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Candidate-Rick Perry


Rheo

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I like Rick Perry, and I liked his announcement speech very much. He is already making the left tremble in their boots, as they should - Perry is quite a formidable candidate and has never lost an election in his life. He has already been vetted, being a GOP candidate for the governor of Texas three times, the MSM will vet you. Immigration policy is his weak spot, IMO.

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I like Rick Perry, and I liked his announcement speech very much. He is already making the left tremble in their boots, as they should - Perry is quite a formidable candidate and has never lost an election in his life. He has already been vetted, being a GOP candidate for the governor of Texas three times, the MSM will vet you. Immigration policy is his weak spot, IMO.

 

 

Right Scoop TV: Rick Perry discusses illegal immigration

I think you'll like it.

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Is Rick Perry as Christian as He Thinks He Is?
: The Atlantic

 

-----

Hmmmm, don't recall any headlines about Obama along these lines.

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I dont intend to bash Perry, Palin or Paul...

 

I have my opinions but like the Reagan thoughts of NOT speaking poorly of fellow Republicans

 

It is disgraceful the discourse (if I can use that gentle of a word) that is going on at a certain prominent "conservative" site.

 

There is a way to share information & facts in a non attacking way..

 

Thanks Rheo for these threads & all who share various insights

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one more thought.. the positively worst candidate on the GOP side has to be 100% better than the sorry mess we have at POTUS now

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I don't know. Was doing some reading earlier about how some Independents, and even Republicans, who voted for the "o" don't like his policies, BUT, they haven't seen any Republican candidate that "wows" them.

 

I hope Perry can change that. All the others have been so controversial and there doesn't seem to be anyone running that the party at large can get behind.

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I have been praying - and despairing looking at the GOP field - for Perry to feel moved to enter the race.

 

Now, the Dragon Slayer Hath Arrived - and those dwelling in the deep, humid, lifeless darkness of the cave that is the current White House are quaking in their boots ....

 

Rick Perry is THE ideal type of candidate (and the ONLY such candidate on the GOP side) to defeat Obama.

 

He is the ANTI-Obama.

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Is Rick Perry as Christian as He Thinks He Is?
: The Atlantic

 

-----

Hmmmm, don't recall any headlines about Obama along these lines.

 

clearvision!

 

I think it was long these lines:

 

Is Obama as Muslim as he thinks he is?

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I dont intend to bash Perry, Palin or Paul...

 

I have my opinions but like the Reagan thoughts of NOT speaking poorly of fellow Republicans

 

It is disgraceful the discourse (if I can use that gentle of a word) that is going on at a certain prominent "conservative" site.

 

There is a way to share information & facts in a non attacking way..

 

Thanks Rheo for these threads & all who share various insights

 

That so called "conservative" site is anything but. They ran off every rational person. Now it is mostly a collection of religious fundamentalists (and by that I mean people who act holier than thou while pounding their Bible, and would love a Christian theocracy in the US), religious bigots, outright racists, some white supremacists, and a smattering of other kooks.

 

The biggest bloc there are the Palinistas, not Palin supporters. Palinistas are people who will only support Palin, will do their best to destroy any other candidate, will not vote or will write her in if she doesn't run, and do their best to drive away or get banned anyone who doesn't agree with them. They call everyone else a RINO, even people like Allen West, Marco Rubio, and Paul Ryan.

 

There are two over there, who spam every Perry thread. One posts this mile long copy & paste collection of links and rants, and the other a link to his "Rick Perry Facts" twitter account.

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one more thought.. the positively worst candidate on the GOP side has to be 100% better than the sorry mess we have at POTUS now

Can I get an Amen on that!!

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Five Myths About Rick Perry

Gov. Rick Perry of Texas is now the frontrunner for the Republican nomination. Many people are aware of his focus on the Tenth Amendment, his state’s tremendous record of job creation (40% of all jobs created since the beginning of the recession have been in Texas), and his formidable campaigning abilities. But as with all other Republican candidates, there are rumors swirling about his positions and history that are worth examining. Let’s take them, point by point.

 

Myth #1: Perry is the return of Bush and therefore unelectable.

 

Unlike Sarah Palin, Perry is literally undefeated. He has never lost an election – that’s ten straight contested elections. In 2008, Perry ripped President Bush’s high-spending approach to governance. In revenge, the entire Bush political team – Bush 41, James Baker, Karl Rove, Karen Hughes — mobilized against him in 2010, backing squishy Republican Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison in the gubernatorial race. Hutchison started up with a 25 point lead, thanks to that support. By the end of the primaries, Hutchison was down 22 points. That’s a 47 point swing, folks. Perry is able to gain wide and deep support. He’s not Bush – Karl Rove is already attacking him. And he knows how to punch his opponents in the mouth, as Mitt Romney is already learning.

 

Myth #2: Perry is soft on social issues.

 

This is perhaps the most bizarre assertion by some of Perry’s opponents. They accuse him of vacillating on gay marriage, and point to his support for mandatory HPV vaccinations as evidence that he’s soft on premarital sex. Both of these points are wrong. Perry is staunchly anti-gay marriage. He is also staunch Tenth Amendment, which means that he believes that states should have the right to pick their poison (an eminently correct Constitutional position). Thus, “If you don’t support the death penalty and citizens packing a pistol, don’t come to Texas.” He does support a federal marriage amendment. As far as the HPV vaccination, Perry has made clear he went about it the wrong way – he did sign an executive order allowing folks to opt out, but says he shouldn’t have mandated anything in the first place. His support for the measure was driven, he says with credibility, by his hatred for cancer, of which several of his family members have died.

 

Myth #3: Perry is a religious fanatic.

 

Based on his speech at “The Response” earlier this month, some are attempting to paint Perry as a religious kook, a weirdo who thinks he takes his orders from on high. Perry is no such thing. He supported a very secular Rudy Giuliani in the 2008 election cycle. He has heavy support from the religious Jewish community. His federalism conflicts with many of the stances of the more far-right religious communities. Perry’s religiosity should be an asset rather than a detriment in this campaign.snip

 

http://frontpagemag.com/2011/08/17/5-myths-about-rick-perry/

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Rick Perry's Bad Medicine - Michelle Malkin

 

Texas, we have a problem. Your GOP governor is running for president against Barack Obama. Yet, one of his most infamous acts as executive of the nation's second-largest state smacks of every worst habit of the Obama administration. And his newly crafted rationalizations for the atrocious decision are positively Clintonesque.

 

In February 2007, Texas Gov. Rick Perry signed a shocking executive order forcing every sixth-grade girl to submit to a three-jab regimen of the Gardasil vaccine. He also forced state health officials to make the vaccine available "free" to girls ages 9 to 18. The drug, promoted by manufacturer Merck as an effective shield against the sexually transmitted human papillomavirus (HPV) and genital warts, as well as cervical cancer, had only been approved by the Food and Drug Administration eight months prior to Perry's edict.

 

Gardasil's wear-off time and long-term side effects have yet to be determined. "Serious questions" remain about its "overall effectiveness," according to the Journal of the American Medical Association. Even the chair of the federal panel that recommended Gardasil for children opposes mandating it as a condition of school enrollment. Young girls and boys are simply not at an increased risk of contracting HPV in the classroom the way they are at risk of contracting measles or other school-age communicable diseases.

 

Perry defenders pointed to a bogus "opt-out" provision in his mandate "to protect the right of parents to be the final authority on their children's health care." But requiring parents to seek the government's permission to keep an untested drug out of their kids' veins is a plain usurpation of their authority. Translation: Ask your bureaucratic overlord to determine if a Gardasil waiver is right for you.

 

Libertarians and social conservatives alike slammed Perry's reckless disregard for parental rights and individual liberty. The Republican-dominated legislature also balked. In May 2007, both chambers passed bills overturning the governor's unilaterally imposed health order.

 

Fast-forward five years. After announcing his 2012 presidential bid this weekend, Perry now admits he "didn't do my research well enough" on the Gardasil vaccine before stuffing his bad medicine down Texans' throats. On Monday, he added: "That particular issue is one that I readily stand up and say I made a mistake on. I listened to the legislature ... and I agreed with their decision."snip

 

 

http://townhall.com/columnists/michellemalkin/2011/08/17/rick_perrys_bad_medicine

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Barbour: Candidates from South should expect media nitpicking

Daniel Strauss - 08/19/11

 

Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour ® defended comments Texas Gov. Rick Perry made about the Federal Reserve and said presidential candidates from the South have to be prepared for nitpicking by the liberal media.

 

"I think Rick Perry has to get prepared for the fact that he's gonna be nitpicked by the liberal media elite for everything he says and that he has to be very careful because everything that he says that can be taken out of context, will be taken out of context," Barbour said Friday on MSNBC. "When you are a conservative Christian Southerner Republican you have to expect that."

 

"My point is that Rick Perry, as a candidate for president, or Haley Barbour if I had run, or Mike Huckabee if he had run, every one of us has to be prepared to be nitpicked by the mainstream media, and so you've gotta run your campaign learning to avoid that," Barbour continued.

 

(Snip)

 

__________________________________________________________

 

Now tell us something we don't already know Haley.

In the MSM the and the left (and the farther Left you go the more pronounced/blatant it becomes) the default position is white conservative Christian Southerner Republican's (and I would add Conservative from wherever) are racists.

Non White/non male Conservatives are it goes without saying sell outs and race/gender traitors....see Janeane Garofalo's latest as a classic example.

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I know what you're talking about, Ghost - I believe in th Eleventh Commandment by RR, and I've about decided on Ricky Perry, but some of the other GOP contenders would do. I just think he's the best of the lot.

 

 

Well it's obvious that you're a big government open borders tree hugging squishy moderate who doesn't really believe in the Constitution, and is working to usher in the (cue the theme from jaws) NWO :P

At least according to some sites.

 

If I may paraphrase Mitt Romney (you know he's a Mormon :D) "Any of these folks would be a better President than the one we have now."

 

Right Hand To God! I think some on our side when picking who to support look at the candidates, and then without fail pick one who has no chance of winning the nomination let alone the general election!

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National Journal: K Street Not a Perry Power Center

Chris Frates

8/19/11

 

Ask Republican lobbyists or operatives who Rick Perry’s K Street boosters are, and some variation of “I don’t really know” is likely to roll off their tongues. Unlike some of its predecessors, Perry’s nascent presidential campaign counts only a handful of influential rainmakers among its supporters.

 

And, so far, little evidence indicates that Washington will become the kind of fundraising power center for Perry that it is for rival GOP contender Mitt Romney. In the White House cash dash, the Texas governor’s much-feared fundraising machine seems to view Washington more as a rest stop than a destination.

 

“I’m not certain that that’s a bad thing that they don’t have tremendous Washington ties. Because, right now, Washington, D.C. is one of the most unpopular cities in the world, and I think people are looking for an outsider to straighten out Washington, D.C. the way he did in Texas,” said Matt Keelen, a GOP lobbyist who is working Capitol Hill on Perry’s behalf. “I think he’s going to be a fairly nontraditional Republican candidate. I just don’t see him facing or centering a lot of his attention in Washington.”

 

(Snip)

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shout clearvision Does the governor of TX prepare and submit a budget or does the legislature come up with one?

 

The Administrative branch prepares a budget proposal based on individual agency budget submissions. The legislature must then approve or disapprove. After the legislature passes on a budget in agreement with the governor's office, that budget must be reviewed and approved by the State Comptroller's office. The budget then goes back to the governor to be signed into law.

 

It is interesting to note that this process takes an entire year. Texas is the only state that I am aware of that passes it's budget to cover two years instead of just one. This is necessary because their legislature is only in session during odd numbered years.

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righteousmomma

I am at this point neutral on Perry (as a former naturalized Texan ;) who has not lived there since 1988 ) but have said it before here and will again there are some in Texas who usually vote on our side but CANNOT STAND Rick Perry.

 

I have tried to ask why several times and all I get is some vague answer about "cutting the education budget", living in a lavish house and "the fool called for Texas to secede". I tried to point out that the latter was hyperbole based on Texanese but - no go.

 

I have also tried to point out that their main source of news on Perry is The Dallas Morning News which had the following endorsement:

 

"Editorial: We recommend White for governor

 

Published 17 October 2010 03:38 AM

 

Rick Perry's campaign suggests that his cowboy swagger and his disdain for Washington, D.C. should be enough to convince voters that he's the leader Texas needs.

 

The state's longest-serving governor is so certain his tenure should be extended that Perry has glided through this re-election bid with an impervious air, shrugging off tough questions and offering few specifics. Trust me, Perry tells voters, I know what I'm doing.

 

But in fact, Perry, 60, has done relatively little during a decade at the helm of state government. He can lay claim to few signature achievements. He lacks allies in the Legislature, and whether the issue is school finance, transportation or juvenile justice, he has not managed to see needed reforms through to conclusion.

 

The Republican governor is counting on the state's relatively strong economy to secure his third full term in office. But Texas' business-friendly environment predates Perry and will extend beyond his time in office. And now, with a deficit of up to $21 billion looming, more than budget bravado and a "taxes bad" mantra will be required to keep Texas on solid financial footing.

 

The state needs a solutions-oriented leader who is focused on bolstering Texas - not on doing battle with Washington. Record of pragmatism

 

Democrat Bill White is better-suited to steer this ship of state through the challenges ahead.

 

The former mayor of Houston is a fiscal conservative with a progressive bent. He's more pragmatic than partisan. He's proven himself competent in business and in public office. Indeed, he's a bit of a throwback - in the best Texas tradition of the businessman governor.

 

We don't make this recommendation lightly. This newspaper has a long history of recommending Rick Perry for office against Democrats ­ from agriculture commissioner to the governor's office. But Texas requires a different kind of leadership at this important juncture.

 

Bill White is an entrepreneur and an energy expert who succeeded in the private sector before branching out into public service. White, 56, has no use for Perry's swashbuckling, coyote-shooting style. The Democratic candidate is meticulous and analytical, hesitant to overpromise but determined to solve Texas' most pressing problems.

 

As Houston's mayor, White proved himself to be adept at balancing budgets, managing to cut property tax rates repeatedly. He drew national acclaim for his leadership in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

 

And White laid waste to the idea that environmentally friendly policies inevitably were bad for business - a myth that Perry perpetuates as he fights to maintain Texas' right to pollute with impunity. In Houston, White struck a careful balance, proving that a city could go green and still be open for business.

 

As governor, White would be well-positioned to deliver in areas where Perry has fallen short.

 

For example, Texas' transportation infrastructure needs are daunting and urgent. Yet Perry seems to be stumped when it comes to offering workable funding options for building roads. The governor's go-to move is to blame Washington - and he does, for not sending more money. That's a fine lament, but it won't pay for any new lane miles.

 

White recognizes the need for new revenue sources and supports allowing counties to call elections to raise funds for transportation projects. This local-option approach has the support of North Texas transportation leaders but would stand a better chance in the Legislature with the backing of the governor. The blurring of lines

 

During Perry's decades in elected office and two-plus terms as governor, ethical lines have slowly blurred as more and more high-dollar campaign donors have received appointments or state funds. Perry surrounds himself with a sea of people echoing his views. And he wields his power forcefully, making clear that those who dare to disagree with him can be replaced. When a Texas Tech regent endorsed Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison in the GOP gubernatorial primary, he said he was pressured to resign by a Perry emissary delivering a definitive message: The governor expects loyalty.

 

Even more troubling is the governor's apparent loyalty to campaign donors. Perry has played a pivotal role in awarding millions of taxpayer dollars from the Texas Emerging Technology Fund to companies with investors or officers who also happen to be the governor's campaign donors - an uncomfortable and unacceptable arrangement that cries out for an overhaul.

 

Fortunately, White has outlined a number of ethics reforms that would change the way the governor's office operates. His common-sense proposals include limiting contributions from appointees, extending the waiting period before governor's staff members can work as lobbyists and requiring gubernatorial staffers to file personal financial statements.

 

While White is better-equipped to navigate the state's budget woes and handle a number of other difficult tasks, his ideas about education have disappointed thus far. He has complained about the emphasis on high-stakes testing but failed to offer a specific alternative that would hold schools accountable. White's views may yet evolve in the realm of education, and this one point of disagreement does not outweigh the Democrat's many other good ideas.

 

Perry's strident, tea party tone and strong-arm style won't serve Texas well for another four years. While White's focus has been on finding solutions in Austin, Perry has done little more than rail against Washington's problems. The governor's gaze seems to have drifted from the tasks at hand, as he openly discusses his aspirations of elevating his national profile.

 

White is right when he says that leadership has little to do with delivering a speech and much more to do with having a sense of mission. White is a man with a mission, a leader who will bring a purposeful determination to the governor's office.

 

Libertarian Kathie Glass, 57, a lawyer, and Green Party candidate Deb Shafto, 71, a retired teacher and business owner, also are on the ballot. But White's broad base of expertise and modern managerial style make him the best choice for governor and earn him our recommendation."

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Kinky for Perry

Kinky Friedman once ran against Rick Perry for the Texas governorship. So would the singer and writer vote for him for president? Hell, yes! The world’s most famous Jewish cowboy on why he wants to live in Rick Perry’s America.

Kinky Friedman

Aug 24, 2011

 

 

Rick Perry has never lost an election; I’ve never won one. Maybe that’s what’s wrong with the world. On the other hand, I’ve long been friends with Bill Clinton and George W., and Rick Perry and I, though at times bitter adversaries, have remained friends as well. It’s not always easy to maintain friendships with politicians. To paraphrase Charles Lamb, you have to work at it like some men toil after virtue.

 

I have been quoted as saying that when I die, I am to be cremated, and the ashes are to be thrown in Rick Perry’s hair. Yet, simply put, Rick Perry and I are incapable of resisting each other’s charm. He is not only a good sport, he is a good, kindhearted man, and he once sat in on drums with ZZ Top. A guy like that can’t be all bad. When I ran for governor of Texas as an independent in 2006, the Crips and the Bloods ganged up on me. When I lost, I drove off in a 1937 Snit, refusing to concede to Perry. Three days later Rick called to give me a gracious little pep talk, effectively talking me down from jumping off the bridge of my nose. Very few others were calling at that time, by the way. Such is the nature of winning and losing and politicians and life. You might call what Rick did an act of random kindness. Yet in my mind it made him more than a politician, more than a musician; it made him a mensch.

 

These days, of course, I would support Charlie Sheen over Obama. Obama has done for the economy what pantyhose did for foreplay.

 

(Snip)

 

As a Jewish cowboy (or “Juusshh,” as we say in Texas), I know Rick Perry to be a true friend of Israel, like Bill Clinton and George W. before him. There exists a visceral John Wayne kinship between Israelis and Texans, and Rick Perry gets it. That’s why he’s visited Israel on many more occasions than Obama, who’s been there exactly zero times as president. If I were Obama I wouldn’t go either. His favorability rating in Israel once clocked in at 4 percent. Say what you will about the Israelis, but they are not slow out of the chute. They know who their friends are. On the topic of the Holy Land, there remains the little matter of God. God talks to televangelists, football coaches, and people in mental hospitals. Why shouldn’t he talk to Rick Perry? In the spirit of Joseph Heller, I have a covenant with God. I leave him alone and he leaves me alone. If, however, I have a big problem, I ask God for the answer. He tells Rick Perry. And Rick tells me.

 

So would I support Rick Perry for president? Hell, yes! As the last nail that hasn’t been hammered down in this country, I agree with Rick that there are already too damn many laws, taxes, regulations, panels, committees, and bureaucrats. While Obama is busy putting the hyphen between “anal” and “retentive” Rick will be rolling up his sleeves and getting to work.

 

(Snip)

 

 

I Love It!!!!

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WestVirginiaRebel

Perry signs pledge on anti-gay marriage amendment

 

 

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Rick Perry has signed a pledge to back a federal constitutional amendment against gay marriage — a reversal from a month ago when the Texas governor said he so supported individual states' rights that he was fine with New York's approval of same-sex marriage.

 

The pledge by the National Organization for Marriage states that, if elected, Perry will send a Constitutional amendment defining marriage as the union of one man and one woman to the states for ratification, and appoint U.S. Supreme Court and federal judges who will "reject the idea our Founding Fathers inserted a right to gay marriage into our Constitution."

 

Others vying for the Republican presidential nomination, including Michelle Bachmann, Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum, have also signed it, according to Brian Brown, president of Washington-based National Organization for Marriage, which campaigns against same-sex marriage.

 

While far from a surprise, Perry's decision raised some eyebrows because it appears to contradict his previous position that this is an issue that should be left up to individual legislatures.

 

Perry won applause at a Republican conference in Colorado on July 22 when he said of New York's same-sex marriage law, "that's New York, and that's their business, and that's fine with me."

 

Those comments alarmed some conservatives, however, and Perry moved to soothe fears the following week when he said during a broadcast interview with Tony Perkins of the conservative Family Research Council, "I probably needed to add a few words after that 'It's fine with me.'"

 

"Obviously gay marriage is not fine with me. My stance hasn't changed. I believe marriage is a union between one man and one woman," Perry told Perkins.

 

His signing of the pledge reiterates that clarification. Perry spokesman Mark Miner did not return phone messages seeking further comment Friday.

________

 

Backpedaling?

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  • 2 weeks later...

The Vetoes of Rick Perry

 

 

 

In Texas, they called it the “Father’s Day Massacre.”

 

In June 2001, fresh off his first legislative session as governor, Rick Perry vetoed 79 bills on the last day of his veto period — the time in which a governor can sign bills, veto them, or allow them to become law without his signature. Added to the three bills he had vetoed prior, Perry’s annihilation shattered the record for a Texas governor. (Perry easily knocked off Republican Bill Clements, who had axed 59 bills in 1989, from his first-place perch.) It was also a marked change from George W. Bush’s governing style: Bush had never vetoed more than 37 bills in a year.

 

The dramatic gesture paid off.

 

The Austin American-Statesman analyzed over 500 e-mails and letters that were sent to Perry’s office in the aftermath of the vetoes, and found the response overwhelmingly positive. Perry, the American-Statesman reported, “appears to have energized people who support the death penalty, oppose abortion, are wary of more government — and whose turnout at the polls is necessary for him to win a full term in the 2002 election.” Winning the trust of conservatives was important for Perry. Before the vetoes, he had signed a hate-crimes bill that was opposed by many conservatives — his office was inundated with calls the days before the bill hit his desk — and was the Democrats’ “top priority” that session, according to Texas political analyst William Lutz.

But if the vetoes soothed conservative voters’ concerns about Perry, they carried other political liabilities. He angered state doctors when he killed a bill that would have forced insurers to pay doctors more promptly. Another controversial piece of legislation he vetoed was one that would have prohibited the execution of mentally retarded criminals.

 

Both Republican and Democratic bills were derailed, although not equally: Fifty-six of the 82 bills vetoed had a Democrat as lead sponsor. When some legislators complained that the vetoes had been unexpected, Perry campaign consultant Dave Carney brushed off the complaints, telling the San Antonio Express-News that the charges were “great revisionist history.”

 

“That’s what I would say, too, if someone vetoed my bill. Would you say you passed terrible legislation that deserved to be vetoed?” Carney added.

 

The stunt also earned Perry accusations of being influenced by campaign donations. Perry racked up $1.2 million in campaign donations in the period after the session ended (state law at the time forbade legislators and state officeholders from accepting donations when the legislature was in session) but before the veto period had concluded. Perry hauled in $175,000 the first day after the session ended, the majority from members of Texans for Lawsuit Reform. That group opposed four bills — and Perry vetoed all of them, a decision that did not go unnoticed by Texas media. “Instead of accepting tens of thousands of dollars from the tort reform group during that period, Perry could have — and should have — imposed a prohibition on political fund raising until after June 17,” an Austin American-Statesman editorial scolded. State law was eventually changed to ban political contributions until after the veto period had passed.snip

 

http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/276264/vetoes-rick-perry-katrina-trinko

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The Piñata at the Party

 

"I kinda feel like the piñata at the party," said Rick Perry as he fought off swings from all sides at Wednesday's debate. That produced the only excitement in an otherwise lackluster event, full of tired gimmicks such as questions from Twitter users and the appearance of a Telemundo journalist to ask Hispanic-related questions. NBC's debate looked drab compared to Fox's last one.

 

Perry seemed to survive his debate debut, the principal source of drama for the evening. His performance was neither impeccable nor disastrous. At the very least he didn't pull a Pawlenty. He seized his chance to nail Mitt Romney, introducing one interesting piece of information into the conversation: that "Michael Dukakis created jobs three times faster than you did, Mitt." A bit stung, Romney rejoined that "George Bush and his predecessor created jobs at a faster rate than you did, Governor."

 

Romney said that his business experience makes him more qualified than "career politicians" to create jobs as president. But Perry took some air out of his balloon by pointing out that that business experience didn't help Romney create jobs in Massachusetts. It ranked near the bottom of the country in that category. Perry noted that Texas had created more jobs in a few months than the Bay State under Romney created in four years. Romney tried to explain quickly the difficulties of governing in a liberal state but primary voters probably don't care about Romney's misfortune.

 

Romney, though smooth enough for most of the debate, played a dangerous game by cheap-shotting Perry on Social Security. How dare Perry call Social Security a "Ponzi scheme," said Romney, who presented himself as a champion of Social Security and Perry as a destroyer of it. But Social Security is a Ponzi scheme for the young and Perry properly stood by his remark and calls for Social Security reform.

Of course, the media perked up at Romney's line of attack and now see him in a new and welcome light. A few journalists ventured to say that Romney won the debate and improved his chances of nomination, as they gushed over his robust defense of Social Security. But how does that stance possibly help Romney stop Perry's momentum in the primaries? Primary voters won't be offended by Perry's insistence that Social Security is a Ponzi scheme in need of serious reform. Already suspicious of Romney on health care, they won't take kindly to his establishment-style scare-mongering against Perry on Social Security. That line of attack just reinforces Romney's shaky credentials as a conservative. Then again, Romney may not care about this; by going for Perry's jugular on Social Security, he has clearly decided to win as the establishment candidate.

 

By standing his ground and asserting that the problems of the country are severe enough to justify "provocative" stances, Perry appears far more exciting than a moderate Republican preserver of Social Security as we know it. To be uncowed by establishment expectations doesn't hurt Perry at all. When one of the moderators tried to throw a Karl Rove quote in his face, he succinctly and cuttingly replied, "I am not responsible for Karl anymore."snip

 

http://spectator.org/archives/2011/09/08/the-piata-at-the-party

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Rick Perry On Science

 

In writing about Governor Rick Perry's approach to science, the New Republic's Jonathan Chait argues:

 

[Perry] rejects scientific findings when they complicate his theological or ideological worldview. He's accused climate scientists of running a corrupt scam -- a deranged belief that's increasingly common among movement conservatives.

 

What's more, the implications of Perry's willingness to discard science go well beyond scientific issues. It suggests a general unwillingness to acknowledge empirical results that run counter to one's ideological dispositions. That was an enormous problem in the Bush administration, but ultimately one, it seems, conservatives are happy to repeat.

 

Talk about deranged. Chait is claiming that Perry simply ignores reality when it is at odds with ideology. Sort of like EPA administrator Lisa Jackson continuing to link ozone levels to the risk of autism or John Holdren, Obama's science adviser, writing about global warming: "Isn't the only hope for the planet that the industrialized civilizations collapse? Isn't it our responsibility to bring that about?" Or maybe he was thinking about how Centers for Disease Control and Prevention delayed the rollout of the swine flu program. CDC and the White House caved in to the anti-vaccine crazies and pulled multi-dose swine flu shots because they contained thimerasol.

By contrast, Perry follows the science when it establishes a causal link between one event or mechanism and a measurable outcome. When his executive order requiring the HPV vaccine for all girls entering sixth grade was overridden by the Texas legislature, Perry rejected arguments by some social conservatives that vaccinating girls and young women against HPV might encourage premarital sex. In a written message about his decision, Perry said even if they do make wrong choices, the "greater imperative is to protect life." Perry also said that attempts to discredit the HPV vaccine amount to "hyperbole that doesn't stand up in light of clinical data."

 

As the headline for a National Public Radio report stated: "Perry Position On HPV Vaccine For Girls Followed Expert Medical Advice." NPR reported, "The vaccine is recommended for girls at age 11 or 12 not just by the federal government's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, but also the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Academy of Family Physicians, and Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine."

 

During the recent Republican presidential debate, Bachmann, Santorum, and Ron Paul seemed to suggest that parental rights trump immunization requirements in every case. (Do they oppose all immunization requirements for children?) Even then, this reaction against vaccines crosses party lines. The largest outbreak of vaccine preventable diseases in America took place in the most liberal of enclaves: Marin County, California.snip

 

http://spectator.org/archives/2011/09/12/rick-perry-on-science

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