Free Republic

Perry getting head start in appeal to 'values voters' ASSOCIATED PRESS DALLAS (AP) - Even for Texas, the scene was remarkable: The governor, flanked by an out-of-state televangelist and religious right leaders, signing legislation in a church school gymnasium amid shouts of "amen" from backers who just as well could have been attending a revival. It wasn't just the blatant blend of church and state that made the gathering in Fort Worth unusual. Advance publicity also attracted about 300 angry protesters - unheard of for the routine business of ceremonial bill signings. Now some wonder whether Rick Perry overplayed his...

Strayhorn blasts Perry over new rules governing CHIP coverage AUSTIN (AP) — Texas Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn on Wednesday urged Gov. Rick Perry, a fellow Republican, to rescind new rules for the Children's Health Insurance Program that she says will jeopardize health care for poor working families. The rules, which went into effect Tuesday, specify dollar amounts and types of assets that must be counted by certain families applying for the low-cost health insurance program. For instance, having $5,000 in a savings account could disqualify a family's children from coverage, she said. That assets test is "mean-spirited, " Strayhorn said,...

Perry's approval rating lowest seen in 10 years AUSTIN (AP) — More than half of Texans surveyed in a new poll rate Republican Gov. Rick Perry's job performance as fair or poor, the lowest for a Texas governor in almost a decade. Only 6 percent of respondents in a Scripps Howard Texas Poll released Tuesday said the governor is doing an excellent job, and 31 percent said he is doing a good job. Another 32 percent listed Perry's performance as fair and 20 percent rated it as poor. Eleven percent did not know or didn't answer. By contrast, 50 percent...

Democrat calls Perry shame to Bush legacy Walkout leader dubs governor 'great divider' ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Unlike George W. Bush, who united people when he was Texas governor, his successor, Gov. Rick Perry, is dividing Texans, the leader of the walkout by 11 Democratic senators said Sunday. "The difference was Bush was the great uniter. Perry and (U.S. House Majority Lead er Tom) DeLay are the great dividers," said Sen. Leticia Van de Putte of San Antonio, chairwoman of the Senate Democratic Caucus. Van de Putte also said the current special legislative session, which Perry called last week, is...