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The legend of Al Gore and Rick Perry
politifact.com ^ | 9.07.2011 | W. Gardner Selby

Posted on 09/07/2011 12:43:45 PM PDT by wolfcreek

It’s a legend of Texas politics and a hatchet for foes of Gov. Rick Perry, front-running candidate for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination. The story goes that as a Democratic legislator, Perry chaired Democrat Al Gore’s presidential campaign in Texas.

The legend has been aired routinely for more than 13 years, originally by a Democratic opponent of Perry’s, and in news reports—all but unchallenged by Perry. Even we at PolitiFact Texas repeated the story as fact.

Of late, there’s a July 16, 2011, reference to Perry chairing the Gore effort in Time magazine, and an Aug. 29, 2011, item in The New Yorker magazine saying Perry "became a Republican after shouldering the thankless task of running Al Gore's 1988 Presidential campaign in Texas."

This week, U.S. Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, likewise bidding for president, premiered an advertisement calling Perry "Al Gore’s Texas cheerleader."

Cheerleader, maybe.

But interviews with political players in Texas and Tennessee and news articles from 1988 have convinced us that, although Perry endorsed Gore, he was not his Texas chairman.

(Excerpt) Read more at politifact.com ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: Texas
KEYWORDS: algore; perry; perry2012; perry4gore; rickperry; rinorick
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To: CA Conservative

Thank you.


81 posted on 09/08/2011 5:48:17 AM PDT by WayneS (Enlightened statesmen will not always be at the helm. -- James Madison)
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To: BarnacleCenturion
The bottom line is that Perry endorsed Al Gore against Reagan.

In your dreams!

82 posted on 09/08/2011 5:54:51 AM PDT by lonestar (It takes a village of idiots to elect a village idiot.)
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To: WayneS
Interesting. Most people do not let complete strangers stand with them in the voting booth.

This is not a secret - Perry has publicly stated that the last Democrat for whom he voted in the general presidential election was Carter in 1976. Since he is the only one to know, I take his word over those who are just making assumptions, especially people who don't even know how politics worked in Texas in those days.

83 posted on 09/08/2011 6:47:27 AM PDT by CA Conservative (Texan by birth, Californian by circumstance)
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To: CA Conservative

You have a point.

Anyone in Perry’s position who is willing to publicly admit to having once voted for Jimmy Carter is unlikely to be anything less than completely forthright regarding his subsequent votes.


84 posted on 09/08/2011 6:54:30 AM PDT by WayneS (Enlightened statesmen will not always be at the helm. -- James Madison)
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To: WayneS

Your same ol same ol algore smear has long been super detailed and settled as ZERO, thus you were not asking a question and instead trying to soil a candidate with the same ol same ol RONPAUL distortion smear tactics.

“Ron Paul is one of the last natural born Citizens of the United States who I would support for president”. Is it down to either paul or nobama? If you don’t want to be ID’d as a paulnut it might be a good thing to QUIT ACTING LIKE ONE.

The last thing I care to do is research your prev posts only to see that you may be pulling the paulnut pattern of proclaiming Palin to hide your preference for the little Martian. Patience is long gone for that kind of BS.


85 posted on 09/08/2011 7:13:33 AM PDT by dusttoyou ("Progressives" and ronpaul are wee-weeing all over themselves, Foc nobama)
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To: dusttoyou
...thus you were not asking a question and instead trying to soil a candidate with the same ol same ol RONPAUL distortion smear tactics

You have no idea who I am or what I think/believe. However, just in case you are NOT simply an arrogant, ignorant, bullying horse's ass, I will address your accusation.

I WAS asking a question, because I had not previously heard any of the accusations made against Mr. Perry which were noted in the article posted. In all honesty, I was not even aware until yesterday that he had once been a democrat.

Having read the posted article, I mentioned, albeit in a somewhat 'smart-ass' way, that I would like to hear Mr. Perry's explanation for having once supported a wacko like Gore. You, whether you are willing to admit it or not, horribly misinterpreted my post and horribly over-reacted. You attacked me by accusing me of something that no one else who has ever read anything that I have written has EVER accused me of - being a Ron Paul supporter.

Your insulting posts, bereft of useful information as they were, added NOTHING to the conversation and taught me nothing about the candidate you claim to support. There is no way such a response could ever win someone over to your side of an argument, and in fact such comments are much more likely to reflect negatively on 'your' candidate.

Fortunately, another Perry supporter took my question seriously and posted a quote from Mr. Perry which gave the explanation I had requested. This person, without resulting to personal insults, provided me with information that left me with a more positive opinion of Mr. Perry.

I certainly hope Mr. Perry has more 'die-hard' supporters who behave like the other Freeper than who behave like you.

86 posted on 09/08/2011 12:54:40 PM PDT by WayneS (Enlightened statesmen will not always be at the helm. -- James Madison)
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To: WayneS

When I get time I will look at your prev postings, but in the mean time I say BS, thinking having seen WayneS on many Perry threads.


87 posted on 09/08/2011 4:56:48 PM PDT by dusttoyou ("Progressives" and ronpaulnutz are wee-weeing all over themselves, Foc nobama)
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To: dusttoyou
...having seen WayneS on many Perry threads...

Now THAT is BS!

88 posted on 09/09/2011 6:14:55 AM PDT by WayneS (Enlightened statesmen will not always be at the helm. -- James Madison)
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