Perry Makes It Official
At last, the waiting is over.
Texas Gov. Rick Perry formally entered the GOP presidential hunt today, delivering his announcement in Charleston, South Carolina.
Here's his campaign's website.
Some immediate thoughts:
1) We finally get a race worth watching -- Perry and Bachmann competing to be the "anti-Romney" should be grand theater, especially if he ups the ante in Iowa. Perry kicked off his campaign in the #3 state in the GOP process, and will head to Iowa once the dust from the Straw Poll settles. Clever, or too cute?
2) I have one niece who lives in Charleston, the other lives in the northwestern corner of the state, in Greenville. I know South Carolina is a steam bath this time of the year. That said, a sunny outdoor event would have been a better visual than the artificially-lit, indoor venue Team Perry chose (yes, I know this may come across as persnickety, but lots of people charge the candidate lots of $$ to think through these things).
3) No TelePrompter? Guess you have to go without the reader if you want to be Barack Obama's foil/nemesis. Unfortunately, it also meant the candidate spent too much time with his head down, double-checking statistics and sound bites.
4) For that matter, why not hold the kick-off in Texas? You're going to base your campaign on the Texas Miracle, why not bathe yourself instead in Lone Star entrepreneurs -- the kinda folks who thrive on the Texas marketplace, live in dread of Obama-brand over-regulation, etc?
5) There seem to be two punditry lines at the moment: Paul as the surprise winner at the Straw Poll; the GOP contest as a two-man race between Romney and Perry. do you think the line holds, or is the GOP race the political equivalent of the Dow -- different day, completely different story?
Thoughts?
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Comments :
Re: Perry Makes It Official
I would like to know more about Perry. I think that I can gauge Romney and Bachmann, and I know that Perry is serious about the tenth amendment (no small matter). But I want to know more -- lots more. You folks from Texas. Speak up. Is he smart? Is he thoughtful (not quite the same thing as smart)? Is he principled? Or is he a chameleon? Most politicians are a lot like Bill Clinton (without having his skills). They are -- how shall I put it? -- flexible . . . on damned near everything. There are occasions when flexibility is called for and occasions when it amounts to being unprincipled. Is Perry slick? Or is he the genuine article? Speak up, my friends. We all need to know.
Oct '10
Re: Perry Makes It Official
Perry and Palin in 2012?
Apr '11
Re: Perry Makes It Official
I'm glad to see a viable pro-business candidate with decent conservative credentials enter the race.
May '10
Re: Perry Makes It Official
Back of the napkin: Perry's staking out his natural early turf. Pawlenty and Bachmann want Iowa, and Mitt has burrowed in New Hampshire. Perry probably figures (with good reason) that South Carolina is his early turf. I doubt it's more complicated than that. (Also, for local flavor, Charleston comes with many bonuses: it's the site of significant growth (the port and Boeing), significant federalism battles (Boeing and ... okay, let's not rehash bad history), and it's not Columbia, which means he doesn't risk the statehouse Confederate memorial becoming part of the backdrop).
I agree on the indoor announcement. Yes, Charleston's steamy but a west Texan could handle it. However, the outdoor venues in Charleston are more limited than you may think. There's the Battery, but then Fort Sumter is in the background (beautiful, but I'd pass on the imagery). There's the old Citadel but ... again, no. The carrier USS Yorktown is in the Cooper River next to the Ravenel Bridge, which is about as neutral as it gets.
As for the day-to-day horserace, let it play out for awhile. There's a long way to go before the convention.
Jun '10
Re: Perry Makes It Official
I think the Romney vs. Perry contest is pretty much spot-on provided Mr. Perry is the genuine conservative the pundits claim he is. Romney will have his organization and his money behind him. Perry will have a genuine conservative philosophy as part of his appeal. A bout between two Republicans governors? Look for Romney to take jabs at Perry's conservative creds. Look for Perry to counter-punch on the same basis.
Noooooo! Anyone but Palin! We can reach into our deep bench for the second place on the ticket. Marco Rubio!
Jun '10
Re: Perry Makes It Official
From: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/right-turn/post/rick-perry-finds-the-best-help-possible-bill-bennett/2011/03/29/gIQA5TOW4I_blog.html
William J. Bennett, who is second to none when it comes to conservative gravitas (as the former education secretary and the author of numerous books), will be traveling with Texas Gov. Rick Perry on Friday in Alabama and lending advice to the governor as he rolls out his presidential campaign in South Carolina. Bill’s comment on his radio program today was short of an endorsement, but certainly a boost for Perry: “Gov. Perry and I are friends; we share a lot of interests and political views; we like to talk things over from time to time, and I sure am encouraging him to run for president.” Bill’s staff told me this is not an endorsement; it is an offer of advice and counsel.
Apr '11
Re: Perry Makes It Official
I'm glad to see a viable pro-business candidate with decent conservative credentials enter the race.
Jul '10
Re: Perry Makes It Official
I hate to say it but Bachmann is already beginning to grate a little. It's the little things, like returning late to the podium at the debate and ticking off all the losing campaigns she supposedly led in Washington. If I'm looking for a general to follow, I'm going to avoid the ones who boast about fighting the good fight but falling short. That, come to think of it, must be the primary appeal that Ron Paul offers his fan base.
Sep '10
Re: Perry Makes It Official
~Paules:
Noooooo! Anyone but Palin! We can reach into our deep bench for the second place on the ticket. Marco Rubio! · Aug 13 at 11:25am
Perry / Giuliani would be better. Both strong leaders. Executives not legislators. Draw voters from two large states. They are friends but I am not sure Rudy would be willing to be anyone's number two.
Aug '11
Re: Perry Makes It Official
The debates in Iowa didn't leave me all too impressed with our choices so far. I lean toward Bachmann just because she seems like the one who will drive Democrats the most crazy, and I am not above enjoying watching the spit fly.
But Rick Perry seems to pose a bigger problem to the President than any of the other candidates so far. The most prominent issue facing us is, of course, the economy, and on that, Texas is succeeding. Rick Perry, for better or worse, will be the symbol for job creation and a healthy economy -- and consequently, a mirror opposite of the President who has become a symbol for everything that's going wrong in this country.
For all the ways that the other candidates differ from the President, none of them have that built-in edge of coming from such an amazingly successful state. It also helps that Texas seems to be in the President's "crosshairs" (can I say that) if the actions of the EPA are any indication.
Like Paul Rahe, I now want to know more about Perry. But what I've heard so far does not worry me.
Jul '10
Re: Perry Makes It Official
There's also the new Waterfront Memorial Park in Mt. Pleasant. Good location, though the mosquitos can be downright aggressive.
Nov '10
Re: Perry Makes It Official
At this point, I'm just rooting for someone credible who can knock out Romney. Mitt seems like a nice enough guy, and I bet he makes a great CEO, but he's flip-flopped on too many issues and he has the Romneycare albatross hanging around his neck.I don't think he can beat Obama.
Also, the last thing we need is another Republican 'moderate'.
Jun '11
Re: Perry Makes It Official
Just picking from a few of the discussion topics offered... he was speaking at the RedState convention so I'm not certain how much say he had in terms of indoor/ outdoor setting. Heat wouldn't have been a big issue but thunderstorms could have been.
As for picking here in SC instead of Texas: he doesn't need to remind anybody he's a Texan, he doesn't need to worry about support from Texas but, most importantly, if he wins the South Carolina primary next year he'll almost certainly be the nominee. BTW, Gov. Haley spoke at the same event, welcomed Gov. Perry to SC-- but didn't endorse him, of course.
South Carolina has been under attack from the Obama administration/ NLRB over the beautiful, new Boeing facility and Perry's forceful support for us (and all right-to-work states) in his speech were very welcome.
Finally I wouldn't be at all surprised if Paul won the straw poll and I think the field will consolidate to Romney and Perry after the next two debates. Which doesn't mean that everybody else will drop out-- just that they'll be the clear leaders.
Apr '11
Re: Perry Makes It Official
I see Perry as a Bill Clinton-like politician. He savvy enough to know where the public wind is blowing and how to stay with it.
Edited on Aug 13, 2011 at 1:54pmFeb '11
Re: Perry Makes It Official
The horse race is shaping up as the various contenders inch towards the starting gate. May the best horse win.
Jul '11
Re: Perry Makes It Official
Perry is the most acceptable of the candidates thus far. By that I mean he is sufficiently conservative and has an excellent chance of not just beating Obama, but beating him decisively (especially with Rubio as VP). I'm really getting tired of "purists" who nit pick every candidate, trying to find some little thing about them that disqualifies them from being a "true conservative." When you find a candidate who agrees with you on every single issue, please let me know. The problem is, I'll probably disagree with you on one or two issues, and thus find your candidate less than perfect.
Aug '10
Re: Perry Makes It Official
One significant change to the GOP primary rules for 2012 is that they are no longer winner take all. This means the race will be a marathon and not a sprint. It will be difficult for a candidate to achieve a quick knockout as second place still gets you lots of delegates.
Texas would've been a big prize for Perry under the old rules but now he won't get all the delegates - he'll have to share them with Romney - but it also means Mitt has to share Michigan and Florida delegates.
The new rules favor the candidate with cash and organization - something Romney has and I suspect Perry will be able to get. Barring some skeletons in Perry's closet (Mitt has none) I suspect we are in for a long primary that may go right up to the convention.
It will be interesting to see if people still have Bush fatigue...