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Well let's see... both Perry and Romney are D.C. "outsiders" seeking to get themselves installed in Washington. Both have spent years in state politics working the system (Perry moreso than Romney, although since Romney is the son of a politician you could say it was in his blood from the start). Romney was an anti-Reagan guy and "independent" during the Reagan years until he discovered that wouldn't play well with the crowd he needed to move up in politics, so he changed sides. Perry was a Democrat and pro-Gore guy during the Reagan years (and Al Gore was NOT a conservative in 1988 no matter how much Perry supporters try to pretend Gore's 11% conservative rating was decent),until he discovered that wouldn't play well with the crowd he needed to move up in politics, so he changed sides.

Bottom line? These guys have far more in common with each other than either has in common with the tea party and reformers.

Rick Perry started as a Democrat in West Texas (essentially THE only party). He served in the Texas legislature - was known as one of the "pit bulls," conservative members who sat in the lower pit of the House Appropriations Committee and bitterly fought spending increases.

Perry changed parties in 1989, joining Phil Gramm and other conservative Texas Democrats, who now had a true ideological party with a burgeoning Texas GOP.

When Perry campaigned for Lt. Gov. [1998], he and his campaign staff were in it to win and his hard-nosed style was against the "friendly" advice and request of GWB [in re-election bid for Texas Gov] and Rove to run easy against Sharp, a popular democrat (and Aggie friend of Perry's from their A&M years together). Rove wanted to broaden Bush's base for his upcoming White House run. Perry told them he'd run his campaign his own way, because he knew the voters would vote for Bush for Gov. and then cross back over and vote for Sharp (D) for Lt. Gov, if he just walked through the motions like the Bush-Rove team asked him to do.

Perry won the seat for Lt. Gov. -- the first Republican elected to that office since Reconstruction. Now 13 years later and into his 3rd term as Texas governor, the GOP holds a super majority. So Perry has earned his conservative spurs -- fighting both parties!

[The Bushes and Rove supported Kay Bailey Hutchison's primary challenge against Gov. Perry in the 2010 election too]

Rick Perry endorsed Al Gore in the 1988 Democratic Party Primary that Michael Dukakus won.

......."During his time in Congress, [Al] Gore opposed federal funding of abortion, voting in favor of a bill which supported a moment in silence in schools, and voting against a ban on interstate sales of guns. His position shifted later in life after he became Vice President and ran for president in 2000…”…… Source

Gore his wife led the charge on putting warning labels on records back in the 1980s. In fact, Gore had an 84% pro-life record back in the 1980s:http://www.wordiq.com/definition/Al_Gore -- According to ontheissues.org -- Gore had an 84% anti-abortion voting record and voted pro-life 27 times. Evolving Gore the "evolved" Al Gore lost his home state of Tennessee by 80,000 votes and those 11 Electoral votes in his 2000 bid for the presidency.

Perry: Al Gore's gone to Hell