I agree. I was there. Two caveats: first, it was a VERY friendly audience, and second, he was not being grilled with tough questions in the presence of competitors looking to exploit his every stumble and gaffe. In sum, there really was no pressure--at least nothing remotely like the pressure of a national debate.
When he's up against Obama in the general election--if he gets that far--it will be even MORE pressured, stressful, and unfriendly than anything he has seen to date.
Perry was warmly and occasionally enthusiastically received by the VVS crowd but still only received eight percent of the straw votes cast. I interpret that to mean that the crowd thought that Perry was a likeable "thinks like I do" candidate, but not a particularly effective one. Not many people there seemed to have much confidence in Perry's ability to go 12 rounds in a media-rigged match in the national general election arena.
Romney only got four percent of the votes, and he was at best coolly--if politely--received. I interpret his low straw vote total to mean that he was not liked by much of the crowd, plain and simple.
Not a very good showing. Would have been even worse if "Values Voters" knew about Perry's activities in Texas.
Perry's been described by some Texans as a kind of a "Ten Gallon Punxsutawney Phil." When election time rolls around, Perry emerges, packing/campaigning in a cowboy hat, pushing all the right Texas buttons, dangling "secession" in front of believing voters. After he's elected, Perry disappears into his cave until it's time to gear up again.
When he does that disappearing act, big-hearted Rick gets down to the real business of governance----enriching himself---and advancing his political ambitions---which are one and the same.
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Perry has raised truckloads of money for years preparing for his presidential foray. Perry got into the 2012 race with hundreds of millions of dollars, and multiple political PACS, teeming with money.
There's "Americans for Rick Perry" for starters.
Perry's Super Pac raised $55 million just by saying he WAS NOT running.
“Texans for Rick Perry” committee is a $102 million slush fund he uses at will. Some PAC mega-donors paid in $100,000 each in order to influence Perry's official actions. “Texans for Rick Perry” committee paid for posh family trips to the Bahamas, Amsterdam, Madrid, out of campaign contributions.
Perry's "Make Us Great Again PAC" raised millions to flood Iowa, and other early voting states, with ads promoting their boy.
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No candidate has a more corrupt history of allocating tax grants and using his government office to favor mega donors than Rick Perry. He controls hundreds of millions of dollars in countless "do-good govt agencies." .....
One Texas news report titled “The Governor’s Gusher,” documents 100 wealthy donors who “have sought corporate welfare, relaxed regulatory rules or other government favors” in exchange for their political largess in Texas gubernatorial races. A disturbing number of these profiteers made a fortune off government handouts or by bending or breaking regulatory rules.
A recent bill pushed through the Texas Legislature benefited Waste Control Specialists, a company owned by #2 donor to Perry, Harold Simmons. Just days after the bill was signed into law, Simmons wrote a $100,000 check to "Americans for Rick Perry, " another of Perry's presidential PACs.
Another donor paid Perry nearly $8 million in campaign contributions, and, in 2003, sought and received, his own regulatory agency called "The Texas Residential Construction Commission"
One shady transaction---a Perry donor gave the RepubGovAssoc a $million----then the RGA wrote two checks to Perry totaling a $million, which he did not declare as per campaign laws.
His wife Anita Perry's $60,000-a-year salary at the Austin "nonprofit" "Texas Association Against Sexual Assault" comes indirectly from Gov. Perry's political donors, state contractors and companies that do business with the state or have issues before the Legislature. Of 37 major donors during Anita Perry's tenure as fundraiser, ONLY three have NO ties to the governor or state business. Anita Perry is paid from the "nonprofit" money pool that includes political contributions. TAAS also receives grants from state agencies AND her husband, the governor's, office. Donating to the TAASA seems to be another way Perry dreamed up for those with an interest in state government to influence Perry.
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Perry seems to have a "voting bloc checklist." Looks like and his handlers hunker down and figure out govt giveaways and power plays to nail down the blocs.The Texas Dream Act passed 10 years ago when vote-crazed Perry was desperate for votes---and began a curious unbroken string of election wins.