Gov. Rick Perry 2010 campaign memory

I know this isn't very substantive, but I wanted to post this memory I have of Rick Perry's 2010 gubernatorial campaign. I was at Palin's book signing for Going Rogue, which was in December of '09. I got in line very, very early in the morning and just waited with the others until 9am when the doors opened. While waiting, a horde of Perry '10 campaign volunteers descended upon us wearing matching shirts. They walked through the line and asked each person if they supported Rick Perry for Governor in 2010. I was in the second portion of the line and watched them until they got to me. When a person answered "yes" they would ask if that person wanted to sign up to be a volunteer. If that person didn't want to be a volunteer they would press and ask why not, and badger them until they submitted their name, phone number and email address. If a person said they did not support Perry then they would badger and pester and ask them why not. They would say "he's friends with Palin and she supports him." They were UBER annoying. When they got to me I just said "yes" because I didn't want to be bothered with explaining why I didn't. I refused to sign my name, though. The guy next to me said no he didn't support Perry because he didn't think anyone should have three consecutive terms in office.

The worst part was that the same horde of volunteers went through the line again about two hours later and asked everyone again and we all had to repeat our answers. It was infuriating. They were pushy and aggressive. My take on the general consensus of the people waiting is that no one really supported Perry. Despite knowing Palin supported him, we were all just kind of "meh" and over him. I don't really think there's a lot of Texas support for him and Palin's endorsement STILL confuses Palin supporters. Perry is not the conservative Texas hero that outsiders are making him out to be.

Rick Perry's trial balloon

Things that make you go hmmm...

Back in February, I was thinking that Texas Governor Rick Perry could run in 2012. Being from Texas and watching him govern the past 10 years or so, there was never any doubt in my mind that he would run for president someday. It was only recently that I thought it could be in this election cycle.

Conservative blogs were ablaze yesterday with the rumor that Rick Perry could be running in 2012. No doubt this rumor was planted by Perry's camp itself. This was a trial balloon. He has strongly denied he's running for POTUS, so this was a test to see how the public would react to him running. For instance, a few months ago people were literally begging NJ Governor Chris Christie to run despite his constant denials. Since then, dirt has been dug up on him and now the calls for him to run are reduced to crickets. During the Perry discussion yesterday on the blogs, Perry's negatives were discovered and discussed. This is exactly what Perry wanted to see - if there were any deal breaker in his record that would make it impossible to run and win this cycle. Just like when everyone found out Christie was unelectable. Christie can now say that he never wanted to run anyway, it was just a rumor.

Things that make me go hmmm: (1) he's a close friend of Sarah's, which I never understood; (2) because of their friendship I highly suspect that he could be a VP pick for her; (3) he seems to be playing the same strategy as Palin which is a "wait and see which candidates decide to run and then make a decision;" (4) my opinion only, which is only a hunch, is that he and Palin are working together on campaign strategies. My conspiracy theory: He could already be in on being Palin's VP pick. He could possibly have zero interest in POTUS this cycle, and has only released this rumor in order to determine if he would be a good VP candidate. If anything too big came out then he would be out. That's why this trial balloon was released.

I'll discuss my thoughts on Perry's governing record in future posts. The quick summary is that he's been a big government Republican and is getting slightly more conservative as time goes on. That's why I never understood their friendship and their mutual endorsements of each other. He's always been a little RINO-y to me, but I'll keep my mind open.

On the surface, Ryan endorsement seems pivotal to 2012

Those of us entrenched in following Palin are not surprised to see that she endorsed Wisconsin Representative Paul Ryan's Roadmap for America's Future. The content of which is policy that her supporters could easily identify as in line with Palin's views.

However, I will admit I was surprised to see so many comments and posts throughout the blogosphere saying that this endorsement legitimizes Palin as a presidential candidate in their minds. I also hadn't really noticed that Ryan is one of Palin's favorite politicians. I can't believe I didn't notice that, or the view that endorsing this would make her a serious candidate to those who hadn't previously thought of her that way. (Maybe being pregnant most of the year explains how I missed it :)) Ace said endorsing the Roadmap is risky. Well, Palin is all about taking risks so that did not surprise me in the least. There's also this myth among RINOs that she doesn't discuss substantive issues or policy and this is the BIG tipping point where she finally does. Well, if you read her Facebook posts, Going Rogue, America by Heart, her Twitter feed, watch her interviews, listen to what she says on Fox as a contributor...you'll see that she addresses substantive policy daily.

In any event, I'm happy for the change of heart and I welcome it. If this is what it took, then I'm very happy she endorsed it. Where's Romney and Huck and what do they think of the Roadmap?

The endorsement also seems to be pivotal in that many (including myself) are recognizing that Palin really likes Paul Ryan, a lot. She endorsed his views in February and August of this year, too, which I read about at Hot Air.

Palin is definitely doing two things with the Roadmap endorsement: (1) bringing conservative policy reforms to the forefront of the national discussion; and (2), bringing attention to Paul Ryan, again.

She could possibly be doing a third or fourth thing: (3) setting the scene to pick Ryan as her VP; or (4), pushing Ryan to run for president and giving him the ammo to do so by her endorsement of his policy ideas.

In her interview with Mary Hart earlier this year, Palin said (paraphrased) that she'll run for President in 2012 if there isn't a better candidate who will take on the tough task of undoing what Obama and the Left has done to this country. So, she could be hinting that Paul Ryan could be one of those better candidates. But in the February article linked above, Ryan said that he won't run in 2012 point blank. So maybe she's grooming him for her VP pick?

Either way, this endorsement has proven to be pivotal for the 2012 candidates. Palin, for publicly supporting this policy and seeing those who are not publicly supporting it, and Ryan, who may run for President or could be picked as a VP.

John Bolton for Palin's VP pick

I read in National Review Online that John Bolton is considering a run for POTUS in 2012. Besides Palin, he's one I would love to see run and would vote for him in a heartbeat. His passion and his strength is (obviously) foreign policy.

I've long thought that Bolton should be Palin's VP pick if she decides to run. I've also thought that one of her perceived shortcomings is her lack of foreign policy experience. Picking Bolton would immensely help her national electability in that regard.

In my opinion, Palin needs to overcome two major hurdles in order to be elected: her "quitting" the governorship; and her perceived lack of foreign policy experience. With this blog I've tried to address both points extensively and will continue to do so.

With his record and experience, Bolton pretty much resolves her foreign policy "shortcoming." In the NR piece, he says China will be a major factor:

This administration, and the Bush administration in its later years, badly handled China — handled it badly on North Korea’s nuclear program and its trade manipulation, including its ongoing discrimination against foreign business and investors. Both administrations have been too deferential to China in dealings across the full spectrum of issues.

On Palin being a potential nominee:

I don’t know enough about her views on foreign policy to comment, but the Republican field is filled with people who would be better than Obama on foreign policy.

I'll take it a step further and say that his statement reads to me that he is angling for a VP pick from the GOP nominee. He praises all potential candidates saying that any of them would be better than Obama. He is non-committal on Palin and says he doesn't know her views on foreign policy, yet you know damn well he knows. He doesn't want to fully support Palin and alienate the GOP nominee if it's not her. He's playing it cool for now and testing the waters, which is fine. He didn't come out and denounce her immediately like most insecure candidates have. I'd venture a guess that he's pretty in line with Palin as far as foreign policy views.

I believe he knows his POTUS campaign would not be very successful considering how popular some of the frontrunners are and how "niche" he is. Pretty much only political junkies have a thorough knowledge of him and his background. He probably would not be able to raise enough money or popularity to be the nominee, but he's laying the groundwork to be picked as the VP.

I've read his biography and will quote it here from time to time. It's compelling and he's an amazing person. He's not as charismatic as Palin (who is), but it's abundantly clear that he's passionate about protecting our country, protecting our troops and keeping America safe. He knows how to play the inside political game, and he knows how to negotiate with foreign diplomats. In short: he's the total foreign policy package.

He did get this zinger about Obama into the NR piece:

After four years of practicing, he’ll almost look like a commander-in-chief.

Haha. Good one. Maybe he is as charismatic as Palin after all.

Palin/Cheney 2012!

Liz Cheney, that is.

I just saw this on Ace. Liz Cheney wrote a scathing critique of Obama in the WSJ today. I've always love hearing her opinions and almost always agree with her. Today she also told the Washington Times that she would consider running for political office.

"It's something I very well may do," said Elizabeth "Liz" Cheney, a lawyer and State Department appointee who has worked on two Republican presidential campaigns.

Ms. Cheney, 44, has emerged as one of the strongest defenders of the effectiveness and legality of Bush-Cheney policies on enhanced interrogation methods.

Palin/Cheney 2012! :) Imagine the liberals' heads exploding over that one.

Mark Sanford admits affair, Jerry Taylor needs a hug

Mark Sanford admitted today to having an affair with woman from Argentina he's known for eight years as a "dear friend."

The odd events surrounding this admission, and the lies and coverups associated with it have completely and utterly destroyed his chances of running for president in 2012. Handled differently, this could have been a blip on the radar or a minor speed bump.

First there was the report that he was missing and not answering phones or emails. Then there was his wife saying that she didn't know where he was but wasn't concerned. Then his staff said he was hiking in the Appalachian Mountains because he wanted to take a break from the "tough" legislative session that just ended. Then the FBI spotted him in the Atlanta airport boarding a flight to Buenos Aires.

No governor should disappear like that for a week and without anyone able to contact him. No governor should express that a simple legislative session was so tough that he needed to disappear for a week. What would happen if he were president and an enemy threatened war? Would he head to the beach for a week to think about it? So, this was so much more than an affair announcement. Today's announcement was the culmination of some very odd and disturbing events.

This is a huge, huge story for the GOP and our nominee for 2012. There was a large contingent hanging their hats on Sanford. He had a phenomenal fiscal conservative record in South Carolina. He has an engaging personality and could have had mass appeal as a nominee. He embraced the far right and didn't show RINO tendencies. I thought he could be a good VP pick for Palin, his only fallback being that he (nor Palin) didn't have a strong foreign policy record.

I think our friend Jerry Taylor needs a hug today. During my email exchange with him in February, he said that Mark Sanford was his "hero." Poor, poor Jerry Taylor - he always used Sanford as the example for how Palin should be - who will he have to do that now?

Limbaugh warns Palin about GOP leaders

As Republicans launch their re-branding effort, "National Council for a New America" (could they get a more boring name?) leaders of the party are falling to one side or the other. On one side are the people who believe in strong conservative principles, Reagan-style politics, very limited government and individual freedom. The other side are the people who more or less say they believe in the same ideals; however, they believe running on that platform will never win elections. They believe the "old way" is dead and we need to change the party and adapt it in order to win elections.

I thought Jeb Bush would have been a good VP pick for Palin if she ever decided to run for President. His remarks at the National Council for a New America (NCNA) kickoff event made me re-think that idea.

"Bush, in particular, expressed admiration for President Obama's political skill, and told the crowd not to get mired in "nostalgia" for past GOP dominance."

That's fine if those are Bush's personal views. But that is not the right message to send to Republicans in a concerned effort to rebuild the party. Color me unimpressed with NCNA so far. For Bush to make such a pro-Obama and anti-GOP comment at this point after everything we've seen Obama do in his first 100 days in office - makes think Bush has lost his mind.

Republicans need to be fired up and ready to return to our roots in order to stave off this encroaching socialism. If a Republican is not just a little upset about what's going on in our government, something's wrong. If a Republican is praising Obama and doesn't recognize the threat to freedom he presents and the soaring taxes we'll have to endure, something's wrong.

Earlier this year Bush stated that he would not run for Florida's Senate seat in 2010, a seat that will be vacated by Mel Martinez (R) who is retiring. Bush's decision prompted many to speculate that he wasn't going to run for President in the short term, either. Him being a member of NCNA's panel and expressing those views makes me think he does have ambitions to run in the short term, but he wants to shape the party first and hone his platform. He's distancing himself from his father and brother's political views with those statements. I'm reading a lot into it but I believe that has to be one of the reasons he's part of NCNA at this point in his career.

Palin accepted an invitation to be on NCNA's panel of experts along with Bush, Eric Cantor, Mitt Romney, John McCain, Bobby Jindal and Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour.

Rush Limbaugh didn't like Bush's statements either, and warned Palin that these are people in the GOP who could dislike her and her political views.

"Something else you have to understand is these people hate Palin too," the conservative radio host said Monday. "They despise Sarah Palin, they fear Sarah Palin, they don't like her either. She's, according to them she's embarrassing. McCain said, 'I was there with Ronald Reagan'…. No Reagan voter ever believed McCain was a Reaganite.

"And I think… a lot of this is aimed at Sarah Palin. When you strip all the talk — It's 'the Reagan era is over, stop all this nostalgia and stuff.' Clearly, in last year's campaign, the most prominent, articulate voice for standard, run-of-the-mill, good old-fashioned American conservatism was Sarah Palin. Now, everybody on this [NCNA] Speak to America tour has presidential aspirations. Mitt Romney there, he wants to be president again. Jeb may someday.

I think it's not only a warning to Palin, but also to any Republican who agrees with her - that is, the hardline conservative Reaganite Republican.

Palin/Perry 2012!

I'm serious.... :)

Rick Perry is my Governor, the Governor of Texas. He's had some squishy tendencies in the past, but recently he's been sounding great.

His anti-Washington remarks have become more strident the past few weeks as that 2010 race gets going and since Perry rejected $550 million in federal economic stimulus money.

I absolutely love, love, love what he said yesterday during the tea parties!

An animated Perry told the crowd at Austin City Hall — one of three tea parties he was attending across the state — that officials in Washington have abandoned the country's founding principles of limited government. He said the federal government is strangling Americans with taxation, spending and debt.

Perry called his supporters patriots. Later, answering news reporters' questions, Perry suggested Texans might at some point get so fed up they would want to secede from the union, though he said he sees no reason why Texas should do that.

"There's a lot of different scenarios," Perry said. "We've got a great union. There's absolutely no reason to dissolve it. But if Washington continues to thumb their nose at the American people, you know, who knows what might come out of that. But Texas is a very unique place, and we're a pretty independent lot to boot."

After praising veterans in the cheering crowd Wednesday, he said: "I'm just not real sure you're a bunch of right-wing extremists. But if you are, we're with you."

Hell yes! :)

There was also this tidbit I read on Ace the other day. Perry believes in exercising the 10th amendment:

"I believe that our federal government has become oppressive in its size, its intrusion into the lives of our citizens, and its interference with the affairs of our state,” Perry said. “That is why I am here today to express my unwavering support for efforts all across our country to reaffirm the states’ rights affirmed by the Tenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. I believe that returning to the letter and spirit of the U.S. Constitution and its essential 10th Amendment will free our state from undue regulations, and ultimately strengthen our Union."

If this is political posturing, so be it. I love the message. We need more messages like this from our Republican leaders. If he's angling for POTUS or VPOTUS bring it on. I would love to see him in that role. I would love to see him as Palin's VP pick.

You know, I think Perry like many of us has been affected by Obama's election. It affected people on such a deep level that it drove us to re-evaluate our elected officials, strengthened our Republican/conservative ideals, organize tea parties, start blogs, seek out other news outlets, start communicating with other Republicans about the situation we're all in. It affected all of us. Sometimes you have to hit rock bottom before you can recover and I think that's where we're at as a party right now.

I think he was also inspired by Sarah Palin. She has that effect. :) When she was selected as McCain's VP, Perry said some wonderful things about her and continues to do so. She's the first person in a long time Republicans can get excited about. She said things that most were thinking but were too afraid to say. Now previously squishy types like Perry are taking a more hardline approach. I love it.

Bobby Jindal's response

I've been thinking about Bobby Jindal's response to Obama ever since I saw it. I have mixed feelings. On one hand, I liked the message and most of the content. On the other, I hated the delivery. I've heard Jinal numerous times on TV and the radio and he doesn't sound like he did the other night. He was over-produced, over-coached and it was an epic fail in my opinion. MSM is going to have a field day with him - SNL skits, rampant undeserved ridicule, etc. Already, Chris Matthews has attacked him twice. Once, when he said "oh god" as Jindal was about to speak. And the second, when he accused Republicans of "outsourcing" the response to Jindal, who is Indian. What Matthews said had racial/racist undertones.

I was disappointed that he didn't come out strong with an enthusiastic, pro-conservative, anti-stimulus/bailout/big government speech. I wanted him to just light the Republican conservative fire. You know, like Palin did. Palin is someone who continues to steal Obama's thunder with whatever she does and says. How many people can do that? Obama is a hard act to follow and we need someone who can stand up to him and hold the public's attention and get them enthusiastic - Jindal doesn't look like he can do that.

The other thing I have mixed feelings on is I was listening to Mark Davis or Hannity (I can't remember which it was) on the radio the following day, and Jindal was a guest. He sounded awesome, not like a cartoon character during his speech. He's extremely smart and has great conservative beliefs. However, when asked about the stimulus he repeated a catch-phrase that got worn out really fast - "The President and I are just going to have to agree to disagree." He said it about eight times in the five-minute segment.

Don't think for a second Jindal isn't going to run for POTUS in 2012. He's been coached and has cutesy catch phrases. He immediately went on morning talk shows and afternoon radio shows the day after his response speech. He's grooming himself to run, mark my words.

Previously I was thinking if Palin ran in 2012, Jindal would have been/be a great pick for VP, one of many strong possibilities. Now it looks like the only way he could do it would be if he lost in the primaries to her.