Perry under pressure to bow out, endorse another conservative

Houston Chronicle ^ | January 18, 2012 at 11:03 am | Patricia Kilday Hart

[Red Steel]

Gov. Rick Perry is getting pressure from conservative leaders to bow out of the presidential race before South Carolina’s primary election Saturday.

In particular, Erick Erickson of the prominent conservative blog, RedState, reflecting on former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin’s endorsement of former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, wrote this morning that:

The next big question is whether Governor Perry decides to depart the race before or after Saturday. And if he departs, will he endorse Newt Gingrich, who wrote the introduction to Governor Perry’s book Fed Up!

[Essie]

I think he should stay in. Neither Santorum, Gingrich or Paul can win, so all that would be left is Romney.

[Jedidah]

We are going to field a bad candidate to oppose Obama in November.

I will vote for that bad candidate.

I hope it’s not Romney, with all my heart I do.

However, if he wins SC on Saturday, it most likely will be.

I don’t like Rick Perry, but I would thank him and admire him for doing what’s right and endorsing Gingrich, whom I now believe to be the only way to stop Romney.

[JDW11235]

Perry will not bow out until after his hat is handed to him, yet again, in SC. Then he’ll say it was for the good of the party/country/whatever. The truth is he wanted to bow out after Iowa, but wanted to save face so he can run again in the future, without being knocked out in the first round. Now he can pretend he’s not an insider, blah, blah, blah. If Romney win’s SC, Perry will get out. If Romney loses SC, Perry may stay in to distract again for him in Florida, and THEN get out. We’ll see if he’s the stalking horse or not.

[Slings and Arrows]

Just once - once! - it would be nice if conservative pols didn’t form a circular firing squad.

[JDW11235]

I agree with the most of the point in your post your post. I don’t thank or admire Perry, and I won’t vote for someone whom I don’t think will try and restore the Constitution (I’m holding out for Newt to do this, as he started referencing the DOI in the last debate), but everything else, ditto.

[Retired Greyhound]

Perry will not run again. No chance.

His campaign will be Case Study #1 of the importance of primary debates.

I think he ran just to get Anita off his back, and he is only staying in to show her he isn’t a quitter.

If he can’t win in SC, he won’t be able to win anywhere. I think he should throw in the towel now and give Newt a shot.

[Azzurri]

Perry needs to stay in thru South Carolina, but if he comes in under 10% then it’s over. If he gets over the 10% threshold, he should make one last stand in Florida. I personally prefer Perry over both Gingrich and Santorum.

[Proud2BeRight]

I hope Perry does drop out and Santorum and Gingrich come to an agreement to get us to one candidate that will defeat both the establishment GOP and Obama. I will NOT vote for either the RINO or a raving nutcase.

[Jeff Head]

If a Romney nomination is to be stopped, all of the conservative candidates have to get behind a leader.

I believe the latest that can happen is after Florida...but the sooner the better.

At this point, I believe Newt is on the surge and has the wherewithall to win against Romney and against Obama. I believe Perry and Santprum could too if they had the votes and the dollars. But the most astute of them all, particularly if he stays on game, is Newt, despite some of his own foibles (which they all have).

Now, if we cannot do this, and Romney wins the nomination I will vote for him and suuipport him against Obama who is a marxist hell bent on destroying our nation. I believe Romney can beat Obama...but I would much rather see a Newt, Perry or Santorum do it and then work together with a Tea Party oriented House and Senate to turn this nation around.

[DoughtyOne]

Perry Under Pressure to Bow Out, Endorse Another Conservative

This is a good example of something I see on FoxNews all the time.  As part of a comment, something that isn't really true is offered up buttressing a false premise.

Conservatives believe in individual rights and freedoms.  They do not believe in issuing an edict that infringes on those rights and freedoms.

Along comes a man who issued an Executive Order that would have forced all 14 year old girls to submit to a Gardasil regimine before they could continue with their schooling, unless they could talk their parents into signing a waver.  Many of those parents were naturally going to think the state must know better than them, and refuse to sign this sort of waver.  This would have left the 14 year old girls without an advocate on their side.

This is not the action of a Conservative folks.  His own state legislature overturned his Executive Order by a two-thirds majority.  He even admits it was a big mistake.  And yet people who consider themselves to be Conservatives, don't give it a second thought.  "Why he's the biggest Conservative out there."

And we wonder why we're in trouble.

The title of this article shoud read, "Perry Under Pressure to Bow Out, Endorse Another Candidate"  (or A Conservative)  In this instance, sadly, he couldn't endorse another Conservative, because he is not a Conservative himself.

[loveliberty2]

As posted on another thread:

Last night, Charles Krauthammer, who certainly has not been a Gingrich supporter, said of Romney:

". . . But he (Romney) simply doesn’t have the capacity to explain with some color and sort of force conservative ideas. "

Which is precisely why he has no business going up, unarmed, except for money, against an ideologue who does "have the capacity to explain with some color and sort of force" the ideas of redistribution.

Krauthammer has been slow to come to admitting the obvious fact that Romney doesn't "explain" conservative ideas because they are not part of his intellectual DNA, as they are with someone who has immersed himself/herself in the ideas of America's founding history.

Gingrich's quick analysis of opposing ideas, combined with an ability to put them in historical context, didn't just come about by osmosis. They came about through a lifelong study of history. In recent decades, Ronald Reagan is the only American president who was so familiar with our founding ideas that he could weave them into discussions on "issues" of the day; thereby giving clarity to threats to liberty.

By the same token, the Fall 2012 opponent has studied, been mentored in, and well understands the ideology and strategies for presenting his case for redistribution, government planning, and control--all the while masking them in benevolence and "taking care" of those to whom he appeals, even as his policies are enslaving future generations.

His Republican opponent needs to be able to rebut, rebuke, and reveal the cloaked tyranny encased in his appealing message to those who see him as a benevolent leader, not a threat to their posterity's Creator-endowed right to be free.

Gingrich is right. If the goal of the primaries is to determine a candidate who can bring such clarity to the ideas of conservatism that Obama's counterfeit ideas will be defeated, then Romney, in the words of Krauthammer, "simply doesn't have the capacity" to do it. At least, he has not shown it to this point; and that "capacity" cannot be coached. It must be a natural outgrowth of understanding.

[Kenny]

reflecting on former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin’s endorsement of former House Speaker Newt Gingrich

Palin did NOT endorse Newt. Said she'd vote for him in SC to keep process going. Also said no one should drop out just yet, need to see more.

[GOPyouth]

I think Erikson may be correct. I'm a huge Perry supporter, but I also am not blind to realities. I was driving in this morning to work and thought about this very idea and hoped that he would drop out before the weekend and announce his support for Newt.

I still think Perry was the best person to go against Obama, but the dominoes haven't fallen my way. Therefore, we have 2 goals. The first immediate goal is to defeat Mitt Romney. The 2nd is to beat Obama. I am willing to look past some of the major issues I have with Newt if Perry is out. Santorum, for the most part, is a good conservative, but he's boring as hell to me. I don't know if he would be able to get the crowd wound up like Newt did this week.

We'll see what happens. However, I was hoping to not have a Washington insider as our candidate. But I'll take that over Mitt Romney any day.

[rightwingextremist1776]

Perry is a fake...those who are real conservatives see him for what he is.....THAT is why he has no traction....that is why he needs to GO....

[thedrake]

I thought Gov. Perry did an excellent job in Monday's debate!

I hope he has another great debate, and experiences a surge in Saturday's primary.

Short of that it will be time for him to bow out - IMHO.

[JDW11235]

I think Newt can win SC despite Santorum or Perry staying in. Let’s not forget that both of these two were polling at around 5% before the Iowa nonsense that the party pulled. That (Iowa)was the outlier. They’re both dropping right back into the cesspool.

Monday night’s debate really showedthe dichotomy between Newt and Romney (et. al.). Ron Paul will maintain his 15-25% (Depending on state), and the remaining battle will be between Gingrich and Romney, with Santorum and Perry dueling for 4th and 5th (so long as they continue to stay in.

I sure hope Perry goes back to Texas and never reappears on the National stage. He can be Presidente of the Reconquisted Azatlan. In his dreams.

[G Larry]

How do you rationalize your conclusion?

Perry is at 5% on a good day, how does his staying in help anyone except Romney.

He should get out NOW.

Then, if Paul gets out and endorses Romney....2 birds, one stone!
(for the slow FReepers....a Paul endorsement would kill Romney)

[GOPyouth]

Perry is a fake...those who are real conservatives see him for what he is

Perry is far from fake. He's rock solid in his beliefs, and he's got one helluva records. People may not like him for whatever reason, but fake is not part of him.

[SaxxonWoods]

Meaningless. Each of the candidates has taken some similar action(s) that can be paraded to impugn their conservatism.

The important question now is where socons go after Santorum.

Also, it’s funny now to think back to when Newt “blew up” his campaign right as he announced it with some stupid remark I can’t even remember now. He was totally written off. Campaigns are funny that way sometimes.