Rick Perry in New York -- and in the running?
Tonight I had the pleasure of seeing Gov. Rick Perry speak at the New York Republican County Lincoln Dinner. Our colleague Brian Bolduc has a great report over on the Corner. Here are a few of my impressions:
Perry was at ease: His New York-debut speech was, it appeared, impromptu -- a stream of consciousness. He carried no papers to the podium, opened with a personal rumination about his first visit to New York as a boy scout, and tossed off jokes throughout (opening with a jab at Donald Trump, then quipping that “It takes a special reason to get me out of Texas”). You might expect a politician swiftly placed under the national media’s microscope, and by all indications considering a presidential run, to stiffen up a bit and vet every word. Perry did not. He had swagger and good humor throughout.
Perry was aggressive: Both in tone and content. He said that “conservative principles…have been paying dividends in our State,” and half-joked that there weren’t too many liberals left in Texas anymore. Notably, he went out of his way to talk about abortion and highlight his hard line -- notable both because the conventional wisdom is that the upcoming election will center on the economy, and because Perry was in the relatively socially liberal confines of Manhattan. “It really bothers me when some Republicans duck and cover…from pressure on the Left on issues of the sanctity of human life,” he said, conjuring Mitt Romney. He also didn't shy from the grandiloquent: "People will pick up and go to freedom," he said, "just as a moth will go to a flame. It's in our nature."
Perry is reminiscent of George W. Bush: Perhaps to his disadvantage, his diction is uncannily similar to that of his predecessor as Governor. The same hard vowels, the same “uh” between clauses, the same ingratiating solecisms, and preacher-like oscillations in rhythm and volume -- and other, subtle resemblances. Even some of the same vocabulary tics: Perry called his tort-reform law “fabulous. “A reporter sitting near to me said (twice) to colleagues that “Looks like we’ll have another dumb Republican from Texas in the White House -- just what we need.” New York journalists are not representative of the nation. But Perry’s chances would no doubt be better were he governor of Florida.
Perry is on his home turf: In his proto-stump speech, Perry didn't talk foreign policy at all -- and no one seemed to care. The national worry is unemployment, and Perry has unquestionably -- whether like liberals you thank the weather, or like conservatives thank his low-tax policies -- has headed Texas through strong relative job performance. And he wasn't shy about saying so.
As Brian notes, there were some pretty clear hints that Perry is likely running. After tonight's speech, I'm convinced he could add excitement to Republican debates.
- Comment (12)
- · Quote
- · UnfollowFollow (2)
Comments :
Re: Rick Perry in New York -- and in the running?
Anybody around here concerned that Perry, Bachman and Pawlenty will split the conservative vote, handing the nomination to Romney?
Re: Rick Perry in New York -- and in the running?
Yes indeed. My memory is a little unclear, but wasn't that the sort of thing that helped bring McCain to the top in 2008?
Jun '11
Re: Rick Perry in New York -- and in the running?
I'm not concerned. Romney won't win enough early for it to matter. Iowa would be at best a 3rd. Squeak a win in New Hampshire. No better than 3rd again in South Carolina. Perry routs Texas. Toss up in Florida. He gets one possible win and no momentum.
Jun '10
Re: Rick Perry in New York -- and in the running?
Thanks for the report, Matthew.
And yes, I am worried about conservative votes being split amongst those candidates. Another reason we need Ryan in the race. He'd draw enough votes to rise above Romney.
Jun '11
Re: Rick Perry in New York -- and in the running?
Obamacare is going to be a millstone around his neck. Future debates will not be so collegial. Once the primary heats up, the gloves will come off and he is stuck in a corner. He should have disavowed Romneycare. Everyone loves a person who admits mistakes and goes to 'rehab'.
Dec '10
Re: Rick Perry in New York -- and in the running?
Another item from The Corner:
From the Texas Tribune:
“It’s pretty interesting,” Perry said when asked about all the national political stories being written about him. “People would like to have some other options in the race, obviously.” …
“There is some, I guess, drop dead time that you have to be in,” Perry said. “I don’t think it’s (arrived) yet.”
Dec '10
Re: Rick Perry in New York -- and in the running?
Dave Carter
Yes indeed. My memory is a little unclear, but wasn't that the sort of thing that helped bring McCain to the top in 2008? · Jun 14 at 8:25pm
Perry may be working some counter-strategy of his own: Perry to meet Giuliani in New York.
May '10
Re: Rick Perry in New York -- and in the running?
Very much so. I think it depends on how organized they get on the matter. If the appropriate voices in the conservative sphere made a decision and rallied around one candidate, it would become less of a concern. If important voices like, say, Rush Limbaugh avoid supporting a candidate, it would hurt conservative consolidation. That the Tea Party is so decentralized also leads me to question whether it would be able to effectively come around to one candidate when many of its favorites are in the running.
The wildcards are the social conservatives and the military/national security types. The former doesn't seem to have an obvious favored candidate yet with Huckabee not in, and the latter doesn't look to have an obvious choice at all with a McCain type not likely to enter. Either of these groups might end up making the difference for a candidate.
Jul '10
Re: Rick Perry in New York -- and in the running?
You forget Michigan. We only have half our delegates for daring to ignore the Feb 5 starting gate.
Even so, MI will certainly be a major player. Stupidly, we have open primaries. Consequently, the MI left (with nothing else to do) will come out in droves and vote tactically against the candidate it deems to be the biggest threat.
Dec '10
Re: Rick Perry in New York -- and in the running?
I'm not ready to triangulate yet. I need to know more about Perry.
Does anyone have a read on his temperament? I have very little to go on here, but when he had his airport non-meeting with Obama, he came off a little rash. I sensed a combination of desperation and aggressiveness. Is he uneven?
Mar '11
Re: Rick Perry in New York -- and in the running?
Well, yes, but having too many Conservatives is a problem I can live with.
Given only that choice, I would go with Bachmann, at the moment. Perry could be fine - whoever goes after Mr Obama the most effectively.
Romney having the nomination is not so bad - he passes the syphilitic camel test, and a conservative VP like Bachmann would be fine, at a pinch (overlapping threads).
Dec '10
Re: Rick Perry in New York -- and in the running?
@Western Chauvinist:
"Does anyone have a read on his temperament? I have very little to go on here, but when he had his airport non-meeting with Obama, he came off a little rash. I sensed a combination of desperation and aggressiveness. Is he uneven?"
Count me concerned. Perry does have the Gardasil mandate to explain,where he was overturned by his legislature (waivers added by them). Additionally, his reputation for cronyism and mismanaging funds is a bit disturbing. OTOH, there is little dispute he has been good for Texas' economy overall.
Edited on Jun 15, 2011 at 4:41am