I Guess Rick Perry Forgot About Needing [Begging] Sarah Palin to Save His Campaign in 2010

Back in 2010, Governor Rick Perry was in trouble here in Texas. He was running for re-election and faced stiff competition from not only a Tea Party challenger [whose campaign would later implode after she was exposed as a 9/11 truther] but Washington insider Kay Baily Hutchison as well.

Gov. Rick Perry will be joined by former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin at a rally in support of his re-election campaign on Sunday, Feb. 7 in the Houston area.

“I look forward to standing with Sarah to promote our shared conservative values of limited government, low taxes and individual freedom,” said Gov. Perry. “Gov. Palin is a true conservative leader whose priorities and message resonate with Texans, and I am honored to have her in Texas supporting my campaign.”

Gov. Palin will campaign with Gov. Perry to highlight the positive momentum Texas is experiencing through conservative leadership that has cut taxes, created jobs, strengthened education and secured our border.

Perry was overjoyed! And of course, he won re-election, thanks, in no small part, to Sarah’s endorsement.

Old Slick Rick is singing a different tune today though. According to the Houston Chronicle he’s not happy that “outsiders” are supporting Conservative star Ted Cruz over the Establishment™ candidate David Dewhurst.

It should be noted that Perry’s runnin’ buddy, Dewhurst, has been endorsed by Mike Huckabee, also an “outsider.” Dewhurst has been bragging about the endorsement [No, seriously, he has] and Huckabee has cut TV commercials for him.

Perry: We don’t need outsiders’ views on Senate race (Are you listening, Sarah Palin?)

Gov. Rick Perry is once again slamming “out-of-state interest groups” backing former solicitor general Ted Cruz in his runoff with Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst –this time tweaking Sarah Palin, U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint and Rick Santorum by suggesting their states could learn a lot from Texas, but Texas doesn’t need their advice on choosing its next U.S. senator.

Perry, standing staunchly behind Dewhurst, brushed off the question about whether his own tea party credibility may be damaged by his opposition to Cruz, who has been endorsed by national conservative and tea party groups and figures (including Palin, DeMint and Santorum) in the runoff for the GOP nomination for U.S. Senate.

“There’s a whole lot of people who don’t intimately and expertly know how Texas operates that have come in and endorsed in this race, and with all due respect – I respect each one of those individuals, but they don’t know anything about how Texas works,” said Perry after a hurricane preparedness tour at the Austin airport. “And if they did, they would be endorsing David Dewhurst.”

Without naming Palin, DeMint or Santorum, Perry called them to mind by naming their states: “I appreciate everybody paying attention to Texas – as well they should, they could learn some things on how to run South Carolina and Pennsylvania and Alaska.

“Come to Texas and learn how to do it right, but don’t come down here and tell us who needs to be our next United States senator, thank you very much. We’ll decide that without your outside, Washington, D.C.-oriented help,” Perry said.

Cruz spokesman James Bernsen said his candidate has overwhelming support among Texas grassroots conservatives, “most of whom Dewhurst has not even bothered to meet with.” And, he said, Cruz has “exponentially more Texas donors than David Dewhurst, including more donors from the Houston area than Dewhurst has in the entire state of Texas.”

UPDATE: Some people have written to note that Dewhurst is trumpeting his own out-of-state endorsement from former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, so Perry’s outrage may be a bit selective.

Perry’s comments came the day after former ESPN football analyst Craig James (who came in a distant fourth in the U.S. Senate GOP primary) endorsed Dewhurst, earning a “Congratulations to Lt. Gov. Dewhurst” from Bernsen.

His comments also came as Cruz pressed Dewhurst to debate, saying he’s accepted a proposal for a series of five debates to be hosted by the Grassroots Texans Network.

Dewhurst has repeatedly indicated his willingness to take Cruz up on a challenge for multiple debates before the July 31 runoff. His campaign said it’s looking at this invitation, which was signed by Ken Emanuelson.

Emanuelson, as highlighted on the anti-Dewhurst “Dewbious” site, was quoted in January as saying, “David Dewhurst may be Texas grassroots enemy No. 1 right now.”

Look, there’s no question that Rick Perry hasn’t screwed Texas up too bad. Texas is a great state and we have policies in place that make the state business friendly. Perry has taken advantage of this, and has gone to liberal states like California and poached businesses in a big way. All of those newly minted Texans are keeping our state rolling, but it’s laughable that he thinks he could teach Sarah Palin anything about running a state!

For those who don’t know the difference, Texas, like many southern states, has a relatively weak Governor. The Lt Governor has as much if not more actual power. On the other hand, when Alaskans wrote their state’s constitution, they wanted a strong executive. Someone they could look at and know “the buck stops here.” So, Alaska’s Governor is a true CEO, one of the two most powerful state executives in the country. Sarah used her position to bring about sweeping ethics reforms well as massive fiscal reform.

When it looked like Sarah was going to run for president, our Whitney Pitcher compared the fiscal records of all of the Governors who were running. While Sarah’s record was the best, Rick Perry’s record on fiscal matters was downright horrific in comparison.

Sarah took office as Governor at the end of 2006. Her first budget was fiscal year 2008, written in 2007:

During the fiscal years for which Sarah Palin exercised budgetary authority as Governor of Alaska (FY08 through FY10)

• Debt outstanding increased 12.7%, or 4.2% per year • Per capita debt outstanding increased 7.4%, or 2.5% per year • Total liabilities decreased 34.6%, or 11.5% per year • Total liabilities per capita decreased 37.7%, or 12.6% per year

During the fiscal years for which Rick Perry exercised budgetary authority as Governor of Texas (FY02 through FY10)

• Debt outstanding increased 184.2%, or 20.5% per year • Per capita debt outstanding increased 140.4%, or 15.6% per year • Total liabilities increased 60.6%, or 6.7% per year • Total liabilities per capita increased 35.8%, or 4.0% per year

Outstanding debt grew a whopping 184.2% or 20.5% PER YEAR on Perry’s watch! [as of FY2010]

Look, I know it’s all just politics, but you’d think Perry would remember who helped him stay in office, and have a tad more respect. People across the nation are backing Ted Cruz because they want a real Reagan Conservative in Washington, not another Establishment™ hack.

Texans know David Dewhurst’s record, and understand the mediocrity he brought to Austin has no business in D.C. We need someone who will fight for Texas and fight for America. Someone who will defend Liberty and Freedom with his last breath. We need Ted Cruz.

This Texan is glad Conservatives across the nation are supporting Ted Cruz against the Republican Establishment’s machine!

“You know, folks might possibly listen to you if you actually laid out Dewhurst’s conservative record for once. So far, all I’ve seen you do, is call him a “great conservative”.
Prove it.”

Anything else I list for you will be rejected by you because you have made up your mind that you are going to be against David Dewhurst because the people you like have told you to be for his opponent.

I have proved that David Dewhurst is the real conservative in this contest in several long posts on this and other threads. You can use the Free Republic search tool if you would like to learn more.

Incidentally, these other threads are usually posted by the out-of-state Cruz-Cronies trying to nationalize the Texas Primary.

I think you could be a credit to the party if you were to start familiarizing yourself with Texas politics, then you would know who actually governs conservatively over the long haul and will represent our own state versus someone who has the gift of gab and can talk like a conservative and use the tea-party for their own ends. After all, maybe the out-of-state people who are trying to claim the tea-party identity think they get something from having Cruz on their team.

“Good, I’m glad he served in the Air Force. So did Ron Paul and I wouldn’t vote for him for dog catcher. The late Jack Murtha was a Marine, would you have voted for him? John Kerry was a “hero” in Vietnam, did you vote for him in 2004? Jimmy Carter was a pioneering nuclear submarine officer, did you vote for him? Harvey Milk was a naval officer, did you like him?”

After I point out Lt. Governor Dewhurst lifetime of leadership and success in the military, and in private business, and in public office, all of which makes your guy look seriously underqualified and needing some seasoning, all you can do is come up with the names of a few political miscreants that were in the military? That is the best you can do?

Meh.

That is such a load of bull. It's a simple matter to make a Word document of your favored candidate's accomplishments, then paste it into a post whenever you're attempting to inform others of their record.

Cutting and pasting sales hype from your candidate's campaign site just causes others to laugh.

Telling people to research your posting history about your candidate is a total cop-out, and shows that you've got nothing to back up your statements. If your candidate has such a sterling record, you could quote lots of it from memory, but you don't.

Looks to me like you've got nothing.

I wrote that post about Lt. Gov. Dewhurst about a week ago in reply to another Cruz person who kept harangueing me to write the positive accomplishments of Dewhurst and wanted evidence that Dewhurst is a conservative.

I repeated it one other time besides the time I sent it in response to your request for same, and I have no reason to hide that. I do not have time to write a new essay about Lt. Gov. Dewhurst’s proven lifetime of conservatism and why he is the best choice to represent conservative Texans in the U.S. Senate everytime someone posts another attack ad charging Lt. Gov. Dewhurst with not being a conservative.

Dewhurst is a conservative and I have been shown nothing by any of these out-of-state Cruz promoters that would indicate Cruz has the conservative mindset or qualifications compared to Lt. Governor Dewhurst.

So, you wrote that yourself. Well, good for you. It reads like the mushy sales hype from any other political campaign, and artfully avoids laying out the real specifics of your candidate's resume.

You can argue all you want, but the other poster and I won't be the last to challenge you to produce some specifics about Dewhurst's "conservative" record. As long as you keep campaigning for him here, you're going to hear that. You may as well get to work and draw up something now.

Now tell the truth. You're on Dewhurst's campaign staff, aren't you? Don't fib, because it's going to come out anyway.

“Now tell the truth. You’re on Dewhurst’s campaign staff, aren’t you? Don’t fib, because it’s going to come out anyway.”

Ha! No I am not, but I do find it curious that you would think that just because I defend Lt. Gov. Dewhurst against the scurrilous and untruthful attacks by the out-of-state interests that you would think I must be with the Dewhurst campaign. Are you with the Cruz campaign? (I really do not think so, and I think you said that of me just to try to raise some doubt in those who might read my posts).

And, it is Cruz and the out-of-state interests that are making those attacks on David Dewhurst’s conservatism, yet you have no answer explaining the low underhanded nature of the Cruz campaign, nothing to refute when I point out the facts about Cruz, his inexperience, his non-Texas backers, his lack of qualifications, lack of leadership experience, lack of executive experience, lack of legislative experience.

I have told you already about Lt. Gov. Dewhurst’s conservatism on the life issue, the fiscal issues, tax issues, budget issues, immigration issues (and don’t bother to parrot the Cruz attacks there - I’ve already detailed in other posts the positive legislation he got passed increasing state budgeting for border security and penalties on the illegal alien smugglers etc. and the falsity of the Cruz charges that he favors giving tuition to illegal alens - he does not). But Cruz also knows he can attack on that front too, given the frustration we all feel about the Federal Government not doing its job on immigration - so of course Cruz taps into that by blaming a guy who can’t do any more than he’s already done given the primacy of the feds on the subject.

But all you can do when I name for you the issues Lt. Gov. Dewhurst has proven his conservatism on, is accuse me of being a paid staffer, which I am not.

Has it ever occurred to you even if I were a paid staffer, which I am not, what I am telling you that shows Dewhurst is a conservative is fact, and it would not matter who stated it because the truth stands on its own?

Don’t fall for the Cruz lawyer professional dirty campaign trickery!

If that’s the case (doubt it), he shouldn’t had invited Palin in the first place. You don’t call in heavy artillery like Palin to secure the base unless you need help....unless you’re the type of guy with vanity who gets off on ego trips (like Saxby Chambliss).

This is a favorite tactic of some....”(insert candidate) was already winning (or was gonna win anyway) so they didn’t need Palin’s help.” For those who were “gonna win anyway” they sure do clammer for her endorsement.

Wanna take a guess how much Palin’s agent is getting deluged with “help my campaign” or “come here for this event” requests? You’d be shocked how full the rolodex is.

From May 19, 2011:

Next year’s U.S. Senate primary in Texas offers a wide range of choices. RedState has previously noted our strong preference for either former Texas solicitor general Ted Cruz or former railroad commissioner Michael Williams – both of whom have proven themselves as articulate and reliable champions of conservative principles. On the next tier are former Texas secretary of state Roger Williams and current railroad commissioner Elizabeth Ames Jones, whose commitment to conservative principles may be somewhat shakier but at least are mouthing the right words so far in this campaign.

And then there is Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, or as I like to call him, DewCrist.

Much like the former Governor of Florida turned ambulance chaser, DewCrist’s conduct as lieutenant governor has been consistent: whatever advances his political aspirations at that moment, he’s for. Obviously, it worked well for him during his first two terms. But in the first few months of his third term – the one in which his path toward higher office has finally cleared – his continuing to play both sides of the fence is costing Texas conservatives a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make historic policy gains.

He has approached the budget as a math problem rather than an opportunity to downsize government. As president of the Texas Senate, he allowed the finance committee to adopt a draft budget $12 billion larger than the one approved by the House and endorsed by the state’s leading conservative organizations.

Rather than using his leverage with senators to persuade them to reinvent and downsize government within existing revenues, he assigned a moderate Republican senator to come up with accounting gimmicks and “non-tax revenues” to pay for $4 billion of higher spending, and then gave mixed signals as to whether he’d support their use of $3 billion more from the state’s rainy day fund.

But his latest antics on higher education may be his most egregious knifing of conservatives yet.

David Dewhurst Embraces The DewCrist Label And Openly Declares War on Conservatives

“Shill on, friend. No one’s buying what you’re selling. Don’t quit your day job. You’re not that good at convincing others that your candidate is what we’re looking for.
That reminds me, Ted Cruz is supported by loads of Texas Tea Party groups (which you disparaged upthread). Does Dewhurst have the endorsement of a single one? I highly doubt it.”

Well, I hope I have at least made you think about the fact that tea-partiers have glommmed onto a candidate who sounds good at first, but after deciding to run a Romney-type attack campaign against a veteran conservative like Dewhurst, just expect raised eyebrows from conservatives who have been fighting this battle against the liberals here in Texas for a long time. If Cruz wins the primary, I’ll back him to the hilt against the Democrat in the general election and beyond, but I sure hope for the credibility of us tea-partiers, we do the same for Dewhurst.

I hope I have at least made you think about the fact that tea-partiers have glommmed onto a candidate who sounds good at first, but...

Pardon me, but I feel pretty confident about trusting the judgment, research, and instincts of several thousand of my fellow Texas patriots about which of these candidates is the true conservative in this race.

The finest, most active conservative patriots in the nation are part of the Tea Party, and those who are in Texas have unanimously concluded that Ted Cruz is the candidate who best exemplifies our views.

If David Dewhurst were half the conservative you claim he is, he'd have at least half of the Texas Tea Parties endorsing him. He doesn't, which tells me all I need to know about him.

“...several thousand of my fellow Texas patriots about which of these candidates is the true conservative in this race. The finest, most active conservative patriots in the nation are part of the Tea Party, and those who are in Texas have unanimously concluded that Ted Cruz is the candidate who best exemplifies our views.If David Dewhurst were half the conservative you claim he is, he’d have at least half of the Texas Tea Parties endorsing him. He doesn’t, which tells me all I need to know about him.”

It is indeed wonderful to have several thousand fine, new. fresh, most-active, Patriots suddenly decide to become active politically to save the country from the recent unfortunate decisions made by the voters in 2008.

That does not mean there was no conservative movement that was active prior to 2008.

That does not mean these several thousand new, freshly-minted Republicans get to decide by themselves who is conservative and who is not conservative, even if they are in unanimous agreement among themselves on that subject (which they are not). It also does not mean these new political players can’t be snookered by political opportunists who want to take advantage of them and their enthusiasm.

What makes you think the Tea Party activists are "new" to the game of political activism? I think that's an arrogant assumption on your part, and a covert invalidation of the best, most astute members of our patriotic community.

That does not mean these several thousand new, freshly-minted Republicans get to decide by themselves who is conservative and who is not conservative...

There you go again. "Freshly-minted Republicans"???

So, I guess all us Tea Party folks are just a bunch of newly EX Democrats. That is what you're inferring. And I suppose that you and your elitist friends will tell the rest of us who is, and who is not a conservative, eh? Gads...

Keep it up, friend. You're painting yourself and the rest of the Dewhurst camp into far off corner, and alienating the great majority of conservatives.

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