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

Texas Governor Perry stresses record during N.Y. speech

If anyone had any doubts that Gov Perry will be getting in the race, after last night's speech, the NY interviews, breakfast this morning with Rudy Giuliani, they should be put aside.  There is no one can work a room better than Rick Perry and last night he hit it out of the ballpark.  NYC Republicans turned out to welcome the Texas Governor to NYC and gave him rave reviews. 
When you start getting state legislators to ask Rick Perry to run you know a Draft Perry movement is well underway.  These comments from Ed Morrisey at Hot Air pretty well sum up the debate and the field:

After writing a curmudgeonly rant (or two) about one of the worst debate productions ever seen, I suppose I owe a word or two about how the candidates did. Frankly, none of them turned in an inspiring or inspired performance, although all of them did at least a competent job. I spent two hours looking for a breakout candidate or a charismatic performance that would stand out and frame the rest of the primary race. Instead, perhaps as a result of the silliness and grunting foisted on us by CNN and its moderator John King, none of them stood out much from the others, and none of them did much damage to themselves or each other.

After the debate on Monday night, Rick Perry flies to New York for a round of interviews and a speech to the Manhattan GOP the next day and all the press is focusing on Rick Perry.  All you have to do is look at Rick Perry's record as Texas Governor to know he would make a formidable candidate when he gets in the race. 

The Texas legislature will adjourn on 30 June so can we expect an announcement he is running on the 4th of July?  That would be perfect.  He is keeping his word that he will not make an announcement while the legislature is in session.  The number of speeches he is being asked to make around the Country this summer is increasing.  People want to hear Governor Perry speak and they will not go away disappointed. 

Reactions to Perry's speech are pretty positive. The Spectator's Alex Massie writes that Perry has the advantage of a simple story and theme: that "Texas is working" and that "what's worked for Texas can work for the rest of America too." And the National Review's Rich Lowry is impressed by Perry, writing:

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.

So much for some of us hearing the media spin that another Governor from Texas won't be welcome in the race by a lot of people:

We in New York need to be more like Texas,” said Rob Astorino, the Westchester County executive in suburban New York. “I, for one, hope that Gov. Perry puts his name in the ring for president. We need straight talkers.”

The big question on the mind of many is "When will Rick Perry announce for President?" and with last night's speech, he has done nothing to quell that expectation.  Looking forward to his address on Saturday to the Southern Republican Leadership Conference in New Orleans.  Last year's speech was really good -- typical Rick Perry where he gets the people in the audience involved and hits the ball out of the park.

Perry stresses record during N.Y. speech

By RICHARD S. DUNHAM/richard.dunham@chron.com

Updated 08:15 a.m., Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Texas Governor Rick Perry speaks at the Lincoln Dinner, an annual fundraising event for the New York GOP, Tuesday, June 14, 2011 in New York. Perry stirred speculation Tuesday that he would seek the 2012 Republican presidential nomination, telling a television interviewer he would engage in a "thought process" before deciding whether to join the field.
Photo: AP / SA

NEW YORK — Texas Gov. Rick Perry sounded very much like a presidential hopeful at a New York City Republican fundraising dinner Tuesday, blasting President Barack Obama’s economic policies and boasting of Texas’ economic growth during his decade-long tenure.

“The Democratic Party is now the party of record deficits, historic debt and failed spending measures sold as job creation programs that only ended up expanding government,” Perry told 250 Republican loyalists at the New York County GOP’s annual Lincoln Day dinner.

Appearing at a hotel at Grand Central Station, Perry bragged about presiding over “the strongest economy in this country.”

He cited government statistics indicating that 48 percent of the jobs created in the United States in the past two years have been created in Texas.

“We keep adding jobs while other states lose them left and right,” Perry said. “Those jobs flee other states because of factors like excess taxation, punitive regulation and frivolous litigation.”

Perry congratulated the Texas Legislature for balancing the state budget without raising taxes “to preserve our job-friendly climate and most of the state’s $6 billion in our rainy day fund.

“In Texas, we can’t defer today’s tough decisions for tomorrow’s generation,” Perry said, “and unlike Washington, we don’t have one of those Beijing credit cards to finance deficit spending.”

Perry didn’t mention a potential presidential campaign during his 25-minute speech, but he did ask the audience to support his efforts by texting him their contact information. Still, he was treated like a presidential front-runner by the audience.

New York state Republican chairman Ed Cox, the son-in-law of former President Richard Nixon, praised Perry as “a principled leader” and “a champion of fiscal discipline.”

The governor’s top political advisers downplayed the significance of his coast-to-coast speeches this week, which began Sunday in Los Angeles and end Saturday in New Orleans.

This is “just like any other week,” said Perry political consultant David Carney. “He does this quite often.”

“People are really intrigued about what’s going on in Texas,” he said.

Perry was a late replacement at the dinner, taking the spot of billionaire developer and reality TV star Donald Trump, who dropped out after he quit the presidential race.

The Texas governor said it was “pretty cool” to speak “instead of The Donald.”

“He’s known for saying, ‘you’re fired,’” Perry said. “We’re known for saying, ‘You’re hired.’ That’s what we do in Texas.’”

Perry talked a lot about one person he’d like to see fired: Obama. He condemned the president’s “abysmal leadership” and the “endless overreaching” of his administration.

“This administration considers profit to be a dirty word,” he said.

Perry’s rhetoric — and his record as Texas governor — left the New York GOP leaders mighty impressed and a little bit jealous.

We in New York need to be more like Texas,” said Rob Astorino, the Westchester County executive in suburban New York. “I, for one, hope that Gov. Perry puts his name in the ring for president. We need straight talkers.”

Perry’s speech came hours after 20 Arkansas legislators wrote an open letter to the Texas governor pleading with him to enter the presidential contest.

And the Alabama Republican Party announced Tuesday that Perry would speak at its summer fundraising gala in the early-presidential-primary state.

Before his speech, Perry gave a round of interviews to national media outlets. Asked by Fox host Neil Cavuto about a possible presidential race, Perry said he was “giving it some serious thought.”

Six weeks ago, this was not on my radar screen,” he said.

Read more: San Antonio Express News 

6/14/2011 - Leader's Schedule for the House

TUESDAY, JUNE 14TH

On Tuesday, the House will meet at 10:00 a.m. for morning hour and 12:00 p.m. for legislative business. Former Members Day will be held on the House Floor from 8:00 - 9:30 a.m. First votes expected: 1:30 - 2:30 p.m. Last votes expected: 6:00 - 7:00 p.m.
One Minute Speeches (15 per side)

Complete Consideration of H.R. 2055 - The Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2012 (Open Rule) (Sponsored by Rep. John Culberson / Appropriations Committee)

Begin Consideration of H.R. 2112 - Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2012 (Open Rule) (Sponsored by Rep. Jack Kingston / Appropriations Committee)

The rule provides for one hour of general debate and makes in order any amendment offered that complies with the House rules.

Special Order Speeches

COMMITTEE ACTIVITY OF THE DAY

Financial Services Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit Hearing on “Does the Dodd Frank Act End 'Too Big to Fail'?" (Tuesday, June 14th at 10:00 a.m.)

GOP debate winners: Romney, Bachmann and Rick Perry

Interesting headline this morning. Even though Klein uses Rick Perry's name as he says for a stand-in for someone who might get in the race late, most of us know that Rick Perry would go to the lead 'if' he gets in the race following the special session of the Texas legislature which ends on 30 June 2011.

There is no "WOW" factor with any of these candidates. We have a candidate with executive experience but no government experience, two former Governors, a former Speaker of the House, two House Members, and a former Senator. If anyone can find a "WOW" factor with this group, then the bar is pretty low for a GOP candidate. It is not to say they are not nice people but in today's climate, a lot of voters are affected by that "WOW" factor. Ask yourself if Obama would be afraid to go up against any of this group?

Republicans have gone after Obama for his lack of executive experience so experience in the eyes of the Democrats is very low on the list. I would like to think that Republicans are better than that and value executive experience as a key factor in electing a candidate to oppose Obama. Also believe that experience as a Governor is much higher on the list then that of a member of Congress. Let's look at the candidates currently in the race.

Mitt Romney was a one term Governor of Massachusetts who helped bring in universal healthcare to MA and caused a lot of doctors to leave. He ran the Olympics with the help of the Mormon Church putting pressure on an OK Congressman to take light rail and road money and move it from Oklahoma to Utah for the Olympics. Romney is too liberal for most of us. Most of us have no desire to have our nominee be from liberal Massachusetts where he got along just fine with the legislature which is overwhelmingly Democrat. There is a reason friends in MA do not support him for President and in 2008 went to NH to work for McCain. He is being pushed by the media as the best chance to beat Obama -- might want to think twice when the Obama media is pushing a candidate.

Tim Pawlenty, the two term Governor of Minnesota, was able to accomplish more in Minnesota than most of us thought possible as we was up against a heavily Democrat legislature. He was reelected and has the credentials to be President based on his record but there is something lacking in his presentation and needs to do a better job in debates. The "WOW" factor was missing in last night's debate according to what we have been reading, but he has the credentials and has some really good ideas on how to jumpstart the economy.

Herman Cain is the one person in the race with executive experience and no government experience. He has some great ideas but is lacking in knowledge of how government works like saying he would only sign a bill that is three pages or less. For starters Budget/Appropriation bills that go the President for signature have to be huge bills because of all the data they contain on how money is to be spent. After the last few years we need someone who can hit the ground running as President and not have on the job training.

Newt Gingrich, former Speaker of the House and policy wonk, should not be running after his debacle during the impeachment of Bill Clinton when he left the House in disgrace. After leaving the House, Newt and Hillary got together on healthcare and Newt and Nancy Pelosi got to together on climate change and he wants to be the Republican nominee?

Ron Paul, member of the House, running again to get out his message that probably 95% or more of the Country could care less as some of his ideas are out of the mainstream of conservatives especially on the military.

Michelle Bachmann, member of the House, presents herself well but has a lack of depth when it comes to experience. Kind of odd to see her portray herself as this big conservative on the budget when she stands with a lot of others wanting pork and earmarks. She also could not get many members of Congress to support her in the House for the Conference Chair. If the people who work with you, won't support you, then it makes a person wonder. She wasn't elected to the House until 2006 so there is not even that much Federal experience. The past year she formed the Tea Party Caucus in the House. Frankly, we are part of the group who believe the Tea Party should have remained in local control and no politician should be involved as heading any part of the Tea Party.

Rick Santorum, former Senator, was defeated in 2006 when Republicans lost a lot of good Senators. He was defeated by a Democrat who was just as pro-life as Santorum or at least said he was. Santorum is considered part of the religious and social conservative part of the GOP. Since losing his Senate seat, Santorum has given speeches and worked at a conservative think tank and as a cable news channel commentator.

There you have our current crop of candidates and to be honest, we would support the Republican for President but don't believe this group has the ability to unite Republicans in a way to take on Obama and the Democrats and make our candidate have long coattails. That is why so many people are asking Rick Perry to get in the race -- he has the "WOW" factor when he speaks and he has already taking on Obama several times as Governor of Texas.

Last year at the Southern Republican Leadership Conference (SRLC) his speech made you wish he would announce right then that he was running for President. Only two people gave really good speeches at the SRLC last year -- Perry and Mike Pence who is now running for Indiana Governor.

After reading about last night's debate, no doubt in my mind that Republicans and this Country need Rick Perry in the race to enthuse the Republicans across the board. This time the Republican grassroots are going to bring along the establishment Republicans in DC and other places. Anyone who says that Rick Perry is an establishment candidate doesn't know Texas politics.

We have been wondering who would run as the VP candidate with Rick Perry or any of our candidates. Marsha Blackburn, House Member from Tennessee, was the first name that popped in my head. She has been in our state to speak but when I really noticed her was during the Obamacare Summit. That's when we also learned to know Paul Ryan. Blackburn held her own against Obama and the Democrats and came across as very knowledgeable on healthcare. Since 2007, Blackburn has not made a special spending request in federal budget earmarks. She is conservative on both economic and social issues. Blackburn is currently the Vice Chair on the Commerce Subcommittee for Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade. Since a lot of people would like to see a Republican woman candidate on the ticket, why not look at Marsha Blackburn?

GOP debate winners: Romney, Bachmann and Rick Perry

By: Philip Klein 06/13/11 10:37 PM
Senior editorial writer Follow Him @Philipaklein

Mitt Romney has tremendous vulnerabilities as a presidential candidate, but those weaknesses won’t matter unless one of his rivals tries to exploit them. Tonight, he skated past questions on the health care law he signed as governor and on his record of flip-flopping on abortion, because none of his opponents were willing to challenge him.

This made for an especially weak showing by Tim Pawlenty, who talked tough in a television appearance on Fox News Sunday when he used the term “Obamneycare” to describe the Obama/Romney approach to health care. But when given a chance, repeatedly, to elaborate, Pawlenty wimped out. In addition to letting Romney get away with his flawed explanations for his disastrous health care legislation in Massachusetts, Pawlenty came off looking weak – like the guy who criticizes you behind your back and cowers in front of your face. It was sort of like Ronald Reagan’s “I am paying for this microphone” moment in New Hampshire, only in reverse.

During the 2008 campaign, one of the biggest problems Romney had was that he built up resentment among his rivals by not only reversing himself on a host of issues, but then attacking all his opponents for being insufficiently conservative on the issues he had just converted on. This came back to haunt him down the stretch, particularly as Mike Huckabee and John McCain effectively teamed up against Romney in Iowa and New Hampshire. But tonight, Romney was affable, and complimentary to all of his rivals, and specifically to Pawlenty. This had a disarming effect, and it also allowed him to concentrate his fire on the real opponent, President Obama.

Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., who announced during the debate that she would be running for president, also had a strong showing. Though she’s portrayed in the media as a lightweight, she came across polished, knowledgeable and quite comfortable during the debate. The only thing that had me a bit confused was when she said that she wouldn’t interfere with a state that wanted to legalize gay marriage, but yet she’d support a federal marriage amendment. The 2004 version of that amendment read, “Marriage in the United States shall consist solely of the union of a man and a woman. Neither this Constitution, nor the constitution of any State, shall be construed to require that marriage or the legal incidents thereof be conferred upon any union other than the union of a man and a woman.” If Bachmann catches fire, it could be particularly damaging to Pawlenty, who needs a strong showing in Iowa have a chance against Romney.

None of the other candidates on stage: Rep. Ron Paul, R-Tex., Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich, or Herman Cain particularly distinguished themselves.

In my headline, I named Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who didn’t participate, as another winner in the debate. And by mentioning Perry, I use him as a stand-in for any other Republican candidate who may be contemplating a late entry in the race. Romney may have established himself as the frontrunner tonight, but he remains incredibly vulnerable. So there’s still a huge opening for another candidate.
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Read more at the : Washington Examiner

Larry Summers: More Stimulus Needed for Jobs Crisis (Only in Liberal Land)

Only a liberal could be in agreement with Summers that another stimulus is needed for jobs. Last time many states used the stimulus to add jobs to state and local governments. Guess they need another stimulus to keep those jobs going for another year.

What a waste gigantic waste of government tax dollars when you read where some of the money went from the stimulus. Giant sucking sound of tax dollars going into pockets of Democrat donors in a lot of instances. We found this one particular troubling$450 Million in U.S. Stimulus Money Going To Reid And Obama Donor-Backed Chinese “Green” Company? as reported by MSNBC.

They say timing is everything and this looks to be one of those cases -- Summers calls for a new round of stimulus in time to get the money into the economy for Obama/Democrat donors to turn around and donate our tax payer dollars to back to Obama and the Democrats. Fortunately this idea is DOA not only in the Republican House but in the Senate where Republicans can filibuster dumb ideas.

A little about Mr. Summers:

During the California energy crisis of 2000, then-Treasury Secretary Summers teamed with Alan Greenspan and Enron executive Kenneth Lay to lecture California Governor Gray Davis on the causes of the crisis, explaining that the problem was excessive government regulation.[16] Under the advice of Kenneth Lay, Summers urged Davis to relax California's environmental standards in order to reassure the markets.

In 1999 Summers endorsed the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act which removed the separation between investment and commercial banks, saying "With this bill, the American financial system takes a major step forward towards the 21st Century."

The lack of regulation that allowed A.I.G. to sell hundreds of billions of dollars in credit default swaps on mortgage-backed securities was a direct result of efforts by the Treasury (first under Rubin and then under Summers), the Federal Reserve (under Greenspan), and the Securities and Exchange Commission (under Arthur Levitt) to deregulate the derivatives markets.

As director of the White House National Economic Council, he emerged as a key economic decision-maker in the Obama administration, where he attracted both praise and criticism. There had been friction between Summers and former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker, as Volcker accused Summers of delaying the effort to organize a panel of outside economic advisers, and Summers had cut Volcker out of White House meetings and had not shown interest in collaborating on policy solutions to the economic crisis

We don't usually quote Wikipedia because of some past problems of people changing the site but we double checked for other sources on Summers and the information was correct. Summers was the perfect Harvard background person for Obama -- he had also been in the Clinton Administration and was also part of fighting Bush tax cuts.

Why would we want to listen to what Summers had to say since the first stimulus package was a boondoggle except to pay back Democrat donors and the banking industry. Some people still call Summers a genius, but we have trouble finding the genius part and only see a political person trying to get donations for Obama by bailing out Democrats. Are we missing something?

Larry Summers: More Stimulus Needed For Jobs Crisis

First Posted: 06/13/11 08:52 AM ET Updated: 06/13/11 09:47 AM ET

By Lawrence H. Summers

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., June 12 (Reuters) - Even with the massive 2008-2009 policy effort that successfully prevented financial collapse and depression, the United States is now halfway to a lost economic decade.

Over the last five years, from the first quarter of 2006 to the first quarter of 2011, the U.S. economy's growth rate averaged less than 1 percent a year, about like Japan during the period when its bubble burst. At the same time, the fraction of the population working has fallen from 63.1 percent to 58.4 percent, reducing the number of those with jobs by more than 10 million. The fraction of the population working remains almost exactly at its recession trough and recent reports suggest that growth is slowing.

Beyond the lack of jobs and incomes, an economy producing below its potential for a prolonged interval sacrifices its future. To an extent that once would have been unimaginable, new college graduates are this month moving back in with their parents because they have no job or means of support. Strapped school districts across the country are cutting out advanced courses in math and science and in some cases only opening school four days a week. And reduced incomes and tax collections at present and in the future are the most important cause of unacceptable budget deficits at present and in the future.

You cannot prescribe for a malady unless you diagnose it accurately and understand its causes. Recessions are times when there is too little demand for the products of businesses, and so they fail to employ all those who want to work. That the problem in a period of high unemployment like the present one is a lack of business demand for employees, not any lack of desire to work is all but self-evident. It is demonstrated by the observations that (i) the propensity of workers to quit jobs and the level of job openings are at near-record low levels; (ii) rises in nonemployment have taken place among essentially all demographic skill and education groups; and (iii) rising rates of profit and falling rates of wage growth suggest that it is employers, not workers, who have the power in almost every market.

Excerpt:  Read More at AOL/HP

Note to Governor Perry if you run for President and win -- Please do not hire any Ivy League educated economists who have no practical experience in every day life.

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.

Some analysts say signs point to Perry presidential bid

Must admit that it doesn't take rocket science to figure that out. We think Larry Sabato who comments in this article is out of touch with the people in a large portion of the Country with his comments about not wanting another Texan and Perry being to the right of most people in the Country.  Guess Sabato never got the message that this country is center right and the issues that make a lot of Americans support Rick are his conservative principles in believing in State's Rights.  That resonates with a lot of people who are tired of the Federal Government getting involved in our every day lives. We would like to know what is wrong with being from Texas or being conservative?  Large state, complex problems, and an economy that is booming under the leadership of Governor Perry.  He brings up President Bush as some kind of an anchor around Rick Perry which shows his lack of understanding of Texas politics.

In 2010 Kay Bailey Hutchinson was supported by former President GHW Bush, former Secretary of State Jim Baker, and their group against Perry.  They are Romney people for the most part and didn't want Perry having a chance to run in the GOP primary IMHO.  President GW Bush stayed out of the primary so knowing those facts, how could that hurt Rick Perry who is his own person.  The answer is that it won't and after 2 1/2 years of Obama, President Bush no longer is the menace of even some of the Democrats.  Anyone who wouldn't  vote for Rick Perry because he is from Texas wouldn't vote for him anyway.

What is interesting is the Lincoln Dinner of the New York Republican County Committee in Manhattan in NYC which Trump dropped out as the speaker.  After that, they asked Perry to be their speaker and all of sudden the tickets were a hot commodity which should tell you all you need to know.  This is New York not exactly the hotbed of conservatives.  Have to wonder if one Rudy Giuliani put a suggestion in their ear to ask Perry.  Rick Perry supported Rudy early in the Presidential race in 2008 even going into Florida to campaign for him.  We would bet money that Rudy would love to see Rick run for President this time -- you can bet that Rudy and law firm of Bracewell and Giuliani will be fully on board for Perry.  Pat Oxford keeping his powder dry says a lot.

Rumors are flying everywhere that everything is in place to run now with Rob Johnson back in Austin.  There is no way he and others would stay with Newt no matter if it was a smooth running campaign if Perry decided to get in the race.  Johnson would have been headed back to Texas as fast as he could get there once Perry decided to run.  Rick Perry getting in the race would be a game changer.  He is energetic, conservative, and not many can get a room on their feet applauding like Perry can.

Some analysts say signs point to Perry presidential bid 

By Maria Recio
mrecio@mcclatchydc.com 

WASHINGTON -- Gov. Rick Perry's strategy of sitting back and waiting to be asked to run for president seems to be paying off.

When presidential aspirant Donald Trump flamed out, Perry was the one asked to substitute as keynote speaker at next week's annual Lincoln Dinner of the New York Republican County Committee in Manhattan. And this week, some of Perry's former top aides abandoned the candidacy of Newt Gingrich, creating a buzz. 

"An observer of the Texas political scene, watching what he's doing, you would have to say he's running," said Pat Oxford, chairman of the Houston-based Bracewell & Giuliani law firm.

Perry's invitation to be the marquee speaker Tuesday at the high-profile fundraiser at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in the nation's biggest media market underscores the curiosity that Republican conservatives have about the Texas governor. "When Perry was announced, there was a lot more interest," said Marcus Cederqvist, executive director of the New York Republican County Committee. Ticket sales soared when Trump's replacement was announced, he said. "People were very excited about it."

"Gov. Perry is the perfect example that we in New York should be looking to," committee Chairman Daniel Isaacs said in a statement. "At a time when New York ranks at or near the bottom among states in every important metric, Texas is leading the way. By focusing on keeping taxes low and fostering a fair legal and regulatory environment, Gov. Perry has helped Texas attract business and residents at a time when New York has been hemorrhaging both."

Isaacs said he has organized a "meet and greet" lunch for Perry with 30 of Manhattan's top financiers and power brokers, after which the Texan will make several media appearances before the dinner speech.
When asked last month whether he intends to run, Perry said, "I'm going to think about it."

What other people are thinking about it took on new energy with Thursday's mass exodus of Gingrich's campaign workers, including longtime Perry advisers David Carney and Rob Johnson.
"All the signs point to" Perry's running, said Austin political consultant Bill Miller, who advises members of both parties. "It sure adds up to a guy who's going to be a candidate."

But Perry spokesman Mark Miner sustained the "sit back" strategy, saying: "Nothing's changed. Of course he's going to think about it. Right now, he's focused on the legislative session."

The state Legislature is completing unfinished business in a special session that could run through the end of June.

In an e-mail, Carney told the Star-Telegram that the Gingrich exodus "has no bearing on the thinking of the governor."

Besides the New York trip and Perry's consultants being "back in the fold," as Miller puts it, the governor's unexpected call for a day of "prayer and fasting" in Houston in August also fueled speculation of a White House run.

"He'd certainly be a good candidate," Fort Worth power broker and lawyer Dee Kelly said. "If they don't get one candidate to split the conservative vote, he can point to his track record creating jobs in Texas. In this economy right now, he's got credentials."

Texas has led the nation in job creation for 10 years, according to federal data. From February 2010 to February 2011, 254,000 jobs were created. California was in second place with 194,000.

Not all observers think Perry will try to follow his predecessor as governor, George W. Bush, to Washington. 

Larry Sabato, a presidential expert at the University of Virginia, thinks that despite all the signals, Perry is "having fun with it."

"I'd be surprised if he runs," Sabato said. "He's to the right of the country. I don't think there's any doubt about that."

And the country is not willing, he said, to go with another Texan so soon after Bush, especially one who is "right of Bush" and who has suggested that the Lone Star State consider seceding from the Union. 

"Being from Texas hurts anyone running," Sabato said, "but Rick Perry in particular."

For his part, Houston attorney Oxford is keeping his powder dry while waiting to see whether a New Yorker might make a presidential run -- his law partner, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

Looking at the field so far, Oxford said, "There's no Republican candidate who has caught any kind of supportive breeze."

In 2008, Perry, notably, supported Giuliani for president.

Maria Recio is the Star-Telegram's Washington bureau chief. 202-383-6103

Read more: http://www.star-telegram.com/2011/06/10/3144098/some-analysts-say-signs-point.html#ixzz1P4b91lUb

As most of you who read this blog probably can tell, I have not be a huge supporter of any of the current crop of Republican candidates because frankly not sure they could beat Obama and unfortunately not the only who feels that way.  None of them make this conservative from the Sooner State want to support their campaign more than voting for them as being better than Obama.  That said, I am huge supporter of Texas A&M graduate Rick Perry and have been since the first time I had the privilege of hearing him speak and then voting for him for Agriculture Commissioner in 1990 after we had been transferred to Kelly AFB that summer.  He was the one bright spot for Republicans in an otherwise dismal election.  Even after the transfer to Oklahoma, continued to support Perry and his campaigns.  Rick Perry is conservative, an Eagle Scout, former Air Force Pilot, and a lot more experience then any other candidate with being Governor of Texas since January 2001.  Perry knows what it is like to have the Federal Government at your doorstep with regulations from the EPA, lack of support out of the Administration to fight the border problem, and the Feds stepping on State's rights for starters.

Texas economy is flourishing and you can it to the bank that oil and gas will be solidly behind Rick Perry as America needs to drill more to make our country more self-sufficient for foreign oil.  The blocking of permits for Gulf Oil Drilling will stop the day Rick Perry becomes President.  Obama has sought to put TX, OK, LA and other oil and gas producing states on their backs first with regulations and then his putting a moratorium on Gulf Oil Drilling which is still semi in place today as it almost takes an act of Congress to get a permit to drill.  Then we have the lizard problem in the Permian Basin that the EPA is trying to use to stop new oil drilling to protect the lizard.  That means the EPA doesn't want the San Antonio area which gets their water from Edwards Aquifer to have water to drink so the salamander and now a beetle they found can flourish or the Permian Basin to keep drilling in order save a lizard?  The problems with the EPA are legendary in this part of the Country.  It is like 'stop the insanity of the EPA!'

Would say that Rick Perry running would be a nightmare for Obama because Perry doesn't back down as all of us have witnessed in the past few years.  We need a candidate with a backbone who understands what it takes to get the economy moving again and it certainly isn't new regulations or finding a new species to protect at the expense of oil and gas drilling.  Rick Perry's experience as Ag Commissioner, Lt Governor, and now Governor gives him experience others don't have.  No one can question his Air Force time as he flew C-130's overseas.  That issue is off the table in case Dan Rather is wondering.

Then we have the people saying he was a Democrat before running for Ag Commissioner.  If anyone uses that against him, then they don't understand Texas or the South where to get elected at one time you pretty much had to be a Democrat.  He grew up in a heavy Democrat area, but he chose to become a Republican and run for statewide office in a year that Republicans were not doing well but he won.   In Texas there were a lot of Democrat Conservatives including Cong Ralph Hall who after all those years as a Texas Democrat switched to Republican when President GW Bush was in office.  I respected Hall as a Democrat conservative and I respect today because his principles are the same -- it is the Democrat Party who has been lunging left for years and left those Southern Conservative Democrats without a party.  I have seen it in my own area.  I prefer to say "they finally saw the light."

Missing the Real News

Anyone with half a brain has to admit that the coverage of Cong Weiner and his escapades along with the Palin bus tour reporting has been way over the top at the expense of other news.  Is it because the media prefers to cover tabloid journalism or is it something more sinister -- covering up the ongoing investigation into

1.  Project Gunrunner, because it was really about knowingly, deliberately letting guns be sold to straw purchasers who were going to supply them to the narco-terrorist groups on both sides of the border

2.  Entire country has a problem with the Chinese government which is becoming increasingly brazen in it's assaults on American security

Will the media start covering the real news or are we going to be treated to more tabloid journalism over the weekend?  We are betting on the tabloid reporting.

In reading the excerpts below of the interview Hugh Hewitt had with Congressman Issa whose committee is doing the investigations, it raises questions into how much of this is supported by Obama and his Administration including the Attorney General.  If they are not involved, why haven't they spoken out and demanded something be done immediately to stop the gunrunning and to tell China to stop their assaults on American security?  Since we are hearing crickets chirping out of Obama and his Administration on both issues, it seems to signal they don't care what is happening which is bad for America but typical out of this Administration.

Missing the News

Hugh Hewitt

June 10, 2011

Two enormous stories are waiting for the MSM when it recovers from the Weiner implosion. One concerns domestic policy and the other foreign.

"Fast and Furious" is the name given to a Department of Justice/Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms investigation into gun running into Mexico. The Feds decided to try and tag and follow heavy weaponry into Mexico with the idea of charting the smugglers' map.

What happened to the operation is the subject of an investigation by Darrell Issa, Chairman of the House Oversight and Governmental Affairs Committee. Appearing on my show Tuesday, Issa had this about the investigation into the operation:

HH: Would you explain to people what it is and what your committee is looking into?

DI: Well, Hugh, this is often called Project Gunrunner, because it was really about knowingly, deliberately letting guns be sold to straw purchasers who were going to supply them to the narco-terrorist groups on both sides of the border, and they did. And even at our discovery, our investigation, which is now, you know, 20 subpoenas, incredible amount of depositions, leading up to the office of the Attorney General, has shown us that this was authorized at the highest level. They regret that it went badly, that two American agents are now dead, and countless Mexicans are dead, and 2,000 weapons, 1,600 of them are still unaccounted for. They regret it, but they’re probably still doing similar programs. And that’s why this is such a big thing. If you think you can let guns walk in order to “lead to the bad guys”, you’re missing the whole point of law enforcement. You don’t let drugs walk, you don’t let the money walk, you don’t let guns walk. You do that, you’re part of the crime.

HH: You know, there’s a tremendous novelist, lives maybe in your district, T. Jefferson Parker, and he has written a number of books, and I’ve interviewed him about the gun trade from north to south. It’s vicious, and it’s violent. But when did this Fast and Furious program start that countenanced, basically, Americans selling guns with the effort to sting someone on the other side? When did it start?

DI: It started with this administration.

HH: It is?

DI: It started with, literally, the political appointees, many of whom had to approve specifics of this, including funding. And understand, there were agents at the ATF who have testified that they believe this was a good program. And there are agents who gave up their careers, basically, by refusing to be involved in it. So it was controversial. But it’s not about the agents in Arizona, or a similar program in Texas. It’s about the approvals all the way back in Washington. This is the Iran Contra decision. The Iran Contra decision was made by people around the President in the White House. This decision was made at least by people in the Office of Attorney General Holder. And they’re hiding behind every delay tactic they can, claiming that we’re going to interfere with an investigation. I’ve got to tell you, Hugh, I don’t want anyone to walk because of our investigation. But if some meth addict doesn’t get a strong sentence for buying guns, that’s probably not the worst damage if this kind of program continues, and we believe it continues to today.

HH: Is there any evidence that Attorney General Holder approved the selling of these guns?

DI: There is evidence all the way up to Lanny Brewer in the office, a very famous name from the past. And he is an immediate assistant of Eric Holder. President Obama, as a good lawyer, used his terms very carefully. He said neither I nor Attorney General Holder authorized this program. There’s a long way between authorized and knew.

HH: Has Attorney General Holder appeared in front of your committee yet?

DI: He has not. As a matter of fact, they have been refusing to even go through depositions voluntarily. We had a deal with them, and candidly, they reneged on it the moment my plane was off the ground. So far, we have had to issue more subpoenas on this than all others combined in all other investigations. This has been the real investigation where you can see the stonewalling, and you can see it for a reason. People got people killed, and they were people who are appointed by this President.

HH: So American agents may have been murdered as a result of this program?

DI: Their guns were found, with those serial numbers, at the scene, and by the way, long time after emails indicate that they knew this program was out of control.

HH: And so in terms of that chain of command, have you subpoenaed the Attorney General yet to come?

DI: We have not. One of the natures of this investigation is we’re going through this step by step, because we want to understand is there a problem at Alcohol, Tobacco and Fire all the way up to Washington? Is there a problem at Justice? The one thing I can tell you today is this was a joint task force operation. So DEA, Justice Department, the U.S. attorney in Arizona, all these elements had to be part of it, which is what should really tell you there’s something wrong at the highest levels, but there may be something wrong in the ability for somebody at a operative level to pull the stop cable. It doesn’t appear as though we had it. And candidly, that’s what concerns me. There should be a culture in a law enforcement that says if something’s really wrong, you don’t just obey the orders.

If and when MSM trains its resources on this brewing scandal, Team Obama will have an another DOJ mess on it's hands as the election year opens.

The second story concerns the fact that our entire country has a problem with the Chinese government which is becoming increasingly brazen in it's assaults on American security. Former Ambassador to China and Utah Governor Jon Huntsman Jr. was a guest on Wednesday's program and we had this exchange on the recent hack attacks originating from the PRC:

HH: It is widely believed that the Chinese were behind the Google hacks, and the various cyber attacks. To what do you attribute that? Is there a regime within the regime there, Jon Huntsman, that is rogue? 

JH: There is a concerted effort on the part of the Chinese military, on the part of government, to infiltrate and penetrate whatever they can find here in the United States that might bring them value, value in terms of understanding where our thinking it, value in terms of understanding our latest technology, and it is done very, very aggressively, and without rules and without boundaries. And this is something that we’ve got to begin to understand, because I do believe that now and going forward, cyber security for this country will be extremely important. When you start seeing the plans for the F-22 begin showing up in strange places, you know that the effort, the money, the brainpower that we’ve put into some of our best innovations, if we can’t protect those, if we can’t come up with countermeasures against those who seek to rip us off, then we’re going to be discounted and hobbled for the rest of our future. 

HH: But would military officials dare do things like mount cyber attacks without the knowing consent of the politburo and the leadership in China, Governor? 

JH: Even though there is a serious divide between the civilian and military leadership teams, you would have to imagine that all decisions are made through the central military commission, the CMC. That is chaired by Hu Jintao, that’s the party secretary-general and the president of the country. They would basically review all of these decisions, and I would suspect that they would give the go.

Very few reporters, editors and producers seem to have grasped the import of what Huntsman is confirming. The PRC is launching serial attacks on American business, individual privacy and national security, and the U.S. Is saying nothing. President Obama's fecklessness in response to these attacks is sure to invite more of the same.

The complete transcripts of both of these interviews are available at HughHewitt.com, but the surface has just been scratched on both dramas. And they are dramas, dramas which the MSM is almost entirely missing, once again.

GOP Consultants Expecting Newt's Guys to Go Back to Perry

We cannot think of a better candidate to get in the race for President than Texas Governor Rick Perry -- been supporting Governor Perry since the 1990 election when he ran for Agriculture Commissioner.  He comes from a background of farming and ranching and is a graduate of Texas A&M and a former Air Force pilot.  He understands what farmers go through to put the food on our tables.  Frankly he understands what Americans are going through every day to meet their budgets.  Governor Perry was raised in a small town about 60 miles north of Abilene or in other words in the middle of no where.

There is no way that the Perry people who went to Newt wouldn't come back to join Gov Perry if he decided to run for President.  Most have been with him for a long time and the possibility to work on Gov Perry's Presidential campaign would be a dream come true for many people.

This Texas Governor has a backbone of steel and Obama will be put on notice that all of those under handed tactics used against the states out here especially in oil and gas, Obamacare, and immigration for starters have ignited a firestorm to oust Obama from the White House.  You can take it to the bank that oil and gas drilling will increase under Governor Perry as no more little lizards will stop drilling in the Permian Basin or anywhere else out here.  Middle America will be fighting back against Obama with having one of our own run for President -- no silver spoon just pure hard work as a former Eagle Scout got Rick Perry to where he is today.

GOP Consultants Expecting Newt’s Guys to Jump to Perry 

By Jim Geraghty 

9 June 2011 

Just checked in with three GOP consultants, all of whom have been in the campaign business a while and none of whom are yet affiliated with a 2012 presidential campaign, about today’s mass exodus of staffers from Team Newt.

GOP Consultant One: “Knew this was coming… I bet Perry is in this thing sooner rather than later – these guys aren’t jumping off without somewhere else to land.” 

GOP Consultant Two: “Knowing all those guys, they are neither impetuous not impulsive. I also have never seen a two week vacation two weeks after entering [the race]; I took that as portentous.” 

GOP Consultant Three: “Gingrich was clearly melting down, and Perry is clearly gearing up, so it was time for the switcheroo.”

Latest Polling Numbers on Republican candidates against Obama

One of the most interesting numbers are the numbers for Jon Huntsman.  I would have expected him to farther back in this early polling since he has not been on the national stage that long.  Don't expect the Romney numbers to hold in the Republican primary where the man who was the MA Governor is not that well liked in Middle America as demonstrated in 2008.  Jon Huntsman on the other hand was the popular Governor of Utah and doesn't have to look around for his conservative credentials.  How many more candidates are going to get in the race is the questions a lot of Republicans are asking.  Huntsman sounds like it is a matter of time before he announces.  Herman Cain is not listed in this article who is starting to pick up support.  Wonder if he will be showing up higher in the next polling?

Seventeen points 

By ALEXANDER BURNS | 6/8/11 7:15 AM EDT

One more data point from today's Quinnipiac poll: President Obama would start out leading a 2012 match-up with Sarah Palin, 53 percent to 36 percent. 

That's a 17-point advantage, compared with Obama's 6-point lead over Mitt Romney, 12-point lead over Tim Pawlenty and 14-point lead over Jon Huntsman. Palin's the only Republican who loses a majority of Americans in a match-up with the president; even Pawlenty and Huntsman keep Obama under 50 percent. 

The poll was taken May 31-June 6, opposite Palin's widely covered bus tour. 

The Quinnipiac data comes on the heels of an ABC/Washington Post poll suggesting Palin doesn't have much of a path in the GOP primary, let alone the general election. 

From the Post: 

The balance of public opinion is decidedly against a Sarah Palin run for president. Nearly two-thirds — 64 percent — flatly rule out supporting her in 2012; 28 percent would consider it; and just 7 percent are committed to voting for her ... Among Republicans overall, 42 percent would definitely not vote for her, and 14 percent say they would definitely support her ... Sentiment among conservatives has shifted 10 percentage points away from Palin since 2009; now 46 percent would not vote for her.

With such high negatives from most of the polls, why is Fox News pushing her tour of historical sites during a real downturn in the American economy where most families have cancelled their vacations to stay home.  Won't it drive her negatives up even more that she has no regard for the American people and how they are affected by the economy?  The more she is interviewed on Fox, the more convinced a lot of us have become that Fox feeds her the questions before the interview -- sounds just like Hillary when she was fed the questions.  We now have a news organization Fox that is making themselves part of the news.  Fox will do will anything to get the ratings and is fast being the conservative version of the liberal MSNBC.

We will be watching candidate interviews closely to see who gets the interviews.  The fact a potential candidate Palin refuses to be interviewed by any and all should send chills up your spine.  That is not someone you want in the Oval office as we already have that with the current occupant.  That is another reason along with her high negatives that make us suspect she will ever run.

As a sidenote, decided to watch Scott Pelley, the new news anchor at CBS, who started on Monday and it turned out to be refreshing.  He was the only one not putting that NY Congressman and his interview ahead of all other news.  For once, we had a real news anchor not a tabloid new anchor like the remainder of the news outlets.