In Which I Speculate About A Rick Perry Surge
Mollie Hemingway, Ed. ·
December 13, 2011 at 4:01pm
I'm a horrible prognosticator, but something tells me that we should prepare for a Rick Perry surge. Here's his latest ad running in Iowa:
I was watching a series of somewhat obnoxious parodies of his "you can be openly gay in the military but not openly Christian in school" ad and realized that all the push back he's getting over his social conservatism might help him. Do Iowa voters read about a Queer Studies Professor heckling Perry and side with the Queer Studies Professor or give a new look to Perry?
With Newt receiving some heavy criticism from respected conservatives these days, might Perry do better than expected in Iowa?
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Dec '10
Re: In Which I Speculate About A Rick Perry Surge
Perry does best when he gaffes a conversation into existence. He did it with Bernanke, Social Security, immigration, etc. I can't imagine he does so deliberately, but the "faith" ad looked to have been possibly designed for just such a utility. His attack on Washington could work to generate some buzz. The best line he's had of the entire campaign came in his announcement speech when he said that he would work to make Washington as inconsequential as possible to Americans' lives. That theme could carry him into contention in Iowa and perhaps South Carolina. The only real threat to a Perry surge is Ron Paul's band of growing die-hards.
May '10
Re: In Which I Speculate About A Rick Perry Surge
I sure hope you're right, Molly, because the Newt Romney either/or is looking worse and worse.
Aug '10
Re: In Which I Speculate About A Rick Perry Surge
Perry has been courting this social conservative babe (nee religious right, nee moral majority) from the get go, but he was a little late to the party and Bachmann was already making eyes at her.
At some point all the candidates show their true colors: Romney the shiny bland automaton, Cain the smiling huckster, Newt the grandiose bloviating curmudgeon, Bachmann the infallible flamethrower. Perry at rock bottom is a Jesus Wrangler, he woos and delivers that vote consistently. This has served him well in Texas.
He can certainly play this game in Iowa, and if he manages to overtake Bachmann he could scoop up a lot of those votes. They have not landed hard on anybody, they have been floating from Bachmann to Cain to Newt.
Re: In Which I Speculate About A Rick Perry Surge
The thing about American politics is that you never know what is going to happen. If the Republican electorate is volatile, it is because they do not much like what they see.
Aug '10
Re: In Which I Speculate About A Rick Perry Surge
C'mon, Ricky, you can do it!
Jul '10
Re: In Which I Speculate About A Rick Perry Surge
If you watch that interview. Krauthammer got crushed by Bret Baier. Bret Baier: why should Gingrich give back his money...it starts at 1:22.
It's time to find new respected conservatives. Ones who can make actual arguments.
Rick Perry is toast. He. Can't. Speak. English.
He has to articulate a conservative vision. Demonstrably he can't. He can't think on his feet.
I am all for a conservative governor with a very good record running against Obama.
Perry ain't it.
The Establishment Republicans are firing all their guns at the presumptive nominee. It smacks a bit of elitism: A West Georgia college professor who graduated from Emory and Tulane? He never participated in our Ivy League Eating Clubs (link has NSFW language) or Harvard's Final Clubs! Folks are resorting to pinpricking him with esteemed pundits such as Avik Roy on small matters of policy. I will note that it was John Boehner who was partially responsible for ousting Mr. Gingrich. Boehner was a major force behind NCLB, Medicare Part D, etc.
Sep '10
Re: In Which I Speculate About A Rick Perry Surge
If Perry is on the primary in my state I will vote for him. My reasoning is that Perry is not under the delusion that he is a great man who can figure out a way to make the government work (nor are we for that matter). The solution is to do less, Perry hits this theme when he says he wants to make Washington inconsequential in the lives of ordinary Americans.
I think Romney and Gingrich, like Obama before them, think that their special brand of intelligence, worldview, and managerial skill are enough to make the government work as it is currently structured. (BTW this was largely Bush and Cheney's position). I prefer Romney to Newt, but Romney reminds me of a Robert McNamara for our age. One who would digest mountains of data and create sensible processes designed to ease our path but ultimately provide no good end.
I will support any Republican in the general, but my view is Perry will make the best President. I wish he were a better candidate, but there you are.
Apr '11
Re: In Which I Speculate About A Rick Perry Surge
President Perfect (read: Establishment) is out there.
May '10
Re: In Which I Speculate About A Rick Perry Surge
Ross Conatser: If Perry is on the primary in my state I will vote for him. My reasoning is that Perry is not under the delusion that he is a great man who can figure out a way to make the government work (nor are we for that matter). The solution is to do less, Perry hits this theme when he says he wants to make Washington inconsequential in the lives of ordinary Americans.
I think Romney and Gingrich, like Obama before them, think that their special brand of intelligence, worldview, and managerial skill are enough to make the government work as it is currently structured. (BTW this was largely Bush and Cheney's position). I prefer Romney to Newt, but Romney reminds me of a Robert McNamara for our age. One who would digest mountains of data and create sensible processes designed to ease our path but ultimately provide no good end.
I will support any Republican in the general, but my view is Perry will make the best President. I wish he were a better candidate, but there you are.
I'm with you word for word, Ross. Much to my surprise.
Oct '10
Re: In Which I Speculate About A Rick Perry Surge
I really dislike that Perry ad.
Dec '10
Re: In Which I Speculate About A Rick Perry Surge
Ross Conatser: If Perry is on the primary in my state I will vote for him. My reasoning is that Perry is not under the delusion that he is a great man who can figure out a way to make the government work (nor are we for that matter). The solution is to do less, Perry hits this theme when he says he wants to make Washington inconsequential in the lives of ordinary Americans.
...
I will support any Republican in the general, but my view is Perry will make the best President. I wish he were a better candidate, but there you are.
I have to vote in a few short weeks and this is essentially the view that I'm coming around to. I've been watching a lot of longer interviews with Perry lately and I'm getting a picture of a humble man who is genuinely concerned about his country and is running more out of a sense of duty than ambition. He's not my ideal candidate, but he seems like a man of character, with a sound record, who is serious about pruning back Washington.
Mar '11
Re: In Which I Speculate About A Rick Perry Surge
I am with Ross and others. I think Perry is the best candidate in the race, in large part because he wants to make things *simpler*.
Sep '10
Re: In Which I Speculate About A Rick Perry Surge
katievs
I'm with you word for word, Ross. Much to my surprise. · Dec 13 at 9:01am
Kind of you to say, but why so surprised, do we disagree a lot?
Aug '10
Re: In Which I Speculate About A Rick Perry Surge
Ross Conatser, I couldn't agree with you more (and I couldn't have said it anywhere near as well. )
Sep '10
Re: In Which I Speculate About A Rick Perry Surge
Definitely true of me. I would love Perry to get his foot out of his mouth and give us a chance to re-consider him: on a gut level I like him much, much better than the two current front-runners. This ad should help, but he still needs to do a lot more work on his performance in interviews and debates.
Apr '11
Re: In Which I Speculate About A Rick Perry Surge
katievs
Ross Conatser: My reasoning is that Perry is not under the delusion that he is a great man who can figure out a way to make the government work (nor are we for that matter). The solution is to do less, Perry hits this theme when he says he wants to make Washington inconsequential in the lives of ordinary Americans.
I think Romney and Gingrich, like Obama before them, think that their special brand of intelligence, worldview, and managerial skill are enough to make the government work as it is currently structured. (BTW this was largely Bush and Cheney's position). I prefer Romney to Newt, but Romney reminds me of a Robert McNamara for our age. One who would digest mountains of data and create sensible processes designed to ease our path but ultimately provide no good end.
I will support any Republican in the general, but my view is Perry will make the best President. I wish he were a better candidate, but there you are.
I'm with you word for word, Ross. Much to my surprise. · Dec 13 at 9:01am
Me too. Count me among those praying for a Perry surge.
Dec '10
Re: In Which I Speculate About A Rick Perry Surge
See genferei's post on the member feed.
May '10
Re: In Which I Speculate About A Rick Perry Surge
Well, I settled on Perry recently for much the same reasons stated above, and have been encouraging anyone and everyone to give him a second look. Even if the GOP electorate ultimately determines that Perry's not the right guy, I think it's in our best interest to have a viable third option and not let this narrow into a Gingrich-Romney one-on-one affair too early. Perry offers different strengths from the other two frontrunners that we should seriously take into consideration. Maybe in the process a plurality will even determine that he's the best choice, whatever his flaws, as many of us here already have.
May '10
Re: In Which I Speculate About A Rick Perry Surge
Ross Conatser
katievs
I'm with you word for word, Ross. Much to my surprise.
Kind of you to say, but why so surprised, do we disagree a lot? · Dec 13 at 11:04am
Oh no, it's not you! It's that I was so dead set against Perry before. But the alternatives seem to have deteriorated while he's improved, so I find myself, all unexpectedly, seeing things just as you've articulated them here.
Edited on December 13, 2011 at 10:15pmDec '10
Re: In Which I Speculate About A Rick Perry Surge
If he does come back, and actually wins, I'll bet we can count on hundreds of excellent Bad Lip Reading vids. His have been the best by far.