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 Texas’s agriculture commissioner, his first statewide office.
[snip]
Ken Luce, who managed Perry’s 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 Perry’s 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 Hightower’s “total lack of common sense.”
[snip]
And as for Perry’s retail skills, Luce says they’re 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.
I disagree.
Just like being a soldier believing in their commander who sends them into combat that no matter how it turns out, that the orders to advance on the enemy are the Right ones...
I believe that Sarah has the same traits as a military leader. She inspires me. She leads by example. She commands me to think for myself, unlike the zombies of ObamaNation.
Sarah makes me believe that as a leader she will guide me the Right way. I will follow her up that dangerous hill to reclaim America for God, my family, and everybody else that desires liberty and freedom under the red, white, and starry blue!
Thus, Sarah will always have my vote.
Karl Rove says he and consultant David Weeks persuaded Rick Perry to switch parties and run for state agriculture commissioner
Texas Gov. Rick Perry draws mention in GOP consultant Karl Rove’s autobiography with attention
focused on Perry’s win for lieutenant governor in 1998 and Rove’s role in his pivotal earlier
switch from the Democratic to Republican party while he was a third-term member of the Texas House.
Rove writes: “Rick Perry had planned to retire from the legislature until his best friend,
David Weeks, and I talked him into switching parties and running for the GOP nomination for
agriculture commissioner.” His book, “Courage and Consequence, My Life as a Conservative
in the Fight,” was published March 9.
GW Bush ran for the the US Congress in 1972 in the 19th district of Texas. Guess who defeated him that year running on the democratic ticket. Kent Hance. He served for three terms and then ran in the democratic primary for the US Senate seat being vacated by John Tower and lost to Lloyd Doggett by 273 votes. He switched to the GOP in 1985.
Once a Rove candidate, always a Rove candidate.
Perry was a Rove candidate.
It can’t be any clearer than that.
Even when he is advising your opponent?!
I haven't heard so many kooky conspiracies since I spent time listening to shortwave radio talk shows several years ago.
Right, it doesn’t matter. That just means that Rove has 2 candidates in the race.
If it wasn’t for Karl Rove, Perry would either be out of politics and/or still a Democrat.
I’m defining, for my purposes, a “Karl Rove Candidate” anyone who Karl Rove has ever managed.
I am ruling every single one of those candidates out, for anything.
Tough luck, Rick Perry, you are a “Karl Rove Candidate”, and you won’t get my support.
There are plenty of people who will no longer vote for any “Karl Rove Candidates”.
How about someone that has endorsed a candidate that Karl Rove has advised?
For example, Sarah Palin has endorsed Rick Perry. Does that make her stained in your view?
No. Those 2 are entirely different.
I don’t really care about endorsements too much.
If the person endorsed someone terrible like Giuliani when there seemed to be no reason to do so, that’s one thing.
Palin has made a lot of endorsements, gone to a lot of rallies, just in the last cycle, 2010. Everyone wanted her endorsement and she weighed in on a lot of races. Most of her picks were good, others, McCain, Perry, weren’t so good. But that’s no big deal. Palin was able to give valuable endorsements to a lot of candidates, so she did. Most of her picks were good, so we say she picks the right candidates, helps the candidates I want to see helped. She did a really good job, but not a perfect job at that.
I wonder if Zell “The Party Moved into my basement” Miller (GA) had switched to the GOP if he would have been called names?
I don’t think so.
~~~Zell “The “new” Democratic party moved into my basement and took over” Miller~~~
You are correct...globalist Perry = Obama second term.
I’m spreading no lie....If the video does not speak for itself then you did not watch it closely enough...You can hear Palin say “WHAT?” when he announces “This is the last question”....That’s the same thing Obama supporters do....Refuse to look at the truth in front of them.....The man was full of jealously...You have RINO leanings if you support Perry.....Palin is a true conservative.....Post all you want...This is my last response to this nonsense.....
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