I’ll answer. Not really a Perry fan, but a Texan who knows.
Perry has annoyed and double-crossed me repeatedly, and I don’t like him. But I will support him. I do believe he can do the job. And he has a backbone.
He is conservative. Toss all the garbage about him supporting Al Gore years ago. Most Texas politicians were dems back then. Simply not an issue.
He’s walked the walk for years as a social conservative, pro-family, pro-life. He’s one of us.
What he didn’t say tonight — and probably should have — is that Texas has massive problems that other states don’t because of illegal immigration. It’s a mistake to be too critical of Perry on the issue, because it’s complicated, very much so, and he knows the nuances of the difficulties first-hand.
He gets lumps for saying he doesn’t favor a fence on the Texas border. There are excellent reasons for that, including terrain, all the land it would take from property owners, the impracticality of it. If you don’t know the Texas border — as most of his critics on the subject don’t — you can’t understand that he understands the problem and offers better ideas.
Much of Texas has been largely Mexican since we were an independent nation. We have heroes of our Revolution who fought Mexico and whose descendants still live here. Therefore, most true Texans know good hispanics who are fine neighbors and friends. Frankly, so are many hard-working but law-breaking illegals who live among us, their kids citizens. They shouldn’t be here, but neither are we allowed to send them home.
What would I do if my home was overrun with drug gangs and I wanted a safe place for my kids to grow up? Would I pack up and sneak in and take any work I could get to survive?
We also know that the current illegal situation is causing massive problems and that state government’s hands are largely tied by Washington on the matter. We have to serve the illegals, have to educate them, get no help but have their poverty and illiteracy held against us.
Perry knows more than most that these are difficult questions, and he knows what is needed in Washington to stop the inflow and solve the border state problems. You heard his anger with Obama in the “liar” comment tonight.
He is better informed and equipped to deal with illegal immigration than any other candidate on the stage tonight. But all the power — and roadblocks — are in Washington.
Keep your mind open about Perry.
Well put!
Thank you Jedidah, I hope everyone will read your post. So many, in other states, have no understanding of the history of Texas and the problems we face here.