So far his biggest negatives seem to be a) immigration mushyness b) lousy debater c) inelegant stumbling onto the national stage, which is also b) but that’s the thing.
As a guy who’s watched him for 12 years my political attitude has been “He would do mostly, say 95% of the time, what I’d want him to do, so I’m ok with this.  I am just not concerned about “what would he do?”  I was also concerned about the rest of the country goin “Texas again.”  No need to rehash that.
I also said his negatives are relatively small ones, Tardasil, the Trans Texas Corridor thing (which really hasn’t been a factor at all in these debates), “cronyism”, and that he’s an Aggie. (more…)

Last night Rick Perry had a horrible debate performance.  Or perhaps it was a necessary and good thing to see his ideology on full display.   However, it would not be surprising to see him slip into the #2 or #3 position after such a performance.  Along with a horrible attempt at attacking Mitt Romney there were three critical issues that drew out his weakness.   The pre-teen school girl inoculation program, his position on Social Security, and worst of all his position on illegal immigration.
Perry: “I Don’t Think You Have a Heart” If You Oppose In-State Tuition for Children of Illegal Immigrants
(Weekly Standard) During Thursday night’s Republican presidential debate, Mitt Romney, Michele Bachmann, Newt Gingrich, and Rick Santorum all took shots at Rick Perry’s record on illegal immigration. Bachmann said that Texas’s law allowing in-state tuition for the children of illegal immigrants acted like a “magnet” for illegal immigrants. Perry’s response was forceful and personal. “I don’t think you have a heart,” Perry told his critics. (more…)

A variety of original elements within this campaign video.   Strong references to faith and God in Perry’s own words being most notable.  “I won’t apologize for America”… is a winner every time too.

Oh man, this is just too good.   Not only does Texas Governor Rick Perry support Israel, but he appropriately and without reservation states:  “As a Christian I have a clear directive to support Israel“.   The leftists heads are ‘sploding so fast department stores in NYC are having ‘Buy-One-Get-Ten-Free’ sales on ball caps to reduce inventory….

(ThinkProgress) — Today, Gov. Rick Perry (R-TX) held a news conference in New York City where he attacked President Obama’s Middle East policies and called upon the United States to be more stridently supportive of the actions of the Israeli government. (more…)

A top Palestine Liberation Organization official responded to Texas Gov. Rick Perry‘s scathing criticisms of the PLO on Tuesday by telling The Cablethat Perry’s comments were “discriminatory and racist.”
Perry hosted a pro-Israel rally in New York on Tuesday morning, during which he repeatedly accused President Barack Obama of “appeasement” of the Palestinians and of bungling three years of Middle East diplomacy. He also called for the closing of the PLO mission in Washington, and the cutting off of U.S. aid to the Palestinian leadership as punishment for their drive to seek member-state status at the United Nations.
But the part of Perry’s remarks that really angered the PLO’s Washington representative, Maen Rashid Areikat, was when Perry said, “The Obama policy of moral equivalency, which gives equal standing to the grievances of Israelis and Palestinians, including the orchestrators of terrorism, is a very dangerous insult.” (more…)

Delicious.   Kudos to Rick Perry for taking the truth about President Obama’s policies directly into the heart of the beast.    Elitist liberal moonbat heads exploding everywhere in New York City…..   Delicious and righteous.

(WSJ) — Texas Gov. Rick Perry, speaking in New York as the United Nations General Assembly was convening, launched a broadside against President Barack Obama, asserting that the president’s “naïve, arrogant, misguided and dangerous” foreign policy had brought Israel and the Palestinians to a crisis over Palestinian statehood. (more…)

Washington (CNN) – Gov. Rick Perry’s meeting Monday in New York with Hispanic business leaders had an unexpected guest in attendance: Democratic Rep. Charles Rangel, who represents the district where the meeting took place.
Rangel said he was simply doing the neighborly thing by welcoming the Republican presidential candidate to his locality. But a statement released by Rangel on Monday night did away with bipartisan pleasantries after the first sentence. (more…)

Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry will hold a press conference with  American and Israeli-Jewish leaders in New York on Tuesday in which he is  expected to address the upcoming deliberations at the United Nations, MK Danny  Danon (Likud), said on Saturday night.
Danon, who will participate at the  press conference, said he would ask Perry ahead of the conference to adopt the  initiative the MK is advancing to annex Judea and Samaria in response to the  unilateral Palestinian moves at the UN.
On Friday, Perry accused US  President Barack Obama of distancing himself from Israel and blamed US foreign  policy “errors” for the Palestinian push for statehood at the United  Nations. (more…)

Via Rick Perry – The first step to fixing a problem is honestly admitting there is a problem.  America’s goal must be to fix Social Security by making it more financially sound and sustainable for the long term. But Americans deserve a frank and honest discussion of the dire financial challenges facing the nearly 80-year-old program.

As I said at the Reagan Library recently, Social Security benefits for current recipients and those nearing retirement must be protected. For younger workers, we must consider reforms to make Social Security financially viable. (more…)

But it is a Ponzi scheme.
Gov. Rick Perry was right about Social Security. It is a “monstrous lie.”
Only not as monstrous as it used to be, because almost everybody has figured out the scam.

Do you know anyone under 40 who believes Social Security is going to be there for them? (more…)