Posted on 07/21/2011 1:56:21 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
In the Russell Senate Office Building Caucus Room, Fred McClure was watching the crowd. It was March 1978, and the American Agriculture Movement a pressure group for government support of farm prices was meeting with Texan congressmen.
A legislative aide to Sen. John Tower (R.), McClure was leaning on a door when a rancher from Paint Creek, Texas, named Rick Perry walked past. Newly retired from the Air Force, Perry held a degree in animal science from Texas A&M. His class ring gave him away.
Spotting the ring, McClure, a fellow Texas A&M grad, introduced himself, and the two hit it off. Thirteen years later McClure, a notary public, would swear Perry into office as Texass agriculture commissioner, his first statewide office.
[snip]
Ken Luce, who managed Perrys campaign for agriculture commissioner in 1990, believes the advantage extends beyond Iowa. The agriculture economy is very important from Florida all the way to California and in between, he says. As agriculture commissioner, Perry felt comfortable getting into the weeds of agriculture policy, such as inspecting gas pumps and determining funding for fire-ant programs. And, perhaps most importantly, the skills Perry sharpened in winning his first statewide race could be useful if he runs for president.
In 1990, Perry was an obscure state legislator running against one of the most popular Texas politicians of the 1980s: Jim Hightower. Although Hightower had the advantage of incumbency, Perry rallied several important constituencies to his side. Farmers were livid with Hightower over his opposition to pesticides and his favoritism toward niche markets such as organic foods. Perry argued that Texas should support its mainstays, such as cotton and wheat. When the European Community temporarily banned imports of hormone-treated beef, Perry urged Hightower to stick up for Texas ranchers (instead, Hightower suggested they could sell hormone-free beef to Europe).
Hightower ignored mainstream agriculture for years, so they were riled up and Rick got them to cross over, Luce says. Perry beat the well-liked incumbent, 49 percent to 47 percent, even while the Republican gubernatorial candidate, Clayton Williams, lost to Democrat Ann Richards.
[snip]
Perry also won his election the old-fashioned way, outspending his opponent by about $400,000. And many of Perrys attacks on Hightower hit less on his agricultural incompetence and more on his unabashed liberalism (especially his endorsement of Jesse Jackson for president in 1988). Perry took the personality contest to such an extreme that when Hightower cut his finger in a lawnmower accident a few days before the election, Perry told reporters the event showed Hightowers total lack of common sense.
[snip]
And as for Perrys retail skills, Luce says theyre Grade A. Rick campaigned in all 256 counties in the state, he says. He went to rural and urban areas; he did small and big events. Rick is a campaigner.
Perry may be a latecomer to the Iowa race, but he is an old hand at face-to-face politics. This former Texas agriculture commissioner knows a thing or two about grass roots.
LOL. I noticed the same PDS posters on that thread that seem to follow your each and every posting of a new thread.
The numbers you posted and the actual ones on those sites are way off.
You just might have a generalized problem with tall dark and handsome, so you wouldn’t like me either.
I didn’t see the video the same way you did.
"You betcha!"
Yet another instance of Palin supporters being irrational, and hey, let's face it, mentally immature.
You posted it, not me.
If you click on Texas it say $8000+ debt per person. Your link says $13,000+
Watch this:http://timeforperry.com/
You're like a dog with a bone.
>>>>......Rumors that Mr. Perry would defect to the Republican Party and run against Jim Hightower, the populist Democratic agriculture commissioner picked up steam by late 1989. On Sept. 29, Mr. Perry made it official at a Capitol news conference. At his side were Fred Meyer, chairman of the Texas Republican Party, and Senator Phil Gramm, a former Democrat, who was aggressively courting would-be converts.
Mr. Perrys timing, now legendary, could not have been better. He was one of only two Republicans elected to nonjudicial statewide office in 1990. Eight years later, Republicans swept every one of them.
Perry has been a risk taker, said Mr. Hance, the party switcher who became the chancellor of Texas Tech University. And if you look at Perrys timing in every race, hes been the golden guy. Taking a Look at the Governor, Back When He Was a Democrat
They're thinning out.
That is a nice picture.
You're unaware that Perry and the Bush/Rove crowd had falling out a long time ago?
Since Sarah Palin endorsed Perry does that mean she, too, is working with Karl Rove?
http://gop12.thehill.com/2011/07/karl-rove-thinks-perry-will-run.html
Rove informally advised Kay Bailey Hutchison in her 2010 bid against Perry.
Well, I don’t agree with everything Perry has done, especially like not getting the sanctuary city bill passed. But, he would be much better than the current occupant of the w h.
I support Bachmann right now, because Palin isn’t in the race.
Perry, I don’t support.
As for whether they support the same things, I’m sure they do. However, the connection I feel with Sarah is overpowering which suggests to me that she is the chosen one.
So I implicitly trust Sarah to represent me, my family, and God when she becomes President of the United States.
Nope, you didn’t convince me. I’m still voting for Sarah Palin.
And I don’t support Perry.
Isn't that why many of Obama's supporters voted from him?
Making any politician to be messianic is dangerous. None of them could possibly live up to that sort of expectation.
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