Free Republic

After a week of gaffs from Gov. Rick Perry, his wife Anita is left picking up the pieces and playing damage control on the campaign trail to steer conversation to policy issues. “I’m really proud,” said the first lady of Texas at an American Spectator gala in Washington, D.C. “He put himself on the line and is withstanding the fire because of love of country.” Perry has been in the line of fire, rather, since Friday when allegations surfaced that he delivered a speech in New Hampshire while intoxicated. Though event hosts are defending Perry’s sobriety, his lucid speech was...

Watch the video. It's Rick Perry in his own words.

Looks Tough Firing Blanks If you're a Tea Party member, or you have significant sympathies with them, I'd caution you against climbing aboard Rick Perry's TransTexasCatastrophe. The Media is doing everything possible to paint this guy as a bronc-busting, cattle-roping, Texan, but in truth, there are more than a few things you ought to know about him. He's no friend to individual rights, except in an election season, and he's not really the trend-setter he'd have you believe. His record on jobs isn't actually so swift as he'd have you believe, and he's got less in common with the average...

Accumulating all this cash has certainly left the governor with favors to return, and return them he has, say critics. The case most often cited is that of billionaire Harold Simmons, who donated a total of $1.12 million to Perry and in turn secured permission to build a radioactive disposal site in west Texas. Not only did Simmons successfully lobby to have state law changed so that a private company such as his could obtain the requisite license, he also made sure the law would allow the granting of only one such license. Moreover, the license itself was approved by...

In Rick Perry’s August 13 presidential announcement speech in South Carolina the Texas Governor stated: .…we have led Texas based on some just really pretty simple guiding principles. One is don’t spend all of the money. Two is keeping the taxes low and under control. Three is you have your regulatory climate fair and predictable. Later in his speech he claimed: I’ve cut taxes. I have delivered historic property tax reductions. I was the first governor since World War II to cut general revenue spending in our state budget. But Perry’s record on taxes reveals something entirely different. Especially for...

One of Texas Gov. Rick Perry's biggest alleged weaknesses in the Republican presidential primary is his less-than-draconian record on immigration. Although Perry has talked a lot about cracking down on undocumented immigrants, he has done little to change Texas' status as a "sanctuary state" and, indeed, he's explicitly rejected the idea of implementing Arizona-style immigration reform. The reason for this is pretty simple: Texas' economic "miracle" is built on on a continued influx of people, as well as a preponderance of low-wage jobs, especially in the housing sector.

The media may have pronounced Rick Perry the darling of the right wing, but Justin Raimondo has a different take. Perry's a liberal internationalist, just like the Texas governor before him: Another clueless Texas Governor surrounded by the same Praetorian Guard of conniving neocons who led us down the road to imperial overstretch and fiscal ruin last time around – isn’t that just what the GOP needs right now? The neocons have anointed their candidate, and it’s clear they have some sense he’s swimming upstream: "’He will distinguish himself from other Republicans as a hawk internationalist, embracing American exceptionalism and...

The full context of the paragraph, as well as the speech, can be found below: President Fox’s vision for an open border is a vision I embrace, as long as we demonstrate the will to address the obstacles to it. An open border means poverty has given way to opportunity, and Mexico’s citizens do not feel compelled to cross the border to find that opportunity. It means we have addressed pollution concerns, made substantial progress in stopping the spread of disease, and rid our crossings of illicit drug smuggling activity. Clearly we have a long way to go in addressing...

The unfortunate fact is that Perry and Obama have a lot more in common than either would like to admit. They both think they’re smarter than the laws of economics and that they make wiser choices than markets do. And they both see taxpayer money as a giant trough for feeding their political pals. Perry is actually truthful about this, sort of. “I am a pro-business governor,” he told Time magazine last week. “I will be a pro-business president.” What he means is that he’s pro-certain-businesses, the ones run by his friends. As governor of Texas, Perry controls hundreds of...

Rick Perry was a Democrat until Karl Rove convinced him to switch parties and run as a Republican against Jim Hightower for Agriculture Commissioner. Perry is always mentioning Reagan... But no Yellow-Dog Texas Democrat who was a chairman for Al Gore in 1988 would have voted for Reagan. Some Democrats would have... but not a leading member of the Texas party. Perry is just too slick. He is not conservative at all.

As the Governor of our diverse state, in all matters it is my desire to seek common ground for the common good. In the end, we are all Texans and we must be united as we walk together into the future. That's why today I have signed House Bill 587 into law. Texas has always been a tough-on-crime state. With my signature today, Texas now has stronger criminal penalties against crime motivated by hate.

The four border governers (Arnold Schwarzenegger of California, Rick Perry of Texas, Janet Napolitano of Arizona, and Bill Richardson of New Mexico) have sent a letter House Speaker Dennis Hastert and Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist urging them to pass "comprehensive" immigration "reform". While Perry says they aren't endorsing either the House or the Senate bill, they are in fact endorsing the Senate's version due to their use of the word "comprehensive". And, they're also using a Democrat talking point: "Instead of holding dozens of field hearings that do little but stir the pot of discontent, we urge you to...

AUSTIN, TEXAS (BNO NEWS) – Texas Governor Rick Perry on Thursday said that Arizona’s immigration law would not be appropriatre for his state, saying the focus must remain on border security. Texas has a long history with Mexico and shares the longest border with the country of all U.S. states - more than 1,200 miles. Both have had many encounters through history including an historic armed conflict which led to the Mexican-American War in 1846. “As the debate on immigration reform intensifies, the focus must remain on border security and the federal government’s failure to adequately protect our borders. Securing...

Texas governor Rick Perry - supporter of the Trans-Texas Corridor - said lots of things on a trip to Mexico today: ..."I don't think [immigration "reform"] is that difficult of an issue if Congress would have the maturity to sit down and really discuss it and cut out all of the mean rhetoric and really talk about what is a solution to this issue," Perry told a news conference. Regarding immigration reform, Perry highlighted the importance of developing a foolproof biometric identification system to track individuals and to ensure that they pay taxes and "live within our laws." Did I...

"I fully recognize and support a state's right and obligation to protect its citizens, but I have concerns with portions of the law passed in Arizona and believe it would not be the right direction for Texas," Perry said in a statement. The law in question, signed by Arizona's governor last week, would require immigrants to carry documents verifying their immigration status. It would also require police officers to question a person about his or her immigration status if there is "reasonable suspicion" that person may be illegally in the country.