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Independent pollster and political analyst Scott Rasmussen tells Newsmax that Wednesday night’s GOP debate was “rockier” than expected for leading candidate Rick Perry, and says his stance on the Social Security issue could be the “chink in the armor” of his campaign. But Rasmussen asserts that the Texas governor right now has all the “excitement and charisma” in the Republican race and could prove difficult to beat, while leading challenger Mitt Romney is an “awkward position.” And Rasmussen believes that President Obama would be the underdog in a head-to-head race against any of the leading GOP candidates. Rasmussen is founder...

"I kinda feel like the piñata at the party," said Rick Perry​ as he fought off swings from all sides at Wednesday's debate. That produced the only excitement in an otherwise lackluster event, full of tired gimmicks such as questions from Twitter users and the appearance of a Telemundo journalist to ask Hispanic-related questions. NBC's debate looked drab compared to Fox's last one. Perry seemed to survive his debate debut, the principal source of drama for the evening. His performance was neither impeccable nor disastrous. At the very least he didn't pull a Pawlenty. He seized his chance to nail...

snip..... The title card fight, of course, was between Mitt Romney and Rick Perry. It did not disappoint. Unfortunately for the former frontrunner, Romney was set back on his heels several times when challenged in a way he’d not been in the last debate. He seemed defensive and small as compared to earlier contests. When you’re spending your time explaining, you’re losing, as the old saying goes. And Mitt spent far too much of his time doing that. I’m not sure who began the current meme that Rick Perry was a weak debater. They were incorrect. Perry probably was hit...

It’s been three years since former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin made her splash onto the national stage as Sen. John McCain’s running mate in the 2008 presidential election. And since then she has acquired a very loyal following. But is that helping or hurting her? On Tuesday’s “The O’Reilly Factor,” conservative columnist and author of “Demonic: How the Liberal Mob Is Endangering America,” Ann Coulter expressed her concern over the Palin phenomenon. She was asked by substitute host Laura Ingraham if Palin can maintain her status as a tea party favorite by stringing people along about her potential 2012 candidacy....

AUSTIN - Gov. Rick Perry and Democratic challenger Bill White agree that while plans to build a mosque near Ground Zero have stirred controversy, they don't object to a local decision affirming the Islamic group's right to build it. A New York City planning commission voted this week to clear the way for a planned Islamic community center and mosque near the site of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Perry is more rigidly conservative than Bush, more resistant to compromise and more anti-establishment. In his book, he positions himself as a model "tea party" Republican, and he rails against the scourges that most irk movement conservatives: federal incursion into states' rights, a government that seems only to expand and never to shrink, and an activist Supreme Court that sets policy rather than interprets the Constitution. Here are some of Perry's positions on key issues - and our criticisms of them: Like many movement conservatives, Perry is on an almost messianic quest to repeal the healthcare reform law, writing, "At...

When you hear every single liberal media outlet in the country say, "We will know more about Rick Perry after we vet his 11 years in office," you need to understand that what they vindictively mean is: "President Obama and his followers will be proud of us after we are done with the mother of all smearing campaigns against the conservative governor of Texas." Not since Ronald Reagan has a Republican candidate for president evoked such outright fear and loathing from the mainstream media and the far-left. They are flat-out petrified of Perry and are desperately trying to kill off...

A wave of fear has come over Washington — and it’s not the earthquake or the hurricane. Self-appointed Republican elites, fretting Hill Republicans and left-wing carnival barkers all have one thing in common: Perryphobia. It’s an acute condition, with different manifestations. But it has the same root cause – arrogance toward Texas Gov. Rick Perry. Let’s get this straight — with Congress being as popular as cholera, they think they are going to hurt Perry’s chances by dissing him? Really? Congress is at an all-time low, according to a new Gallup poll, with only 13 percent of Americans approving of...

Rick Perry will pick up a conservative endorsement from Capitol Hill, according to a report today from Tulsa, Oklahoma. Senator James Inhofe told a Chamber of Commerce audience at the Tulsa Press Club that he plans on making good to a promise he made Rick Perry a year ago to be the first to endorse him for President: “I called Rick Perry a year ago and told him, ‘If you’re running for president, I’ll be the first to endorse you,’” Inhofe said at a State Chamber of Commerce breakfast at the Tulsa Press Club.“I’m going to be that person on...

Interested in "Perry's" Stance on the Issues.

1 pm EDT -- moments from now -- awaiting Perry speech announcing he is officially running for president

Just about everyone here at the RedState Gathering of conservative bloggers and activists is familiar with one thing about the Texas governor: He's a job creator. Even though it's happening the same day as the Ames Straw Poll in Iowa, Perry's 1 p.m. speech is slated to be carried live by CNN, Fox News and C-SPAN, according to RedState organizers.

The climate sceptics can finally get excited about the 2012 election: Rick Perry, their candidate of choice, is about to officially throw his hat in the ring. Perry calls global warming "all one contrived phony mess that is falling apart under its own weight." Unlike many of the other GOP presidential candidates, he hasn't expressed concern about climate change in the past, so he won't have to do any back-pedaling. Notorious climate denier Marc Morano is a big fan: "Based on climate views alone, anyone who is holding their nose voting for Mitt Romney because there's no other viable candidate...

In an Austin interview with Mark Halperin, Rick Perry says he has decided he wants to be president, talks about the advice he got from George W. Bush, and says he would compete against Barack Obama in California.

The Texas Governor said "the world needs a strong America" as he closed in on the expected launch of his bid for the White House in 2012. US election 2012: Rick Perry says the world needs strong America The Texas Governor said "the world needs a strong America" as he closed in on the expected launch of his bid for the White House in 2012. Texas Governor Rick Perry will run for the Republican nomination, his spokesman said on Thursday Photo: AP10:47PM BST 11 Aug 2011 5 Comments "America is an exceptional country. I think we have a great story...

With Perry's candidacy looming, some of us international relations wonks have begun to take note of his foreign policy positions. In a 2009 debate against primary opponent Kay Bailey Hutchinson, Perry plainly stated that his faith required him to support Israel. This latter statement was bolstered by his trip to the Holy Land where he accepted the Defender of Jerusalem Award before breaking bread with then-President Shimon Peres and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. As governor, Perry has suggested the deployment of American troops to Mexico to control drug violence and proceeded with the execution of a Mexican citizen, despite impassioned...

Texas Governor Rick Perry will join the race to become Republican presidential nominee in 2012, US media say. Mr Perry is expected to announce his candidacy in Iowa on Saturday, reports said. A spokesman said Mr Perry would make his intentions "very clear". The news came as eight Republican rivals were preparing to hold the third debate of the 2012 race in the early primary state of Iowa on Thursday. Mitt Romney hopes to cement his front-runner status in the Ames debate. Michele Bachmann, Tim Pawlenty, Jon Huntsman and others will vie to become his chief challenger, analysts say. The...

AUSTIN, Texas — Texas Gov. Rick Perry is running for president, a spokesman confirmed Thursday, a move certain to shake up the race for the GOP nomination much to the delight of conservatives looking for a candidate to embrace. Perry spokesman Mark Miner said the governor would make his intentions known on Saturday while visiting South Carolina and New Hampshire just as most of his presidential rivals compete in a test vote in Iowa. Official word of Perry’s entrance into the race came just hours before eight candidates, including GOP front-runner Mitt Romney, were to appear on stage during a...

While Texas Gov. Rick Perry has made no formal announcement, he told Time magazine in an interview he wants to run for president. "I mean I wouldn't be this far into the process. … The issue of, 'is this what I want to do?' was dealt with about 45 days ago in a conversation with my wife," Perry said. "Prior to that, no. Being the president of the United States was not on my radar screen from the standpoint of something I wanted to do." Perry added he has a "calmness" in his heart about running. (see below for supposed...

Rick Perry has been widely touted as a Republican presidential candidate who could appeal Tea Party voters, but some in the anti-tax movement wonder if his record as Texas governor stacks up to his rhetoric. After all, they say, there are reasons to think he's a spendthrift. He once campaigned for Democrat Al Gore, reviled by the Tea Party for being Bill Clinton's vice president and for his campaigning on climate change, and he even spoke kindly about Hillary Clinton's healthcare reform efforts. Then there is the issue that he was once a Democrat. So as Perry plans the 2012...