[New Jersey Realist]

I just can’t get behind Perry. The guy reminds me of the “Bounty Man” - you know, the paper towel guy. I prefer a real man who endured hardships in his life, overcame them and became successful. That is the American Dream. Did Perry overcome any hardships?

[Kaslin]

I have never seen an ad with the “Bounty man”. I think you are confused and think of a different ad.

[normy]

I think you mean the Brawny Man and yeah I can see that. I loved the Brawny Man, he was an All American logger type.

If you are serious you need to skip FR for a bit and go to rickperry.org and read his biography.

[thackney]

Did Perry overcome any hardships?

Rick Perry grew up without indoor plumbing the first five years of his life, wore clothes hand-sewn by his mother, and was even bathed in a number 2 washtub as a young boy. Perry was one of 13 students in the Paint Creek Rural School’s Class of 1968.

You can learn more about his early life as a struggling cotten/wheat farmer after returning from the Air Force at:

http://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/perry-watch/headlines/20060312-governor-almost-wasn_t.ece

[BuckeyeTexan]

I prefer a real man who endured hardships in his life, overcame them and became successful. That is the American Dream. Did Perry overcome any hardships?

I'm just makin' a wild-@ss guess here, but I'm guessin' you've never owned or worked a farm, right?

[GOPyouth]

That is the American Dream. Did Perry overcome any hardships?

I'll lay money down that working a cotton fied in west Texas, being admitted into the Texas A&M Corps of Cadets, and becoming a USAF pilot guarantees that he's done more hard work than most Americans.

I'd ask the current field to raise their hands if they have been put naked into a box outside, in cold weather, and forced to stay there for extended periods of time to pass survival training.

[bullypulpit]

Hardships? Perry had no money. He still has very little compared to his peers in the political classes. He soldiered through the Aggie Corps of Cadets successfully. Actually excelled at it. Ask any Aggie who went through the Aggie Corps in the Vietnam era. About 50% of the freshmen quit, drop out, or flunk out. He excelled because he was selected to be a leader in the Corps. That’s what a Yell Leader is, a student leader. After A&M, Perry successfully graduated from a post-Vietnam pilot training class (52 weeks of grueling academia and head games), where 30-50% of the entrants don’t make it. Ever see “Officer and a Gentleman”? He worked for a living on his family cotton farm. That’s work, not playtime. He sacrificed years as a $600/mo state legislator. No, I’d say Perry earned everything he has right now.