Rick Perry

Texas Governor Rick Perry And The Christian Right: Reason To Oppose Him For the Presidency!

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Texas Governor Rick Perry has been flirting with running for the Presidency, and while the author has previously stated his belief that he will NOT run, there is certainly a very good reason to oppose him IF he indeed decides to run!

That reason, among others, is that the Christian Right is rallying to his support, and that is bad news for those who believe in separation of church and state, and an open minded attitude on the issue of abortion rights, gay rights, immigrant rights, and keeping religion out of government!

Among those supporting Perry if he runs are: Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council; David Barton, the Texas self trained historian who has distorted American history, including inaccuracies on Thomas Jefferson’s views on religion, and opposition to deficit spending, a graduated income tax, minimum wage, and global warming; and San Antonio pastor John Hagee, whose hateful views caused John McCain to reject his endorsement in 2008.

The goal of an election for President is NOT to elect a Christian government, but rather a government that promotes the long held tradition of the separation of church and state!

Perry, who succeeded George W. Bush as President, has much the same swagger as Bush, but he is making Bush look more moderate by comparison, and although he would never have been Governor of Texas if Bush had not gone to the White House, he is actively separating himself from Bush and his family, who have never been thrilled by Perry as Governor of the Lone Star state.

Hard to believe, but in so many ways, Perry would actually be WORSE than George W. Bush, which shows just how far downhill the Republican Party has descended, if it is even slightly considering Perry for the Presidency!

Since this entry is about religion and Perry, let us finish this entry saying about his potential candidacy: God forbid!

The State Of The Republican Presidential Race

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Here we are at the end of June 2011, and Michele Bachmann is gaining all of the attention in the GOP race for the Presidential nomination, due to her excellent performance in the New Hampshire Presidential debate two weeks ago!

It seems clear now that the race is down to a choice of Mitt Romney or Jon Huntsman vs. Michele Bachmann!

Newt Gingrich and Tim Pawlenty have self destructed, and Herman Cain, Ron Paul, and Rick Santorum are not going anywhere!

Rick Perry and Sarah Palin are NOT going to enter the Republican race, and Chris Christie has made it very clear that he will not, while the former two continue to play games but take no moves toward running!

So we are in a situation similar to 1964 when the “Rockefeller” wing of the GOP could not take away the nomination from Senator Barry Goldwater, and the GOP had a landslide defeat!

Mitt Romney and Jon Huntsman represent the equivalent of that old wing, although far less liberal than Nelson Rockefeller, while Michele Bachmann actually makes Barry Goldwater seem more moderate by comparison!

So IF the Republicans allow themselves to be hijacked by social conservatives and Tea Party activists, Michele Bachmann will be the Republican nominee and Barack Obama will win a landslide victory!

If they come to their senses and run either Romney or Huntsman, either has a real chance to defeat Obama, but upon taking office, either would be dogged by extremists that neither one would feel comfortable with, so they might wish they had lost, rather than won, as a President Romney or a President Huntsman would have a “shotgun marriage” with extremists in their own party!

Prediction: Texas Governor Rick Perry Will NOT Run For President In 2012!

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Texas Governor Rick Perry is basking in the publicity he is gaining as he considers running for the Republican nomination for President, but he has been hesitant to announce his candidacy. Why is this?

1. His economic record in Texas is NOT good, as most jobs created are minimum wage jobs, education funding is among the lowest nationally, spending on the environment is atrociously minor, and the budget deficit is one of the highest in the nation!

2. Perry promotes social conservatism, which is guaranteed to be a losing proposition for the Republicans, as a majority of Americans are socially liberal while economically conservative.

3. Perry procrastinated all along, not having it in his makeup to want to run for President, and time is running out to wage a successful campaign, and yet his decision is weeks away, so it demonstrates poor planning and a lack of “fire in the belly”!

4. Perry may have been Governor longer than anyone else at this time in history, but remember the Texas Governorship is an extremely weak office, so his being Governor is NOT that great a testimonial to his executive leadership. It is true that George W. Bush overcame this, but realize he was a son of a President, and a family which has a lot of impact on politics, and the Bushes have never been keen about Rick Perry!

5. Rick Perry does not have the intelligence or vision or knowledge needed to compete with an intellectual President such as Barack Obama. Only Jon Huntsman and Mitt Romney have that potential!

So a prediction here: Rick Perry will continue to flirt with running, milk it for all it is worth, be just like Donald Trump and Sarah Palin, and then NOT run for President, just wasting our time in the process!

And the same for New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, as well!

Mitt Romney: Will He Sell His Soul To Be President?

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Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney may be in the lead in public opinion polls for the Republican Presidential nomination, but it is clear that many Republicans are desperately seeking for someone else, whether it is Governor Rick Perry of Texas or Governor Chris Christie of New Jersey or others.

The Tea Party Movement does not like Romney, and neither do evangelical Christians who are suspicious of Romney’s Mormon faith.

Plus, Romney’s health care plan causes discontent, and the feeling that he does not really relate to Republicans voters, or in reality, maybe to ANY voters!

The latter is shown by his insensitive comment in New Hampshire that he is unemployed too, said as a joke to unemployed people he was meeting with. Could he truly commiserate with them, when he has at least $200 million personal fortune behind him?

Also, he made a comment not much noticed right after the New Hampshire debate, but recognized in the aftermath. Romney criticized the federal intervention by the Federal Emergency Management Agency in the days after the floods and tornadoes in the Midwest in April and May. He termed the intervention and spending as “immoral”, said FEMA should be privatized, and declared that deficit spending to help the victims made no sense at all, and burdened future generations with extra debts!

If we pursued what Romney has now advocated, it would mean only wealthy, well connected people would be guaranteed food, shelter, clothing, and protection if a disaster struck. How moral is it for someone to be so heartless and unconcerned about the tragedy of natural disasters?

This is Tea Party Movement extremism to the level of crazy and loony, and is obviously Romney’s attempt to appeal to the extreme right wing of his party, but if he were to win the nomination and become President, would he really pursue such narrow minded views, defying the history of the United States regarding the “general welfare” of the population, as enunciated in the “Elastic Clause” (Article 1, Section 8) of the Constitution? Romney NEEDS to clarify this matter, as an issue to consider regarding voting for him to be our President!

Rick Perry: Is There An Economic Renaissance In Texas?

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Texas Governor Rick Perry is flirting with announcing his candidacy for the Republican Presidential nomination, after having earlier dismissed the idea.

Conservatives applaud him for his promoting an economic “renaissance” in Texas, where 37 percent of all jobs have been created in the past two years.

Sounds good, doesn’t it? But the truth is otherwise, beyond that number.

Yes, there are more jobs created, but remember Texas has the second largest population in the nation, so one would expect that.

But the unemployment rate is lower in nearly half of the states of the Union, and a majority of the jobs created are minimum wage jobs, hardly a great beginning for a middle class life!

So life is not so great in Texas, unless one is wealthy, but then again, isn’t that always the Republican reality, that they are only good for the rich?

Mitt Romney Looked Presidential In CNN Republican Debate

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There is no question that former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney looked Presidential in last night’s CNN debate in New Hampshire.

He had clear, crisp answers, and defended RomneyCare in Massachusetts, while making it clear that in his view it should not apply to the national level in ObamaCare.

Romney was calm, cool, confident, relaxed and smiled a lot, even while standing next to Ron Paul, who is the antithesis of everything he represents.

One could imagine Mitt Romney being on the same debate stage with President Barack Obama.

No one in the White House should underestimate Mitt Romney, but one must realize that the real test will come when Jon Huntsman and Rick Perry, if he decides to enter the nomination contest, actually participate in debate with Romney.

But a great start for Mitt Romney, with great promise for the future!

The CNN New Hampshire Republican Presidential Debate: Michele Bachmann And Mitt Romney The Winners!

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This evening, CNN sponsored a New Hampshire Republican Presidential debate.

The seven candidates present all went out of their way to attack President Obama, and avoided attacking each other.

But some really gained from this debate, and others lost by their performance.

The major winners were Michele Bachmann and Mitt Romney, with Bachmann coming across impressively, more than she has ever been seen before, and Romney doing a good job at keeping his stature as the frontrunner in the race.

The losers seemed to be Tim Pawlenty, who seemed weak and defensive in his answers; Newt Gingrich, who still seemed a bit gun shy after his earlier problems with his campaign; and Rick Santorum, who just came across as not a serious, legitimate candidate.

Ron Paul was simply Ron Paul, and Herman Cain was defensive over his statements about Muslims, and neither can be seen as a serious candidate.

So, in conclusion, Michele Bachmann, seemingly, came across as more legitimate than ever before, and as a real leader among social conservatives, which might help her win in the Iowa caucuses, which come before the New Hampshire primary.

What stood out is that she did better than Sarah Palin has ever done in a public forum, and one starts to realize that, even if one does not agree with Bachmann, she comes across as intelligent, well spoken, an accomplished person even before she came to Congress, as a tax attorney and small businesswoman, far more outstanding as compared to Palin.

So Romney kept his stature as the front runner in the race, but Bachmann gained the most from tonight’s debate. The others all were weakened by their performance, or at least, did not gain by their performance in relation to the other candidates.

Of course, Jon Huntsman was not in the debate, nor Rick Perry!

Is Rick Perry The Savior Of The Republican Party?

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Texas Governor Rick Perry, a strong social conservative, has not been willing to enter the Republican Presidential race before now, but with the decision of Mike Pence, John Thune, Haley Barbour, Mike Huckabee, Mitch Daniels, and Donald Trump to avoid the race, and with Newt Gingrich disintegrating and Sarah Palin flirting with, but unlikely to enter the race, he is being courted to run.

Perry has been the longest serving Governor of Texas in history, having served more than ten years, after succeeding George W. Bush in December 2000.

Perry is Governor of the second largest state in population, but his position is also the weakest Governor constitutionally in the nation, although that did not hurt George W. Bush.

Perry has spoken up for the concept of secession; has flirted with religious leaders of the far right, and condemned abortion and gay rights; has a tremendous state debt which he is solving by ruthless cutting of spending, and refusing to raise taxes; and has seen his aides who went to Gingrich a few month ago decide to abandon the former Speaker and make themselves available to Perry for a Presidential run.

Perry is seen by many as a lightweight intellectually, but that is not necessarily a bad thing for the Republican Party.

Many think that if he enters the race later this month, that he will automatically become the major challenger to Mitt Romney, and surpass Tim Pawlenty and Jon Huntsman.

He would be likely to win support away from Michele Bachmann, Sarah Palin, Tim Pawlenty, Herman Cain, and Rick Santorum, and could become the surprise candidate who becomes a major threat, not only to Romney, but also to Barack Obama.

No one should underestimate his appeal to the caucus voters in Iowa and the primary voters in New Hampshire@

The Silly Season Is Here: Republicans Look To Michele Bachmann And Rick Perry? Give Us A Break!

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With the withdrawal of Mike Huckabee and Haley Barbour, the implosion of Newt Gingrich, the fake campaign of Donald Trump, and the decision of Mike Pence and John Thune to stay out of the Republican Presidential campaign, the GOP is running scared, that they feel as if they have no roots or substantial possibility of challenging President Barack Obama in 2012.

So, grasping at straws, attention is being paid to Michele Bachmann, the loony Congresswoman from Minnesota, and Rick Perry, the secessionist oriented Governor of Texas, as people to flirt with and encourage to enter the race.

The fact is though, whether Bachmann or Perry enter the race, neither has the slightest chance to win the GOP Presidential nomination. Were either to actually win the nomination, the result would be such a landslide defeat for the Republicans, that it would match the 1964 Barry Goldwater candidacy.

As reiterated constantly by this author, the only reasonable candidates left are Mitt Romney, Jon Huntsman, and Tim Pawlenty, as Mitch Daniels, Jeb Bush and Chris Christie are not going to enter the race by any estimation. When one hears Republicans act as if Obama is an easy challenge to defeat, one has to wonder at the hallucinations going on in GOP circles!

Why Newt Gingrich Is A Horrible Candidate For The Presidency

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Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich has faced literal Hell this week from members of his own Republican Party for his MEET THE PRESS interview this past Sunday, where he criticized the Paul Ryan budget plan, including radical changes in Medicare, and called for the individual mandate, exactly what he believed in the 1990s, and which Barack Obama made part of his Health Care reform plans last year.

His chances to be the nominee of his party for the Presidency seem to have been destroyed by his statements, but actually there are better, more substantive reasons for him to be passed by for the Presidential nomination.

1. Gingrich is a “loose cannon”, who has no discipline and will say anything he thinks of immediately after thinking about it! As a result, he is often seen as a “firebomb thrower”, and that is no recommendation for the nation’s highest office.

2. Gingrich has a horrible moral record, in relation to the cheating he committed on TWO WIVES, and being married three times. He was condemning Bill Clinton while he was engaged in extramarital relations himself during the impeachment debacle of 1998-1999.

3. The fact that it has been discovered that he owes back taxes and is very loose with money and credit makes one state that is not a credential we want in a future President.

4. Gingrich has few friends in politics, even in his own party, with basically no one coming to his defense. He is seen as a supreme egotist, who has no loyalty to anything but his own aggrandizement and glory. He would be involved in constant conflict with his own party, as well as the Democrats, because he would be stubborn and inflexible.

5. In foreign policy, he would cause international crises and “bad blood”, as he does not have an ounce of diplomacy in his approach to those who disagree with him.

6. It is difficult to say that Gingrich has any basic principles or beliefs, as he has so often changed his views to fit the moment, and in any case, he is certainly not, by his historical record, a small national government man, which is the view of the present Republican Party and the Tea Party Movement.

7. Being a professor in his past, being an “ideas man” and an intellectual, may be seen by some as positives, but in the modern GOP, those are all disadvantages and turnoffs. He often seems to be lecturing, rather than speaking to his audiences.

So it is clear that the chances of Newt Gingrich being the Presidential nominee and even the winner of the Oval Office are as likely as the chances of Gary Johnson, Herman Cain, Michele Bachmann, Sarah Palin, Ron Paul, and Rick Santorum.

It still comes down to the reality that the next Republican nominee is almost certainly going to be from Mitt Romney, Jon Huntsman, or Tim Pawlenty, with Pawlenty, despite his low public opinion ratings, seen as having the fewest negatives of the three.

And don’t expect Mitch Daniels of Indiana, Jeb Bush of Florida, Rick Perry of Texas, and Chris Christie of New Jersey to enter the race, one which looks more likely to be that of a losing cause for 2012!