A Longer Wait for Perry's Economic Plan

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota
Home > Politics & Policy > Ken Walsh's Washington > A Longer Wait for Perry's Economic Plan

October 13, 2011 Print

By now, it's well-known that Texas Gov. Rick Perry thinks that increasing domestic oil and energy production is a key to turning America's economy around. He mentioned energy independence several times during Tuesday night's debate, even while discussing seemingly unrelated topics like Chinese currency manipulation.

[See how Perry ranks among rivals in job creation.]

But what else will Perry do to get people working? We'll have to wait and see. Even though Perry said Tuesday night he would unveil his economic plan within three days, so far he's only scheduled one event--to discuss energy policy--on Friday in Pittsburgh. His campaign says that Perry will unveil other aspects of his planned economic policies later this month.

Perry has faced heat from his rivals for failing to come up with an economic plan so far in the race. Last week, Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney's campaign jokingly unveiled its version of Perry's plan, 114 blank pages. During Tuesday's debate, Perry tried to deflect the criticism by noting Romney's 2008 failed presidential campaign. "Mitt has had six years to be working on a plan. I have been in this for about eight weeks," he said. But with the New Hampshire secretary of state threatening to set his state's primary as early as December, Perry had better hurry up if he wants voters to know his presidential plans before they head to the polls.

Tags:politics, Mitt Romney, Rick Perry, republican party, economy

Home, Architecture and Furniture

Traveling Info

Read More

Debates Take Away Rick Perry's Air of Invulnerability

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota

The Republican presidential debates are starting to take on an air of familiarity.

The main question, at least in terms of media coverage, is how Texas Gov. Rick Perry reacts to being what he calls the "pinata" on the stage—the target of the other candidates. So far, Perry is handling the pressure adequately, but he often seems off balance and tentative in responding to attacks. This makes him appear more than a bit vulnerable, counter to his image as a swaggering cowboy.

[See a collection of political cartoons on the 2012 GOP hopefuls.]

There is a growing sense that Perry, a newcomer to the race but the front runner in the polls, is not the supremely powerful candidate that his advance billing suggested. His momentum appears to have stalled, at least in the public-opinion surveys. Of course he can recover but it's also clear that presidential campaigning is a much more difficult political enterprise than anything Perry has faced before and he will need to improve his game.

As has happened in the other two presidential debates in which Perry participated, the main feature of last night's encounter was Perry's repeated confrontations with former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who is widely considered the other top-tier candidate at this time.

Romney is a seasoned debater who benefits from having run for president in 2008, and he is adept at throwing zingers Perry's way on issues ranging from Social Security, a program which Perry has strongly criticized, and illegal immigration, where Perry is less conservative than many Republicans would prefer.

[Poll: Perry Leads Romney in S.C. as Bachmann Fades]

But Perry still has many strengths as a contender, notably his state's record of job-creation during an economic downturn and his popularity among Tea Party activists who are crucial in the GOP nominating process.

Despite the familiarity of the debates, this race is in its infancy. The nation has yet to see the full capabilities of the candidates and their campaigns, such as their ability to raise money, the effectiveness of their television advertising, and how they organize their grass-roots efforts.

And it's certainly true that someone other than Perry and Romney could break into the top tier. As I've written here before, one can't forecast the outcome of a presidential race this early. The only thing we can predict is that there will be surprises, and probably many of them.

View the original article here

Peliculas Online

Read More

Will Rick Perry's Democratic Past Hurt Him at the Polls?

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota

Texas Gov. Rick Perry has comfortable leads against his rivals for the 2012 GOP nomination, and with front-runner status come attacks. Fellow Texan and Rep. Ron Paul fired one of the first shots across his bow, attacking Perry for being "Al Gore's Cheerleader" during the 1988 campaign. Perry, who was a Democrat until 1989 and supported Gore's 1988 run for the White House, has billed himself as a rock-ribbed conservative, and one of the most damaging labels in politics is that of a turncoat or flip-flopper. Will this attack have any bite against Perry?

Politicians have been known to evolve. Ronald Reagan came to Hollywood as a staunch Democrat, but grew into a Republican. "I didn't leave the Democratic Party. The party left me," Reagan explained. Hillary Clinton's first foray into politics was as a "Goldwater Girl" in high school, supporting Arizona Sen. Barry Goldwater's 1964 run for the White House before the Vietnam years turned her into a Democrat. And the South's gradual transition from a Democratic stronghold into a Republican stronghold left many politicians changing their stripes, including some current lawmakers such as Alabama Sen. Richard Shelby.

[See a slideshow of the 2012 GOP contenders.]

Perry's own political evolution mirrors that of Texas, which had been growing from Democrat to Republican until the GOP began to dominate in the late 1980s. Even before he joined the GOP in 1989, Perry pushed conservative themes as a Democrat, joining other state legislators to push for budget cuts. His endorsement of then-Tennessee Sen. Al Gore in 1988 may sound bad now, but Perry can reasonably argue that the self-proclaimed "raging moderate" was the most conservative Democrat in a field which included minister Jesse Jackson, Missouri Rep. Dick Gephardt, Illinois Sen. Paul Simon, and former Colorado Sen. Gary Hart.

"I was under the false idea that conservative Democrats could save the Democrat Party. They couldn't," Perry told talk show host Sean Hannity, echoing Reagan's assertion that it was the party, not him, that had changed. He has said Al Gore's support for the so-called "Star Wars" missile defense system was a key reason he endorsed the Tennessee senator, although Gore actually had blasted the system shortly before the 1988 campaign began.

Unfortunately for Perry, Gore lost the 1988 race, but went on to become the Democratic standard-bearer in 2000, and now has a saintly status among liberals--while being a lead villain among conservatives--due to his work as an environmental activist. "Regardless of the fact that Al Gore was the prolife conservative Democratic candidate in 1988, that's something that a lot of folks just don't get," says Andrew Langer, president of the conservative Institute for Liberty. "They know the Al Gore of 2000, the Al Gore of An Inconvenient Truth, and the Al Gore who represents the poster child of the attacking progressive left of the modern age."

[See cartoons about the GOP 2012 primary.]

Nevertheless, it's unlikely that the issue is going to cause huge headaches for Perry. For starters, his chief rival for the GOP nomination, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, may hesitate to bring up the "flip-flop" issue lest it brings more attention to his own political evolution on issues such as gay rights and abortion. Romney, who during the 1994 Massachusetts Senate campaign said he would be a stronger advocate for gay rights than his-opponent, Ted Kennedy, was seen by many conservatives as an opportunist uncommitted to conservative principles during his run for the 2008 GOP nomination. Perry's more conservative opponents, including Paul and Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann, are likely to use the Democrat label while also noting the Texas governor's more moderate stances on immigration reform, to claim that he is less committed to the conservative cause than they are. Perry's answer to the question may be enough to win over skeptical voters, but explaining can be a distraction during campaigns.

"It's so easy to answer, but you have to answer it," says University of Virginia Professor Larry Sabato. "You have to spend time and resources to answer it."

View the original article here

Peliculas Online

Read More