Posted on 06/09/2011 8:01:07 PM PDT by smoothsailing
Allen Blakemore
June 9, 2011
GOP primary voters across America are still looking for their presidential candidate — but if Gov. Rick Perry jumps into the race, he would immediately be a leading contender for the party's nomination. He would appeal to all segments of the Republican electorate and would come armed with a record of economic success and a commitment to liberty that no other contender can match.
What Perry has to offer is still missing from the current field. He speaks not only to fiscal conservatives but also to Republicans more concerned with social and defense issues. For example, he successfully advocated legislation this year requiring sonograms prior to abortions. While not a priority to every voter, it is a core issue in a Republican primary.
On the stump he is a master campaigner who has developed an engaging stage presence. Unscripted, he is affable and witty while maintaining strict message discipline.
Given the current economic climate, Perry has a unique and compelling story to tell that America is ready to hear. As governor of Texas, he has presided over the most dynamic and successful economy in the nation.
Texas is dominating in job-creation and economic dynamism, even in a national recession. In the last 10 years, Texas has created 730,000 new private-sector jobs. The next best state mustered only 90,000 over the same period. California, the liberal antithesis to Texas, has lost 623,000 private-sector jobs — the most in the country.
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Texas’ success has earned accolades from observers nationwide, and not just from conservatives. For seven straight years, CEOs surveyed by Chief Executive magazine have ranked Texas No. 1 in job growth and business development. Newsweek and TheWall Street Journal have pegged Texas as the best place to find a job. No other state is home to more Fortune 1000 companies. Even Californians like the liberal former San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, now serving as his state’s lieutenant governor, traveled to Texas trying to figure out why we're doing so well.
How did Texas do it? Perry’s message is simple: low taxes, restrained spending, reasonable regulations and a fair legal system. This is a story he can deliver to the nation. It's a recipe for success that stands in stark contrast to the expensive, top-down policies of the Obama administration.
While any Republican candidate can talk about smaller government, Perry’s story is truly unique in that Texas, under his leadership, has repeatedly — and recently — put these principles into action despite the tough choices involved. Texas has balanced the books each biennium, as required by its constitution. When necessary, Texas has slashed spending to reconcile the numbers. That line bears repeating. Texas has actually cut, in real terms, the dollars spent by government to balance the budget rather than stifling growth by raising taxes. That's not what we're accustomed to seeing in Washington. Perry has successfully led a legislative body in implementing these bedrock principles, even in the toughest of times, and real people are reaping the benefits.
Tea Party voters continue to exert significant influence and will be necessary for victory. Perry's success in balancing budgets and cutting spending has already endeared him to the Tea Party, but he is perhaps even more attractive to them for his consistent defense of liberty and constitutional principles.
On issue after issue, Perry has demonstrated the courage of his convictions in resisting federal overreach. He has refused federal funding for unemployment and education because he recognized that the carrot was not worth the stick that followed. Texas, he insisted, would set its own standards and protect its fiscal health by refusing to swallow another expansion of a federal program for which funding would never be provided. He has pointed out that the federal government has proven a failure at running the entitlement programs, which are busting federal and state budgets.
Perry has gone further than others in honestly acknowledging the unsustainability of the entitlement status quo and has begun a conversation about alternatives. In his book Fed Up!, he cites the success of the three Texas counties that were bold enough to opt out of Social Security in favor of a private option. Those counties are now running their own retirement programs, and returns to county workers are better than they would get under Social Security.
Perry offers the voters a compelling alternative to current national policies. President Barack Obama had a sizable legislative majority during his first two years in office, and the Democrats unleashed a massive experiment in liberal government. It has failed to work. Even traditionally “progressive” states like Wisconsin have begun to emulate the type of pro-growth policies favored by Texas — a right-to-work state, at least in the realm of government pensions and labor regulation.
Critics will be surprised at how receptive voters of all stripes can be to a story about more freedom and demonstrated economic growth. Perry doesn’t just understand that story — he wrote the book. And the nation is primed to listen.
Allen Blakemore is a Houston-based Republican strategist and the founder of Blakemore & Associates, a full-service political consulting firm. He served U.S. Sens. John Tower and Phil Gramm as regional director for West Texas operations.
He recently mentioned that since being asked by several friends to run that he is reconsidering. Had him on my list before, then he adamantly said that he was NOT running, now he is “reconsidering”. So he’s back.
Good that it wasn’t a problem for you and the rest of Texas.
As far as I’m concerned, for those attracted to Perry, the attraction runs only skin deep.
If he’s a RINO why did Palin campaign for him?
I hope Paul Ryan stays out. Last thing we need is conservatives going after him. It seems like anyone who is running or is thinking of running gets trashed.
I don’t know anything about Perry, but there seems to be a complete disconnect here. He is supposedly a RINO but yet the Tea Party loves him? What gives?
To help put this into perspective here is how Perry did against two opponents in the GOP Primary. He won with 51.14% of the vote so it's not like he was the run away winner.
---------------------------------------- Governor Kay Bailey Hutchison REP 450,087 30.31% Debra Medina REP 275,159 18.53% Rick Perry(I) REP 759,296 51.14% ----------- Race Total 1,484,542
In the General election agains four opponents he garnered 54.97% of the vote. He's not just walking away with the elections as you can see. He wins but sometimes it maybe because of the choices presented to the electorate.
Governor Rick Perry(I) REP 2,737,481 54.97% Bill White DEM 2,106,395 42.29% Kathie Glass LIB 109,211 2.19% Deb Shafto GRN 19,516 0.39% Andy Barron W-I 7,267 0.14% ----------- Race Total 4,979,870
It could just as easily be said that Perry defeated all opponents by double digits and the closest challenger lost by 12 points.
Doesn't that also help "put this into perspective"; as you say?
Exactly. He's a hack with great hair and political skills. So... better than the incompetent hacks the GOP usually offers up, I guess.
Perry has excellent political skills and got out in front of the Tea Party wave. He's a disciplined communicator and knows how to push the right buttons. He pushed states rights and went after Obama, and tied Kay Bailey Hutchison to the corrupt Washington establishment (which was absolutely true).
He's not a True Believer, more of a populist who says (and sometimes does) what the people want.
“Honestly I don’t know enough about Perry or any of the candidates “
Then I suggest you find out more about Perry — as far as I can see he is a solid conservative and someone who can actually beat Obama.
“Honestly I don’t know enough about Perry or any of the candidates “
Then I suggest you find out more about Perry — as far as I can see he is a solid conservative and someone who can actually beat Obama.
From what I’ve seen as a lifelong Texan who’s voted for Perry in three general elections (because he was better than the Democratic alternatives), Governor Perry is just another good looking, smooth talking politician who pays lip service to conservative ideals while pushing his own left-of-center agenda. He’s built a reputation as a supporter of state sovereignty by making comments about secession and as a supporter of Fourth Amendment rights by suggesting that TSA agents would better serve this country by guarding our borders rather than our airports, but he didn’t lift a finger to support the TSA anti-groping bill during the regular session (where it had strong support but was killed by the TSA’s strong arm tactics), and he’s refused to add it to the current special session. He’s built a reputation as a Second Amendment supporter by saying that CHL holders should be able to carry their guns everywhere and by claiming that he shot a coyote on an Austin jogging trail, but he’s never thrown his weight behind a gun rights bill, he’s refused to add the campus carry bill (which was killed on a parliamentary point of order during the regular session) to the special session, and it looks like he’s not going to sign the bill that prevents employers from firing somebody for keeping a firearm in their car. In fact, during the past ten years, the only time I can remember him going out on a political limb was when he tried to enact an executive order that would have required 12-year-old girls to be inoculated against sexually transmitted diseases.
While I think Perry has impressive positive arguments he can make, it's the negatives that need to be addressed.
From what I can gather, there seems to be three major bones of contention. The Guardasil E.O., the Trans Texas Corridor, and illegal immigration.
Perry will have to be able to deflect all three with compelling explanations, because it's obvious his detracters will unload on him. The passion displayed by a number of freepers, and notably a small but vocal segment of the Texas contingent, shows that to be the case.
I believe Perry would trounce Obama on the immigration issue, although he could take heat in the primary.
He could probably deflect TTC as an internal state matter than voters outside of Texas won't focus on, although he would have to be ready to state his position on imminent domain and unregulated Mexican truckers in the primary.
The Guardasil E.O. is his biggest liability, as I see it. He'd better be ready for that one. When you start messing with children's health and parental rights you better have your ducks in a row. Particularly in Texas, where individual liberty is taken seriously by so many, as it should be but isn't elsewhere.
The opt-out feature and the built-in 18 month delay in implementation are probably politically to his favor.
Putting aside the charges that he and his staff were joined at the hip with Merck, it could be argued that his intentions were good, but he didn't let his head catch up with his heart. Nevertheless, what he did was boneheaded, unilateral, and dangerous. Hopefully he learned from the experience and has the character to admit it.
I've no doubt left alot out, considering Perry's long history, but the three points I mention seem to be the highest flying red flags.
All said and done, and given the existing Republican field, I'm not prepared to dismiss Perry at this point. My main goal is the defeat of Obama in 2012, and I'll support the most conservative candidate who has the best chance of doing that.
I’m not so sure Perry could beat Obama; to be honest with you. I’m telling you, the guy is a light-weight, an empty-suit. Are you a Texan? If so, you know I’m telling the truth.
I’m sure that he’s better than the others in Texas, but that’s not good enough when we have an EXCELLENT candidate to vote for in Sarah Palin. I’m sick of Republicans who cave in on illegal immigration. I don’t want Perry. I had enough of a lousy President in Bush.
EXACTLY!
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