Romney Taking Aim at Santorum -- Backfire?

Now coming to the conclusion if Romney believes what he says that is delusional:

By the end of last week Romney was worried enough to do some of the contrast-drawing personally. “Senator Santorum and Speaker Gingrich, they are the very Republicans who acted like Democrats,” he said at an event in Atlanta. “And when Republicans act like Democrats, they lose.” 

This from the man who ran to the left of the Democrat when he ran for Massachusetts Governor.  Guess that doesn't count.   Romney is in a total meltdown if he is trying to convince conservatives that Gingrich and Santorum act like Democrats.  That is beyond ludicrous and shows how out of touch Romney is with the Republican base which is made up of conservatives.  Both Gingrich and Santorum were conservatives in the Congress while Romney was a liberal Massachusetts Governor.  You just shake your head at the outlandish attacks by Romney.  First it was Gingrich in Florida and now he is aiming at Santorum.  If he thinks he had blowback from the Gingrich attacks, he hasn't seen anything yet with his attacks on Santorum.

Former Minnesota Governor Pawlenty should be ashamed of himself for joining in the Romney attacks on Santorum with misstatements or as some say lies.  I thought he had more integrity than that but I guess he will do and say anything for his benefactor Romney who is going to retire his campaign debts.  Is this also how Romney racked up the endorsements?  Offering to fund their campaigns or did they dig up dirt on the people who endorsed who most of us considered conservatives?   We are sure the answers will come out in the months ahead.

From observing Romney and his attack machine that has been well used along with opposition research, we would say that Romney has the ethics of a gnat in his attempted march to the White House.  We thought the Bush 41 attacks on Reagan were bad but Romney has taken it to a new low.  Amazing how Bush 41 who was so nasty against Reagan is behind Romney along with Rove.  Says a lot about where nasty campaigning in the Republican Party comes.  

Someone needs to give Romney a reality check -- conservatives can see right through his claims to have been  a conservative because only 10 years ago he ran to the left of the Democrat for Governor in very liberal Massachusetts.  It makes one wonder if somewhere during the 2008 campaign Romney began to lose a sense of reality of his record and his memory has gotten worse in 2012 OR he knows he is lying and that is why all the gaffes because he is not a conservative.  We believe the latter is the truth.  Don't know of any conservatives that would promise pro-choice women that they would maintain the right to choose if elected Governor, appoint liberal judges with nary a word of regret at the time, or pass Romneycare mandating health insurance which is the record of Mitt Romney.  But then I have never heard a conservative say they are 'severely conservative' like Romney did yesterday at CPAC.

Now his hired guns are aimed at Santorum who will be dropping stories whether true or not, attacking what he said in the past years leaving out sentences or words, and generally being all around scumbags toward Santorum.  The scorched earth policy of Romney/Rove may have worked against Gingrich in Florida but we don't believe it will work on Santorum as he refuses to get down in the Romney gutter with him.

Romney seems to be on a downhill spiral which happens when you are not comfortable trying to be something you are not.  This time it is Romney trying to be conservative to get votes.   The sooner Romney exits stage left, the sooner the Republican Party can start to heal.  Don't know of any candidate who has put such a large fracture in the Republican Party as Romney and his surrogates from the Bush 41 camp.  Guess it never got through their heads that Conservatives were not going to sit down and shut up which many of us have been told to do over and over on websites by Romney supporters.  Not happening and now we see more of the pundits joining us in our disgust with Romney and his pretending to be conservative along with his scorched earth policy toward fellow Republicans.

Honestly believe that Santorum will weather the scorched earth tactics of Romney because he is a man of integrity and strong religious beliefs to get him through the attacks.  Do we believe Santorum will hit back in some form?  Absolutely!  He will pick and choose his battles which Gingrich should have done instead of going for scorched earth back at Romney who deserved it but it bit Gingrich in the end.  Now voters have seen how ungracious Romney can be when he loses and his fist instinct is to send out surrogates to attack his opponent who has gained on him.

Makes me think he is more like Nixon then I would have considered but the more he runs the more we get that impression that the like Nixon, he has an enemies list.  We are about to find out how Nixonian he is when he attacks Santorum trying to take him out.  Believe the blowback against Romney is going to be huge -- he has already told a group of conservative leaders that he is not stopping his attacks.  How many of them are going to defend Romney on anything?

 Taking Aim at Santorum 

The Romney campaign misfires. 

Feb 20, 2012, Vol. 17, No. 22 • By JONATHAN V. LAST 

On Saturday, February 4, a national poll from Rasmussen Reports showed Rick Santorum as the only Republican to lead President Obama in a head-to-head matchup. The next morning, a PPP poll showed Santorum suddenly leading Mitt Romney in Minnesota. So the Romney campaign responded with what are becoming its trademark tactics. Having completely ignored Santorum since New Hampshire, on Sunday afternoon the Romney team sent out a press release calling him “a proud defender of earmarks and pork-barrel spending.” The email contained an oppo-dump of news stories and quotes designed to make Santorum look like a latter-day Ted Stevens. 

DAVE MALAN

On Monday a PPP poll was released with more good news for Santorum: It showed him with a 13-point lead in Missouri. So the Romney campaign became more aggressive. Before the clock struck 2:00 p.m., the campaign had sent out four more press releases attacking Santorum. The first labeled Santorum’s criticisms of Romneycare “falsehoods.” The second announced that Romney surrogate Tim Pawlenty would be holding a conference call to discuss “Santorum’s long-history of pork-barrel spending.” The third was a summary of the Pawlenty call. (Sample: “[Santorum] has been a champion of earmarks, and to hold himself out now as somebody who is an unquestionable conservative in these matters, just is not supported by the facts.”) The fourth was a reminder that Santorum had endorsed Romney in 2008. Or at least it was an excerpt of Santorum’s endorsement. It elided the language which, back in 2008, made it clear that Santorum was coming to Romney as a conservative-of-last-resort.

Over the following days, the Romney campaign pushed forth these little missives at a brisk clip, some with inane conceits. In one, Romney surrogate Jason Chaffetz criticized Santorum for voting in favor of debt-ceiling increases in the late ’90s and early ’00s—which no one, at that time or since, has argued were ill-conceived. (In 2003 and 2004, for example, with the lone exception of John Ensign, only Senate Democrats opposed the increases—making this an exceedingly unreliable litmus test of conservatism.) Chaffetz also suggested that Pennsylvania voters replaced Santorum with a Democrat in 2006 because he was not reliably conservative. In another, sent out the day after Santorum whipped Romney in Missouri, Minnesota, and Colorado, the Romney campaign labeled Santorum “a Washington insider” because he said the following: “There’s not a management problem in Washington, D.C., all right?” 

Romney spokeswoman Andrea Saul claimed that this sentence demonstrated that “Rick Santorum says that there is not a problem with the way the federal government is being led. That is ridiculous and again proves why conservatives can’t trust a Washington insider to fix the problems that Washington insiders created.”  

In context the Santorum quote reads somewhat differently. What Santorum actually said was, 

There’s not a management problem in Washington, all right. There’s a more foundational problem there that goes to the basic concepts of who we are as a people. And those are deeply moral questions.  

In other words, Santorum was arguing that the trouble with Washington isn’t merely managerial, but runs deeper.

And Team Romney wonders why people aren’t excited about his candidacy. 

As an organism, the Romney campaign always attacks when threatened, and Santorum’s victories in Missouri, Minnesota, and Colorado were threatening. 

There were no delegates at stake in Missouri, yet Romney wasn’t simply beaten in the exhibition. He was crushed, losing by 30 points. Santorum has no ties to Missouri and the state isn’t an outlier, like Louisiana or West Virginia, with electoral peculiarities. As far as demographics and culture are concerned, it might as well be Ohio. The Romney campaign’s explanation for the loss was that they didn’t campaign in Missouri. 

They did work hard in Colorado, though. And more striking than Romney’s 5-point loss to Santorum there was his caucus total. In 2008, 42,218 Coloradans caucused for Romney. This year the number dropped by almost half, to 23,012. Romney made less of an effort in Minnesota, but if anything, the results there were the most problematic: He went from 25,990 caucus supporters in 2008 to 8,222 this time around. 

(snip) 

More worrisome, though, is what the results—particularly in Minnesota and Colorado—suggest about Romney’s infrastructure. When a campaign can’t keep track of a few thousand core supporters from one election cycle to the next, motivate them, and get them to the polls in a small caucus environment, there are only two explanations: Either the organization is incompetent, or the supporters have had second thoughts. 

By the end of last week Romney was worried enough to do some of the contrast-drawing personally. “Senator Santorum and Speaker Gingrich, they are the very Republicans who acted like Democrats,” he said at an event in Atlanta. “And when Republicans act like Democrats, they lose.” 

With a surfeit of political transparency and a shortage of self-awareness, the soundbite was a near-perfect distillation of the Romney candidacy. 

Jonathan V. Last is a senior writer at The Weekly Standard. 

Excerpt:  Read More at the Weekly Standard 

William Kristol: Evitable, After All

Looks like the latest poll by Fox reaffirms that the establishment candidate Mitt Romney is not inevitable.  In fact, word came out this afternoon that Santorum has raised $3M since winning the three states on Tuesday night.  That is huge for a candidate who knows how to do retail politics and doesn't rely on negative advertising to get his support.  Romney have a rude awakening as he tries to come after Santorum like he did Gingrich as most conservatives I have talked with are frankly fed up with Romney and his elitist tactics.  When he loses this time, we sincerely hope that he spends more time with his family and this will be the last campaign we heard from the "severely conservative" Romney.

This poll is great news and shows conservatives are alive and well and not willing to settle for a moderate to liberal candidate.  FINALLY is all I can say!

Evitable, After All
2:20 PM, Feb 10, 2012 • By WILLIAM KRISTOL 

Here's another interesting finding from the Fox News poll showing Rick Santorum surging nationally: Unlike GOP elites and large elements of the punditocracy, Republican primary voters are not eager to close down the race. 

They're open to another candidate entering the field (by 49 percent – 48 percent); they don't think it's now time for one or more of the Republican candidates to drop out (by 54 percent to 41 percent); and, most strikingly, take a look at Question 41: 

Which best describes your view of the race for the Republican presidential nomination?

It's over—Mitt Romney's definitely going to win: 17%. 

It's not over—someone other than Romney could still win: 80%. 

GOP primary voters at least think it’s all still rather evitable. 

Source:  The Weekly Standard

Godfather: Elections Between One Candidate?

We are seeing a pattern developing here -- where Romney wins we have voter fraud which is obvious and is being documented.  In Iowa we had missing ballot boxes and no one was allowed to see the final count from each caucus which led to the GOP Chair resigning.  In NH there were all sorts of irregularities including dead people voting.  Then in Florida the rumors are rampant that the absentee ballots the South Florida high rise residents sent in to vote.  The Romney team concentrated their work for absentee ballots in these high rises and once again they end up on the side of voter fraud with people being registered in FL and NY/New England.  Imagine that -- South Florida has voter fraud this time in the Republican primary.  The Romney Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi who has agreed to be on his healthcare task force that will mandate healthcare in every state has no interest in voter fraud according to a source in Palm Beach County.  Same source told me that Mormons were busy getting out voters out for Romney in nursing homes and other Democrat strongholds for fraudulent votes.  Now we have Nevada:

And why does the Nevada GOP refuse to release the full and detailed vote count, precinct by precinct? Could it be because then the caucus-goers at every precinct will be able to see that the numbers are incorrect? 

Figured Nevada was going to be rigged but they were really stupid the way they handled everything.  Did they think the Paul people would stay silent?

In South Carolina where Newt won, haven't heard much about voter fraud from there.  The most telling comes from Colorado where it didn't take a genius to see that the two big conservative counties, El Paso (Colorado Springs) and Weld (Greeley) waited to come in after Denver, Boulder, and the Mormon counties of the NW along with the liberal mountain communities of Aspen and others.  The networks were not calling Colorado until the GOP Chair called it as he knew that the counties left were going to Santorum.  Last time Ken Buck of Greeley lost the Senate race due to Denver vote fraud so no way were they going to report from Weld or El Paso until Denver came in after Boulder.  I sat here and laughed -- they finally figured out they were not going to allow Denver and the rest of the places where voter fraud has happened do it again.  The people of CO took a page out of the NM GOP playbook not to report until last so the Dems could not manufacture the votes they needed to win.  This time it was the Romney people.  No reports of voter fraud I can find out of Missouri and Minnesota both states won handily by Santorum.

Do you see a pattern here?  Are we accusing some Republicans of voter fraud for Romney?  Yes after what we have been seeing so far -- Nevada really spotlighted the fraud with the long, drawn out vote count to get Romney to 50% and now they won't release the results by precinct.  Time for the NV GOP Chair to resign along with FL.  I am strong believer if there is voter fraud in a state that the GOP Chair of that state should resign because it happened under their watch.

Now we are learning about the Newsmax article that reported the outcome of Nevada before it happened.  Who dropped the story at Newsmax?  Someone from Rove's Crossroads or did it come from the Romney camp?  Maybe it was the RNC who is in the tank for Romney.  Hopefully someone will get to the bottom of this, but we are not holding our breath because right now it looks like the Romney camp has underhanded people just like the Democrats when it comes to fraudulent voting.  Some of the Romney people from 2008 were very underhanded and little to no ethics -- now they are part of Romney 2012.  Wouldn't put anything passed those CA consultants except being honest and above board.

Elections Between One Candidate?
posted on February 8, 2012 by Bojidar Marinov

The photo on the right shows an announcement by the rector of the Novosibirsk State Pedagogical University to the students. The first sentence reads:

Dear students,
On March 4, 2012 we will have elections for the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin. . . . 

Hmmm. As of now, Putin is only the Prime Minister of Russia. He is one of the candidates for President in the next elections. There are others as well. The elections are about a month away.
But the rector knows who the elections are for. 

One of the FB comments in Russian under the photo said, with the typical dark humor born and refined in the years of Communism: “If you are electing another person, you are not voting in the same elections, apparently.” 

Ha ha. Funny, right? These things happen in Russia. They know in advance who is going to win.
Not only in Russia. Here in the US too.

For example, Newsmax knew 2 days in advance that Romney will win the Nevada caucuses. 

The article was published online on February 2, and then pulled out quickly. Then it was republished 2 days later under a new date. Even with the changed date, the time of the article, 8:40pm in Florida (6:40pm in Nevada), makes it impossible for anyone to know if Romney won. (The first results started coming at 7pm.) 

The article claims that the caucus in Nevada was “quiet.” But there was nothing quiet about it in reality. The article mentions nothing about the broadcasted vote count at the Adelson precinct in Clark County. While it says that Romney won (past tense), the article gives no specific numbers. Also, when it lists the number of delegates each of the candidates has so far, the number given to Ron Paul is 4. A very serious mistake. (Ron Paul won 7 delegates in Iowa, and 3 in New Hampshire.) 

In reality, what Newsmax did was no different from the announcement of the Russian rector above: “In two days, the Nevada GOP will be voting for the candidate for Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney. If you are voting for another person, you are not participating in the same caucus.” Typical Communist tactics. Newsmax should change its name to News Marx. 

One question remains: How did they know? How did Newsmax know that Romney will win, 2 days in advance? How did CNN and FOX News know that Romney was the winner when the screen was showing that only 4% percent of the votes were counted? 

(snip)

Apparently, the GOP leadership wants us to elect between one candidate; just as it was in the Soviet Union. The caucus is just for the show; in reality, it is what the Party decides.
But the GOP misses the fact that this is not 1932, and this is not the USSR. And we have Internet now. Times have changed, and “business as usual” can’t fly anymore.

Excerpt:  Read more: Elections Between One Candidate? http://godfatherpolitics.com/3595/elections-between-one-candidate/#ixzz1lv3vqqO4

After Herman Cain's campaign manager was found guilty of vote suppression in Wisconsin and banned from campaigns for three years, nothing would be a shock about voter fraud in the GOP as same as voter fraud by ACORN and the Democrats.  It is a sad commentary on this Country that we actually send out observers to 3rd World countries to observe their election.  Maybe they should be sending observers to the US since voter fraud is out of control.  Just ask Hillary how the Obama camp frauded their caucus' in 2008.

We believe that the people running and/or supporting the Romney campaign will lie, cheat, and steal to win the nomination for Romney.  Yet they wonder why most rank and file conservatives are not supporting Romney.   They must have their head buried in the sand not to believe that Conservatives do not want Obama lite as their candidate.  We want a candidate that is opposite of Obama on almost all issues.  Romney's latest to make the minimum wage automatic shows he doesn't have a clue how conservatives think and neither do his advisers.  That is what you get when you have a candidate who is a northeastern liberal running for the Republican nomination.  

Just think in the general election, we could have competing vote fraud if Romney was the nominee versus Obama.  Wouldn't give you two cents for either candidate when it comes to honesty.

Cafe Hayek: Chapman on Mewt

This little gem from Cafe Hayek made me ask the same question why a man who doesn't like to be around regular people, is very arrogant, and thin skinned is running for President.  It is almost like Romney feels entitled since he ran in 2008.  He might get the nomination but he is going to have a hard time convincing conservatives that he is the least bit conservative.  As for the pundits and elected officials that have gone to Romney instead of Santorum who is conservative, all we have to say is that sports talk radio is a lot more honest and interesting then the scam the so-called 'conservative' pundits have been playing on conservatives.

The guilt trip that we have to beat Obama is not working with a lot of us who refuse to get on board with Obama lite!   Not throwing my core conservative values out the window to support a candidate that believes in healthcare mandates at any level.

Chapman on Mewt 

by Russ Roberts on February 6, 2012 

Brilliant. At the end, he observes that we don’t really have any idea why Romney is running;

His attitude is: Tell me what you want me to be and I’ll be it. But one thing voters want is someone who doesn’t do that. 

About Gingrich’s motive, there has never been any doubt: to feed an insatiable ego that makes him imagine he has a historic, God-given mission to transform the country. He’s a mad scientist, mixing volatile potions that may cure cancer or may blow up the lab. Either way, he’ll have fun.

Romney doesn’t have an obvious reason to run for president. That’s his trouble. Gingrich does. That’s his.

Thought the description of Gingrich as the mad scientist was pretty close.  If I was forced to choose between the two, I would pick Newt because I trust him a lot more than Obama lite and don't trust the Mormon Church at all not to be advising Romney on what he needs to do.  They do it to other politicians so why not someone who becomes President?  No Thanks!

Perry calling Iowa activists as potential donors convene

The first donors most likely to be contacted would be from oil and gas after what Obama has done and is trying to do to that industry between the EPA, Energy, Interior, and now we learn the Secretary of State Clinton sitting on approval for the pipeline from Canada to Oklahoma and Port Arthur, Texas.  There is no one already in the race who understands what the oil and gas industry has been going through since Obama took office.  The Gulf is still not back to where they were before the spill as getting permits has been a slow and tedious process.  EPA is trying to shut down drilling in part of the Permian Basin of Texas because of a lizard and some beatles.  What next?  Is the EPA going to call the fire ants an endangered species since they are being eradicated?

With the Governor now making calls to gauge support, this is probably a slam dunk he is running.  He is going to hear from activists around the Country that they are not happy with the current field for the Republican primary.  None of them are talking about state's rights and how the Federal Government keeps trying to run states with mandates and regulations.  The newest is the EPA (AGAIN) and their new air regulations.  If they had their way people would leave Texas and Oklahoma and turn it over to the insects, spiders, and lizards.  Also not one of the candidates has taken on the Federal Government directly like Gov Perry has been doing over a long list of items starting with Border Security, Clean Air, Oil and Gas Drilling, Endangered Species Act, and the list goes on and on. 

Governor Perry who has shown what it takes to grow jobs in Texas to make sure the economy keeps growing.  With a balanced budget in hand for Texas and a growing rainy day fund, there is no candidate better positioned to take on the American economy than Perry. 

Looking forward to when Governor Perry says "I am running for President!" and there will be a collective sigh of relief among Republicans all across the Country.

Perry calling Iowa activists as potential donors convene

By JONATHAN MARTIN & MAGGIE HABERMAN | 7/8/11 6:47 PM EDT Updated: 7/9/11 8:10 AM EDT

Rick Perry has started calling Iowa Republicans and a former RNC finance chairman is helping to convene a meeting of national donors later this month in Austin to discuss financing a potential 2012 campaign — signs that the Texas governor and his allies are stepping up their exploratory efforts.

The developments come as Perry is being watched by a string of donors, early-state voters and elites who say they're disenchanted, and in search of a stronger candidate.

Republican activist Joni Scotter told POLITICO she got a surprise phone call this afternoon from Perry, asking about the political landscape as it relates to him.

"It was just a surprise," said Scotter, of Marion, who's well-known for her frequent appearances at Iowa Republican events and is a coveted worker bee on presidential campaigns. She said she didn't know how Perry got her number.

"He sounded great and just asked if he should run," she said. "And I said, of course." She said he said he hadn't made up his mind.

Scotter declined to reveal more about the roughly 20-minute conversation, saying, "I feel like I am violating a trust...it is an honor that he even considered calling. It was a wonderful conversation."

Dave Carney, Perry’s top strategist, confirmed that the governor had been reaching out to Republican caucus-goers.

“He is calling some folks, returning some calls and listening to what folks have to say,” said Carney.

Asked if it was activists or elected officials, he described the calls as going to “a mix of folks.”

At the same time, Peter Terpulek, a top bundler who President Bush appointed as ambassador to Luxembourg, has begun planning a gathering of some of the party’s top uncommitted donors for later this month in the Texas capital.

It’s unclear if Perry will attend the get-together, but a well-connected Texas Republican confirmed that the meeting was taking place and said it was part of an ongoing effort among the governor’s allies to determine “what is available on the financial side.”

“This isn’t the first or last meeting,” this source said, noting that there are also “other meetings in other states” in the works.

Terpeluk declined to discuss, or even confirm, the meeting.

At the same time, although not coordinated with Perry or any of his advisers, a pro-Perry group is trying to gather support for the Texas governor at next month's Ames Straw Poll. The group has hired Craig Schoenfeld, who until recently was with Newt Gingrich and is a veteran operative in the state, to lead the effort.

Speculation about Perry's plans has reached a fever pitch within the GOP. Increasingly, Republican insiders believe that the Texan will run. But those close to him say he has not yet decided and isn't rushing toward a decision.

Read more: Politico.com about the 2012 elections

Daniel Halper: A Word of Caution for Rick Perry

I clicked on this link at The Weekly Standard not sure what I was going to find.  Then when I finished the article it made perfect sense.  Couldn't agree more that too many people have toyed with getting in the race and then didn't get in leaving us with a mixed bag of candidates.  You can count me in the list of people who would be extremely disappointed if Governor Perry did not run but I have full faith in the Governor that he will be getting in the race to win the White House.

When he throws his hat in the race, Rick Perry will bring a new dynamic to the race as someone with experience who has dealt directly with this administration and been extremely unhappy with the results.  He has a record second to none and has a group of supporters ready to roll up their sleeves to work to win the primary and then the general election when Obama gets fired by the American people.  It is going to be a thrill to see Gov Perry raise his hand and take the oath as the 45th President on January 20, 2013 which happens to fall on a Sunday so there will be two ceremonies:

 But let's think ahead to Inauguration Day 2013. Though the 20th Amendment states that a president's term ends at "noon on the 20th day of January," Jan. 20, 2013 is a Sunday. 

And what happens when a holiday happens on a Sunday? The government moves it to Monday. 

So whoever is inaugurated in 2013 is likely to do it twice -- once privately and once again with all the ruffles and flourishes.

The good news is that as of noon on Sunday, 20 January 2013, Gov Rick Perry would officially become President.


A Word of Caution for Rick Perry
Daniel Halper
June 25, 2011 8:36 AM

Our friend Doug MacKinnon, a former White House and Pentagon official and author, writes:

Okay, so here are some unsolicited but heartfelt words of caution for Governor Rick Perry of Texas as he contemplates whether to enter the Republican primary for President of the United States.

As you and your trusted aides crunch numbers, take the pulse of major donors, look at various match-ups in states like Iowa, South Carolina, and Florida, please keep this in mind: The conservatives, Republicans, independents, and even the growing number of Democrats who embrace traditional values and strongly oppose Barack Obama and his socialist tendencies, are tired. They are bone tired, worried beyond words, and quite frankly sick of one pretend GOP candidate after the other leaving them at the altar. Enough.

Governor Mitch Daniels of Indiana, Governor Haley Barbour of Mississippi, or former Governor Mike Huckabee--all teased voters in desperate search of a candidate who might spare the nation further damage from the far-left ideology of President Obama and his allies, with a potential or pending run, and all finally declined the challenge. All offered plausible and personal reasons for not entering the area. Fine. We can respect if not understand those choices.

For tens of millions of Americans who see our Republic coming off the rails as unemployment rises, public employee unions cripple the financial well-being of a growing list of cities, counties, and states, the housing market continues to tank, corrupt teachers’ unions putting themselves well before public school children, our health-care system being hijacked by liberal zealots, our sovereign borders becoming more porous, and Islamic terrorist groups outside and inside our borders plotting their next horrific attack, it’s become harder and harder for them to understand why the minute handful of Republicans who could possibly make a positive difference have decided to take a powder on the fight of our lives. Very hard.

Now we have Governor Rick Perry. Over the course of the last few weeks, I have heard from a significant number of conservatives asking me if I thought Perry was serious? They, like me, think he is a talented, ethical, and traditional values espousing public servant and are beyond desperate for him to enter the toughest and most crucial of electoral arenas.

During his exceptional and stirring remarks at the Republican Leadership Conference in New Orleans on June 18th, Governor Perry spoke like a man who got it. During the course of his speech -- which inspired a majority in the audience to jump up from their chairs on numerous occasions -- the Governor wondered if nothing was done to stem the liberal destruction of our values, would future generations ask, “Why didn’t someone do something?” He quickly followed up that question by saying, “In Texas we truly believe that you can’t defer tough decisions for tomorrow’s generation.”

Finally, as the Governor of a state which is responsible for over 47% of all jobs created in the entire nation over the last two years, he asked, “If we don’t do it, who will? If not now, when?”

Indeed.

During his remarks, the Governor stressed the need for, and the power of conservative principles. Millions of Americans believe Rick Perry to be a highly principled conservative. Because of that, they are willing to take that one last walk down the aisle.

However, should they be abandoned at the altar once again, not only will their hopes for a better, more prosperous, and more secure country dashed, but their faith in their leaders will be damaged to the core.

Run, Rick, run.

Source: Weekly Standard

Perry Watch: Did New Gingrich just endorse Rick Perry for President?

This morning decided to check out one of my favorite blogs, Texas on the Potomac, to see what was up and it did not disappoint.  Would not be the least bit surprised to see Newt endorse Perry.  In fact, Newt is such a policy wonk that we were surprised when he got in the race.  Yesterday his fundraisers quit his campaign so it is on life support.  Would bet he would be happier to get out of the race if he knew that Rick Perry was in the race.  Looks like one endorsement upcoming 'if' Rick Perry jumps in the Republican Presidential primary.

You can vote whether Rick Perry should get in the race at  Texas on the Potomac.  The vote right now stands at 78% yes.

Perry Watch: Did Newt Gingrich just endorse Rick Perry for president? 

★ ★ ★
Richard DunhamTexas on the Potomac
June 21, 2011 

It was almost as good a day for Rick Perry as it was a bad one for Newt Gingrich.
The former House Speaker from Georgia suffered yet another staff mutiny as his top fundraisers resigned on the day the national media buzzed about a purported second Gingrich line of credit at high-end jeweler Tiffany. 

The pundits have declared his campaign dead, but the candidate soldiers on. Still, this comment about his friend the Texas governor, made on Laura Ingraham‘s radio show, fueled talk of a future Gingrich endorsement of Perry, who is currently mulling a 2012 presidential race.

“I like him a lot,” Gingrich said of Perry. “I wrote the foreword to his most recent book; I think he’s been a great governor of Texas; he will be a very formidable competitor if he gets into the race.” 

Just a couple of months ago, your blogger-in-chief was at a press breakfast with Gingrich when the candidate compared his come-from-behind skills to Perry’s. Perry, he pointed out, was trailing Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison in early polling in 2010, but came back to trounce the popular senator in the GOP gubernatorial primary. 

However, Gingrich has shown no signs of a miracle comeback and two of his top advisers — both longtime Perry confidants — recently quit his presidential campaign. One of them, David Carney, has attended some of Perry’s events as the Texas governor travels the country deciding whether he wants to leap into the 2012 contest. 

Source:  Texas on the Potomac

Kevin Williamson: Five Points in Perry's Favor

This is one of the best articles on reasons for Governor Perry to run that I have seen -- five reasons and who can argue with any of them?  Paulbots and Democrats?

Kevin D. Williamson
June 21, 2011 12:00 P.M. 

Five Points in Perry’s Favor 

Reasons to hope he throws his hat in the ring 

Five reasons you might like to see Rick Perry get into the GOP primary race? Easy. How about 1. Mitt Romney; 2. Tim Pawlenty; 3. Michele Bachmann; 4. Herman Cain; 5. Ron Paul? Here’s five more: Boeing, eBay, DynaPump, SunPower, Fluor. 

And here’s five longer ones: 

1. Jobs: Texas’s economic record really is about 80 percent of Perry’s appeal — Texas is just killing it on the jobs front compared with the rest of the country. In May, the whole country saw a net gain of 232,000 jobs, some 62,000 of them at McDonald’s, the country’s most notable job creator that month. At the same time, eBay was expanding in Austin, bringing a $122 million payroll to town and average salaries of $122,500. 

There’s nothing wrong with working at McDonald’s (or Burger King), but the businesses that have moved to or expanded in Texas during the last decade are hardly suggestive of the unfairly maligned McJob: Boeing, DynaPump, SunPower, Fluor. Newspapers may be falling apart, but Los Angeles–based Investors’ Business Daily is setting up operations in the Dallas suburbs.

Critics point out that Texas and New York have about the same unemployment rate, which is true, but consider this: Texas’s population has grown by 21 percent in the last decade, while New York has lost hundreds of thousands of residents — about 850,000. In that context, Texas’s performance is even more remarkable than it initially looks. 

2. Perry really is serious about this Tenth Amendment stuff: He is a social conservative, no doubt, but he’s a federalist first. He’s not crazy about gay marriage or medical marijuana, but his view is that if California wants to go that route, that’s California’s business. Don’t like it? “Don’t move to California,” he says. Kicking hard decisions down to the states isn’t the answer to everything — look at Michigan or Illinois — but more federalism and more competition between the states would be on balance a very fine thing for the country. 

3. He’s a conservative before he’s a Republican, and he was a conservative before he was a Republican. Perry, who first held office as a conservative Democrat, chaired Al Gore’s Texas presidential team in 1988, back when Gore was running against federal funding for abortion and criticizing Jesse Jackson for being soft on Arafat (remember that Al Gore?). Perry crossed the aisle to the GOP the next year. He can be blistering on the subject of ideologically wayward Republicans, up to and including his predecessor in the governorship. 

4. The great majority of American politicians see the Middle East through the prism of the Arab–Israeli conflict. Perry saw it from the cockpit of a C-130 and left the Air Force with the rank of captain. And, almost as important, he doesn’t make a big deal out of his military service. He’s been pretty tight-lipped on his foreign-policy views, but there is good reason to hope that his commitment to limited government and balanced budgets might put a damper on the Republican party’s more adventuresome foreign-policy tendencies. 

5. He has never lost an election. 

-- Kevin D. Williamson is a deputy managing editor of National Review and author of The Politically Incorrect Guide to Socialism. 

Source:  National Review

We are betting Paulbots will continues to have their knives out for Rick Perry as they are supporting Ron Paul and Michelle Bachmann who makes sure she attends Paul's weekly meetings.  Paulbots make sure they hit all the sites with their version of the truth which in many instancese doesn't stand up to fact checking.  Rumor has Ron Paul dropping out of the race down the road and giving his support to his disciple Bachmann who by most accounts is very libertarian leaning.  

Bachman wanting to help balance the budget on the backs of our military disabled veterans goes against everything I believe in and share with most Republicans but that is exactly what Bachmann submitted in January.  Why have we not heard more about her stance on disabled veterans as she is pushed by some sites?  That disqualifies anyone in my book who goes after disabled veterans who earned that money with their sacrifice.  Check out the Pink Flamingo for the facts.  

One of the attacks I find amusing is saying Perry was a Democrat member of the legislature from West Texas which shows an obvious lack of knowledge of Texas politics in West Texas where to get elected for years you had to be a conservative Democrat.  When the Democrat party started going left, Rick Perry soon found a home in the Republican Party where he ran for Agriculture Commissioner in 1990 and won which was one of the few bright spots of the evening.  

He has always been a conservative but you wouldn't know it from some of the posts we have seen.  My favorite is a poster who is saying that Kay Bailey Hutchinson was the conservative in the Texas primary for Governor and Perry was the moderate which is just an outright as it is reversed and anyone who knows Texas politics knows the truth.  When a poster outright lies, you know that he is most likely from the Paul camp or a Democrat as we have witnessed it a lot over the years even up close and personal dealing with Paulbots down to my own precinct.  

We also saw the Paulbots in action in the Texas primary for Governor in 2010 when they ran a Truther and a Paulbot who pretended she was just a Tea Party person who opposed Governor Perry.  In fact she had been a huge supporter of Ron Paul for President which didn't come out until some people started uncovering the facts including Glenn Beck getting her waffling on the Truther movement until she was finally outed.

If the Libertarian movement is so huge that some people want us to believe, why don't these people run as Libertarians in the elections instead of Republicans?  Do you think it is because they cannot get elected as Libertarians?  Ron Paul found that out and came back to the Republican Party but his ideas have remained libertarian.

If you read the five points in Perry's favor and still think he is a RINO as the Paulbots are calling him, then you are not going to like this site during the election as we are 100% behind Rick Perry who we have seen in action living in Texas and being here in Oklahoma.  There is no one better to unite the Republican Party than Rick Perry -- we proudly join the "Run Rick Run" group. 

Rick Perry: Republicans should "stop apologizing"

The latest on Rick Perry from the Southern Republican Leadership Conference this afternoon after his speech.  We will have the video of the speech as soon as it is released.   This lady's comments mirror what we think of Rick Perry:

"Rick Perry always fires me up," one woman said as she left the ballroom after the speech. "He's awesome. He's got my vote."

Perry did not participate in the straw poll since he is not an announced candidate but frankly little stock is put in straw polls by people who understand the system.  It is a moneymaker for the group running the straw poll.  We are not shocked that Ron Paul won the straw poll which shows how little it affects the outcome of the campaign.  It is who has the most supporters willing to pay money to vote.  Without Romney there to buy ballots, he didn't win.  He is famous for not only buying ballots but busing people in for the CPAC straw polls.  Guess he didn't figure that speaking at the SRLC would gain him many points.


Rick Perry energized the activists and showed again why so many of us are pushing him to run for President.  We are not willing to settle for a candidate from what we see as a fairly weak field which is a sentiment I am hearing from across the Country.  There is no one in this field who has the experience of Perry in dealing with the current occupant of the White House, his DOJ, Immigration, and his EPA and then throw in Obamacare and you have a candidate that will go toe to toe with Obama and not back down.

We need to take our Country back and that means the man with a lot of experience as Governor from Texas who has showed how it is done to keep the jobs coming into the state, who is conservative, and has enthusiasm and passion to bring crowds their feet with his message needs to jump in the race after the special session is complete.  Rick Perry has that WOW factor that Republicans, independents and conservative Democrats can relate to when he speaks and will give Obama nightmares from now until election night in November 2012. 

June 18, 2011

Rick Perry:  Republicans should "stop apologizing"

NEW ORLEANS, LA - JUNE 18: Texas governor Rick Perry speaks during the 2011 Republican Leadership Conference on June 18, 2011 in New Orleans, Louisiana.

(Credit: Justin Sullivan)

NEW ORLEANS - Texas Republican Gov. Rick Perry - a highly-buzzed-about potential GOP presidential candidate - said at the Republican Leadership Conference Saturday that Republicans should "stop apologizing" for taking conservative positions on social and fiscal issues.
"It saddens me when sometimes my fellow Republicans duck and cover in the face of pressure from the left," said Perry, referencing calls for a "truce" on social issues. He added: "Our party cannot be all things to all people."
"Our opponents on the left are never going to like us, so let's quit trying to curry favor with them," continued Perry.
He called on the party activists present to "stand up" and "speak with pride about our morals and our values ... let's stop this American downward spiral." 
Perry, who is openly considering entering the 2012 race, was greeted enthusiastically by conference-goers, who applauded wildly for his criticisms of what he called the Obama administration's "mix of arrogance and audacity," which he deemed an "affront to every freedom-loving American."
Criticizing the administration for what he cast as excessive regulation and big-government overreach, Perry said of the administration, "they clearly think that they know best. And let me tell you, I vehemently disagree. They don't know best."
Perry assailed the administration for "too much spending, too much interfering, and too much apologizing." Making a sarcastic talking motion with his hand, Perry said "this administration may get up and mouth words about job creation, but they clearly consider enterprise a dirty word."
The speech was carefully choreographed: When the Texas governor complained of the "runaway train known as Obamacare," the sound of a train was piped through the ballroom speakers.
Perry, who described himself as a "disciplined, conservative Texan," complained of an "entitlement culture in our nation." He pointed to the fact that Texas has balanced its budget and leads the nation in exports, saying such accomplishments result when people are "willing to take a beating from the liberal left and their friends in the media."
Perry got perhaps his most enthusiastic applause when he called for the elimination of frivolous lawsuits; pointed to a Texas law that requires women seeking abortions to be given sonograms; and discussed his state's passage of a law requiring voters to show identification cards at the polls.
Voting, he said, "is precious to us, and don't you think it's fair to apply at least the same standard required to get a library card or to board an airplane?"
Perry held a book signing before his speech, and was rumored to be hosting a $1,000-per-person fundraiser for the Louisiana GOP immediately afterward. While he did not participate in the straw poll held earlier here today, conference-goers said they would be happy if he jumps in the race.
"Rick Perry always fires me up," one woman said as she left the ballroom after the speech. "He's awesome. He's got my vote."

Read more: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20072298-503544.html#ixzz1PfXC0RD2

Rich Lowry: Perry's Draft Stump Speech

Over the years we have always considered Rich Lowry a reasoned political writer who calls them like he sees them.  Looks like from his last sentence that he sees the same thing in Governor Perry:

Perry will inevitably draw comparisons with George W. Bush, but there’s at least one big difference: This Texas governor is not selling “compassionate conservatism.” His message is limited government, pure and simple.

Those words carry a lot of weight because they are so true.  This is one person who got tired of 'compassionate' conservatism whatever that was.  Rick Perry is not even close to that as he leads the charge for State's Rights and his message of limited government where he is not afraid to use the line item veto pen.  Texas balanced their budget just like Oklahoma this year with no new taxes but used cutting expenses for the various agencies.

Anyone who has been following Obama and his attacks on this part of the Country through the EPA, using the NLRB to go after South Carolina, and Obamacare knows sooner or later he is going to be doing the same to other states as he seeks to consolidate all power in DC and the states can go pound salt.

Obama must be stopped and Rick Perry is the person to do just that!  Rick Perry has not backed down to Obama so that should be some debate.  We are getting ahead of ourselves because he still has to win the primary but the way the Draft Perry is catching steam, we think he will do just fine.

Perry’s Draft Stump Speech
June 14, 2011 10:30 P.M.

By Rich Lowry

I was at the same event as Brian and got the same impression–this was a draft stump speech by Gov. Perry. There are three things a presidential candidate generally needs: 1) presence (does he fill the room?); 2) a narrative (does his biography and/or record add up to something?); 3) a theme (does he have a point in running?). Based on tonight, I’d say Perry could well have all three. Let’s take them in order: 

1) I’d never seen him give a speech before, but he delivered a pretty effective stem-winder. He was passionate, funny, and sincere. He got a standing ovation and as soon as he finished people began to leave the room, i.e. they were there for him. 

2) The Perry narrative is that–during a crisis of unemployment in the nation at large–he has made Texas into a jobs machine with a program of commonsense conservatism. He was filling in for Donald Trump tonight and said at the beginning of his speech, “He’s known for saying, ‘You’re fired.’ We’re known [in Texas] for saying, ‘You’re hired.’” He said someone told him recently, “‘Perry, you’re jobs-obsessed.’ I said, ‘Yep.’” Later on in the speech, he noted that his “state has a sign out that says, ‘Open for Business.’” 

3) His theme is that Washington needs to adopt a Texas-like program, be cut down to size, and leave the states to be “laboratories of democracy.” He referred a couple of times to the “Oz of Washington.” He sarcastically said, “Those people in Washington know everything,” before hitting the EPA, ObamaCare, and the NLRB. He complained of the “tragedy that’s happening in America, of losing our freedom.” He warned that the “entrenched powers in Washington” will be hard to fight. Left unsaid–only for now, perhaps–is that he’s the man to fight them. 

Read More at National Review

Welcome to the Governor Perry for President blog today!

Seriously, right after I had finished posting, an email came from Newsmax with these comments from John Fund which fit in perfectly with my saying the east coast media doesn't understand this part of the Country and they shouldn't  underestimate Rick Perry:

John Fund: Don’t Underestimate Rick Perry
June 12, 2011

After repeatedly disavowing interest in running for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012, Texas Gov. Rick Perry has sparked speculation about a White House campaign with his recent comment that he is going to “think about” running.

And Wall Street Journal commentator John Fund says his potential candidacy should be taken seriously.

Perry has planned four out-of-state political trips this month and is replacing Donald Trump as a speaker at a dinner for New York Republicans on June 14, Fund reports.

He vetoed a bill that would have required online merchants to collect sales tax from Texas residents, a move that pleased anti-tax groups. And he has proposed a budget that calls for a $15 billion cut in state spending over the next two years. Fund notes that cuts of that size are “sweet music indeed” for Republican primary voters.

Perry assumed office in 2000 and is the longest-serving current U.S. governor.

Fund acknowledges that a Perry run for president “seems implausible,” since he has not even formed an exploratory committee or raised any money for a federal campaign.

“But as the liberal Texas Tribune points out, Mr. Perry shouldn’t be underestimated,” Fund observes.

That paper noted that Perry has never lost an election, clobbering Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison in the 2010 Republican gubernatorial primary, and his state is responsible for the great bulk of the nation’s new private-sector jobs.

Fund observes, “Perry knows how to play the base of the Republican Party like a finely tuned musical instrument.”

We admit there is no exploratory committee but you do those to see if there is interest in your running and if you can raise money.  Why would Rick Perry have to gauge interest as he is being asked by Governors, members of Congress, CA Reps started a Draft Perry movement, and a lot of Republicans are asking him to run.  As for fundraising, the minute he announces he has set up a candidate committee to accept donations, he will be receiving large, medium, and small donations from across the Country.  He knows he has some of the biggest fundraisers already on board if he runs.  He has name recognition across the Country.  In fact, think some Governors would like to see him as President to keep from taking their jobs, but Lt Governor Dewhurst is waiting in the wings to take over where Perry leaves off.

"Run Rick Run" is something I am hearing from various places.  Perry gets in the race and we have a new energetic campaign that will give Obama and the Democrats nightmares.

Have a terrific rest of the weekend.  This was the day to post on why Rick Perry would be a terrific candidate for President and get you up to speed.  If you have a chance visit, Draft Rick Perry 2012 and leave your two cents why he should run for President.