A listless Rick Perry has little to say
Perry’s behavior reminded me of his debate with Kay Bailey Hutchison and Debra Medina, back in 2010: He made it clear that he didn’t want to be there. He had no energy, no spark, and virtually no presence. His distaste for the process of debating was obvious. He recycled his conservative boilerplate about states being the laboratories of innovation; his answer to what Texas has done about health care was tort reform. Most of the time he just punted when he could have jumped into the conversation. Yawn.
I thought Perry would come out swinging; instead, he was passive. I continue to wonder whether his health is contributing to his lack of energy. This performance could cost him dearly, because he did nothing to energize his dwindling number of followers, and anyone who had planned to contribute to his campaign would have to think twice about his viability. He didn’t look or act like a contender. He passed up several opportunities to say something relevant. The only thing he could say about creating jobs was to refer to the energy industry in Texas.
Where does Perry go from here? One is tempted to say, “home.” This was unquestionably the worst day of the campaign for Perry. Not only did he stumble, but the shadow candidate everyone wants to see in the race, Chris Christie, endorsed Romney and found time to take a swipe at Perry. From Politico’s Alexander Burns:
Chris Christie told reporters in New Hampshire that the Rick Perry campaign showed itself to be “beneath the office of president of the United States” by associating with a Texas pastor who criticized Mitt Romney’s religion.
Christie’s remarks came during a Hanover press conference where the New Jersey governor announced his endorsement of Romney.
“These type of religious matters have nothing to do with the quality of somebody’s ability to lead,” Christie said. “Any campaign that associates itself with that type of conduct is beneath the office of president of the United States.”
Romney handled himself very well in the debate. He is a strong, forceful speaker, and when he talks about the economy, he sounds like someone who knows something about it. Perry did not dare engage him.
Perhaps it is time to begin to take Cain seriously. One does get tired of hearing about 9-9-9, but the man has a certain charm and plenty of savvy, and one could see him as a potential vice-presidential candidate, one who would drive Obama crazy.
I’m sure Carney isn’t going to give up, but it is hard to see where Perry can go. What is his constituency? He has alienated the old folks with his position on social security. He has alienated the tea party with his position on immigration. He still has the evangelicals and the social conservatives, but that isn’t enough to win the nomination. This speculation hardly matters because he hasn’t done anything that suggests he is capable of winning the nomination. He is running third in just about every poll.
Perry has enough money to last until Iowa. I guess Carney’s strategy has to be to hope Perry finishes second in Iowa, on the strength of the evangelical vote, and then he goes to New Hampshire, and … uh, not so good. He’s at 6% in NH in the NBC/Marist poll. I don’t see a happy ending here.
What is Perry’s political future? He can come back to Texas and finish out his term as governor, but I don’t think he can put Humpty Dumpty together again. He has embarrassed the state. No more gravy train for his pals. His ability to lead the state is finished. The Enterprise Fund and the Emerging Technology Fund will not survive the 2013 session.
Bill says:
Cain is very, very smooth, but he won’t last once the field dwindles down and he has to face more of the spotlight. His answer about Greenspan betrayed his weakness. You can’t go on spouting off 9/9/9 forever without addressing broader issues. Where is he on foreign policy? Is America prepared to have George Jefferson in the White House?
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Leslie Reply:
October 11th, 2011 at 10:23 pm
Cain has already made it clear he has no plans to really address questions of foreign policy or express a general knowledge of it, with his quote earlier this week. Why all these accomplished people running for the nomination think that playing dumb and acting uneducated is what will make them appear to be like the mainstream of America is beyond me.
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Robert Morrow Reply:
October 11th, 2011 at 10:40 pm
Is America prepared to have George Jefferson in the White House? Well, in 2008 they elected J.J. and thought at the time he was Dy-no-mite!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v19PpD5uqL0
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Anon100 Reply:
October 11th, 2011 at 11:30 pm
Racist.
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Robert Morrow Reply:
October 11th, 2011 at 11:46 pm
Sore loser.
Bill Reply:
October 12th, 2011 at 12:03 am
Robert, have you ever had a head injury?
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Anon100 Reply:
October 12th, 2011 at 12:14 am
The George Jefferson comment was racist. No way around it.
Texian Politico Reply:
October 12th, 2011 at 8:48 am
I think saying that Cain is George Jefferson is racist.
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Bill Reply:
October 12th, 2011 at 11:28 pm
You could say that Romney is Ward Cleaver. Is that racist? Romney is white and Ward Cleaver is white.
Reminder Reply:
October 12th, 2011 at 12:45 am
He is on Fox News.
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McLovin says:
JBB is gonna be so disappointed.
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Sherman Potter Reply:
October 12th, 2011 at 10:28 am
JBB needs to have his Mom wake him up so he can weigh in.
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Jonathan says:
Spot on. Perry looked like he showed up to a test he didn’t study for. However, with a few more debates remaining before Iowa, is it still plausible for a Perry comeback? And how feasible is such a 180 in his debating skills/policy knowledge?
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paulburka Reply:
October 12th, 2011 at 8:53 am
Stick a fork in him. He’s done.
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Leslie says:
I agree with your analysis of Perry’s debate performance. He always appears to be lost and uncomfortable. As you say, he doesn’t enjoy debates but I do wonder what his plan to handle the debate process was, when deciding to make a bid for the Republican nomination. Based on what we have seen, it doesn’t appear that he had a plan at all. Hasn’t Perry ever heard of “Fake it til you make it”?
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Bill says:
I cannot believe that Perry thinks the answer to America’s economic woes is Palin’s “drill, baby, drill!”
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Anon100 Reply:
October 11th, 2011 at 10:21 pm
He didn’t say that once.
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Bill Reply:
October 11th, 2011 at 10:42 pm
He said something to that effect. He said we have enough energy under the ground in this country to make the country energy independent and put Amurica back to wurk agin! If we only repeal any and all regulation, then we can stand back and watch entrepreneurs create thousands of jobs, just like Texas. (Perry was about that articulate, too.)
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Bill Reply:
October 11th, 2011 at 10:51 pm
Here’s Perry’s paper on the subject–
http://www.unionleader.com/article/20111011/LOCALVOICES/710119989
As I said, “Drill, baby, drill!”
William Ward says:
The only kind thing you can say about Perry is that he has made Romney work for it and in doing so, he has made Romney improve his game so much that he is turning out to be a solid candidate that can handily beat Obama. It’s true that Romney doesn’t energize the base but in this race Republicans already have a candidate who energizes the base – Barack Obama. No one is going to stay home in November.
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Governor Toolshed Reply:
October 12th, 2011 at 10:39 pm
If Romney wins the nomination, the evangelicals stay home on election day…
If Perry wins the nomination, the moderates either stay home or vote Obama.
Either way you slice it, this means Obama wins.
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Bill says:
[reposted from the prior thread]
Perry didn’t do poorly, but he certainly didn’t shine. His biggest gaff was asking his question to Romney. Romney was ready for the question and did a fabulous job to turn the question back around on Rick.
By contrast, Romney asked Bachman a softball question. BRILLIANT MOVE!! Romney knows that when Bachman gains points, Perry loses points.
Interesting contrast between Perry and Romney. Arguably, Perry has presided over a state with a slightly better economy, in terms of job growth and unemployment numbers. But Perry’s world is also a place where a million children don’t have health insurance.
Romney’s state may not have been as strong economically, but at least every child has insurance.
Which world would you rather live in? That is the question of this primary season.
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Rick Perry Report says:
Burka, you depress me. Who is this Carney fella anyway? Can we blame him?
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Robert Morrow says:
Yep, it is time to start taking Herman Cain seriously. He is the “conservative alternative” to Mitt Romney that the Perrybots thought they had in their man. I called some of my elderly “Teavangelical” aunts/uncles in Alabama today and they pretty much said Herman Cain was there man. These are older, white conservatives in Alabama. I can see Herman Cain winning a whole swath of states in the deep South with folks like these – South Carolina, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, Tennessee, Virginia, North Carolina.
It is going to be Romney’s money and organization vs. Cain’s energy, enthusiasm, personality and Teavangelical appeal.
Note: I predicted NONE of this 3 weeks ago; I am just seeing what is obviously unfolding before my eyes. This is a Tea Party year, maybe Cain hits a half court jump shot and takes out Romney!
Back to Rick Perry. Whoops! I just felt another deliciously pleasant shiver of Schadenfreude (which I had to google to spell). Jonathan Bernstein of the WashPost: “Rick Perry is incredibly bad at debates”
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/post/rick-perry-is-incredibly-bad-at-debates/2011/10/11/gIQARWPxdL_blog.html
Rick Perry at 12% chance over at Intrade. Maybe after emergency personnel had finished spraying fire retardent all over the smoldering wreckage of the Perry campaign Cow Droppings will have time to chime in. Hard to type on one’s Blackberry when your clown pilot is dive bombing your stunt plan into the grandstands.
“Cow Droppings” is thought to be one of the “Turdblossums” of the Perry campaign.
It seems like everyone wants to throw rotten tomatoes at Rick Perry. It was Karen Tumulty’s turn tonight as she set the Solyandra crony capitalism trap for Perry. Another one of his massive vulnerabilities, besides his brain.
Then there is the issue of Dr. Robert Jeffress, a prominent and vocal Rick Perry supporter. For sidespliting hilarity, just watch a Baptist religious whackjob call Mormons “cultists.” That is like Whoopi Goldberg calling Oprah fat. Even in a GOP primary, Rick Perry’s association with a gymnasium full of religious whackjobs and extremists is a costly political issue.
Poor Ricky Perry – his campaign is such a target rich environment. It is like shooting goldfish in a barrel. Everytime someone shoots they hit the target. The exact opposite of Sarah Palin trying to shoot a moose and missing 5 times. This is like a rigged game where everytime someone throws a baseball at the Fair, except they hit the target and Perry goes for another swim in the dunking booth.
Glen Maxey has predicted that Rick Perry does not even make it to the Iowa caucuses. He might be right! One more thing, there is a story of the role of Anita Perry in this debacle. She was the one egging Rick to run; she has engaged in policy in the past – topless bar “pole tax” and the HPV vaccine mandate. Anita Perry is the clown co-pilot of this stunt plane crashing into the ground and I sure hope someone takes the time to document that.
Anita, our Hillary Clinton, has gotten off scot free in this campaign.
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Anon100 Reply:
October 11th, 2011 at 11:26 pm
You are a mean and very bitter person. What will you do with yourself if Perry does get out of the race?
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Robert Morrow Reply:
October 11th, 2011 at 11:45 pm
Celebrate.
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paulburka Reply:
October 12th, 2011 at 12:01 am
I generally take the position that spouses and children are exempt.
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Anon100 Reply:
October 12th, 2011 at 12:16 am
Good policy.
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Robert Morrow Reply:
October 12th, 2011 at 12:37 am
Anita Perry doesn’t – she chooses to engage politically: she was a vocal supporter of the $5 “pole tax” on strippers with the money going to her pet causes; she was a vocal supporter of the incredibly arrogant HPV vaccine mandate fiasco; she was a vocal proponent of Rick’s presidential campaign, with Rick saying he was running BECAUSE Anita told him to.
The story of Anita’s hand in the Rick Perry 2012 debacle is one that needs to be told. Anita, like Rick, uses her Christian witness for personal political gain; she is on the gravy train, too.
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Jerry Only Reply:
October 12th, 2011 at 1:22 pm
for once i agree with morrow. this is no different than when palin pushed her family in the spotlight and proclaimed herself as the paragon of family values and then complained about the media scrutiny.
donuthin says:
Perry simply doesn’t have the intellectual capacity to come back, It is all too apparent that he is in over his head. Just we in Texas could have seen it.
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Harry Reply:
October 11th, 2011 at 10:41 pm
Then why do we keep electing him?
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Omo Reply:
October 11th, 2011 at 11:17 pm
When do Texans start to realize that the rest of the country wonders how we ever elected this guy – again and again?
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Reminder Reply:
October 11th, 2011 at 11:36 pm
Are you having hard times/unemployed? We have the most jobs in Texas and low taxes. Why are you so sad?
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W. B. Travis Reply:
October 12th, 2011 at 10:32 am
We have minimum wages jobs, declining infrastructure, and education system that rivals Mississippi and polluted cities. We have border problems. Our elected officials are tools of the oil industry and our school textbook committee is the lauging stock of the free world. But hey, we can shoot pigs from helicopters.
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Jerry Only Reply:
October 12th, 2011 at 1:24 pm
maybe because he doesnt like seeing 15 year olds who cant read.
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Governor Toolshed Reply:
October 13th, 2011 at 4:24 pm
Petroleum Politics, with Perry as a cheerleader, has left this state looking third world-ish.
The U.S. will be at war with Iran within 4 months of Perry taking office. The oil companies really, REALLY, want a few more pipelines through there.
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John Johnson says:
You summed it up well as far as I’m concerned, Paul.
My parents (my father is 92)have voted for Perry each time he has run. Not anymore. They have watched all the debates and think that Newt gives the best answers and has best grasp of what is going on, both domestically and globally. They, however, will vote for Romney.
The one grenade that Perry lobbed at Mitt(Mass. healthcare) was deftly caught and tossed back to him. Each debate Romney seems to grow stronger; Perry grows less significant.
Wonder if Newt might end up in Romney’s cabinet somewhere. I noticed that several treated Romney with diference I had not seen before. Anyone else notice this? Maybe vying for a job?
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Bill Reply:
October 11th, 2011 at 10:48 pm
There was definitely some love being exchanged between Romney and Bachman. I’d bet the whole question thing was planned beforehand between the two: Bachman asks Perry a (semi-tough) question about (what was it? I can’t remember now), and then Romney asks Bachman a softball question. Bachman was Romney’s surrogate tonight, to Perry’s detriment.
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Pat Reply:
October 12th, 2011 at 1:03 am
They weren’t easy on Romney because he’s a shoe-in. They were easy on Romney because they know his support is narrow and weak.
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Anonymous says:
Cain has charisma; he has an impressive business track record; but he appears to be a bit one dimensional when it comes to his knowledge of politics and governing. In this sense, I view him as an Obama with business cred. He’s very likeable, sharp and a decent speaker, but he would really be learning on the job. We don’t need anymore of that. Obama has shown us that this just doesn’t work.
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Anonymous Reply:
October 11th, 2011 at 11:11 pm
…sort of like Biden. Which may qualify him for the ticket.
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Anonymous says:
Perry doesn’t like being there at the debate. He doesn’t like talking to reporters. He doesn’t like policy discussions. He really isn’t jazzed up about any of this. I don’t blame him. Reporters ask too many questions, would make my head hurt trying to answer them all the time.
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Anonymous says:
Good sign for American kids when R presidential candidates are fighting over who has the most uninsured children.
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WUSRPH says:
They were not fighting…They were bragging!
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rw says:
Perry didn’t show a lot of energy but he wasn’t asked a lot of questions, either – the moderators focused on Huntsman, Cain, Romney, Gingrich.
There’s too many debates and candidates. This election season is too long.
This process is monotonous. I have an idea to spice it up.
Invite Biden or Obama to the next one.
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Robert Morrow says:
How toxic to voters is Rick Perry?: his poll numbers among independent voters are WORSE than Sarah Palin’s.
Perry among independents:
23% favorable
57% unfavorable
Independents elect and un-elect presidents.
That is what I mean by Perry will absolutely no more “investors” in his campaign or those Super PACs created by the Perry Super hacks. Those donors, i.e. “investers,” are only it it to win and Perry smells like a rotten fish baking in the sun.
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/10/11/perrys-national-poll-numbers-are-worse-than-palins/
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rw says:
The debate in one word 999
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Bill Reply:
October 11th, 2011 at 11:20 pm
Can I get extra cheese for that price?
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Whoa Nellie! says:
This is what Perry gets (karma is a b****) for ducking all those debate opportunities in Texas gubernatorial contests. The edge is off his blade. He’s showing how unprepared he is and what a slow thinker he is. Couldn’t happen to a nicer guy. Too bad he’ll take all his bad temper out on Texans next legislative session.
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Blue Dogs Reply:
October 12th, 2011 at 9:47 am
Whoa Nellie, in other words: start getting used to “Governor Greg Abbott” on January 20, 2015 because Perry is FINISHED politically at this point.
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Cappy M. Reply:
October 12th, 2011 at 10:35 am
Ducking editorial boards and debates is not an option in a Presidential race. You can fool the right wing bumpkins in Texas, but not the nation as a whole. Perry has been exposed for what he is: An Aggie cheerleader with a C average.
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Anonymous says:
Did you know that 999 is 666 upside down? That really came up in the debate. I don’t lie. These people are very scary. I am going with the guy in the cult. What harm can he really do? Other than make us wear uncomfortable boxer shorts.
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Brown Bess says:
Time to entertain the notion that Perry just isn’t very bright about things other than raising money and filing up state agencies with clones of himself:”NBC News Carrie Dann quotes Perry explaining how the “reason we fought the revolution in the 16th century was to get away from that kind of onerous crown.”
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Robert Morrow Reply:
October 12th, 2011 at 12:25 am
I don’t even know if Perry is going to last on the campaign trail until Halloween. Everywhere I click on the internet someone, some blogger, or some journalist is chunking a rotten tomato at him.
“Rick Perry Mixes Up Dates of American Revolution”
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2011/10/rick-perry-mixes-up-dates-of-american-revolution/
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Robert Morrow says:
Texas’ Martin Frost is chunking yet another rotten tomato at Perry on politico (dot) com. This time about racial politics in 1990 and Perry’s heavy use of a Jesse Jackson ad against Hightower.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1011/65640.html
I swear,everyday if you want to see Rick Perry dumped on, just google news “Rick Perry.” Reminds me of the Spanish tomato festival “Tomatina” (google it…)
One more think: Rick Perry just lost the Paul Burka primary tonight:
“What is Perry’s political future? He can come back to Texas and finish out his term as governor, but I don’t think he can put Humpty Dumpty together again. He has embarrassed the state. No more gravy train for his pals. His ability to lead the state is finished. The Enterprise Fund and the Emerging Technology Fund will not survive the 2013 session.”
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WUSRPH says:
One of Perry’s two biggest problems in the campaign to date is that he was never given the opportunity to develop whatever skills he might have in the kind of exchanges represented by these debates (which they are not). (The second is his lack of experience and knowledge in many of the areas of importance at the federal level, but that is another matter.)
Whether Perry could have developed the skill had he participated in more debates and/or worked with a presentation coach is unknown; but it is possible…Why he wasn’t given that chance is probably the fault of this staff…Having been on the staff of a “important man” I know how few of the staff are willing to tell him when the emperor has no clothes…One of my two firings was directly tied to an occasion on which I stepped up and said: “No, don’t do that”…(which got me a lot of pats on the back from those who could not do it themselves) and led to me being exiled for 5 months…
Had Perry been told straight out years ago that he was no good at this kind of debate and that, if he wanted to make the race for the big job he would have to develop the skill, he might have been able to work on it and make a better presentation….That did not happen…and he is now paying the price for it.
My experience, and others, convinces me that every “important man” should have a devil’s advocate on his/her staff specifically charged with stating what others will not on both small mattes such as this one and on the “big issues” as well. From my experience I expect such a person will probably have a short life span in the job…but if it happened more often it would be to the good of us all. It will never happen because of the size of the egos involved and the basic cowardice of most of us…but it is a nice thought at least.
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WUSRPH says:
To make it short–He wasn’t ready for the big leagues. We will never know whether he could have been had he tried harder over the years and had his staff leveled with him.
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donuthin Reply:
October 12th, 2011 at 7:03 am
To a large extent, I agree with WUSRPH. All leaders need to have at least one on their staff that will call BS on them when they have a bad idea. Perry’s ego would not allow it. His staff and appointees are drilled with the essentials of being a loyal supporter, with no push back.
Perry doesn’t like knowing too much about the issues as it makes his demagoguery too difficult, especially as the facts often interfere with his preconceived notions.
In addition, understanding the complex issues, requires a work ethic and brains, neither of which he has.
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Pat says:
So here we are: two and a half months from Caucus Day in Iowa. Rick Perry, arguably the most conservative, most electable candidate, is suffering because he acts like a dolt in debates. Meanwhile, a Mormon GOP moderate from the Northeast who has reversed himself on every meaningful position he’s ever held is instead clinging to a small, narrow plurality of soft support. The conservatives don’t trust Romney, and are screaming for whoever else can present a modicum of presidential character–first it was Michele Bachmann, then Rick Perry, now Herman Cain.
This Republican party is screaming for an anti-Romney. I still think Rick Perry, with his money other qualities, stands the best chance of being that guy.
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Dave Reply:
October 12th, 2011 at 6:48 am
Chortle
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JohnBernardBooks Reply:
October 12th, 2011 at 7:14 am
@Pat
exactly, remember to most here its style over substance. Look what that got us in 2008.
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Jerry Only Reply:
October 12th, 2011 at 1:34 pm
haha “substance”
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JohnBernardBooks Reply:
October 12th, 2011 at 2:04 pm
any idea what it means?
Blue Dogs Reply:
October 12th, 2011 at 9:49 am
Pat, let me remind you that the big money folks are slowly going to Romney with Christie’s endorsement of the former Massachusetts governor yesterday.
We haven’t heard from Perry supporters, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal or Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval either since they announced their intentions to support Slick Rick’s presidential campaign.
I agree with Burka, Perry’s gonna take his anger out on the Legislature in 2013′s 83rd Legislative Session.
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Robert Morrow Reply:
October 12th, 2011 at 11:54 am
The best thing in the world that Rick Perry could do is veto everything in the world that comes out of the Texas Legislature. Your money and freedom are at severe risk every time they meet.
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Gen. Sam Houston says:
Some excellent comments here. WUSRPH is spot on about Perry’s failure to develop debate skills. Perry dramatically improved his stump speaking style over the past decade. But his staff kept telling him he didn’t have to debate, so any ability he might have in that venue has atrophied.
I ordinarily agree with Paul about exempting spouses and family. But in this case, Anita travels with her own chauffeurs (I mean, security detail), lives large in a $10K public housing, works at a “job” that would not exist without her husband’s position, gives interviews and claims influence on policy. Would Paul have exempted Hillary from scrutiny in 1992? If so, he would have missed something very important.
Robt. Morrow has somehow missed another delicious sign of Perry imploding — infighting among Perry insiders. Morrow is right that Anita has historically taken the hit among Perry apologists for the HPV vaccine disaster. But now Anita is bailing out on that decision. “If only he’d asked me first!”
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20118751-503544.html
Finally, Mr. Morrow, I doubt we hear much from Cow Droppings in the next couple of months. He’s joined the Perry campaign and is currently drinking from a fire hose in a job he’s not qualified for. It’s the first time I’ve seen a rat jumping onto a sinking ship.
And by the way, in the history of presidential debates, there are a few choice examples of hapless candidates walking blithely into a knockout punch. Perry’s health care question to Romney should be in that pantheon of classics. The look on Perry’s face as Romney said “one million children without health insurance” was priceless.
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John Johnson Reply:
October 12th, 2011 at 6:36 am
Informative and insightful. Thanks.
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WUSRPH Reply:
October 12th, 2011 at 5:13 pm
Jerry Ford and Poland is a “Free Country” (1976).
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I.P. Shiner says:
Like the end of a movie, it all makes sense now. The evangelical Christian right in Texas was aligned with Perry last fall to push the most radical agenda imaginable …. Seen in his legislative agenda and Perry machine’s stealth war against Straus (via Redstate, MQSullivan’s crew, the prolife posse,Dan Patrick gang)…
The past legislative session was all about this moment… The lege was poisoned by a trumped up Tea Party caucus that was amazingly stacked with tea party folks who were also Perry backers …so the lege could be used by perry machine as his own factory to generate rightwing (corporate and evangelical) achievements that could neatly be cited in Presidential debates and ads.
Starting wth the hyper-violent speakers race, nearly all the shadowy rrightwing poison last session in the texas lege emerged from folks now linked to the Perry campaign.
Yet it was never supposed to end like this…. Christian soldiers marched over a cliff by a mumbling candidate who fizzled out in the national media spotlight.
… Somewhere Rove is laughing….mighty Perry has struck out.
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Anonymous Reply:
October 12th, 2011 at 9:25 am
It wasn’t a stealth war against Straus, it was an all out war. .
Why do people insist on injecting so much religion in to policy? Get it out.
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John Johnson says:
Reality check. You’re holding on a bit tight, Pat. King Perry is not going to be the Republican nominee.
The fact that the rest of the country is shunning him after horrible debate performances and questionable politicatl coaching just shows me that the country is smarter than most Texas voters. I have come to believe that an attractive person who does not drool uncontrollably, backed by the amount of special interest money Perry has received, can stay in office for a long here in Texas. It helps to have an inept, totally discombobulated group of Democrats as the only small hill you have to walk up and over.
The dog has just about hit the end of its chain. King Perry will be back here with us. Aren’t we lucky.
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Blue Dogs Reply:
October 12th, 2011 at 9:54 am
Greg Abbott as Texas’ 48th Governor on January 20, 2015 is looking more likely at 98 percent.
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Julie says:
Perry’s performance in the latest debate shows he is not going to be the GOP nominee. Perry will spend millions on ads knocking Romney and make speeches about his economic game plan, but all of that will come too late in the game for Perry’s candidacy. Frankly, it was painful to see Perry shrink from making any meaningful attacks on Romney. It was obvious that Perry’s comfort zone is in sticking with prepared comments that do nothing to advance Perry’s candidacy. Perry won’t give up but for all practical purposes, he’s no longer in this race. Come home Rick and finish your term as governor.
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anita says:
Perry, in his own words, last night:
“Our Founding Fathers never meant for Washington, D.C. to be the fount of all wisdom. As a matter of fact they were very much afraid if that because they’d just had this experience with this far-away government that had centralized thought process and planning and what have you, and then it was actually the reason that we fought the revolution in the 16th century was to get away from that kind of onerous crown if you will,” Perry said.”
So glad we won that revolution in 1576 . . .
Not. Ready. For. Prime. Time.
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donuthin Reply:
October 12th, 2011 at 11:51 am
Isn’t 1576 the 16th century?
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JohnBernardBooks Reply:
October 12th, 2011 at 2:05 pm
actually he didn’t say that last night but deal in facts.
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JohnBernardBooks says:
So Rick Perry reverted to his democrat roots, big deal.
Once again, Romney looked like the slick, slippery Northeast liberal that he is. He defended the bank bailout, romneycare and the status quo in DC, everything democrats love.
The Northeast liberal crowd will try to select the republican nomination again this year so Obama can have an easy opponent. Ain’t gonna happen.
The primary election is March 6th, 5 months and 10 more debates to go. R
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Anonymous Reply:
October 12th, 2011 at 10:24 am
So what you are saying, JBB, is when Rick Perry is under pressure and needs a solution to a problem he reverts to his Democratic roots to look for a solution? If somehow he still manages to get elected, can we expect Democratic solutions to tough problems?
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JohnBernardBooks Reply:
October 12th, 2011 at 10:55 am
” can we expect Democratic solutions to tough problems?”
does instate tuition for illegal immigrants ring a bell? It was a democrat bill and Perry signed it. I’m amazed more democrats don’t love him.
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Anonymous Reply:
October 12th, 2011 at 11:07 am
Leo Berman and Wayne Christian voted for that bill as well right? Damn hippies! We should get rid of those 2 liberals right away! Hell, Berman is from the northeast, I always knew we couldnt trust that Northeast Liberal!
Julie says:
Romney said he supported the 2008 bailouts but then went on to say he doesn’t favor business bailouts. Perry should have challenged Romney on this issue.
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Robert Morrow Reply:
October 12th, 2011 at 9:41 am
Well, Julie, Rick Perry along with Gov. Joe Manchin on the DAY of the vote of the TARP bailout wrote a letter to Congress asking them to pass them. This is the same day folks like me were frantically calling my US Senators Cornyn and Hutchison telling them to NOT vote for the TARP bailout in 2008.
Rick Perry is counterfeit money.
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CromCrom says:
It’ll tickle me to no end to see Perry crawl back home and lick his wounds, and then to see the end of his political career. But, ultimately, I don’t see much significance in this whole farce of a process. The electorate are sheep who vote for candidates based on how polished their rhetoric is, how strong they sound and look, and on how “normal” their family lives appear to be.
Even Paul Burka falls prey to this kind of thinking when he describes Cain’s charm. This whole election, any election, is just showmanship. And, unfortunately, that’s the way we like it.
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paulburka Reply:
October 12th, 2011 at 9:02 am
Of course elections are about showmanship. What’s the alternative?
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WUSRPH Reply:
October 12th, 2011 at 5:15 pm
Substance and real issues…but you are right I can’t really think of one election where they were important.
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AreYouKiddingMe says:
Crash and burn mode… I’ve been saying it for weeks. Perry has proven to be what many of us knew he was. His tough guy image does not play in national politics when you only have about 5 phrases that you keep repeating. Especially when many of them are complete lies. It looks like the nation will do to Perry what the blind Texas voters would not do; end his political career. And, I would like to know the names of the people who gave this guy $17 million. I bet they are real proud of their investment now… You are getting what you deserve, Rick. Go back to your lease… for good…
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hooah! says:
Rick Perry simply canNOT speak without notes, without his talking points. When he tries, we get secession, treason, and the American Revolution fought in the 1500s.
He needs to come home. No, not Austin, but to Haskell and rediscover his roots, talk to his neighbors and friends. Rick desperately needs an honest appraisal of his campaign…and his life.
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JohnBernardBooks says:
Here’s my challenge for all democrats. Next debate turn on the sound for a change, close your eyes and listen, who knows you could learn something.
You’ll hear issues discussed by a group of grownups having a civil discussion, sometimes very serious and sometimes jocular. What you won’t hear charges of racism, hate, and disinformation.
Can you manup and do it?
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Jerry Only Reply:
October 12th, 2011 at 2:00 pm
what you wont hear is any realistic discussion of policy
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JohnBernardBooks Reply:
October 12th, 2011 at 2:06 pm
any idea what that means?
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Darny Reply:
May 23rd, 2012 at 4:51 pm
JBB, you are full of stuffing.
WUSRPH Reply:
October 12th, 2011 at 5:23 pm
Some of us remember when the surveys showed that the TV audience thought JFK “beat” Nixon in their first debate but the radio audience (when there was such a thing) thought Nixon had “won”….Kennedy just looked so much better. It just proved once again that “perception is more important” than reality.
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JohnBernardBooks Reply:
October 13th, 2011 at 6:56 am
“It just proved once again that “perception is more important” than reality.”
to some
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JohnBernardBooks says:
Best line of the debate by Newt to the wall street protestors, “if you’re looking to put someone in jail, start with Barney Frank and Chris Dodd”.
Can’t get more straightforward than that.
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Robert Morrow Reply:
October 12th, 2011 at 9:35 am
The Republicans, with their trillion dollar wars of convenience and deficit spending are just as much to blame. Dick Cheney summed it up well when he said “Deficits do not matter.”
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JohnBernardBooks Reply:
October 12th, 2011 at 11:01 am
“The Republicans, with their trillion dollar wars of convenience and deficit spending”
then why do you want Romney a Northeast Liberal running as a republican over Perry? Doesn’t it bother you that Romney is to the left of Perry?
Romney even came out in favor of bailouts for wallstreet.
You need a better argument than the democrat’s of “I hate Perry”.
I stand my ground “vote for the most conservative candidate in the race.”
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Cappy M. Reply:
October 12th, 2011 at 10:36 am
Or misinformed.
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JohnBernardBooks Reply:
October 12th, 2011 at 11:03 am
Newt is misinformed? You been drinking already this morning?
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retrocon says:
Publishing books about the values of Boy Scouting, the “Fed Up” play on anti-Washington sentiment, his evangelical prayer rally just prior to announcing his candidacy… Perry has not been at this run for only eight weeks, although from his debate performances you wouldn’t know it. People across the country are wondering how we in Texas manage to keep electing this guy.
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JohnBernardBooks says:
“People across the country are wondering how we in Texas manage to keep electing this guy.”
I know we could have had Kay Bailey Hutchison or Bill White. snicker.
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Blue Dogs Reply:
October 12th, 2011 at 9:54 am
John, 2006 was the last straw when Perry got 39 percent while 61 percent of Texans voted AGAINST him.
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JohnBernardBooks Reply:
October 12th, 2011 at 11:25 am
in 1937 Landslide Lyndon won the 10th Congressional District with 27% of the vote total, that meant 73% of Texans voted against him. Recently several Texas newspaper have started pointing out how Perry seems to be following in LBJ’s footsteps.
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Sweeney Reply:
October 12th, 2011 at 11:28 am
What paper would that be? Perry couldn’t find LBJ’s footsteps if he tripped over them.
JohnBernardBooks Reply:
October 12th, 2011 at 11:33 am
you democrtas really are poorly informed. LBJ is your liberal god, and Perry is gonna topple him. Dave McNeely Perry follows in LBJ’s footsteps.
WUSRPH Reply:
October 12th, 2011 at 8:29 pm
There was no runoff back then when LBJ was elected to Congress…so it was common for a candidate to win without a majority..As it is in most of the states which do not have run-offs. Run-offs are much more common in the South were they conseratives wanted to make sure no ethnic or liberal could win. We only went to run-ofs (in special elections) when Ralph Yarborough won a special election for the U.S. Senate in 1957…The Conservatives wanted to make sure that would not happen again..but it still took then until 1980 to get Ralph out of office.
Rog says:
Yes, we all agree, there is no way in hell Obama can win the next election.
Unless, of course, he is fortunate enough to have to run against one of the eight on stage last night.
Obama thanking Romney for showing him how to put together a health insurance plan for the country is just the beginning.
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Really? Reply:
October 12th, 2011 at 10:38 pm
WUSRPH, RY lost to Lloyd B in 1970, not 1980.
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Robert Morrow says:
Michelle Malkin: another opinion maker who turned against Perry a long time ago -
“Quick and dirty debate after-report: Perry is running out of gas; Excuses, excuses”
http://michellemalkin.com/2011/10/11/quick-and-dirty-debate-after-report-perry-is-running-out-of-gas/
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hooah! Reply:
October 12th, 2011 at 9:46 am
That shows you what Malkin knows….his tank was actually empty from day 1.
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Blue Dogs Reply:
October 12th, 2011 at 9:53 am
Hooah, Perry will finish out his 3rd full term as governor, then leave the Governor’s Mansion by NOT seeking a 4th term in 2014, which means hello Governor Greg Abbott (R) on January 20, 2015.
Somebody should have told Perry to wait his turn for 2016, but his advisers pushed him into running in 2012.
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Top Shelf says:
This is why I said Burka declaring Perry the certain Republican nominee when he entered the race was way premature. You need three things to be get the nomination: plausability, speaking skills and fundraising. Perry has one of those.
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Robert Morrow says:
Gen. Sam Houston:
“Robt. Morrow has somehow missed another delicious sign of Perry imploding — infighting among Perry insiders. Morrow is right that Anita has historically taken the hit among Perry apologists for the HPV vaccine disaster. But now Anita is bailing out on that decision. “If only he’d asked me first!”
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20118751-503544.html”
That is right. Anita was up to her ears in the HPV vaccine fiasco. I am sure Mike Toomey was telling her what a great way to save kids if we could only force every parent in the state of Texas to stick a Merck needle in their daughter’s arm.
The role of Anita Perry in the Perry political fiasco the past 5 years has not been covered and it is a worthy story. #1 would be the Christian Perry’s sanctimonious support for the $5 pole tax. I imagine Rick & Anita, Bibles in hand with their perfect marriage, out in the parking lots of strip clubs, with crowbars in their hands, ready to whack patrons in the knee if they don’t give $5 to Anita’s pet causes.
The Perry’s support for that arbitrary tax is a BIG reason for my anti-Perry activism. Sanctimonious religious whacko hypocrites STEALING from strippers.
Good point about Anita acting like she had nothing to do with the HPV fiasco.
People laughed when Perry said that he was running because his “wife” Anita was telling him to. I bet that is exactly what happened; the billionaires and millionaires probably buttered Anita up and said please get Rick to run, he is such a conservative savior for … *crony capitalism* … and he will do it if you are on board (unlike last time when you pouted your way through the 2010 governor’s race.)
Anita is on the gravy train – she loves the adulation, status & attention; Anita was a critical ingredient in this fiasco, and someone needs to write about it besides me. Maybe the “interns” over at the Texas Tribune can do it, it would be a good one for them to cut their teeth on.
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AgentG says:
Debating skills are more than an opportunity to get a handle on the candidate’s positions and views. They are a proxy of the candidate’s rhetorical and analytic skills, which are the core of politics and will determine success in office. Perry is clearly unskilled at speaking, analysis, and policy details, but yet, fancies himself as a successful CEO of Texas. Well, perhaps things went well in Texas despite Perry and because the governor has such limited power in our state republic. What is fascinating and tragic is to see the eyes of Texas finally open to the real qualities of Rick Perry, which should also make us think about features lacking in our state political discourse to our great detriment…like public debates and tough questions from the press. Why should such media scrutiny be optional for Texas politicians?
Perhaps it is about time that Texas gets it’s own statewide television media, one that is not anchored in any one city, but provides coverage for the most important topics in the entire state. TexasMonthly TV anyone?
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Willie James Reply:
October 12th, 2011 at 11:29 am
Very well said. Perry avoiding the newspapers hurt him in the end. Sort of makes the media look more important.
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Blue Dogs Reply:
October 12th, 2011 at 1:29 pm
Personally, Willie-Perry ended up winning re-election in 2010 with only 55.1 percent of the statewide vote (13 points) over White and carried 226 out of 254 counties.
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Huck Finn says:
Too bad we lost one of my Texas childhood heros last year.
I think “Dandy Don” Meredith would have a little tune to sing about the Perry campaign at this point.
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Robert Morrow Reply:
October 12th, 2011 at 11:59 am
I’ve been singing that for 3 weeks. Good Night, the Party is Over …
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Jacobin Hobbes says:
I thought Perry did fine last night. He has done well enough in all the debates except for the biggest one, in Orlando. Even in that debate, he did okay, except for the one “heartless” line. Although he was really attacking Bachmann and Santorum and Romney for being idiots, it appeared that he was attacking the entire GOP base, and attacking your base is never a winning strategy.
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Anonymous Reply:
October 12th, 2011 at 1:32 pm
There is almost always going to be a “minority”, Mr. Hobbes. This time you are a part of this small group if you think Perry did “fine last night”.
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Jerry Only Reply:
October 12th, 2011 at 1:48 pm
did we watch the same debate?
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Robert Morrow says:
Over at http://www.intrade.com
Odds of being GOP nominee:
Romney 70%
Perry 10%
Cain 9%
Huntsman 3%
Paul 2%
Gingrich 2%
Perry can take his $15 million cash on hand – which he has already been whittling down – and I don’t think it matters a whit what he does with it.
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The Ghost of Sam Houston says:
Perry has been forced to run a real campaign and prove himself on stage, in intellectual combat, against his competitors. He is not used to this, nor is remotely close to being up to the challenge. He has been exposed as an empty head under a bad dye job. A square jaw and squared shoulders only take you so far. That they took Perry to the governor’s seat for this long is a sad commentary on our politics in Texas.
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Anonymous says:
I think Governor Perry did a good job last night. He is the only true candidate on stage. The rest are phony candidates with phony plans. Our Governor does a great job talking directly with the people. Who cares about the talking heads and elite press corp? Governor Perry will be the nominee and soon he will be in the White House. He answers only to the people, not the liberal press.
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Blue Dogs Reply:
October 12th, 2011 at 10:37 am
Anon, Perry will NOT beat Obama, I just don’t see his winning streak staying intact.
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Kenneth D. Franks Reply:
October 12th, 2011 at 11:41 am
I think Perry did a great job of convincing people he is not up to being the Republican nominee much less President of the United States.
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chickasawelder Reply:
October 12th, 2011 at 12:15 pm
Well, anonymous at 10:33, I’ll vote for your friend Rick Perry right after I get my 30% reduction in insurance. He claimed in the debated last night that he delivered that huge savings to us after he passed tort reform in 2003. I would be interested to know how much your premiums have declined. Mine have only gone up and up and up.
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Jerry Only Reply:
October 12th, 2011 at 1:49 pm
again, did we watch the same debate?
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Garbonza says:
Anita, that you????
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Too soon... says:
“Perry will be the republican nominee.”
- Paul Burka 8/25/2011
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Anonymous says:
These past 8 weeks reminds me of a story I read as a kid… does anyone remember “The Emperor’s New Clothes”?
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No Le Hace says:
Paul. You heard anything about a KBH Romney endorsement. I understand it’s comingnat then appropriate time. She then gets interviewed for VP slot ( but not promised) allows her to leave with head high and a slap at Perry.
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Robert Morrow Reply:
October 12th, 2011 at 11:57 am
That sounds likely and a pretty smart thing for Romney to do.
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Blue Dogs Reply:
October 12th, 2011 at 1:30 pm
I’m betting Romney gives the VP gig to either New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez (R), Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell (R), Chrisite (he’ll say NO), and maybe Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R: he’s itching to leave Baton Rouge)
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JohnBernardBooks says:
ahhh yes history repeats itself when the expertss all chanted “there’s no way in hell the Jets will win the Superbowl”.
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Jerry Only Reply:
October 12th, 2011 at 1:51 pm
i dont see rex ryan pulling it off this year.
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Anonymous says:
Perry doesn’t have Joe Namath. He only has himself.
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Sherman Potter Reply:
October 12th, 2011 at 1:45 pm
I knew Joe Namath, and sir, Perry is no Joe Namath….
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JohnBernardBooks Reply:
October 12th, 2011 at 2:35 pm
Actually you’ve never met Namath but why not lie and make a fool out of yourself.
The Fat Lady ain’t sung yet so Perry ain’t done.
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JohnBernardBooks says:
From US News
“Poll: Herman Cain, Rick Perry, Mitt Romney All Beat Obama”
How bad can it? Even Perry beats Obama?
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Vernon says:
Newt Gingrich…man. Has anyone else noticed how he constantly comes off as a half crazy, old curmudgeon?
In the first debate he gave a surprise tongue lashing to the moderators because they were trying to find differences in the candidates positions. He berated them because he thought they were trying to make them fight or look bad.
Then last night he says Dodd and Frank should be in jail. He really didn’t back off when Charlie Rose followed up that statement.
And I think in one of the debates he fell back on the ole’ bashing the liberal media line.
Does anyone think that Newt truly believes he can win? Or is he just in there to cause a ruckus and up his profile?
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JohnBernardBooks Reply:
October 12th, 2011 at 2:37 pm
What do you think Ron Paul is doing there?
Folks this is just a giant media show for people without a life. Next month you won’t even remember this debate, let alone how Perry did.
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Anonymous says:
I happen to agree with almost everything Newt says. I don’t understand why he is not higher in the polls? The man knows this government. He could make things happen. Hopefully, he will be the choice for VP. He can “think-tank” things for President Romney.
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Dave Reply:
October 12th, 2011 at 1:25 pm
Ahead of Perry
Cain 30%
Romney 22%
Gingrich 15%
Perry 14%
http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/pdf/2011/PPP_Release_US_10121122.pdf
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Robert Morrow Reply:
October 12th, 2011 at 5:13 pm
I want to see the crosstabs of a poll matchup between Rick Perry and “The Rent is too Damn High” guy Jimmy McMillan.
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Dave Reply:
October 12th, 2011 at 5:18 pm
http://www.ipsos-na.com/download/pr.aspx?id=11077
Another national poll, another 4th place for Perry, but in this one, Perry is smelling Paul’s backsides instead of Newt’s.
Rog says:
“I happen to agree with almost everything Newt says.”
It’s not what he says, it’s what he does. Just ask his ex-wives.
Perry has accomplished one thing I didn’t think anyone could do. He makes Bush look semi-intelligent.
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curious says:
http://campaigntrailreport.com/2011/10/11/new-state-tea-party-express-ad-slams-obama-on-jobs-gives-props-to-rick-perry-and-scott-walker
Burka, does this tea party add change anything?
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anon-p says:
Perry should have done better. He batted for average in this debate.
Everybody stunk in the debate. Everybody. If “glib” means looking presidential, then I guess Romney won.
But I’m with Tomasky:
“I still count Perry in, though. This has to come down to Romney vs. X, and I still don’t think X will be Cain. But Perry is a pretty lowercase X just now.”
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Blue Dogs Reply:
October 12th, 2011 at 1:31 pm
Cain is likely jockeying for a cabinet spot in a GOP administration.
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Anonymous Reply:
October 12th, 2011 at 1:49 pm
There will not be a GOP administration until they can find a candidate that can win. Current polls mean nothing. Romney has the best chance if he can distance himself from the evengelicals and social side of the party after his nomination. Most Americans are appalled at the Perrys, Bachmanns and Palins.
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JohnBernardBooks Reply:
October 12th, 2011 at 2:40 pm
“Current polls mean nothing” and yet they’re discussed here daily.
John Johnson says:
I almost gagged when Perry mentioned how tort reform had saved Texas consumers a chunk of money on their cost of insurance.
It saved doctors, hospitals, medical device manufacturers, and pharm companies a bundle, and it saved the insurance companies hundreds of millions in payouts, but it saved Texas families not one cent. My premiums have risen, on average, 10% since 2001.
I asked Dick Weekley at the TLR to explain this to me. He told me that he would have someone get back to me with an answer. Never got a response.
Someone in the Texas media should have been broadcasting this. They should have been doing indepth research, and doing their best to let every Texas consumer know that we are getting the short end of the stick.
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JohnBernardBooks Reply:
October 12th, 2011 at 2:41 pm
“we are getting the short end of the stick”
I suspose if you’re a Texas trial lawyer you might be.
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John Johnson Reply:
October 12th, 2011 at 4:01 pm
You are right, sir… plantiff’s attorneys have been affected. I don’t feel sorry for them since it will take them many years to go through all the fees collected in years past.
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JohnBernardBooks Reply:
October 12th, 2011 at 4:08 pm
exactly just like John Edwards who made a fortune from lawsuits all they have to do is stay out of jail.
JohnBernardBooks says:
Most astute line of the debate belonged to Santorum, Talking about Cain’s 9 9 9 tax plan, “What will democrats do if you hand them another tax stream?” They’ll just raise the 9, 9, 9, to 19, 19, 19 and so on.
Very astute, we don’t want to give the democrats anymore opportunities to tax us.
If there is two things we know about democrats they hate to lower taxes, and the only thing they hate worse than lowering taxes its paying them.
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WUSRPH Reply:
October 12th, 2011 at 3:36 pm
I guess that makes Saint Ronald R. and George W.H. Democrats….since they were the biggest tax raisers in the last part of the 20th Century.
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JohnBernardBooks Reply:
October 12th, 2011 at 4:12 pm
I’m sure you’ll give a detailed explanation as soon as you dream one up.
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WUSRPH Reply:
October 12th, 2011 at 5:21 pm
Just check the records…Ronnie’s “biggest tax increase in American history” and George’s “no new taxes”….I know it is sad for you when facts are not the way you would like them.
Mr. Smith Reply:
October 12th, 2011 at 8:11 pm
23 posts in one day? What the heck? Are you employed JBB? If you say government worker none of them have that drive. Are you manic? And I mean in an approved treatment sort of way? Really, do you sit home day after day after day posting on this blog? How tragicly funny. How sad. There is a whole, wide world for you to hate. Or did it reject you? I shed a single tear for you JBB. Sniff. Sniff.
JohnBernardBooks Reply:
October 13th, 2011 at 7:03 am
“23 posts in one day? What the heck? Are you employed JBB?”
Wow you’re counting, do you have a life?
Mr. Smith Reply:
October 13th, 2011 at 7:18 am
It took me 20 seconds to count what took you 20 hours and a twelve pack of code red mountain dew to post. JBB, I bet if you joined the adult world, had an actual job, you wouldn’t be quite so bitter. But then maybe you would. We’ll never know, will we? Kepp on posting, my manic one party totalitarian world view blogger, you’re the REAL american hero!
JohnBernardBooks Reply:
October 13th, 2011 at 9:10 am
“It took me 20 seconds to count”, 20 seconds to count and 20 hours of obsession. Once again get a life.
Charlie Adaway says:
Click through on JBB’s name and see what pops up. Makes me think Old Charlie hangs out at Charlie’s
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Amie Calvin Reply:
October 13th, 2011 at 7:07 am
I used to be a democrat before I met JBB.
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Spinnaker Reply:
October 13th, 2011 at 9:08 am
You gotta love JBB. Not afraid of the old adage “best keep mouth shut and be thought a fool than open it and remove all doubt”. I do admit he is amusing, but not serioulsy taken.
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JohnBernardBooks Reply:
October 13th, 2011 at 9:11 am
” but not serioulsy taken.”
lemme see do I really want to be taken seriously by a usefull idiot?…..nahhhhhh!
Pat says:
Hate to trumpet my own horn, but Nate Silver just looked at the polling data and agreed with me: Romney’s support is narrow, Cain’s is soft, and the numbers point to Perry coming back in the polls at some point.
@JBB–I would convincingly argue that usually style is more important than substance in primaries. Romney is an obvious exception with his unorthodox policy reversals, but again, thats why I believe he won’t be the nominee.
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Robert Morrow Reply:
October 12th, 2011 at 8:03 pm
Nate Silver needs to go tell that to my elderly, white, Southern conservative aunts and uncles in Alabama who are Herman Cain supporters.
They would otherwise like Sarah Palin or Newt Gingrich but are planning to vote for Cain.
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Anonymous says:
Wow! If you and Nate Silver, whoever he is, think Perry is coming back, it must be so.
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JohnBernardBooks Reply:
October 13th, 2011 at 9:15 am
Nate Siler is a liberal who writes for Daily KOS. In other words a lib’s liberal.
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Col. Mike Kirby Reply:
October 13th, 2011 at 10:55 am
way to refute his argument with logic and data cult boy.
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Anonymous says:
TOAST…….not a champagne toast, but burned toast.
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South Texas Democrat says:
I love how the professional left on this blog are doing their very best to destroy Perry at every chance they can. The truth is that the media and Austin Dems are scared S#ITless if Perry is the nominee. With Obamas war on Hispanics, deporting more hispanics in the history of our Country. And let’s not forget the Berlin Wall 2 that he promised not to build. THE WALL IS STILL GOING UP IN HIDALGO and STAR county. South Texas Democrats are fleeing the Dem. Party. Conservative democratic activists are actively supporting a Perry win because he is everything Obama promised! With 17million and growing this race will go all the way to the convention floor.
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anita Reply:
October 12th, 2011 at 9:04 pm
If you are going to pretend to be a South Texas Democrat, you should at least learn how to spell the names of the major counties of the region.
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JohnBernardBooks Reply:
October 13th, 2011 at 7:09 am
post disqualified because of spelling error, per democrat rules.
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Mr. Smith Reply:
October 13th, 2011 at 7:24 am
“And then JBB snuck into Mordor with the RING of Democrats doom, hee hee, and cast it into Mount Democrats Doom, hee hee, and then all the bad evil democrats went away, and the sun shone, and flowers bloomed, the end” “Oh Mama, read it to me again!” “Not know JBB, its time for another twenty posts.”
JohnBernardBooks Reply:
October 13th, 2011 at 8:08 am
whats wrong bored state worker, doncha have a life?
Mr. Smith Reply:
October 13th, 2011 at 8:18 am
Says the manic one party totalitarian world view blogger on his fifth blog of the morning. Go you Hobbit, go!
JohnBernardBooks Reply:
October 13th, 2011 at 9:16 am
what’s the count now useful idiot?
Robert Morrow says:
Have you ever noticed how Politico’s Maggie Haberman is continually flacking for Rick Perry? What is she, some sort of a house pet around the Perry campaign?
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1011/65793.html
She can’t even mention Herman Cain as a possibility to unseat Mitt Romney, just speculate/pray about a Rick Perry recovery as she compares Oct 2011 GOP race to the Oct 2007 Demo race.
Hillary Clinton 2007 and Rick Perry 2011 have a lot in common. Both have tremendous amounts of baggage, are unpopular with the media and are consider unelectable by the elites/activists/donors of their OWN party. Except that Hillary in 2007 was at 70% chance of being nominated and Perry is at 10% chance of being nominated. So the situations are similar – both were/are hated and despised except that Rick Perry’s campaign is all but polished off, while Hillary’s in Oct, 2007 was about to be shelled.
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Jim says:
LOL at South Texas Democrat, that’s one of the most transparent acts I’ve ever seen.
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Robert Morrow says:
Barry Lynn of Americans United for Separation of Church and State is complaining about Pastor Robert Jeffress posting his endorsement of Rick Perry on his churches’ web site.
That is known as the “LBJ rule” enacted at the request of Senator Lyndon Johnson in the 1954 tax code.
http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2011/oct/02/group-pushes-pulpit-politics/
Lyndon Johnson had so many preachers telling their congregations what an immoral man LBJ was and to NOT vote for him, that Lyndon Johnson literally made up a law in the tax code to shut the preachers up.
Lyndon Johnson was a degenerate beyond belief. He had a personal hit man Malcolm Wallace. Johnson should have been executed multiple times over under Texas capital punishment laws. I really don’t know if the preachers railing against LBJ really knew just how evil the man was. They knew he was a drunk, a womanizer and corrupt but I bet they had no idea just how truly depraved Johnson was.
I suggest going to Amazon and buying the new edition of LBJ: Mastermind of JFK’s Assassination by Phillip Nelson – published by Skyhorse.
Johnson was more than “vulgar” or “corrupt.” He was a mentally unstable paranoid, manic-depressive, alcholic and sadist who enjoyed other people’s pain. Just rotten to the core. Greedy, corrupt beyond belief. He was also a scared man, often just inches away from exposure – that is when he would call in his personal hit man Malcolm Wallace.
Just a small side note: LBJ is the one who tried to muzzle the churches. Civil rights? LBJ did not believe in your right to free speech.
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Nortel Reply:
October 13th, 2011 at 2:33 pm
“Johnson was more than “vulgar” or “corrupt.” He was a mentally unstable paranoid, manic-depressive, alcholic and sadist who enjoyed other people’s pain. Just rotten to the core. Greedy, corrupt beyond belief. He was also a scared man, often just inches away from exposure”
Jeez Morrow, from my reading of all your posts, this kinda sounds like a description of you….
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Kenneth D. Franks says:
Damn, that is a little paranoid. L.B.J. certainly had plenty of faults. He did enact a few good things although the students of my university years were marching against the “Conflict” in Vietnam because we lost 45,000 more troops of my generation there than we have in the most two recent wars.
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Robert Morrow Reply:
October 13th, 2011 at 2:45 am
The Vietnam War collapsed what was left of LBJ’s mind. The man was damn close to insane while in office. Aides Bill Moyers and Richard Goodwin both separately went to psychologists and described LBJ’s symptoms to them. The back of the envelope diagnosis: LBJ was a paranoid in disintegration. I think his key role in the JFK assassination was weighing on his mind as well as the Vietnam fiasco which he escalated and which Kennedy was trying to avoid.
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Anonymous Reply:
October 13th, 2011 at 7:00 am
Robert, has Moyers or Goodwin written a book on LBJ’s “insanity”? Any other people of prominence in government or on his staff?
LBJ had his faults, no doubt about it, but to continually state in absolute terms slanderous comments about Perry, LBJ and others is ill advised.
If you keep it up, some of your friends and associates might start making calls to psychiatrists and/or psychologists.
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JohnBernardBooks Reply:
October 13th, 2011 at 7:23 am
actually Scott McClellan’s father, Barr McClellan worked for LBJ and wrote about his “mental problems”. If you remember Scott wrote a book trashing Bush 43, after he was fired as Bush’s press sec.
Scott comes from the finest democrat stock. His grandfather was W. Page Keeton, longtime Dean at UT’s School of Law, and his is mother Carole Keeton Strayhorn.
Anonymous Reply:
October 13th, 2011 at 10:24 am
LBJ was an absolute piece of shit, and so were most of the people who worked for him. There are dead bodies buried throughout the Hill Country and South Texas that could attest to how rotten of a man LBJ was.
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Robert Morrow Reply:
October 13th, 2011 at 11:54 am
I would like to underscore that: Lyndon Johnson was an absolute piece of shit. Without any exaggeration, the man was literally murdering people who might expose him: the murder of Henry Marshall – Ag Dept. official in Bryan Texas in June, 1961 is a prime example.
Absolutely Lyndon Johnson was mentally ill, a severe alcoholic, a scary and hilariously paranoid man. Bill Moyers knows that – he told people that in the 1960′s.
Read this – especially YOU Mr. Burka – this Richard Goodwin article in the NY Times from 1998, from Richard Goodwin’s the War Within:
http://www.nytimes.com/1988/08/21/magazine/president-lyndon-johnson-the-war-within.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm
A few more points: Richard Goodwin married Doris Kearns, the LBJ biography. I think is is almost certain that Doris Kearns and Johnson had an affair when he left the presidency, post 1968. I am completely serious about that. LBJ was in his late 50′s and Kearns was in her mid 20′s. Women love power, even crazy, insane, alcoholic, craggy, psychopathic power.
One more thing. You can’t trust anything Jack Valenti said about Johnson. Valenti was the definition of a bootlicker and sychopant – he spent the rest of his life covering up for LBJ from his vantage point as head of the Motion Picture Association.
Valenti married one of LBJ’s secretaries. I think that Valenti let LBJ continue to have sex with her and one of Valenti’s daughters if very likely the biological daughter of Lyndon Johnson. Before Johnson would hire a secretary, his main qualification was “Does she shuck her drawers?”
If I had to pick one American political figure who was the worst we have to offer it would be Lyndon Johnson.
Georrge Herbert Walker Bush would be right there with him.
Robert Morrow says:
Joshua Green of Businessweek has an article on Perry.
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/rick-perry-needs-a-miracle-10122011.html
This was written just before Perry was politically castrated & de-swaggerized.
“At the time, Perry was enjoying his fleeting moment as the front-runner. He had not yet collapsed in the polls after struggling to defend tuition breaks for illegal immigrants and mandatory vaccines for schoolgirls, and none but a few rural Texans knew of the “Niggerhead Ranch.”
His allure was easy to see. Perry swept into the restaurant with a phalanx of Texas Rangers, security men, drivers, and aides—16 in all—dressed identically in dark suits and white shirts, many wearing earpieces. He looked great. Perry has the dark, slightly exaggerated good looks of the villain in a daytime soap opera and puts more effort into personal grooming than most politicians would dare. He wore a fine charcoal suit with pick-stitched lapels, gold Star of Texas cuff links, and a cornflower-blue silk tie that he tucked into his shirt before he ate. His cowboy boots were polished to a high sheen. He oozed self-confidence. It was easy to imagine him convincing some beleaguered CEO, probably in an overregulated hellhole like California, that he’d be richer, happier, and much better off were he to relocate his company to Texas. This is one of Perry’s favorite things to do, and a big part of his success story.”
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JohnBernardBooks Reply:
October 13th, 2011 at 7:26 am
“He looked great. Perry has the dark, slightly exaggerated good looks of the villain in a daytime soap opera and puts more effort into personal grooming than most politicians would dare”
Then its a done deal thats all he needs to do to sew up the gay’s, women’s and dem’s votes.
Its all about style.
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Col. Mike Kirby Reply:
October 13th, 2011 at 9:09 am
oh cult boy, that’s so precious. I don’t know why you aren’t working for the parry campaign, you’re just as stupid as cow droppings.
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JohnBernardBooks Reply:
October 13th, 2011 at 9:17 am
said the obsessed useful idiot as he misspelled Perry.
Col. Mike Kirby Reply:
October 13th, 2011 at 12:40 pm
get out of your basement and turn on something besides faux news cult boy.
JohnBernardBooks Reply:
October 13th, 2011 at 1:35 pm
stop obsessing about me loser. Get a life, join moveon.org
Col. Mike Kirby Reply:
October 13th, 2011 at 2:57 pm
if you can’t stand the heat, get out of your basement cult boy
JohnBernardBooks Reply:
October 13th, 2011 at 3:47 pm
What you can’t seem to realize is some reject your company, yet you continue to follow them around like a puppy groveling for a scap.
Ed says:
So Paul, might we finaly have a replacement as Governor come 2014? Any ideas on who it might be? It’s never too late to start that game….
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South Texas Democrat says:
You for get the point of my argument. Why are democrats going to vote for a President that doesn’t listen to the base. The wall is the greatest injustice to the hispanic people in our generation. What is Obama’s answer and leadership on the wall and immigration reform? Let’s round all of the people who look Mexican and try to win over the White vote for 2012. Our region was a secure vote for a democrat, but now that some politicians would rather move to the right then to appease the base. Bill White had this very same campaign strategy. How did that work out? All we demand is that OUR President follow the Democratic State platform or we will depor his nalgas back to Africa!
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chickasawelder Reply:
October 13th, 2011 at 10:08 am
South Texas Democrat, I’m going to ignore your last sentence completely, but I’m going to ask you why you are not blaming George W. Bush, Texas’ U.S. Senators KBH and John Cornyn for the construction (and expense) of the wall. Remember John Cornyn lying to us saying his vote for the wall was just “symbolic.” The wall certainly is symbolic all right.
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Anonymous Reply:
October 13th, 2011 at 12:14 pm
George W. Bush did more good for the Hispanic community than any other president or Texas governor has ever done in history.
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WUSRPH Reply:
October 13th, 2011 at 2:57 pm
Yeh…like he passed the Voting Rights Act that opened up more public offices for them; created bi-lingual education to allow them to get a start in public schools; wiped out the Colonias; ended the segregation in our public schools and facilities; and even opened up South Texas mortuaries to them….NAH!
Vernon Reply:
October 13th, 2011 at 11:30 am
I don’t think a wall would be the greatest injustice to Hispanics in our generation. If I were a Latino, I’d be much more concerned about access to affordable higher education and quality job opportunities rather than a decrepit wall between two sovereign nations.
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Anonymous says:
I have a few questions for all you Texas Latinos who are naturalized U.S. citizens or have gone through the legal road to citizenship. What do you think about tougher laws and tougher enforcement when it comes to the flow of illegal immigrants into our country?
Think we can just open up our borders and allow anyone seeking a better way of life to come on over? Do you think that there are consequences to allowing this, like decreased services, higher taxes and fees, and inferior education opportunites if allowed to continue?
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Rog says:
I read Richard Goodwin’s piece on LBJ. Very informative. Maybe it’s time for Jim Baker to write what he knows about Ronald Reagan’s mental capacity at the end of his presidency.
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JohnBernardBooks Reply:
October 13th, 2011 at 1:47 pm
That would be a good survey. Which group has the highest % of mental illness, liberals or conservatives.
Hint: liberalism is an illness.
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Col. Mike Kirby Reply:
October 13th, 2011 at 2:54 pm
so sayeth the 40 year old man who has never held a job, is living in mom’s basement, stuffing his face with cheesy poofs. Keep wanking cult boy
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JohnBernardBooks Reply:
October 13th, 2011 at 3:01 pm
“so sayeth the 40 year old man who has never held a job”
Thanks for being my first example, a obsessed poster who hangs arounfd wanting my attn.
Col. Mike Kirby Reply:
October 13th, 2011 at 3:05 pm
Oh cult boy, no one gives a shit about you. If you dropped off the face of the earth no one would notice.
WUSRPH Reply:
October 13th, 2011 at 3:26 pm
The important point is who was the most mentally instable when they took office compared to when they left. I would bet the GOP wins the “before” contest and the Dems (having had to deal with the GOP for 4 to 8 years) the “at the end”..
JohnBernardBooks Reply:
October 13th, 2011 at 3:48 pm
“Oh cult boy, no one gives a shit about you. If you dropped off the face of the earth no one would notice.”
Yet you constantly seek out my attn. Could be an advanced case of mental illness.
JohnBernardBooks Reply:
October 13th, 2011 at 4:03 pm
“The important point is who was the most mentally instable when they took office compared to when they left. I would bet the GOP wins the “before” contest and the Dems (having had to deal with the GOP for 4 to 8 years) the “at the end”..”
lets discuss:
Prez Wilson the greatest dem prez of all had a massive stroke with 18mos left in his term. His wife refused to let anyone see him with his mind and body incapacitated. Prez wilson brought us the first income tax, the Federal Reserve, and the League of Nations forerunner to the UN.
FDR was in a drug induced haze his last 18mos, greatly admired Stalin and @ the Yalta Conference, told Stalin to take as much of Europe as he wanted.
LBJ was the most corrupt politician of the 20th century, many considered him as mentally ill.
You have to wonder about Prez Clinton, he had great potential and threw it away for a fat girl?
Obviously he was self destructive, and when you match him up with Hillary you have a disaster waiting to happen.
What hasn’t been said about Prez Obama? narcissistic, nihilistic, out of touch with reality, etc…..
Then you have John Edwards, Al Gore, Nancy Pelosi et al and you have some seriously ill individuals.
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Bill says:
Now Anita is claiming that Rick is being picked on because of his faith.
ROFL!
Maybe if the Perrys hadn’t neglected the offering plate in church, he would have more of God’s favor.
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JohnBernardBooks Reply:
October 13th, 2011 at 3:02 pm
2nd example
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Anonymous says:
So are Texans paying for this?:
He had seven Texas Rangers in the hallway of the Hanover Inn in Dartmouth. He took four with him in the walk-through. He had a motorcade of five SUVs to go to a frat house, where he declared the War of Independence was in the 16th century.
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Robert Morrow Reply:
October 13th, 2011 at 2:50 pm
Yes, we are paying for it and it is ridiculous. Perry should have 1 or 2 state troopers with him and that is it – period. It is all about a man who things he is king, loves the luxory, the entourage, the $10,000 month 6,700 sq ft. house. I think the state is intentionally delaying repairs to the Governors’ mansion because Rick & Anita don’t want to move back it – they just love sucking off the taxpayers, Wine magazine subscriptions and all. It’s called “entitlement.”
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Col. Mike Kirby Reply:
October 13th, 2011 at 3:03 pm
as do all “true” conservatives. Gramm, Bush, Cheney,… It’s in their DNA.
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Calvin says:
Well, if it took this train wreck of a campaign to wake up Texans to who our governor is, and if the result is–as you claim, Paul–that Perry’s not re-electable, then I’m no longer horrified that Perry decided to run, but elated!
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JohnBernardBooks Reply:
October 13th, 2011 at 3:03 pm
3rd example
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Rog says:
Here’s what should scare Republicans. From the liberal democrat perspective, I would bet Mitt Romney is the least objectionable Obama opponent, and Romney helped himself by saying he would work with “reasonable” democrats. Go forth and crucify him, Republicans.
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JohnBernardBooks Reply:
October 13th, 2011 at 3:04 pm
“Here’s what should scare Republicans”
Romney doesn’t scare republicans they simply reject his liberal views. How hard is that for liberals to understand?
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Robert Morrow says:
The story of Anita Perry’s important role in this divinely inspired fiasco has not been told yet. Here Anita is whining today:
The Texas first lady weaved together religion and politics in a speech at North Greenville University, characterizing her husband’s decision to seek the presidency in August as a calling from God. Perry suggested her husband was being targeted for his evangelical Christian faith.
“It’s been a rough month. We have been brutalized and beaten up and chewed up in the press to where I need this today,” she said. “We are being brutalized by our opponents, and our own party. So much of that is, I think they look at him, because of his faith. He is the only true conservative – well, there are some true conservatives. And they’re there for good reasons. And they may feel like God called them too. But I truly feel like we are here for that purpose.”
http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/10/13/8304304-anita-perry-reflects-on-campaigns-rough-month
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XYZ says:
I was for Rick, but his debates have been deplorable. I would actually like to see Newt pull this one out. I am an Evangelical, but the Mormons are protected by their right to Freedom of Religion in the First Ammendment. Michelle Bachmann and Herman Cain are Evangelicals, and Santorum is an Evagelical Catholic, and they have been laying on Rick too. I think we need to separate Democracy from our belief system. Some of the stuff they have done to Perry has been really nasty, including they have a site with Anita in a picture all beaten up accusing Perry of being a wife beater (besides gay, bi, womanizer, strip club attender, orgy attender, hooker user, cocaine user – is he a Northeastern politician by any chance, crook, etc.) Still, look at how Newt Gingrich has faired. I think Newt and John Hoeven….
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Robert Morrow Reply:
October 13th, 2011 at 10:06 pm
A lot of truth in that post … more than you can even dream of.
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