I’m from Boston and was speaking with a few friends ( all conservatives ) and potential nominees and we really do not know how Perry is thought of in Texas.
I have seen some very damning comments from some of your fellow Texans on FR. Can you give me any idea how well Perry is thought of?
I would have to say reasonably well, with an asterisk next to it.
The Governor of Texas is kind of a unique job. The legislature only meets every other year, and the governor has relatively small amounts of power. In my opinion, when the decisions have been his to make, Perry has made the correct calls. By that I means conservative. That thing with the vaccine was kind of bungled.
The biggest complaint I've heard from many conservatives down here is that he's kind of a Punxsutawney Phil. When it's time for election he's out there, saying and doing all the right things. After he's elected he kind of disappears into his stump until it's time to wake up again. I'm not sure I really hold with that because the Governor of Texas really has limited power, so I'm not sure there is a lot he could do if he wanted to.
Perry has had a pretty sympathetic legislature to work with all the time he's been Governor. I really don't know how he'll perform when he has to get in there an mud wrestle with those scumbags in Congress. (At one time I thought maybe 2012 would give us a solidly conservative congress, and maybe it will. For some reason I'm starting to have my doubts).
In Texas, the governor is basically a figurehead. He has no real power so doesn't need much substance, just sit there and look pretty which Perry has the skills for. That said, he's dropping like a lead ball in Texas. The only reason he won the last election was the only other choice was Kay Bailey Hutchison. Conservatives came out to vote against KBH rather than for Perry. It was a hold your nose election. If he doesn't get the GOP nod for '12, the wolves will come in for the kill and he'll be out of office here next time. His only chance for another term is lazy voting for name recognition.