe Is Obama, Not Perry

This is the same reasoning that gave us McCain four years ago.

[muawiyah]

yes, 1 minute and 30 seconds. My spouse sat there and timed it. Isn't even 20 seconds. That leaves 1 minute and 10 seconds for another topic or two.

They need me as an advisor FUR SHUR.

[Grey Eagle]

You nailed it. It is obvious that Bachmann, Santorum, Romney either don’t understand or just want to destroy Perry. Probably destroy Perry.

[dangus]

You're all being so mean to Rick Perry!!! You're not supposed to pick on our chosen on!!! What is this, some sort of Democracy?

[dangus]

You sick .......

It’s Rick Perry who said that people who don’t favor giving $100,000 in free tuition benefits to illegal aliens (and not to Americans) are “hard hearted.” He’s the radical whore attacking Republicans, and he was roundly and justly booed for it.

So we’re supposed to vote for this radical apostle of Al Gore just because if we don’t we’ll hurt your widdle feewings?