Does “Top Texan” Rick Perry Have Staying Power?
The field of Republican presidential candidates is finally starting to sort itself out — thankfully.
Last weekend, Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann came away the winner of the Iowa Straw Poll, an event that, while officially meaningless, nonetheless provides an opportunity for campaigns to demonstrate their organizational abilities and grassroots support. If nothing else, it does offer at least the start of a preliminary winnowing-out process.
In this case, the straw poll triggered the first official casualty of the primary competition – former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty. His performances in debates and speeches tended to put all but close family friends and relatives asleep.
Bachmann, who campaigned tirelessly in the Hawkeye State, gained bragging rights as the winner of the straw poll. Retiring Texas Rep. Ron Paul, who has largely been dismissed by the media because of his anti-establishment views and libertarian leanings, finished just behind Bachmann. Some observers attribute Paul’s strong showing to his organization’s ability and willingness to simply bus in and pay for large numbers of supporters to attend and then cast votes for their candidate as event such as the Iowa event last week. Even so, his views are resonating with many voters.
The big headline for the week, however, was not Bachmann’s win, Pawlenty’s exit, or Paul’s strong showing, but three-term Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s official declaration that he is a candidate – made not in Iowa, but over the weekend in South Carolina, another early-primary state.
Perry’s record as a pro-business governor whose state has produced more than a third of all jobs in the nation during the so-called “economic recovery,” would pose a formidable threat to President Barack Obama. He would be the one Republican challenger to the President who legitimately can claim to have practiced what all GOP candidates preach — actually to have governed successfully by, in the words of Dallas Federal Reserve Chairman Richard Fisher, “reject[ing] the economic model that now prevails in Washington.”
Just a few days after he entered the race, a Rasmussen poll showed Perry leading former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney by double digits.
Romney had long been viewed as the “frontrunner,” especially among establishment Republicans; although his support has never appeared deep or enthusiastic. Grassroots conservatives and Tea Party activists are skeptical of Romney, largely because of his embrace of government-mandated health insurance, including the health insurance reform bill he pushed through in 2006 while serving as Governor.
Romney’s style on the national campaign trail — honed during the past three years he has been unofficially running for the nomination — works against him. His overly cautious (some might say, boring) delivery on the stump, is in stark contrast to the charismatic deliveries of Bachmann and especially Perry.
Perry has a long way to go to prove himself a fully capable national candidate; as witnessed by his use of the hot-button and unnecessary term “treasonous” in referring to the possibility that Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke might direct the printing of more Federal Reserve Notes in the middle of the campaign).
However, if the Top Texan shows strong fund-raising ability in his early federal campaign filings this Fall – from small as well as major Republican donors – and if he does not make a major gaffe in the next few months, he will be in the driver’s seat to emerge next summer as the GOP’s standard bearer; with the distinct possibility of becoming the next President of the Unite States.
By Bob Barr — The Barr Code
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88 comments Add your comment
Troglodyke
August 19th, 2011
2:51 pm
I’ve never voted Republican in my life, but I truly think only Romney has a shot against Obama. The Tea Party’s full thrust into social issues (even though they kept saying they were only about the economy) will be their downfall. Perry will shine brightly, then I predict his star will dim. Romney has a shot.
Dave
August 19th, 2011
3:02 pm
Texas’s unemployment has nearly doubled under Perry. The numbers would be worse if the state’s largest employer, Fort Hood, hadn’t had a significant number of troops shifted there- something Perry deserves no credit for. Texas is in the bottom 10-15% of the nation in virtually every education category. Texas might have created ‘more jobs’, but that’s because their population has increased dramatically and, as others have noted, they’ve created minimum wage jobs. And if you want an idea of where he stands on big government and private property rights, look at his proposed roads program that would have used eminent domain to seize private farmland all over the state, and then hand that land over to a foreign company for them to build toll roads on. Even the Republicans turned on him for that one. He’s scary.
JustMe
August 19th, 2011
3:04 pm
No way in hell I’d vote for Perry. He is an idiot, he lies constantly and he has that freakin cowboy mentality that I hated so much about Dubya. No more Texans – PLEASE!
Mr Independent
August 19th, 2011
3:10 pm
Eight years of Bush taught me that the President should be intelligent, articulate, analytical, capable of grasping and managing several complex tasks at once, insightful, level-headed, and able to comprehend the written word from left to right, skills Rick does not and will never possess. Not able to formulate and articulate a complete thought or Read More… sentence without using offensive, vulgar, or violent imagery, Rick mocks intellectualism. According to Rick, the answer to what equals 2+2 is a liberal media “gotcha question.” Unfortunately, the anti-intellectual crusade subscribed to by Tea Party Republicans has opened the door for mindless incompetents to seek political office or function as “attack dog” pundits for Fox News. Like the proverbial “Manchurian Candidate,” Rick suffers from confabulation/conflation neurosis and is an empty vessel waiting to be programmed by Neocons, the Koch Brothers, and Tea Party Borgs. Obama saves America from economic annihilation, eliminates Osama, and Rick labels him Un-American, demands to see his birth certificate, advocates repealing the Civil Rights Act, and calls for Obama’s impeachment. Hypocrisy: a cherished plank in the Republican platform. For the time being, Rick’s new mantra seems to be “secede, secede, and secede!” Let’s wipeout the federal deficit, provide “gold standard” healthcare for everyone (just like Congress receives), and guarantee social security and Medicare solvency forever by selling South Carolina, Alabama, Mississippi, and Arizona to China and Texas to Mexico for $165 trillion. Problem solved! Oh, by the way, anyone from Texas seeking national office should undergo a psychiatric evaluation, to include testing for mind altering substances. Let me guess the refreshment of choice in Texas: Kool Aid!
GA Girl
August 19th, 2011
3:18 pm
I will be voting for Ron Paul!
Truth
August 19th, 2011
3:24 pm
Doesn’t matter is he has staying power. Mr. Obama is done in 2012. Mr. Obama really is Jimmy Carter in disguise.
Truth
August 19th, 2011
3:25 pm
I will vote for Herman Cain
West Indian Charlie
August 19th, 2011
3:32 pm
My guess is that the American people love conservative bible toting redneck cowboys from Texas. They come out charging like the reckless gunslingers that they are, branishing their Conservative Christian ideology like revolvers. Look what the last one got us into. Two wars, a wrecked economy,deficits ,expand goverment ,tax cuts for the rich and the list goes on and on. I am no fan of Obama, I think he is a gutless spineless coward, but come on people give the man a chance. You want to elect another cowboy. God help America.
Truth Squad
August 19th, 2011
3:34 pm
Perry’s record as a pro-business governor whose state has produced more than a third of all jobs in the nation during the so-called “economic recovery,” would pose a formidable threat to President Barack Obama.
LOL! Comeon Bob, I expect better analysis from you of all people.
Texas has an unemployment rate of 8.4%. I don’t think that is going to be enough to beat President Obama, especially when one digs deeper into the so-called “Texas Miracle”.
I don’t think President Obama is going to be scared (ask OBL) to go toe-to-toe with a guy who is in a state that shows positive job creation due to leading the nation in creating..government jobs!! Yes, while Texas has created it’s share of minimum wage, no benefits jobs, it is public sector jobs that has fueled the “Miracle”.
You can just see the debate now. Perry goes on and on about less government, and President Obama pulls out Perry’s letters asking for stimulus money and all sorts of government goodies! In others words, President Obama can lay claim to the “Miracle” and have Perry’s words to prove it.
I’m not sure this country is ready to elect a guy whose record is worse than Bush 43. All the dirty PAC and other campaign money in the world isn’t going to convince granny to vote for a guy who believes Social Security is a Ponzi scheme, and thinks that Medicare is unconstitutional. Good luck with that.
Truth
August 19th, 2011
3:46 pm
West Indian Charlie:
Look what the last one got us into. Two wars, a wrecked economy,deficits ,expand goverment ,tax cuts for the rich and the list goes on and on. I am no fan of Obama, I think he is a gutless spineless coward, but come on people give the man a chance.
Why hasn’t Mr. Obama at least tried to get us out of Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya? Why did Mr. Obama extend the Bush tax cuts? Why should be give him a chance, he sounds just like Bush according to your post. He also is expanding the govt. and the deficit.
honky talkin'
August 19th, 2011
3:56 pm
Bob, his hypocrisy will keep him out of the white house. Remember his fierce opposition to the stimulus? Except:
Perry and the Republican-controlled Texas legislature requested, received and used $6.4 billion in stimulus money to help balance the budget. 97 percent of the budget shortfall was filled with stimulus money. In addition to the $6.4 billion to balance Rick Perry’s budget deficits, Texas also used $5.7 billion in stimulus money in 2010 for “programs such as highway and bridge construction, child care development programs and weatherization assistance.” That’s a total of $12,100,000,000 in total stimulus money for Rick Perry’s Texas in one year alone.
Rick Perry is responsible for Texas being the second biggest state recipient of ARRA stimulus dollars.
RGB
August 19th, 2011
4:04 pm
Looks like Obama has the Christian persecution vote sewn up…again.
What are you people afraid of?
Common Tater
August 19th, 2011
4:06 pm
How do we know Perry was really born in Texas? Let’s see that long form birth certifcate.
RGB
August 19th, 2011
4:09 pm
Ever notice that nobody ever uses the term “religious left”.
That’s because liberals don’t want any of their behavior to be accountable to anybody–especially God.
Armed with no accountability, they produce policies that nationalize industry, punish producers, encourage disgusting moral behavior, wreck the free enterprise system, and destroy the pillars that made this country prosperous.
I guess 23 million unemployed and $17 trillion of debt are not enough. Oh, but at least we canned DADT and DOMA. NOW the economy will really grow. Who thought a Harvard education wouldn’t pay dividends?
From his porch on Martha’s Vineyard, Obama can see 23 million unemployed Americans. And Chappaquiddick.
JAMES1
August 19th, 2011
4:23 pm
All the dems have to do is show where in his book in 1996 he said he wanted to do away with social security and medicare and he won’t have a chance what are elderly people supposed to do starve
West Indian Charlie
August 19th, 2011
4:23 pm
Truth:
Let the truth be told. President Obama inherited a mess from the Texan cowboy.That been said he went about fixing the mess in a cowardly manner allowing himself to be bullied by the same Republicans that got us into the mess in the first place. I said I am no fan of his, I have run out of patience wih him but would still give him a chance to show that he has some backbone and implement his solutions to right this ship regardless of how the republicans feel and said about it. I don’t Hillary Clinton if she was the President would allow herself to be tossed about like a rag doll the way the
republicans have done with Obama. I actually think Romney would make a good President but the religious far right would make sure it never happen. After all he is a Mormon in their view not a real christian.
Rick Perry is riding his horse and leading his posse to Washington DC. There will be a new cowboy in town. Get ready for mayhem people.
old timer
August 19th, 2011
4:30 pm
Yes, Texas has a lot of low wage jobs. But, I know Atlantans who would like thaose jobs. I think Rick Perry might make it. Right now I am listening to Herman Cain and his plan to improve the economy. He has some really goood ideas.9-9-9- and repatrioting overseas money. We need some new thinking. I am tired of the Presient speaking…all words…just words.
parasite
August 19th, 2011
4:46 pm
the gop is the anti-christ. They’ve turned Jesus’ message upside down-zero empathy and compassion for the poor.
Jefferson
August 19th, 2011
5:21 pm
He’s a nit wit.
sam
August 19th, 2011
6:00 pm
I like Ron Paul too. I will probably throw my primary vote away on him. He makes the most sense, and is truly a conservative. He is right on fiscal matters, and he stays out of the bedroom stuff. Good man. Problem for him is that he is unlikely to be bought. All the rest are. Take a look at maplight.org to see just exactly how many millions are paid to each politician and where the money comes from. Then, you will understand their vote.
parasite
August 19th, 2011
6:13 pm
If there is a God, he’s a dead-beat Dad.
George M. Marshall
August 19th, 2011
7:13 pm
Governor Rick Perry reminds me of nothing so much as Elmer Gantry the hypocritical religious hustler in Sinclair Lewis’ novel of the same name.
farm boy
August 19th, 2011
8:01 pm
Christine Mcdonnell 2012: the first Hocus POTUS.
The Kid
August 19th, 2011
11:02 pm
Perry is the ruggedly handsome tough talking dumb GREAT WHITE HOPE that the racist element in this country has been waiting for. These types will be the down-fall of America. There are people the world over who are willing to die to eliminate this evil. People like Perry is why we had such a tragedy as 9/11. Can’t you people see this? It was this same element that brought about the Civil War in this country. .
DeborahinAthens
August 20th, 2011
5:54 am
Perry took over 700 billion dollars from the Feds, his “job creation” is not of his doing. If every state had the oil industry that Texas does when oil went over $100 a barrel, those states would also have more jobs. This man is a “swaggart” just like Dubya the dumb. It is obvious what the Republican Agenda is…to do whatever they can do, say whatever needs to be said,no matter how stupid it is to keep Obama from being re-elected. Why didn’t anyone call Michele Bachmann on her most recent groundless sound bite? She said when she was POTUS, gas would magically drop to below $2 a gallon. Her religious lap dog audience lapped it up. But they also think the earth is only a few thousand years old and homosexuality is a curable “disease”. You Repugs keep plugging the field with the whacko nut jobs. Remember it was another “swaggart” that got us here.
marko
August 20th, 2011
7:02 am
Perry took office when oil was selling for 27 dollars a barrel. It has since sold for as high as a 140 dollars a barrel. Texas thrives or dies by the price of oil. this is the main reason Texas’s economy has boomed the last decade not Perry’s policies of low corporate taxes and lax regulatory policies.
The fact is Texas is much better off today than other western states because it has some of the strictest mortgage regulations in the country. Arizona and Nevada wouldn’t be in their current dilemmas had they followed The Lone Star States prudent example.
Most the new jobs Perry boast about are of the minimum wage variety. Texas follows only Mississippi in the percentage of it’s population working minimum wage.
I’ve learned over the years that facts don’t count for much when your dealing with conservatives, but the truth is Mitt Romney’s Massachusetts actually has lower unemployment than Texas. Fewer people by far working for minimum wages. A diverse modern economy not dependent on rising or falling oil prices. And thanks to good old Mitt, nearly universal health care coverage.
When Mitt took office, Massachusetts bond ratings had been lowered because of his states mounting debt concerns. Mitt corrected the problem through a combination of tax increases and spending cuts. Sound familiar? Compared to Perry, Mitt has a solid record of real accomplishment. The funny thing is that to receive the Republican nomination he has to lie about or deny nearly everything he’s ever accomplished. Mitt will never be elected the president of the United States. He’s not crazy enough.
AmVet
August 20th, 2011
2:13 pm
Anyone seen my welfare check?
Jefferson
August 20th, 2011
2:14 pm
Obama is gonna buy my gasoline for my trailer.
Jefferson
August 20th, 2011
2:26 pm
“I can get behind a truly solid fiscal policy, too, but not from a religious wacko.”
No one cares about your vote, confused one.
MrLiberty
August 20th, 2011
9:05 pm
I just can’t understand how any republican could ever be for Perry.
He was campaign director for Al Gore in Texas and was a democrat before switching parties when Gore lost.
He promoted the creation of the Nafta Globalist Superhighway and the siezure of 500,000 acres of private Texas land for the construction (all the highway contracts going to his friends and contributors of course).
He signed an executive order forcing every teenage girl in Texas to get the Guardasil vaccine (at Texas taxpayer expense – around $375 per shot). This despite the fact that the vaccine has killed dozens of girls and left hundreds of others permanently brain damaged. His chief of staff was a former Merck employee (the vaccine mfg.) and the company contributed thousands to his gubenatorial campaign.
He attended 2 Bilderberg conferences (google them if you don’t know who they are). One while governor of Texas in violation of federal laws.
He has sold billions in bonds and gone billions into debt on behalf of the citizens of Texas despite the state’s previous history of fiscal responsibility. He also took billions of stimulus dollars for the state.
Isn’t it time to stop supporting candidates just because you think they can win against the president? Isn’t that how we ended up with Bush and how we ended up with McCain as the party nominee? How about some real principles for a change?
Ron Paul 2012. End the Fed (yeah, Ron coined that phrase WAY before Guardasil Rick got on the bandwagon).
Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will crush the heads of the perverted New World Order integrationist crowd and their devilish black minions
August 20th, 2011
10:45 pm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cv8jt_yLyUc&feature=related
Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will crush the heads of the perverted New World Order integrationist crowd and their devilish black minions
August 20th, 2011
10:46 pm
http://www.infowars.com/ron-paul-theyre-setting-the-stage-for-violence-in-this-country/
Junkyard Jack
August 21st, 2011
10:24 am
Is a frog’s arse water-tight?
Dusty
August 21st, 2011
9:25 pm
Mr. Barr
Gov Perry has shown us what staying power is. Texans have voted him into office in triplicate. The man has a feeling of strength which is what this country needs. That is, a feeling that a strong person is president of this country and not some smooth talking intellectual who has really never “run” anything.
No need to worry about Gov. Perry’s “staying power”. He will take care of that just like he has already done.
Let the amateurs step back. Gov. Perry is here and ready.
Does “Top Texan” Rick Perry Have Staying Power? | The Barr Code – Slinking Toward Retirement
August 22nd, 2011
1:40 am
[...] Does “Top Texan” Rick Perry Have Staying Power? | The Barr Code. Share this:EmailFacebookRedditDiggPrint Posted in Opinion, Politics, United States – [...]
rtyecript
August 23rd, 2011
9:00 am
I really liked the article, and the very cool blog
SaveOurRepublic
August 23rd, 2011
12:47 pm
Mr.Liberty @ 21:05 (8/20), well stated. It’s great to see fellow Americans who’ve done a little homework on the NeoCON, Globalist shills (in addition to their “liberal” Globalist controlled “counter”parts). As I’ve stated many times, the DNC & GOP “leadership” are 2 sides of the same (Globalist controlled) coin!
Junior Samples
August 24th, 2011
2:44 pm
the bar is set really low since obama stunk up the white house. no matter who the republicans throw in there should win. only obama could have made bush look like a genius.